21 February 2016 - ENCS

Tonight Pastor Josh covered “Heart of the Matter” part three

Though the first part of “Why marriage?” came from wife Nani

Three “C” reasons to get married she proceeded to outline

Based on biblical passages, the list was more than just fine

The first is children, as per Genesis one verse twenty eight

“Be fruitful and multiply” God did say to Adam and his mate

For God was seeking godly offspring, per Malachi chapter two

Bringing life and light to this world is one thing we should do

Children are a heritage from God says Psalm one twenty seven

And He will provide for them because His love is from heaven

The second is companionship for God knows who we need

Although not all are to be married, as from Paul we do read

Ecclesiastes four talks of a man alone with no end to his toil

And that two are better than one even when working the soil

The third is a love beyond all others, Christ and the church

His sacrificial love is a paradigm and example we can research

Per Ephesians five, marriage helps cleanse each other’s heart

Making for a union much stronger than each individual part

To add some more comments on how, the stage Josh took

And into Paul's letter to the Ephesians he did carefully look

He pointed out that of God’s standards we have all fallen short

Remember the Pharisees with the adulteress and Jesus’ retort

It is not for us to condemn those who in Jesus do not believe

We should show love and pray that His grace they do receive

For per Ephesians chapter one, Christ’s blood gives us grace

We all need this as we attempt to navigate in our lifetime race

Per Ephesians three, we need to be strengthened by His might

For God is the perfect role model, a loving father emitting light

As believers, we need knowledge of the heart, not just the head

For the all-important love comes from the heart, Josh then said

Per Ephesians four, we should not walk as others in darkness

But must live the truth first before highlighting others’ mess

In conclusion, marriage is impossible for us, Josh did say

Unless of course God is involved and central every day

23 August 2015 - ENCS

Pastor Josh and wife Nani spoke on “Honouring Men” today

Per Ephesians five, wives submitting to husbands is God's way

This naturally brings about female feelings of angst and pain

But is good if put in the proper perspective, Nani did explain

For this relationship mirrors that of Christ and the church

And a godly husband will never leave his wife in a lurch

Submission is like having an umbrella, Nani did then share

Finding a godly husband is worth the wait for they are rare

She said that wives should treat men with honour and respect

Focusing on the potential in their lives instead of any defect

The key to a happy marriage is found in verse thirty three

Husbands loving and wives respecting is always the key

On the topic “What Is A Man?” Pastor Josh then shared his view

To be honoured, being a man of honour is what man must do

He then referred to verse twenty one, which should be read

As it points out that all should submit to each other instead

David told his son Solomon, per First Kings chapter two

To “be strong and prove yourself a man” in all he would do

Pastor Josh then shared about what this really does mean

From many passages, several truths he was able to glean

First is that real men honour God and His Word follow

Living in integrity, loving the Lord, and in His truth go

Second is that real men take responsibility “like a man”

Not shirking away like a little boy who ignores the plan

Third is that real men exert their dominion over the earth

Per Genesis one and two, that role existed since birth

Fourth is that real men acknowledge from God they veer

And that the good news of Jesus is needed to draw near

In summary, or “so how” Josh said in the local parlance

We need to give Roman five more than just a glance

Remember that is was Adam who let the serpent in

And also did not prevent Eve from committing sin

But Jesus’ precious gift to us is worth so much more

So we do not need to live a defeated life as before

And real men also need to focus on real true love

Per First Corinthians thirteen, following God above

Making disciples should be a real man’s key mandate

That is the Great Commission, per Matthew twenty eight

8 February 2015 - ENCS

The family series was continued by Pastor Josh and his wife

Nani and Josh spoke on "Parenthood", rather central to life

 

Nani said moving from single to married to parent, issues grow

But God uses these to make us better, she has come to know

As God's children, into the world we should want to bring others

An open heart for God's plan should have all fathers and mothers

But remember that from parents' action children take their cue

And that children tend to build upon what their parents do

 

Josh read from Deuteronomy chapter six, verses one to three

God teaches parents, who teach future generations, we did see

By sharing with children, parents can impart knowledge and lore

Our Lord God can build on this by imparting knowledge even more

Josh opined that fathering is increasingly in today's world a lost art

With healthy marriages and parenting, many issues would not start

The next six verses of Deuteronomy six then came into sight

We should love our God with all of our heart, soul, and might

In that vein, with diligence parents should their children teach

And if they love God so much, into all areas of life He will reach

As parents change and consistently show that love is key

Then their children will notice and begin to act accordingly

 

Josh then talked about discipline, using a couple of equations

For some discipline and rules are necessary on most occasions

Rules without a relationship lead to rebellion, Josh did say

Which then leads to extreme behavior on too many a day

And yet a relationship without rules leads to recklessness

If parents do not provide guidance, children end up a mess

But the same approach does not work with Christians young

We need to encourage them without rules or a sharp tongue

Josh referred to Hebrews chapter twelve from verse five

The Lord's discipline actually helps us in the end to thrive

He only disciplines those whom He accepts as a son

Per Proverbs three this discipline we should not shun

We should respect disciplining fathers, Hebrews continues

Ditto for God, whose discipline into our hearts does infuse

The third equation Josh shared -  with a bit of zing

Was that relationship plus rules equals understanding

Children will ask for advice if relationships are in place

Josh then said that for discipleship, this is also the case

 

But even the best parenting can lead to bad results

Per Luke fifteen, the prodigal son who said insults

But just as lost sheep need a shepherd to find them

Strong foundations help the prodigal, not condemn

His father felt compassion when the son did return

For the foundations had helped the son to discern