TEXT: ‘Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them’ – Matthew 11:4-5 THOUGHT: I have just returned from Uganda, where the Missions Team conducted 3 conferences for Pastors and Leaders, held in areas not much dissimilar to the time of Jesus. People living in homes with no running water or electricity. Surviving as farming communities by trading in livestock, fruit and vegetables. Uganda has recently been badly affected by a nationwide drought, so it was good to see the rain fall at each venue. People, although having so little of this world’s goods, yet so hungry to hear the Word of God being taught, hour after hour. The Poor Financially – either due to being born into poverty or as a result of waste, as happened to the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Physically – due to malnutrition, sickness and disease. Thank God, at each conference people testified to being healed by God’s power through the name of Jesus. Spiritually – Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ – Matthew 5:3. Ignorantly – ‘Because you say, “I...
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TEXT: ‘But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered’ – Psalm 130:4 NRSV THOUGHT: Many people misunderstand a Christian’s assurance of heaven and eternal life, mistaking it for arrogance and spiritual pride. Christians are not perfect, just forgiven! We need to remember Heaven is God’s place. He makes the rules concerning entry, regardless of whether we agree with them. He has decided that repentance and forgiveness are the sole criteria for getting there, so that He can include everyone and exclude none. It’s not God’s fault if we choose another route that leads to exclusion, especially if we are expecting our own good works to be good enough. The role of the church and Christians is to ensure that everyone knows about the right way. Jesus said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.’ 1 Psalm 130 reveals some very important truths about God’s forgiveness and how it influences our lives. Anyone can experience “sinking” times and depression – ‘Out of the depths I have cried to you’ Christians are not immune to “down” times, especially over personal faults and failures, but should have a better chance of getting out of them than those...
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TEXT: ‘“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.’ – John 9:3 NLT THOUGHT: The healings of the Blind Man 1 and the Lame Man at the Temple 2 are remarkable miracles, but in this teaching I want to concentrate on the role of their parents and how they might have reacted at the birth and subsequent upbringing of their child. The joy of conception “I’m going to have a baby.” “That’s wonderful news!” No pre-natal scans, just the wait to discover the sex and health of the baby, unless of course God had revealed it specifically as with Mary the mother of Jesus. 3 The misery at birth Instead of a bouncing, healthy baby, something’s wrong – blind and lame. The disappointment and confusion, for children are a gift from the Lord. 4 These parents would have hesitated from going to the temple with a thanksgiving offering. They knew that the priest was likely to say, “This is the result of sin, it is God’s curse on you and your family.” Such wrong teaching leaves parents angry and confused, especially if they cannot think of anything they have done or are...
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TEXT: ‘A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”’ – John 4:7 THOUGHT: The Biblical account of Jesus meeting this woman at Jacob’s well is so interesting. The narrative records Jesus wanting to leave Judea and return to Galilee. It states, ‘He needed to go through Samaria.’ 1 Actually it would have been safer to have avoided the area because of hostility between the Jews and Samaritans. But Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit took that route and it resulted in a God-appointed meeting. The same can happen to us if we are led by the Spirit. Rest – ‘Jesus, being wearied from His journey, sat by the well’ Jesus was unique as God in a human body. He physically experienced things that we do. He was hungry, 2 weary from the demands of the ministry and travel, 3 thirsty, 4 and wept. 5 Always remember Jesus understands when we go through similar experiences. 6 Request – ‘Give me a drink’ Surprisingly this woman comes alone at the hottest part of the day to draw water. She was astonished that Jesus, a Jew would ask her, a Samaritan for a drink. Jesus responded by talking about living water which aroused...
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TEXT: ‘He endured as seeing Him who is invisible’ – Hebrews 11:27 THOUGHT: In both the Tabernacle and the Temple, God manifested His presence by the Shekinah glory above the Mercy Seat over the Ark of the Covenant, within the Most Holy Place. The Children of Israel could not see this as only the High Priest was allowed in there once a year on the Day of Atonement, when he made sacrifice and intercession for the sins of the people. So when they came to the temple bringing their tithes and offerings, ready to be taught the word of God, they did it by faith. They believed in their invisible God! When you come to your church for the services, what do you see? One grumbling man told me, “In all the years I have been coming, I have only felt the presence of God a few times!” I replied, “How then do you explain people getting saved, healed and baptized with the Holy Spirit if God was not there?” Some Christians meet in hired buildings and this thought can trouble them, “It is not a proper church building, is God really there?” Maybe it is a tired-looking building that badly needs painting and refurbishment, so they wrongly think,...
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