3 November 2019 - ENCS

Pastor Josh today spoke about Genesis twenty eight

Jacob had left home and was just in a survival state

He stopped for the night and took a stone for a pillow

Angels going up and down a ladder, a dream did show

Of Abraham and Isaac his father, God did Jacob remind

And the Lord's promise to Jacob was very well defined

Remember His promises and blessings are massive

And we can claim them even if our actions are passive

Jacob’s family would be blessed and would bless others

God wants His blessings to expand beyond our brothers

Even in toxic situations, our presence should be a light

Jesus’ miracles often happened out of normal eyesight

Jacob awoke and realised the Lord God had been there

For God is omnipresent, Pastor Josh did then declare

Even or perhaps especially when we feel most alone

God will never forsake us nor will he ever us disown

Jacob said that that place must be heaven’s entrance

Building an altar, Bethel is what he named the expanse

But then Jacob reverted to his simple survival mentality

He tried to make a deal with God, as was his normality

But an encounter with the Lord is of a journey, one part

Obviously important, while often serving as a kickstart

Per John one, Jesus is the ladder which gives us access

Per Romans five, this access is ours by faith not stress

In summary, Josh reiterated four steps for our life’s trip

We should often pray, mediate, proclaim, and fellowship

By doing this, Jesus’ light in us will to others be evident

And thus our lives will reflect why to earth we were sent

27 October 2019 - ENCS

About making decisions, Pastor Josh today did continue

Per Genesis twenty seven, Esau’s anger at Jacob grew

Rebekah warned her son Jacob of Esau’s stated intent

To her brother Laban in Haran she wanted Jacob sent

As a result Jacob would be on the run most of his life

She said life would be worthless if he took a Hitite wife

Pastor Josh focused on starting over despite one’s age

Basically saying it is never too late to start a new page

Isaac called Jacob to bless him and give him instruction

Teaching us not to let our place in life be an obstruction

Pastor said even if we take wrong turns on life’s route

It is never too late to start over with a spiritual reboot

Esau saw that Isaac gave Jacob blessing and direction

However taking a third wife was very far from perfection

That we should not try to be another is a lesson to learn

Instead focus on being the best we can be at every turn

Be content with our current state, per Hebrews thirteen

But wanting God to improve us in ways often unseen

Esau erred in four different ways, Pastor Josh did share

He applied knowledge without counsel, let alone prayer

He followed form without power, as Paul later did warn

In Second Timothy three, about this trait he did mourn

Esau effectively hid behind tradition without revelation

Per John five, only closeness to God leads to salvation

To work without relationship, change Esau tried to bring

Per Luke fifteen, relationships matter more than anything

Those four mistakes match up nicely with steps to take

By now, the message should be quite clear, not opaque

Pray, meditate, proclaim with actions as well as words

And fellowship to keep our plans aligned with the Lord's

20 October 2019 - ENCS

Today Pastor Josh talked about Genesis chapter twenty seven

And why we oft make decisions that are not pleasing to heaven

Isaac was old and called his elder son Esau to his resting bed

But he should have thought about succession earlier, Josh said

As a leader or as a parent, we must prepare the next generation

We need to impart knowledge thus ensuring a sturdy foundation

Isaac told Esau to kill and then prepare food to get his blessing

By adding conditions, Isaac compounded his error - distressing

Isaac's wife Rebekah was listening and with Jacob did conspire

Jacob brought two goats that Rebekah then stewed over a fire

To fool Isaac, Jacob wore his brother’s garment and added hair

Jacob’s desire was to get the blessings due to the rightful heir

So Jacob went to see his father Isaac, as Esau he did pretend

We do not need to do so, for individual blessings God will send

Trying to be someone else deprives us of being our own best

Although taking on elements of others can help us be blessed

Jacob claimed with God’s guidance, the goats he quickly found 

By invoking God’s name, he did his sinful situation compound

Isaac heard Jacob’s voice but due to his nonexistent eyesight 

He gave Jacob the blessings associated with Esau’s birthright

Isaac said Jacob would lord over his brothers and be wealthy

Jacob left as Esau arrived to find the situation was unhealthy

That Isaac had deceived him, old Isaac realised a bit too late

To get his blessings, until later in life Esau would have to wait

Blessings from God should lead to blessings for others as well

And definitely not to hatred and discord, Pastor Joshua did tell

As a result of his deceit, what Jacob did sow he did later reap

Despite all of his blessings, the price he paid was quite steep

By contrast, per First Samuel, Saul did treat David very unfair

But in Chapters twenty five and six, Saul’s life David did spare

Pastor Josh then referred to Proverbs ten verse twenty two

As a strong message to trust the Lord is what we should do

Psalm number thirty seven says "delight yourself in the Lord"

And then "the desires of your heart” He will faithfully accord

Bur remember that our desires need to be often God-refined

Which by prayer, meditation, proclamation, fellowship we find

13 October 2019 - ENCS

About “making bad decisions” Pastor Josh spoke today

Esau married two Hitites, Genesis twenty six does say

This went against instructions that Abraham had shared

As a result of these mistakes, Esau became ensnared

Our internal desires and motives, per James chapter four

End up causing quarrels, fights, sinful action, and more

We should ask with the right motives, per verse three

For friendship with the world leads God to be an enemy

Solomon was extremely wise, as per First Kings eleven

But he didn’t listen to advice from friends or from heaven

Having hundreds of wives and concubines, it was seen

Did ruin him, he foretold in Proverbs five verse fourteen

He also warned against spurning discipline and correction

Instead, we should obey teachers for our own protection

Esau’s choices also did his parents’ lives greatly impact

Rebekah said that she loathed her life as a matter of fact

Our bad choices hurt others both directly and indirectly

For not sharing the word with others is acting incorrectly

Josh said the myth of independence is full of liabilities

People get self-focused and ignore their responsibilities

How we can avoid making bad decisions, Josh did quip

Is if we regularly pray, meditate, proclaim, and fellowship

Per Matthew twenty six, watch and pray to avoid temptation

Humble ourselves and use Matthew six as the foundation

Meditating on the Word leads to success, per Joshua one

As a good work, proclaiming the Word we should not shun

Per Proverbs eleven, relying on counsellors leads to safety

Encouragement and support can be provided by community

6 October 2019 - ENCS

Pastor Joshua spoke from Genesis twenty six and Isaac

The envious Philistines said to go away and not come back

Despite Isaac being mightier, he did as his enemies said

Twice more he dug wells and had to move his homestead

Though per verse seventeen he did what his father did do

But the third time was not a problem per verse twenty two

He named the well Rehobath and there was room to grow

God wants us to be in similar places, this we should know

Thereafter, Isaac went to Beersheba to expand even more

And God appeared and spoke to him per verse twenty four

Saying to fear not, that he would be blessed and multiply

Isaac built an altar, dug a well, and pitched a tent to occupy

Abimelek and aides came to visit, as hostilities would cease

Isaac hosted a feast and instead of arguing, agreed to peace

Josh said that we should always keep the end goal in sight

At times, it really does not matter who was wrong or right

On the day he made peace, water came from the new well

For God often blesses those who bless others, Josh did tell

Insead of letting past wrongs negatively impact relationships

We should allow reconciliation and forgiveness to eclipse

1 September 2019 - ENCS

On the tenth verse of John ten Pastor Josh did opine

For in this one quote from Jesus is a veritable goldmine

For “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy”

But Jesus comes to bring us life that is filled with joy

About how the enemy steals from us, Pastor Josh did talk

Recognising it is tough to find our path on which to walk

The first area is time or at least how we perceive time

Asking “are we there yet” can become a bad paradigm

Looking to the future is okay, as long as within reason

For per Ecclesiastes three, everything has a season

We should focus on the present and its opportunities

And thus we train so God's future plans we can seize

The second area is when we dwell too much on the past

Memories of both bad and good events should not last

Per Isaiah forty three, the past can muddle the present

In verse nineteen, living in the present is God’s intent

We may have challenges, like streams in the wasteland

But God never fails us, for his promises go as planned

The third area is when we focus on ourselves too much

In Isaiah chapter thirty nine, Hezekiah was out of touch

He cared about his life but not the more important legacy

In Genesis twenty five, Abraham cared for his entire tree

We should each do the same with the next generation

For family, church, and career - build a strong foundation

Thus in conclusion, live each moment as God does intend

And per Second Timothy, fight the good fight until the end

By doing so, we can impact others and create that legacy

And then our rewards will come in heaven for eternity

Remember that we can not take things when we die

Only our relationships with God and people do qualify

18 August 2019 - ENCS

Pastor Josh shared conclusions as well as some facts

Primarily based on the tenth chapter in the book of Acts

Cornelius was a devout man who continually prayed

An angel of the Lord appeared yet he was not afraid

The angel told him to send for Simon Peter by the sea

Peter was praying on his roof when a vision he did see

Animals from heaven while God was saying “kill and eat"

Peter refused as per Jewish law, it would be unclean meat

Josh asked how often we disobey God due to tradition

We should accept His word without so much suspicion

What God has made clean is good, per verse fifteen

Three times by Peter the vision was eventually seen

Due to faith, Cornelius gathered his friends and family

Trusting that unknown Peter would show up eventually 

Cornelius erred when into the house Peter did enter

By worshipping Peter instead of making God the centre

Peter corrected him and then conclusions he did share

Nobody can be unclean, as for all of us God does care

This was a major turning point in Peter’s life and ministry

With Cornelius and guests, Peter shared Jesus’ history

That all of the major prophets bore witness, he did note

All who believe in Christ are forgiven, Peter did quote

The Holy Spirit came on all present, per verse forty four

It was available to everyone, a sign none could ignore