18 June 2017 - ENCS

On Father’s Day, from the Genesis series we took a break

About fathers and fatherhood, Pastor Josh did clearly speak

Positive paternal experiences many people may not have had

(As a side note, I am very blessed to have a wonderful dad)

There is no perfect instruction manual to tell dads what to do

So Josh referred to verse eleven of First Thessalonians two

For their children, fathers should exhort, encourage, charge

Tailoring the approach to account for differences often large

Paul prefaced this, saying actions matter more than words

This requires hard work, not doing things by halves or thirds

As Jesus is the model leader, God is the perfect model father

Prioritising and focusing on others while for self less bother

A sense of security for his family, a good father should create

By exhorting and acting as a counsellor rather than to berate

Encouraging with calm words, providing a safe place to try

The children will both succeed or fail, Josh did then specify

Charging involves pushing one’s children to do their best

With talents and chances that each one God has blessed

The Lord is a father to the fatherless, per Psalm sixty eight

Both directly and also via earthly support to set us straight

God oft needs to change and humble us to fulfil our destiny

We learn from Him and others so good fathers we can be

11 June 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Joey Bonifacio spoke on Genesis chapter four today

To God, brothers Cain and Abel each took a different way

Being religious like Cain focuses on works and compliance

Having faith like Abel involves trust and on God, reliance

The Lord God asked Cain why he was angry, per verse six

How do we react when others point out something to fix?

He who hates correction is stupid, Proverbs twelve says 

For we are all imperfect and need correction, even a Pres

God kept talking to Cain about doing right, per verse seven

In the Bible, it was the first mention of “sin", not from heaven

Desires lead to sins which lead to death, per James one

Through sin, our perceptions of truth and right are undone

Which then affects our attitude, our actions, and our identity

For sin’s trajectory pulls us away from God and His serenity

Faith helps us overcome sin in three ways, Joey did say

Proverbs three says trusting in God’s Word is the way

That allows us to turn to His ways , per Isaiah fifty five

So we can tap into God’s power every day we are alive

God wants us to operate within a range, to avoid extremes

We do not need to be poor nor engage in greedy schemes

Our bodies are temples and are not to be idolised or abused

Both hedonism and aestheticism can leave us confused

Sin is like a crouching lion, waiting to pounce and destroy

But Jesus is a lion whose strength we can always deploy

And if we trust, turn, and tap into God, the real McCoy

We can experience righteousness, peace, and true joy

4 June 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Harris revisited Genesis four in his sermon today

Specifically about what Cain’s offering actually did convey

For although Cain and Abel both gave God an offering

Per Hebrews eleven, Abel acted by faith in everything

Josh said if worship focuses on actions, it is likely vain

But if it is merely from the heart, it can be a false domain
True worship focuses on God, that should be well known

For He sees our heart and actions, from upon His throne

James chapter one says that if anyone wisdom does lack
If we ask God in faith, He will show us the inside track

Romans ten says faith comes from hearing Christ’s word

For then our vision, path, and actions will not be blurred

Paul said that he was blameless if viewed as a Pharisee

But that this counted for nothing, per Philippians three

This is consistent with a verse from Jeremiah seventeen

If we trust in ourselves, even good things remain unseen

Self-righteousness is prideful, Philippians three days saith

But righteousness from God comes from Christ-linked faith

Faith is the conviction of things unseen, per Hebrews eleven

And without faith it is impossible to please God in heaven

Faith actually requires that we believe in God’s existence

As well as that He rewards those who seek his presence

Micah six says to act justly, love mercy, and humbly walk

Doing this is tough but must influence how we act and talk
Hebrews twelve instructs us to run the race set before us

We will not grow weak or fainthearted if we look to Jesus
For Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to die

And give us a chance to our relationship with God rectify

28 May 2017 - ENCS

The focus of Pastor Josh’s sermon today was Genesis four

But first he reminded us that context we should not ignore

If one reads just Ecclesiastes chapter ten verse nineteen

The wrong message is taken from the words that are seen

For food, drink, and money were not Solomon’s solution

For in eternity they actually do not make any contribution

Turning back to Genesis, Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel

Even though her relationship with God was far from stable

Eve may have believed that Cain would be the Messiah

But his meager offering actually made him more of a pariah

Cain got angry as he did not understand God’s reaction

But giving God an offering is never part of a transaction

In every person, there is indeed a mix of evil and good

Thus to be healed, our own darkness must be understood

God only compares us to Jesus and to our own potential

Given different talents, versus others is inconsequential

Per Isaiah twenty nine, worship is often based on rules

But not looking to God is a path only taken by fools

Micah six says to act justly, love mercy, and humbly walk

Doing this is tough but must influence how we act and talk

Acting justly implies a difference between wrong and right

We should give our best to God in order to share His light

Loving mercy means judgement we may need to forego

Walking humbly with God teaches what we need to know

If the focus of worship is on actions, it is invariably vain

But if worship is merely from the heart, it is a false domain

True worship focuses on God, that much should be known

Per Ezekiel three, God wants to replace our heart of stone

And then the Holy Spirit enables us to obey from our heart

Thus allowing each of us to use our talents and play a part

21 May 2017 - ENCS

Genesis Pastor Josh did continue the series on Genesis yearlong

Prior to Genesis three, man’s fellowship with God was very strong

But once Adam and Eve did fruit from the forbidden tree partake

Per verse twenty two, God made changes following their mistake

The issue was not in terms of the knowledge they had gained

But how they got it by disobeying God, Pastor Josh explained

God then instructed that they could not take from the tree of life

For living forever apart from God would have caused much strife

So then from the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve were banished

And without God’s love and grace, all hope would have vanished

We are in the same state of separation from God when we sin

But thanks to Christ’s sacrifice, into heaven we are allowed in

This is stated quite emphatically in Hebrews ten verse nineteen

Draw near to God with a sincere heart, we should thus glean

And to obtain real wisdom, we should not turn to Facebook

But instead, to God’s Holy Book we should constantly look

Hebrews also instructs us to hold to the hope that we profess

Spurring each other on to love and do good deeds to bless

Then Pastor Josh repeated the same four words to summarise

Pray to draw near to God, meditate on His Word to get wise

Then proclaim to declare our faith to the Lord and to others 

And of course fellowship to stir up our Christian brothers

14 May 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Josh gave us a special sermon this Mother’s Day

Linking our worth to God’s worth is really the only way

Single moments and choices often can define our lives

Every interaction with another is what actually survives

Raising children involves teaching them good from evil

The aim of which is to equip them for times of upheaval

Pastor Josh then spoke based on Exodus chapter one

Focusing on things various women for Moses had done

The midwives feared God and thus disobeyed the king

So they did not murder any of the Jewish male offspring

Moses’ mother hid him for three months, per Exodus two

Then she put him in a floating basket and bid him adieu

His sister stood at a distance, seeing what would happen

Pharaoh’s daughter found baby Moses and took him in

To find a suitable nurse, the sister did then cleverly offer

Moses’ mother was the Hebrew woman she did proffer

His mother got paid for taking care of Moses for years

Everything worked out well, thus avoiding many tears

And while behind everything, God’s plans clearly were

Without those women, the exodus could not occur

Per First Timothy one, Timothy go his sincere faith

From his grandmother and mother, Paul did sayeth

This is a reminder that God blesses generationally

And that being a mother carries great responsibility

Mothers pray, meditate, proclaim, and fellowship

For their children at home or when on a long trip

We can all learn from this and show others love

Reflecting what God pours on us from up above

"Happy Mother’s Day” is more than just a phrase

It is an unending role that deserves highest praise

7 May 2017 - ENCS

About Genesis chapter three, Pastor Josh did speak today

Our physical beings will all die, verse nineteen does say

Adam then called his wife Eve, the mother of all the living

It is not clear if this was arrogance of for their sin misgiving

A spectrum about faith, Pastor Josh did with us then share

We need to balance both trust and diligence, not doctrinaire

One extreme leads to skepticism, the other to negligence

We should read God’s word for wisdom, not just intelligence

Per Acts seventeen, we must receive His word with eagerness

And always rely on it for guidance, Pastor Josh did stress

Turning back to Genesis three, per verse number twenty one

God showed grace despite what Adam and Eve had done

He made garments of animal skin for each of them to wear

So they would not be embarrassed by their bodies bare

More importantly, this parallels God covering us with grace

Protecting us from the death that us sinners should face

The righteousness of God, per Romans three twenty one

Is manifested apart from the law for believers bar none

We should always remember that we all sin and fall short

That we need the Spirit is something we should not distort

We are so valuable to God that He sent His Son to die

This divine forbearance actually benefits both you and I

God needed to be just but He wanted to extend mercy

Jesus paid the price so that from our sin we are now free

For that we should not be proud, per verse twenty seven

Instead we should give all credit to Jesus in heaven

Due to the Spirit, we are empowered to differently live

Allowing God to change us and love to others give

Per Daniel nine, based on God’s mercy we should pray

The righteous do live by faith, Romans one does say

By continually pursuing God, our lives get transformed

In this way, hearts of many others will also be warmed

Josh once again shared four steps that help us equip

We should pray, meditate, proclaim, and fellowship