24 February 2016 - BSF

At BSF we are starting the study of John's book of Revelation

“God is in control and wins” was Clarence’s strong proclamation

Howe Lai’s lecture centred on the core concept of prophecy

What it is, its characteristics, and its purpose quite clearly

“Prophecy is God confiding in His people” was the first summary

For it is a foretelling of future events that have or will come to be

In Revelation, God unveils worlds both physical and spiritual

General and specific revelations that are so clearly veritable

God does this so that believers do not feel clueless or alone

He provides God-centred confidence for tomorrow’s unknown

“Prophecy proves that God is in charge of yesterday, today, tomorrow”

Helping us deal even in times that are challenging or filled with sorrow

God will not act without revealing through a prophet His plan

Prophecy can be both foretelling and forth telling for all man

As it contains truths about both the present and the future

With warnings, there is time to repent and change for sure

One-quarter of the Bible is prophecy, half has been fulfilled

Those are facts on which our faith and actions can build

“Fulfilled prophecy gives God’s people assurance of future fulfilment”

Changing our heart and actions is one reason prophets were sent

In terms of the Bible, fulfilled prophecy shows its accuracy

And reveals God’s power and wisdom, for everyone to see

God’s plan and purpose through Jesus Christ is also revealed

The overarching purpose is faith to be produced and sealed

In conclusion John received visions and wrote them down

We should take them to heart and obey God with crown

We cannot create our own future but must heed the warning

Allowing this study to transform our lives from each morning

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

14 February 2016 - ENCS

Pastor Josh delivered “The Heart of the Matter’ part two

On the topic of “Courtship and Dating” what we should do

With a reference to a seventy five year study he did start

For happiness, meaningful relationships are a key part

There are no specific bible verses on dating or courtship

But there are still guidelines to help everyone on this trip

“Do unto others…” is Jesus’ exhortation in Matthew seven

That summarises all the Old Testament laws from heaven

For when our relationship was broken with God above

We needed laws guiding us in the absence of pure love

But now the Holy Spirit tells us how best to approach

Relationships in a manner which is above all reproach

First Timothy chapter five says not to rebuke others

“With absolute purity” treat brothers, sisters, mothers

In Mark chapter ten to God’s words Jesus did refer

Two wholes, not halves, become one, we can infer

We should not look to another person to fill a gap

Only God can complete us, anything else is a trap

This is repeated in Colossians chapter number two

We “have been given fullness in Christ” in all we do

Being happy and complete with God is a precondition

Before moving on to marriage, per Josh’s admonition

From First Corinthians six comes additional sage advice

Do not be yoked with unbelievers even if they are nice

Two cannot walk together, per Amos chapter three

Unless in terms of what to do, they both do agree

If both are following Jesus in their walks individually

Then much easier their joint walk will of course be

Per Ephesians five, we should imitate God above

Beware life’s impurities and always walk in love

Meditating on things pure, per Philippians four

Ensures the God of peace will us never ignore

7 February 2016 - ENCS

The “Heart of the Matter” series last night Pastor Josh did start

Our relationship with God and others are critical, he did impart

There are four elements of a relationship, with trust as the foundation

Love is the motivator, forgiveness, and then of course communication

Josh said we can look to God and the Bible to learn about all four

Into each one, with power and emotion, he did then for us explore

When talking about trust, we should look to our Father in heaven

God is faithful and keeps his covenants, per Deuteronomy seven

In Numbers twenty three, Moses points out that God does not lie

Learning to trust God is a lesson about others that we can apply

Turning back to Deuteronomy seven, His people God does love

Promises were made to the Israelites by God from heaven above

These now apply to all believers, along with the reasons for this

As such, we should love others and live with a feeling of bliss

We are unable to do as God instructs, per Isaiah chapter one

All of us need forgiveness for words we said and acts done

Per Ephesians one, through Jesus’ blood we have redemption

His grace should compel us to forgive others, without exemption

Isaiah forty one provides a framework for good communication

When getting feedback, we should listen in silence for the duration

We should have no hesitation in honestly talking with God every day

For He clearly knows everything about us and our thoughts anyway

Pastor Josh then did conclude by referring to Isaiah chapter four

When things seem really bad, God cleanses us from the core

Then for us a tabernacle and a shelter of refuge He will provide

For the glory of God is in our relationship with Him magnified

17 January 2016 - ENCS

The “Discipleship Simplified” series Pastor Josh Harris did continue

Focusing on “Establish Biblical Foundations”, as step number two

Last week, he talked about “engage”, including making a friend

Having conversations and making new disciples becomes a trend

Pastor Josh ran through five points about how we can “establish”

For establishing ground that produces fruit and shade is our wish

The basis for his message, Colossians chapters one to two did form

Although Josh did intersperse other passages, as is often his norm

The first point was that we should establish a foundation in CHRIST

For He is the Rock, our inheritance derived from what he sacrificed

Jesus is head of the church and pre-eminent in every relationship

We can have peace and thus any worry in the bud we should nip

The second point was that we should establish a foundation in FAITH

Trusting God and the Holy Spirit’s presence, Colossians two does saith

If we walk with thanksgiving like Jesus, our faith will assuredly grow

Rhema-hearing Christ’s message is how His Word we can really know

The third point was that we should establish a foundation in HIS WORD

Meditating on it day and night, per Psalm one and Joshua one we heard

And, Pastor Josh did opine, if we happen to be going through a dry season

Not studying the Bible enough, feeling distant from God, may be the reason

The fourth point was that we should establish a foundation in COMMUNITY

In one day the church grew by thousands, in Acts chapter two we do see

For when we work together in peace, God can use us to do even more

Reminding us about the importance of relationships at a church’s core

The fifth point was that we should establish a foundation in LOVE

Per Ephesians three, being rooted in love gives power from above

The love of Christ surpasses knowledge, as per verse nineteen

Therefore our faith is unshakeable, and our heart will be serene

10 January 2016 - ENCS

The “Discipleship Simplified” series Pastor Josh did continue today

Discipleship is helping others follow Jesus, he did emphatically say

Getting rid of the great noise is the best way to ensure simplification

As it allows focus and eliminates things which cause consternation

To engage, establish, equip, and empower is the discipleship process

By remembering these four steps we can focus instead of face stress

The best way to engage is to discuss what is relevant to a person

Speaking the language of the culture sure helps get the job done

Given that Jesus is the answer, we need to identify the question

As caring for people for who they are is the best love expression

The most important question to ask one’s self is of course “why”

Per Second Corinthians five, Christ’s love should compel us to try

Without firsthand experience of God, it is hard to have maturation

We can always pray for others who are in pain or a tough situation

Form verse twenty of that chapter, we are ambassadors for Christ

We are reconciled with God because Jesus’ own life was sacrificed

So we must determine what is really most important and so prioritise

By focusing on the mission, we work together no matter the team size

Having head knowledge means nothing unless we for others care

One way to do this is to our individual testimony with others share

Saint Francis said to preach the gospel, using words when necessary

But our words can speak volumes, Pastor Josh did then politely parry

The other question about engaging that must be answered is “how"

Since Jesus called us, the Holy Spirit will surely gifts to us endow

Per Mark three from verse thirteen, Jesus went to a mountaintop

That is where He worshipped and communed with God nonstop

Acts chapter ten says the Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to do good

And because God was with Jesus, healing others Christ could

Fasting helps align our heart with God's, per Isaiah fifty eight 

Hearing His heart about the lost and hurting keeps us straight

And by praying for others, we often find that changes our heart

Then our light breaks through and the glory of God does its part

Per Acts ten, Peter spoke and the Holy Spirit fell on the others

Drawing them closer and turning them into Christian brothers

In summary, engaging others is critical for our discipleship

To do this, we should allow the Holy Spirit to us duly equip

3 January 2016 - ENCS

Josh spoke about “Discipleship Simplified” on this first Sunday of the year

If we have oppressive fear in our heart, God’s voice is very hard to hear

But when we know our purpose, decisions are so much easier to make

Especially, Josh said, when it is a significant decision with a lot at stake

To understand what God wants we then turned to Matthew twenty two

We are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind - in all that we do

This is what Jesus said was the first and the greatest commandment

To have us walk and talk with God in a relationship is the clear intent

Such a relationship allows us, not forces us, to do things out of love

And also enables us to see things as God views them from above

Josh then referred to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, in chapter two

Verse twelve says all were separated, without hope, not just a few

But Christ reconciled us with God so that there is no more hostility

So we are all now citizens in God’s household, like one big family

But how we manifest our love for God, Pastor Josh did then impart

Per verse twenty two, we are to make a dwelling place in our heart

Then returning to Matthew twenty two, following verse thirty seven

We are to love neighbours as ourselves, as we would do in heaven

Eight hundred laws in the Old Testament boiled down to just two

Making it much simpler to understand, although still hard to do

Three points about being part of God’s family, Josh did then share

First, we should search for lost members since for all we should care

Per Matthew eighteen, rejoice when we FIND the one who was astray

And in the mean time, no matter where we are, we can always pray

Second, it is better to FIGHT than to keep things bottled up inside

But we must fight fair, and per Matthew six, not do so out of pride

We must make sure that we do not have a log compared to a speck

And before criticising others, we must ensure that anger is in check

If we do approach others, per Matthew eighteen, speak truth in love

And if an agreement is reached, then it will be blessed by God above

Per Nehemiah four, it may also be necessary to fight for our families

Particularly to ensure that the enemy does not them injure or seize

Third, Josh said that to FORGIVE was a critical part of the process

In Matthew eighteen, Jesus told Peter to forgive no matter the mess

“I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven” Jesus did say

In other words, forgiving other people as God does for us every day

It is often easier to forgive if we have messed up in the first place

For then we recognise that God has granted us mercy and grace