24 September 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Josh continued the Genesis series, looking at chapter six

Commenting that our hearts, more than our bodies, we should fix

The sons of God married daughters of man, per verses one and two

But “any they chose” implied that without God's guidance they did do

The words ‘saw, good, took’ mirrored those of Eve in Genesis three

And the result of that mentality was bad, as we once again will see

For in verse three, God said the Spirit shall not abide in man forever

For any man to live more than one hundred twenty years - never

Josh said to remember this about God, per Jonah chapter three

God sent Jonah to Ninevah, where much wickedness He did see

Jonah preached “forty more days and Ninevah will be overturned”

Led by their king, the Ninevites then paid attention and learned

And per verse ten, they turned from their evil ways and repented

So then God had compassion and from His threats He relented

It was actually not God who changed, it is very important to note

But the circumstances, as was made clear in Jonah’s anecdote

Man’s intentions and thoughts were evil, per Genesis six verse five

Akin to Adam and Eve being spiritually dead but physically alive

The works of the flesh, per Paul in Galatians five verse nineteen

Lead us away from the inheritance of God’s kingdom, it is seen

We are all guilty of some of those sins, such as anger or envy

Opposing the fruits of the Spirit, per verses twenty two and three

In the Old Testament, God dealt with sinful ways physically

But after Jesus died for us, He dealt with our sin spiritually

God regretted he made man, per Genesis six verse six and seven

Because of the pain man’s actions caused on earth and in heaven

Fortunately per verse eight, Noah found favour in the Lord’s eyes

We will each be hit with our own floods, Pastor Josh did advise

Per Second Corinthians twelve, God’s grace is more than sufficient

In our weakness, God's power is perfected and far from deficient

And when God’s grace appears, according to Titus chapter two

It purifies us and also encourages us what is good to always do

We should thus approach God’s throne, per Hebrews chapter four

With confidence to receive mercy and grace and so much more

And because our God is filled with love (and definitely not hate)

Josh concluded that to repent and follow God, it is never too late

On a personal note, thanks for all the emails, prayers, and concern

I will be fine and am sure many a lesson through this I will learn

For although the wrist is fractured, it could have been far worse

And I have faith that this will become a blessing, not a curse

24 July 2016 - ENCS

Pastor Josh continued the series on leadership’s 5Cs

Moving from success to significance is one of the keys

Character is what will be known for at our life’s end

It's how we live our life, the result of a long term trend

From Romans five there is a lesson on how to cope

Suffering leads to endurance, then character and hope

Josh said that character is important, per First Kings ten

Although a great leader, Solomon has too many women

He ignored God’s very clear warnings in chapter eleven

And his wives turned his heart away from God in heaven

Josh then said character is a journey, not a destination

David’s sin was a blip that caused much consternation

But his response per Psalm fifty one showed his heart

Unlike son Solomon who from God his heart did depart

Repentance is actually a restoration of true character

In fellowship with each of us, God really does prefer

He knows all of our thoughts, our deeds, and our sin

Per First John one, God’s light over darkness will win

To renounce worldly passions, God’s grace trains us to do

As was written in Paul’s letter to pastor Titus chapter two

Those with good character are zealous to do good works

Leaving no time for bad things is just one of the perks

In conclusion, every great leader has a godly character

Enabling him or her to help others in their walk for sure

1 March 2014 - Fruit of the Spirit (part four of four)

“A gentle answer turns away wrath”, as per Proverbs fifteen

“Be completely humble and gentle”, in Ephesians four is seen

On the same topic, in Philippians four from Paul we hear

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near”

He continues “Do not be anxious about anything”

But present requests to God with thanksgiving

From First Peter three, doing right results in being blessed

Doing everything with gentleness set us apart from the rest

In Isaiah chapter forty, a shepherd is what God is called

He gently gathers, carries, and leads without being stalled

Zechariah, in chapter nine, about Jesus did prophesize

The Son of God would be righteous, gentle, and wise

In Matthew eleven, “I will give you rest”, Jesus did impart

“Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart”

Like a city with broken down walls, says Psalm twenty five

Is a man in whom self-control does not constantly thrive

Titus chapter two says to “teach the older men to be”

Temperate, self-controlled, and loving faithfully

Similarly, women should be self-controlled and pure

And kind so that God’s Word they do not obscure

In Second Peter chapter one, faith leads to goodness

Then knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and godliness

Along with increasing measures of brotherly kindness and love

To ensure we are effective in sharing knowledge from above

“The Lord is…slow to anger” per Psalm one hundred three

“Compassionate and gracious”, “abounding in love” is He

In Psalm one hundred forty five, those words David did repeat

David’s words of praise are ongoing and are never obsolete

“The Lord takes vengeance on his foes”, says Nahum one

“Slow to anger and great in power” are God and His Son

1 February 2014 - The Names of God (part three of three)

Per Psalm 29, “the Lord sits enthroned over the flood”

“The Lord is enthroned as King forever” with royal blood

He gives His people strength and blesses them with peace

From the psalmist David, praises for God never cease

In Isaiah chapter forty three verse fifteen, God is speaking

“I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King”

Pilate asked Christ, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

In Luke twenty three, Jesus confirmed that news

In Revelation 19, John did a rider on a white horse espy

King of Kings and Lord of Lords was on his robe and thigh

God spoke to Israel in Isaiah sixty verses fifteen and sixteen

Their nation had “been forsaken and hated” it was seen

But God promised to make them “the everlasting pride”

“And the joy of all generations”, for He was on their side

That He was their Redeemer, they would then know

“The Mighty One of Jacob” would help them grow

After finding out she was with child, Mary did say

“My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” every day

“For the Mighty One has done great things for me”

“Holy is His name” and wonderful is His mercy

He helped Israel, Luke chapter one does then continue

Speaking to Abraham’s descendants all the years through

In chapter nineteen of the book bearing his name

“I know that my Redeemer lives”, Job did proclaim

“And that in the end He will stand upon the earth”

For Job would see God at the time of his rebirth

In Psalm nineteen verses twelve to fourteen, David did pray

For God to forgive his faults and keep “willful sins” away

Then David would be blameless and innocent of transgression

Making his words and meditations a pleasing progression

In Isaiah chapter forty four verses six through eight

“I am the first and I am the last”, God did solemnly state

To believe otherwise is to His uniqueness mock

There is no other God and “there is no other Rock”

Psalm nine says “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed”

“A stronghold in times of trouble”, He is up to any test

Those who know His name will trust in him, per verse ten

For The Lord has never forsaken them, be it now or then

In Psalm sixty one, David asked God to listen to his prayer

From the ends of the earth, facing any enemy he would dare

For God was David’s refuge, “a strong tower against the foe”

To take shelter in God’s tent forever, David wanted to go

Jeremiah called on the Lord, his strength and his fortress

Per chapter sixteen, Jeremiah’s “refuge in time of distress”

To God the nations will come from the ends of the earth

Their ancestors only had false gods which had no worth

God will teach them, his power and might he will show

That His “name is the Lord” then everyone will all know

To Israel, in Deuteronomy thirty two, Moses did recite a song

His words came from the Lord so they could not be wrong

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect” per verse three

“A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He”

In 1 Samuel chapter two, to the Lord Hannah did pray

“There is no Rock like our God” she did earnestly say

David penned Psalm eighteen whilst hiding from King Saul

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress” to whom David did call

The Lord God did declare, in Isaiah chapter forty three

“So that you may know and…understand that I am he”

“And apart from me there is no savior”, per verse eleven

“I have revealed and saved and proclaimed” from heaven

God’s grace has appeared to all, per Titus chapter two

It teaches us to be upright and godly in all that we do

While for our Savior Jesus Christ’s return we do wait

Knowing that He will purify his people, Paul did state

Per Isaiah forty, “the Sovereign Lord comes with power”

“His recompense accompanies him” every single hour

“He tends his flock like a shepherd” who is doing his part

Gathering his lambs and keeping them close to his heart

In Hebrews chapter thirteen verse twenty, it was clearly said

God brought Jesus, the great Shepherd, back from the dead

So that He could equip people with everything to do His will

Enabling people to please Him as His plans they do fulfill

About the angels, John wrote in Revelation seven

He then described the throne of God in heaven

“The Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd”

“Who will lead them to springs of living water” undeterred

24 November 2010 - Titus 2:1-15

"You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine"
The first verse of Paul's letter to Titus does caution
"Teach the older men to be...self-controlled and sound in faith"
"In love and in endurance" he went on to sayeth
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent" and live as they should
"Not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good"
"Then they can urge the younger women to love their" families
"To be self-controlled and pure,...to be kind, and" their husbands please
In that way their actions will not be a facade
"So that no one will malign the word of God"
"Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled"
"In everything set them an example by doing what is good", we are told
"In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech"
This is what Paul, in his letter, is trying to teach
"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation"
"To all men" no matter what their denomination
"It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passion"
"To live self-controlled, upright and godly lives" even when not in fashion
"These, then, are the things you should teach"
"Encourage and rebuke with all authority" in your speech

While Paul's words focus on what and how we should teach
It was verses seven and twelve that to me really did preach
For they focused on how I should be living
Actions are more important than any words I am giving
So please dear God help me to live in an upright way
Doing your will, not mine, each and every day

12 November 2010 - Titus 3:1-10

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities"
Being obedient and doing good should be priorities
Verse two says "to slander no one"
"And always to be gentle toward everyone"
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient...and enslaved"
"By all kinds of passions and pleasures" that we craved
"We lived in malice and envy" says verse three
"Being hated and hating one another", don't you see?
"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared"
"He saved us" from what we should have feared
So "avoid foolish controversies...and quarrels about the law"
"Because these are...useless" and full of flaw
"Warn a divisive person once, and then...a second time"
"After that, have nothing to do with them" for it is a crime

Although I used some of this verse once before
About it, I wanted to say a bit more
Paul talks about how we should behave
From our rebirth until our grave
I need to particularly focus on verses nine and ten
For these are traps I seem to fall into time and again

28 August 2010 : Titus 3:1-8

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities"
"To be obedient" must be one of the top priorities
"To be ready to do whatever is good"
"To show true humility" we all should
"At one time we too were foolish...and enslaved"
But through God's kindness and love, we were saved
"Not because of righteous things we had done"
"But because of his mercy" that is surpassed by none
"He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal"
By pouring the Holy Spirit on us, it acts like fuel
So that we are "justified by his grace"
And "the hope of eternal life" we embrace
For "those who have trusted in God"
Doing good should not be a facade
"These things are excellent...for everyone"
And the benefits cannot be undone

1 August 2010 - ENCS

We heard a special sermon at ENCS today
From Guam the pastor was Mark Benavente
He started by referring to the movie "Inception"
And led us to the performance orientation
The need to be loved and the fear of rejection
Often result from a childhood predeliction
The focus on performance is driven by a false motive
That is not how God wants us to live
For to depression this cycle usually leads
As we can never meet all of other people's needs
By doing more and more, to the point of too much
A "new normal" is created that is out of touch
There is nothing we can do that can impress God
Remember that in his image we were put in our bod
Being a child of God is what He did presage
Jesus came to restore us to that image
From Proverbs, "as we think within ourselves, we are"
Many times, from good we think we are far
But 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says God will sanctify us
Our "whole spirit, soul, and body" without a fuss
Our body is what we are used to seeing
Ephesians 3:16 says our spirit is our inner being
And from 2 Corinthians 1 verse 22
God put his spirit in our hearts, that's true
Which is why Proverbs 4:23 (the first part)
Says that "above all else, guard your heart"

Satan has tried to destroy us over the years
Attacking our hearts with lies and fears
Making us believe that our hearts our bad
But reading Colossians 2:11 should make us glad
Romans 7:23 leads to Romans 8:10
Talking of the Holy Spirit living in us once again
This way we can avoid being like a Christmas tree
Only appearing to be alive, when death is clear to see
Sin dwells in our body but die it should
For God gave us a new heart which is good
Our heart and mind don't always work together
But God wants them to be attached with a tether

We must recognise sin, confess, and repent
Replace our old ways with new ones is what Pastor meant
And don't forget Titus 3 verse 5
Through God's righteousness, we are alive
God has changed our inner essence
He loves us completely, without any pretense