22 March 2020 - ENCS (1)

Before online worship, we heard from Pastor Bonafacio

When we feel overwhelmed, which direction do we go?

Pastor encouraged us to let God overwhelm us instead

And be thankful since God's got us covered, Pastor said

Per Matthew six and Luke eleven, His Kingdom will come

“His will be done” is a command we must not shirk from

We do not know how or when His purposes will prevail

But His presence and pre-eminence will never go stale

Everyone should praise His power, purpose and provision

And be confident and thankful for peace and protection

We know that God will protect us from all kinds of evil 

So we should not to worry even in this massive upheaval

22 December 2019 - ENCS

This is unfortunately more than a little bit late

But I think the words carry just as much weight

So please do forgive my tardy poetic posting

I guess towards year end I started coasting

****At the start of service we did see****

****A nice carol from Charles Wesley****

****"Hark the herald angels sing****

****Glory to the newborn king****

****Peace on earth and mercy mild****

****God and sinners reconciled"****

Pastor Josh then spoke to us about faithfulness

What we celebrate about the Lord, he did stress

God honours our faithfulness with responsibility

Even if that often may take away our tranquility

Like Jesus who appeared as a babe in a manger

If we believe we are not special, we risk danger

For like Jesus whose substance outshone his form

He changed the world, introducing us to a new norm

For Paul wrote about this in First Corinthians one

We are righteous because of what Jesus has done

Per Luke two verse ten, the angels said not to fear

“Good news of great joy” were the words to hear

We all need a saviour because of our imperfection

By following Jesus we head in the right direction

From our Creator who so loves us, we have hope

God knows what is our full potential and scope

Per Colossians one, He delivered us from the dark

The contrast with the Holy Spirit is extremely stark

The Spirit gives us righteousness, peace, and joy

About substance versus form, Josh was not coy

The kingdom of God is about your soul’s health

And sharing it with others generates true wealth

We are branches from Jesus’ vine, per John fifteen

If we abide in Him, much fruit will be born and seen

Ephesians two says He makes us alive despite sin

Jesus is the spiritual air that we should breathe in

Per First Thessalonians five, pray without ceasing

With prayer, our relationship with God is increasing

Per Psalm one hundred nineteen, open our eyes

So we can see His wonders on land and in skies

God clothes us with salvation, per Isaiah sixty one

But we also need earthly community in the long run

Per Ephesians two, we are all part of His household

So we fellowship with others both young and old

20 October 2019 - Wayne Community Church

On Jesus' parables Jim Van Cott spoke on Laity Sunday

They are stories within stories with a moral, he did say

A parable is a teaching device for deeper understanding

Per Matthew thirteen, they help in knowledge expanding

Experts say that the Bible contains parables thirty one

All within Matthew, Mark, and Luke since John has none

Jesus went on to say he would proclaim what was hidden

So speaking in parables was welcomed, not forbidden

Jim said that parables can have a very powerful impact

On individuals, multitudes, and nations - that’s a fact

Parables contain teachable moments despite their size

Jesus was a gifted teacher who told the truth, not lies

Jim said Jesus also used parables to make us ponder

Especially about complex moral issues from yonder

His words penetrate souls dispersing “misconfusion”

That is a made-up word but is still an apt conclusion

With Jesus’ compassion, using parables was consistent

Truths are revealed gently rather than in a way insistent

Parables get absorbed by going to our innermost being

Thus leading to a more positive response and agreeing

Jim referred to “Understanding the Bible” by John Stott

Which says that like a rabbi, with parables Jesus taught

A parable is like a diamond with so many faceted sides

Across different audiences, critical tenets it provides

But parables leave open room for other interpretation

Jim referred to the Good Samaritan as an illustration

Does the parable reflect the basics of the Golden Rule

Or by shaming those ignoring those in need, is it a tool?

Parables help us to get to know Jesus on a deeper level

By reinforcing the importance of not choosing the devil

The Parable of the Fish in the Net is a perfect example

There are good and bad fish (and people) in each sample

In other words, parables try to set us on a straight course

For reading between the lines can act as a strong force

Parables become our best “how to” guidelines for life

Helping us to live in a Christian manner without strife

Parables address many human conditions that perplex

Jim mentioned The Lost Sheep and Prodigal Son subjects

God’s love, loving others, plus of course forgiveness

Many moral issues the thirty one parables do address

Through the parables, Jesus speaks to us one-to-one

Going straight to our heart, they cannot be outdone

More powerful than being told what to do directly

 The best way to internalize Jesus’ teachings correctly

Jim also said that as parables come from our mentor

In that way, they act like the Bible’s Visitor Centre

They are thus a condensed version of Jesus’ teaching

Short and to the point, the parables are far-reaching

Very daunting, reading the entire Bible seems to be

But we might do so after the parables we do see

Parables whet our appetite for deeper understanding

Per Maine’s “The way life should be” motto branding

A favorite parable each one of us will eventually find

For Jim, The Parable of the Sower springs to mind

Sowing seeds on different soils leads to varying results

His first Sunday school class students are now adults

The parables adventure, Jim encouraged us to continue

Keep and use the list of parables for follow through

Parables will enlighten, uplift, strengthen, motivate

With that message, it is virtually impossible to debate

1 December 2019 - ENCS

Talking about a race, Pastor Joshua started December

To always finish the race strong, we should remember

Per Philippians one, God will bring us a flourishing finish

But if we don’t know the finish line, our odds do diminish

Of course life is a series of parallel and sequential races

A lack of clarity is often the biggest enemy in many cases

Per First Corinthians nine, Paul said not to run aimlessly

Second Corinthians five says to please God shamelessly

For if we focus on this objective whether “home or away"

We will all be living for Christ, in every race on every day

All of our problems can be addressed if we hear and obey

Be gracious and forgiving to others, as was Jesus’ way

Per Hebrews twelve, we should run the race set before us

Laying aside our sin and disbelief, so they are superfluous 

Remember that Jesus had joy despite enduring the cross

We should do likewise even if frustrated with energy loss

Our interactions with others can influence them in eternity

Remember how Jesus dealt with sinners and their hostility

Jesus loved us so we should similarly pass His love along

It is only God’s power, not our own, that makes us strong

At times, all we might need to do is obey by saying “yes"

Per Philippians four, we can thus abound in every mess

And reverting back to Philippians one, without a deletion

He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion

24 November 2019 - ENCS

Pastor Josh ended the three week prosperity series

He first showed a few pictures from internet queries

Images depicted food, family, growth, and money

Some of them were serious while others were funny

Josh then turned to the Bible for a prosperity definition

Per John ten, giving abundant life was Jesus’ ambition

The first mention in Deuteronomy twenty eight eleven

Is relationships, vocation, and inheritance from heaven

The passage says God will make us the head not tail

Lending but no borrowing our lives should thus entail

Per verse thirteen, God ensures that we will be above

Romans eight says nothing separates us from His love

Paul says that tribulation, distress, peril, and persecution

Will always be conquered thanks to Christ’s contribution

We should remember that to serve Jesus came to earth

And by following His example, we will prove our worth

Why people want to prosper, there are reasons three

More and bigger things as well as fear and insecurity

The only good reason is so that we can others bless

As Second Corinthians chapter nine does profess

We should be generous with our gifts and our time

For the impact on others might be clear or sublime

The key is to “pray, meditate, proclaim, fellowship"

Josh wants us to internalise this as it will us equip

17 November 2019 - ENCS

More on prosperity Pastor Josh Harris shared today

Based on what Deuteronomy twenty eight does say

As Josh said last week, prosperity is more than things

Relationships, vocation, and inheritance God brings

How this really works in our lives is the key question

God’s blessings help us to succeed in our progression

Listen and hear God’s voice, per Isaiah twenty eight

For His word is like a seed that produces fruit great

God instructs and teaches everyone the right way

A wonderful plan and magnificent wisdom, it does say

Deuteronomy says that if we follow God’s commands

Then He will give His “prosperity" throughout the lands

But we are under the power of sin, per Romans three

The law makes us conscious of our sin, we clearly see

Righteousness thus comes not from our works but faith

Though obedience and works follow faith, James sayeth

Through our relationship with God, He can clear our sin

Allowing to our heart His counsel, plans, and wisdom in

We cannot please God without faith, per Hebrews eleven

But it is more than just believing that He exists in heaven

We must believe that He rewards those who do Him seek

Those blessings can be used to bless others every week

If we think of God’s words as seeds intended for our heart

Then how should we live our life and therefore do our part

Pastor Josh repeated “pray, meditate, proclaim, fellowship”

Because each step is critical so none should we daily skip

10 November 2019 - ENCS

Sunday Pastor Joshua Harris spoke about prosperity

In movies and festive seasons this word we do see

Dictionaries too often focus on flourishing materially

But is that what God means by prosperity, in actuality

Per Deuteronomy chapter twenty eight verse eleven

Abundant prosperity will be granted by God in heaven

A grant provides us opportunities, not the end result

If we use the grant correctly, our value will catapult

But eternal value is not focused on temporal stuff

When we harvest, for others there should be enough

So earthly prosperity should be used to others bless

Three types of prosperity Deuteronomy does identify

Relationships, vocation, and inheritance it does imply

Relationships are based on love so deserve our best

Vocations should be fulfilling but not overly stressed

Our primary inheritance is God’s purpose or calling

For us to do otherwise would be extremely galling