19 March 2014 - Ruth: Love and Loyalty

While the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land

Emilech moved to Moab, from Ruth one we understand

But he died and then so did his sons after ten years

Leaving their wives Naomi, Orpah and Ruth in tears

Naomi told her daughters-in-law to Judah she would return

She told them to stay in their Moab home out of concern

But Ruth replied that she would follow Naomi anywhere

She would assimilate and for her mother-in-law always care

They arrived in Bethlehem as the harvest was about to start

Ruth volunteered to help out of the goodness in her heart

Behind other workers, she picked up leftover grain in the field

But cousin Boaz told her not to, in order to from others shield

Ruth asked why a foreigner like herself had such favor found

Boaz replied that her treatment of Naomi did many astound

“May the Lord repay you for what you have done”, he did say

“May you be richly rewarded by the Lord” each and every day

Ruth went to Boaz’s threshing floor one night, per Ruth three

Because Naomi told her that Boaz might a good husband be

She did “wash and perfume herself” and good clothes wear

Then she lied down by his feet, uncovering them with care

He acknowledged her when he awoke in the middle of the night

And said all the townspeople knew she was noble and right

But since there was a kinsman-redeemer more closely related

Before marrying, that man’s rights would have to be vacated

In Ruth four, Boaz met the other man as he had planned

The man declined to take the widow Ruth with her land

So Boaz gladly stepped up and took her as his wife

They were happy and brought pleasure to Naomi’s life

Ruth gave birth to Obed, who honour to the family did bring

Obed fathered Jesse who fathered David, the shepherd king

16 March 2014 - Deborah Samson and the Judges (part two of two)

Yet again “the Israelites did evil” that God too often had seen

God delivered them into Philistine hands, per Judges thirteen

Then to a sterile woman, an angel of the Lord did one day appear

She would have a son, but from unclean foods she must stay clear

The boy would be a Nazirite; “no razor may be used on his head”

“He will begin the deliverance of Israel” is what the angel said

So “the woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson”

“The Lord blessed him” with strength that could not be outdone

The Spirit of the Lord stirred in him more than in his peers

Samson subsequently led the Israelites for twenty years

In Judges sixteen, with Delilah Samson did later fall in love

The Philistines asked her to find out his secret from above

They promised her lots of silver for this valuable information

For then they would subdue the leader of the Israelite nation

He said that seven fresh undried strings would do the trick

She did this but he snapped out of them with a mere flick

Samson was thus able to ward of the Philistine threat

“So the secret of his strength was not discovered” yet

After three such instances, Delilah got angry with Samson

And said that was no way to treat a supposed loved one

“So he told her everything”, that his hair had never been cut

He was finally telling her the truth, she then knew in her gut

By doing this, Samson has disobeyed God’s commands

So the Philistine rulers returned with silver in their hands

His head was shaved and his strength then disappeared

The Philistines gouged Samson’s eyes out and they jeered

The Philistines offered a sacrifice and started to celebrate

People wanted to see Samson perform in his feeble state

They did not realize that his hair had started to grow back

And that Samson then prayed to God for one final attack

So in between two pillars of the temple Samson stood

He then pushed them with all the strength that he could

The temple thus came down, crushing many a Philistine

In the end, Samson’s love for the Lord proved genuine

16 March 2014 - Deborah, Samson, and the Judges (part one)

Per Judges two, the people served the Lord for a generation

But then nobody had seen what God had done for the nation

“Then the Israelites did evil” and the Baals they did serve

God’s anger was provoked when these acts he did observe

Whenever they went to fight, they did not have his blessing

So they were defeated all the time, it was quite distressing

“Then the Lord raised up judges”, who did the people save

But as soon as a judge died, evil ways again they did crave

The people became “even more corrupt” than in earlier days

Refusing “to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways”

“After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil” in God’s eyes

So the Lord sold them; being made slaves was their demise

After twenty years, the people cried out to God in distress

Per Judges four, Israel was led by Deborah the prophetess

She sent for Barak and told him what God did command

That he should take ten thousand men from their land

God promised to deliver Sisera and his troops to be killed

Barak refused, not trusting that God’s plan would be fulfilled

Deborah said she would accompany the fearful man that day

“The Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman”, she did then say

To Barak, Deborah said “has not the Lord gone ahead of you?”

Per Judges four, she told him what he was supposed to do

Sisera and his chariots and army, the Lord did then rout

While his army was being decimated, Sisera bailed out

He fled on foot to the tent of Jael, who invited him in

Jael then gave Sisera milk and covered him with a skin

As he slept, she took a tent peg and a hammer inside

Jael “drove the peg through his temple…and he died”

16 March 2014 - ENCS

"A disciple is a disciple maker" was today's topic for Ivy Toh

In Matthew 28, Jesus told His disciples into the world to go

The Great Commission says that Jesus has all authority

We are to baptize others in the name of the Holy Trinity

 

Connecting people with God is the first step, Ivy did say

For if God is not in the picture, problems will not go away

We need to look at our problems as a reason to focus on God

Our relationships with Him differ for we are not a clone squad

 

She said that we should start by telling people God's name

Peace, Provider, Healer, Emmanuel, Savior - all we can claim

For Ivy, God has been so important in her life for so long

That not to share the good news would be seriously wrong

 

Challenging others to experience God is the second step

The first part of this is to "know it" - using His Word as prep

Then we must "do it" and "teach it" before we challenge others

This starts the cycle all over again, as would be God's druthers

 

We make disciples with God's Word as well as fellowship

If we do not use both tools, we cannot others fully equip

For then with either a social or a religious club we end up

Both work together to lead others to drink from His cup

 

Ivy then spent some time talking about what gets in our way

Mostly is that all too often "we are not good enough" we say

While this is indeed true, the relevant point is actually missed

God's grace is more than enough, Galatians three did insist

 

In conclusion, Ivy said that each of us needs to help disciples make

For if we do not, others' souls more sinister forces will surely take

God is too good and time is too short, she ended her message today

For us not to make disciples every opportunity each and every day

15 March 2014 - Joshua and The Promised Land (part two of two)

Joshua six tells how the Israelites conquered Jericho

The town was tightly shut up, nobody could come or go

The Lord told Joshua to march around it for six days

And on the seventh day to blow trumpets of praise

Then when the people shouted, the walls would collapse

And the Israelites would easily walk in through the gaps

Joshua followed God’s plans and destroyed the town

Rahab’s family was spared when the city burned down

Moses passed along commandments, per Joshua eleven

Joshua did all in line with these instructions from heaven

By doing so, Joshua conquered Canaan and the entire land

The Lord’s great power, none of the kings could withstand

To each tribe land as an inheritance Joshua did then give

“Then the land had rest from war” and in peace did live

Joshua’s farewell address is detailed in Joshua twenty four

He said to “fear the Lord” and for all other gods to abhor

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”

They agreed because His actions could not be ignored

Joshua warned them that the Lord is a holy and jealous God

And therefore with sins and rebellion not to his anger prod

But the Israelites said that the Lord they would always serve

Promising Joshua from God’s path they would not swerve

14 March 2014 - Joshua and the Promised Land

Moses was one hundred twenty in Deuteronomy thirty one

He was no longer able to lead the people as he had done

God told him that he would not enter the Promised Land

But the people should proceed under Joshua’s command

“The Lord your God Himself will cross over ahead of you”

And will destroy any nations that Israel may pass through

“Do not be afraid or terrified because of [other nations]”

“God will never leave nor forsake you” or your relations

To Joshua in public, Moses did these words repeat

The handover of leadership was then almost complete

Moses wrote down the law, giving it to the Levites clan

Joshua would succeed Moses, for he was a great man

After Moses died, God spoke to Joshua in Joshua one

He said to get the people ready to cross the River Jordan

For the Israelites would inherit the Promised Land soon

From God’s power, no other people would be immune

God then told Joshua to “be strong and courageous”

By following the law, things would be advantageous

God said in prosperity and success the nation would grow

“For the Lord … [would] be with [them] wherever [they] go”

Joshua secretly sent two spies into Jericho, per Joshua two

They entered Rahab’s house, where they could get a view

The king of Jericho was told that the spies were present

Rahab said that she did not know which way they went

So the king’s men left the city and followed false tracks

In fact, on her roof Rahab hid the spies under some flax

Her people were fearful and mass destruction they did expect

In return for her actions, they promised to her family protect

Joshua said, after the spies returned from seeing the lands

“The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands”

14 March 2014 - Love the Lord your God

In Deuteronomy six, about the laws Moses did convey

That they were what the Lord God directed him to say

The Israelites were to observe the laws and teach

Especially in the land that they would soon reach

“Israel, be careful to obey so that it may go well with you”

“That you may increase greatly”, for God’s word is true

Moses said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart”

“And with all your soul and…strength”, he did impart