22 October 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Josh spoke about Noah and the flood from Genesis seven

As promised, for forty days torrential rain came down from heaven

Noah had followed God’s instructions about the ark, not just a boat

While everything else was destroyed, on the water the ark did float

The flood lifted Noah toward heaven, Charles Spurgeon did state

The ark provided rest and peace, while protecting from a bad fate

For us, true rest and peace can only be found from our God above

Without Christ as our ark, we do not have perfect safety and love

Floodwaters covered everything, per verses nineteen and twenty

We also sometimes similarly feel flooded, overwhelmed a-plenty

Noah was not in control and had to wait for instructions from God

If we do not likewise trust in God, the results will oft be slipshod

Beyond the first forty days, many more months Noah had to wait

Waiting can be uncomfortable and unproductive that we all hate

But like Noah, who God never forgot per Genesis eight verse one

We must patiently wait, not knowing when our storms will be done

The waters eventually subsided as the God’s wind, or spirit, blew

To remind us what matters, storms we must sometimes go through

The ark came to rest on Ararat but Noah's waiting was not complete

It was several more months before on land Noah could put his feet

God was preparing Noah, for results matter less than one's heart

This is consistent with what Jesus in Luke chapter five did impart

Pastor said we are often brought closer to God through desperation

And our relationships with God can dwindle in times of celebration

Over the months on Ararat, Noah sent out a raven and then a dove

He waited more than a year before finally hearing from God above

We need to ask if it God’s will as well as His timing before we act

For if we proceed without both in place, the results will be inexact

"Go forth and multiply” God said in chapter eight verse seventeen

The precise phrase that in Genesis chapter one was initially seen

Pastor Josh said that waiting can allow God our world to reboot

Which as a summary of Noah and the flood is difficult to refute

15 October 2017 - ENCS

The lengthy series on Genesis Pastor Josh did today continue

Per chapter six verse seventeen God knew what He had to do

In order to rid the role of all the corrupt behaviour and violence

Due to all the sin, almost everything on earth he had to dispense

To focus on our relationship with God, for a crisis we cannot wait

For if we don’t know how to hear God by then, it will be too late

God told Noah he would establish a covenant, per verse eighteen

It was God’s first, although until chapter nine details were not seen

“Just trust me and be obedient, Noah”, God was effectively saying

His omnipotence and love are why we should frequently be praying

God said to take a male and female of all species in verse twenty

That would enable them all to procreate and repopulate aplenty

As a side note, Josh asked if we have built an ark for our families

So that when storms inevitably hit, they will feel like a light breeze

Noah did everything that God commanded, per verse twenty two

That is a reminder that knowledge means nothing unless we do

And the greater the crisis, the more important it is to fully obey

For God always has our best interests at heart, Pastor did say

We should set boundaries and discipline our children in love

In the same way we are guided and disciplined by God above

Not disciplining our children is in fact hate, per Proverbs thirteen

As we are God’s legitimate children, the same approach is seen

Proof of how much He values us is seen when He sent His son

To pay the price for all the sinful behaviour we have ever done

God actually protects us by giving us commands, Josh did state

Being able to hear Him and then obey can help avoid a bad fate

Per Genesis chapter seven verses twenty two and twenty three

It is evident that Noah’s obedience affected his family’s destiny

So as we go forth into this world filled with its challenges and sin

Listening to and obeying God's commands should be our linchpin

8 October 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Josh spoke about Noah based on Genesis chapter six

The corrupt and violent earth the Lord was determined to fix

Per chapter two verse fifteen, God placed man on the earth

To care for everything and glorifying God in hIs immense worth

God warned Noah of consequences in chapter six verse thirteen

Luckily he had found favour in God’s eyes, as previously seen

In verse fourteen, God provided Noah with a specific instruction

And then lots of details that were to be followed in construction

Similarly we each need to build our own safe place, our own ark

And we must listen to God, for He does not tell us things as a lark

Both are important as we must take care not to be “of” this world

As being “in” the world means that temptations to us will be hurled

To withstand floods and turbulence, Noah’s ark was carefully built

We need to follow God’s instructions so our defences do not wilt

It is important to remember that God’s process may seem slow

But the journey of freedom takes a lifetime, we should all know

When we disobey God’s instructions, consequences there will be 

Some are immediate while others take time for us to feel and see

Of course with God there is always a way back, albeit with pain

That’s why Pastor Josh told us to be obedient, again and again

It is easier to freely walk if we invest to help others, it is observed

For it is better to give and to serve than to receive and be served

Per Hebrews eleven seven, Noah built the ark by faith and in fear

He did so in order to save his family, the Bible makes that clear

In summary, Josh said to pray, meditate, proclaim, and fellowship

Building our own ark requires consistency on all fronts, he did quip

1 October 2017 - ENCS

On Genesis chapter six and Noah, Pastor Joey did speak

To find favour in God’s eyes like Noah we should all seek

He was righteous and blameless, per verses nine and ten

Noah walked with God, not just once but again and again

To do likewise there are three elements, Pastor did instruct

Have the right character, the right cause, the right conduct

Of course this is far from easy to do - in fact it is very tough

For having one or even two without the third is not enough

As Ironman told the hero in the latest Spiderman movie

Having talent without character is a waste, as all can see

Our hearts and souls, per Deuteronomy chapter eleven

Should be pressed by words from our Lord in heaven

For character allows us the right lives and paths to walk

True beauty comes from an inner light, not just nice talk

To build a good thing, a good cause must be the ambition

ML King and Mandela were driven by a sense of mission

Conduct is living out your character and cause every day

Walking with God is the secret of success, Joey did say

Pastor Joey then shared his four steps that help us equip

We should pray, meditate, proclaim, and then fellowship

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

17 September 2017 - ENCS

I apologise in advance for the abbreviated poem today

A bicycle accident and the pavement got in the way

As it is rather difficult to type and harder still to write

I will attempt to convey the points Pastor Joey did cite

At the end of Genesis five, about Noah we do read

His name meant to provide comfort for those in need

His purpose was to provide relief from the cursed land

He had kids at the age of five hundred, we understand

Our names can indicate our destiny, who we are to be

In England, with Thatcher and Archer it is plain to see

God calls us for a unique purpose and by our own name

Don’t try to be someone else, for none of us is the same

Noah walked with God, per Genesis chapter six verse nine

So did his grandfather Enoch, but their paths did not align

Joey said that God created each of us for a specific reason

And of course that may change depending on the season

When we find that purpose in life, things will work out

For self pity and self centredness die without a doubt

But Pastor said that most do not fulfil their destinies

Because the identity God gave us we refuse to seize

Remember that God has a purpose, even for our pain

Devotion and discipline are the key, Joey did explain

We must be willing to forego the things of this earth

Because only in the Lord can we find our true worth

For we are God’s masterpiece, pre Ephesians two

Called for a purpose in everything we say and do

10 September 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Joey spoke about Enoch using Genesis chapter five

Per two verses, Enoch "walked with God" while he was alive

But then Enoch “was no more, because God took him away”

The fact that he did not die is unique, Pastor Joey did say

The prophecy of Enoch is mentioned in Jude verse fourteen 

God would come to execute judgement, it is clearly seen

The Lord revealed His plans to prophets, per Amos three

Which is why the Old Testament is important for us to see

Enoch fathered Methuselah, whose name was a prophecy

“His death shall bring judgement” was a Godly guarantee

Seven days before the flood, at age nine hundred sixty nine

Methusaleh died, his grandson Noah to carry the bloodline

In order to fully appreciate His grace, we must fear the Lord

In this regard, Proverbs nine verse ten should not be ignored

In Matthew ten verse twenty eight, the disciples did all hear

As Jesus reiterated that God, not any man, we should fear

Enoch did not experience death, per Hebrews chapter eleven

Because he walked in faith, God took him directly to heaven

Romans ten verse seventeen says faith comes from hearing

Hearing the word of Christ is thus more than just endearing

Three steps we can take to have faith, Pastor Joey did highlight 

Being in God’s Presence, not being present, is what is right

Agreeing with God, not merely acknowledging Him, is key

Choosing God’s Pleasure over ours should be our reality

Per Psalm sixteen, in God’s presence there is fullness of joy

Since God is everywhere, this true joy nothing can destroy

We cannot please God without faith, per Hebrews eleven

And if we have faith, our eternal reward awaits in heaven