TEXT: ‘You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food’ – Hebrews 5:12 New Living Translation THOUGHT: The day we moved into our house in Saltash, the previous owner was still there finishing off cleaning. In the kitchen she had left 3 apples, explaining that they were for the blackbird. For some time she had been ensuring that every day the blackbird had an apple to eat. So we continued the tradition and our labour of love was worth it all when the blackbird brought its young to feed them apple. I was thrilled to capture the moment with its beak inside the young one’s mouth. In this photo the young blackbird waits patiently, not making a sound. It stares at the apple, waiting for its parents to come and feed it. Having grown so much, it looks like it can feed itself, but still it waits. “Feed me” it silently cries, but sooner or later it must learn to feed itself in order to survive! The Bible encourages every Christian to feed themselves. Jesus said, ‘Man shall...
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TEXT: ‘You are old …. and there remains very much yet to be possessed’ – Joshua 13:1 THOUGHT: Joshua was getting old, but rather than slow down, God wanted him to accelerate the possessing of the land by the Children of Israel. Retirement at any age can lull us into thinking that’s all we can do, but there are still plenty of opportunities left. We need to ask ourselves the question, “What remains to be done?” concerning: Unchurched People Paul kept going until all Asia had heard the gospel. 1 I have been surprised at how many people contacted through our door to door evangelism have had no experience of church. Just a handful of us visited the villages of Landrake and Hatt/Botus Fleming prior to holding an evangelistic meeting in each place, calling on nearly 600 homes to give a personal invitation. Although the vast majority remained unresponsive to the gospel, at least many have heard. But there are other surrounding villages to reach out to, plus a large part of Saltash still to call on. It will be the same in your area. There remains much to be done. Unfulfilled Promises ‘They shall still bear fruit in old age.’ 2 Take this promise by faith saying, “Lord,...
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TEXT: ‘She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour’ – Matthew 15:27-28 THOUGHT: The desire to see people’s lives enriched by personal faith in Jesus Christ drives evangelism. After all, what greater thrill than to see a person’s eternal destination change from hell to heaven! Seeing lives change from fear to peace, illness to health and godlessness to holiness is truly wonderful. This is why we have designated June as a month of evangelism. A concerted effort by a few to reach the many. That is not to claim we are the only ones evangelising, but to ensure that we are doing our part regardless of what other Christians and churches do. After all, I will stand before God to give an account for what I did with the gospel. Recently reading the Book of Revelation reminds me, all too vividly, of the terrible things that are coming on this earth. If I can help anyone to avoid that, it will be well worth it. When the need for help involves one’s own children, that desire for...
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It’s Time To Call! TEXT: ‘Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven’ – James 5:14-15 THOUGHT: The Bible reveals various means through which a person can be healed, although all are only through the name of Jesus. One way which is largely neglected by Christians is calling for the elders to pray and anoint them with oil. The promise is that the prayer of faith will save them, and the Lord will raise them up healed and forgiven. There are 5 aspects we would do well to consider in order to see this practise prominent in the church again. Frustration Is sickness stopping you from doing what you want, especially in regard to the church? Often sickness rears up its ugly head and says, “You can’t go now”, or “You can’t do that anymore!” What is our response? Usually we try to battle through on our own. But often we sink in doubt and despair, particularly if it is something that...
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TEXT: ‘O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? – Romans 7:24 THOUGHT: When God created man with freewill, there was always the danger of self-will and self-reliance. It’s so easy to think, “I can please myself and do what I like! Why do I need to rely on God?” After becoming a Christian when we realise we need a Saviour, it becomes all too easy to fall into the trap of trying to live the rest of our life in our own strength. Then we wonder why we come crashing down to earth when things go wrong and we end up drifting away into isolation and self-condemnation. The world is filled with self-help motivational books, dvds and tv programmes advocating we can find the answer within if we look hard enough. Just as we could not save ourselves from the consequences of sin, so we cannot live the Christian life apart from Christ. It is time for Christians to take a reality check and cry out, “I can’t do all things” and then in faith turn to the One who can. There are several key areas in which we need to acknowledge this truth. Temptation and Sin It is much easier...
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