Dynamic goals must always rise out of authentic needs.
'...but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.' 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Showing posts with label needs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label needs. Show all posts
Thursday, 15 September 2016
Dynamic goals must always rise out of authentic needs
Dynamic goals must always rise out of authentic needs.
'...but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.' 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Dynamic goals must always rise out of authentic needs
Dynamic goals must always rise out of authentic needs.
'...but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.' 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Tuesday, 14 June 2016
Preaching in the 21st century: Workshop at the UK Harper Adams Bible School in early August
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| Harper Adams University (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Gordon Dawes will be leading a workshop at the UK Harper Adams Bible School in early August (DV). He is researching across the Christadelphian community internationally for modern preaching ideas which have been shown to work. Please email him at gordon.dawes@talk21.com with your experiences.
He would be grateful for any information. There is no immediate rush but he would like to have his thoughts and presentation ready by mid July! For reference, the basis of the workshop is Preaching in the 21st century
How best to continue to spread the good news of the Gospel in today's busy, 'enabled' world is a subject testing many in our community. A lot of effort still goes into Sunday evening 'lectures', special efforts and campaigns, but are these still the best - the only - way to connect with people today? This group will share and discuss the needs and fears, experiences of what works, what does not work, in different situations, and give examples of what some are doing to try to attract attention and share the principles of our faith in a vibrant and faithful way.
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Friday, 24 December 2010
Exceeding Great and Precious Promise
| Exceeding Great and Precious Promise |
|---|
"For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt. 6:32,33 |
Let us seek the Kingdom as the preeminent matter of our lives. . . . If seeking the Kingdom seems to hinder some of our earthy prospects, so much the better. The Master said it must cost us our all. R5048:c2,p5 If the Kingdom was made first, all their earthly needs would be supplied. R5917:c2,p4 |
Monday, 22 February 2010
God is my refuge and my fortress in Him I will trust
“I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust.”
(Ps 91:2 ASV)
(Ps 91:2 ASV)
Trust In God
“I will say of Yahweh, \@He is\@ my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (Ps 91:2 KJBPNV)
What do we do when we are in trouble or when we find our circumstances are out of control?
One of the best things about being a father is learning from our children. In a child's life things often go wrong and events happen that leave them feeling out of control. Until a child is grown they are not equipped to face everything the world throws at them. They lack strength, confidence and skill. This is where mum and dad come in. At those out of control moments the first thing a child does is to cry, "Mum!" or "Dad!" It is the first thing they think of. It is a totally natural response to difficulty and fear. To a small child a parent is an inexhaustible supply of strength, wisdom and skill, so it is only logical that their mum or dad should be their first port of call. It comes from a total trust in their parents who care for them.
The Psalmist wrote the following: "I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.'" (Psa 91:2) The LORD should also be our refuge in the same way that we are a refuge for our children. We must have the same sort of faith in God as our young children have in us, and with that, put all our trust in him.
Let's make God our first port of call, relying on his wisdom and strength to help us in our times of need.
Robert Prins [Auckland - Pakuranga - (NZ)]
Dutch translation / Nederlandse vertaling > God is mijn toevlucht, mijn fort en sterte, op Hem zal ik vertrouwen
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2016 added related articles
Friday, 15 January 2010
Give your worries to God
“Any concern too small to be a prayer is too small to be a burden.”
- Corrie ten Boom
"Give your worries to God before you
sleep, 'cause He's going to be awake anyhow"
- Unknown
"God does not give his grace as he gives his sunlight
- proportional poured over all.
He brings distinction in spiritual blessings.
He gives strength to the extent that we need it.
His eye is always on us in tender, caring love
and He provides us with what we need."
- J. R. Miller
“Jehovah is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
Jehovah is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1
“Jehovah is my strength and song,
And he is become my salvation:
This is my God, and I will praise him; My father’s God, and I will exalt him.”
Exodus 15:2
Jehovah have mercy on me and my neighbours.
Take worries away from us and guide us safely through this life.
I will sacrifice unto you with the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay that which I have vowed.
By you Yahweh, Jehovah, my God is my salvation.
Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Geef uw zorgen aan God
Thursday, 10 December 2009
True riches
The coming days lots of people will chant “King of kings and Lord of lords.”. They praise themselves lucky, happy and rich in the gift we received. We are rich in that we have received the gracious gift of a Saviour whom ’s birth many people are going to remember these days.
Brother D. Pickering gave this exhortation:
TRUE RICHES
Who was or who is the richest man ever to live on this earth?
Yes, our Lord was greater and richer in every respect than King Solomon and all the other rich men past & present. As Yahweh’s only begotten son, our Lord Jesus had all the wealth of the earth available to Him but more importantly he had the True Riches from His God and Father, namely The Holy Spirit of God given to Him abundantly without measure.
A quick look at any English Dictionary at the words rich, or riches, we find the meanings given for these as wealthy, abounding in money and possessions, having plenty or opulent. Obviously these definitions refer to worldly wealth and possessions. We note that Christ Jesus, although He could have been rich in worldly possessions more than any man born on earth, He became poor instead, so that one day we could become spiritually rich through His sacrifice.
He had no estate or house to call His own, no flocks or herds of animals like Abraham once had, no enormous treasury of gold and precious things like King Solomon had, no wardrobe of clothing to choose from like the High Priests of Israel. All he had were the clothes he stood up in and even these were stripped from Him at His crucifixion.
Yet although He became poor in worldly possessions, He not only had Yahweh’s Spirit in abundance, God along with this, promised Him Eternal Life including an incomparable future both of riches and glory, plus a name and titles higher than any other living being.
The highest of the titles being, Word of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords:
“His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Rev: 19:12-16
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:14.
What is this high calling? John supplies the answer
“They sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." Rev: 5: 10
So for a short while we shall consider a few examples from Scripture to encourage us to seek spiritual riches rather than worldly riches and how to properly use any worldly riches that we have been blessed with in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ to Yahweh’s glory.
While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with riches as such, we are counselled to focus our attention rather on God given riches of grace and righteousness. Our lord states just that in His Sermon on the Mount:
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6: 33 (NIV)
Yes, God is aware of all our needs and provides for each of us according to His Grace and undeserved kindness. God uses riches to both bless and to test us.
The first example I have chosen from many in the Bible is Abraham. Abraham was a pillar of faith, and is held out to us as a tremendous example of strong unwavering faith, trust, and unreserved obedience to Almighty God. At the direction of Yahweh he left his home and was uprooted from his dwelling place to go to a land that was unknown to him.
From that time onwards he became a permanent tent dweller of no fixed abode. However Abraham was very wealthy and had many possessions including servants and huge herds of live-stock. Never the less he put obedience to God first in his life. This is an example of how to use what God provides us with, for His praise and for His Glory. This we must do with a trusting, loyal, grateful attitude in faithful, humble service.
Paul’s record regarding Abraham is as follows:
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV)
Next we consider Moses. Moses was adopted into Pharaoh’s household in Egypt and as a prince he was in line for vast wealth, property, land and immense power. However just like our Lord Jesus who lived centuries later, he also chose to be poor, choosing to serve the Living God and creator of the universe, Yahweh. He, like Jesus did this at risk to his own life. It is of note that Egypt is used also in Scripture as a figure for the world and a symbol for its ways, riches and vices.
Paul refers to Moses like this:
“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be ill treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Hebrews 11:24-26
We now turn to King Solomon who in his days was of course notorious for his vast possessions, riches and power, as well as his God given exceptional wisdom knowledge and understanding. Among his inspired sayings worthy of our attention are the following:
“A good name is more desirable than great riches, to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common Yahweh is the maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:1-2 (NIV)
“Do not wear yourself out to get rich, have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” Proverbs 23:4-5 (NIV)
“Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. “ Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV)
Solomon’s attitude to the love of wealth, power, and possessions is summed up in his famous words of wisdom, meaningless; all is vanity, a chasing after the wind. His closing words in Ecclesiastes are:
“Now all this has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter, Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV)
The large book of Job is of course an account of a man who also had vast riches, power and possessions, lost everything including his children and his health but later because of his total faith and trust in Yahweh received back twice as much as he lost. His wise words are excellent guidance for us, and just like Solomon’s words perfectly summarise the correct attitude we should have regarding worldly riches:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:21 (NIV)
There is wise counsel from Yahweh recorded in the book of Jeremiah:
“This is what the LORD says; Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this that he understands and knows me, that I am Yahweh who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
Before we move on to consider the Apostle Paul who enjoyed a measure of the world’s riches and goods, we will hear some wise and timely inspired advice from James another of God’s servants:
“For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant, its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.” James 1:11
“Listen, my dear brothers. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him.” James 2:5
Now we will also hear Paul on this matter of riches:
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.” 1Timothy 6:10
These words are frequently misquoted as “Money is a root of all evil” whereas Paul warns against THE LOVE OF MONEY, not money itself. So here are just two more quotations from Paul’s writings expressing his correct attitude towards riches:
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things, I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3: 7-8
“Although I am the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Ephesians.3: 8
We cannot conclude this subject of true riches before we consider some words from the one we have once again gathered to remember and share the emblems of Eternal life with. The Lord Jesus taught about True Riches throughout His short ministry on earth. Listen to what He says when He was asked to arbitrate and divide up an inheritance between two brothers:
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, a mans life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Then Jesus told the people a parable:
“The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there, I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry” But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.” Luke 12:16-21
In another parable the Lord Jesus spoke about a dishonest servant, who although being dishonest was shrewd when it came to dealing with material riches. Here is the lesson our Lord teaches:
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with True Riches.” Luke 16: 10-11
Later a rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. Asked if he had kept Yahweh’s commandments, he replied that he had kept them since he was a boy. To which answer Jesus said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the rich man heard this he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. So Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Indeed it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
The lesson is clear the love of worldly riches can exclude us from Yahweh’s Kingdom. True Riches are those spiritual riches stored in heaven where they cannot be corrupted or removed from God’s safe keeping. They are held in trust for us as part of our inheritance in Yahweh’s kingdom on earth. These are riches that cannot fade or be stolen. Jesus encouraged His disciples saying:
“Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been glad to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:32-34
We have been exhorted from scripture this morning to use this world’s material riches and possessions wisely, whether we are blessed with a little or with much.
We are to help the poor and afflicted ones in The Household of Faith, and help with the preaching work to further Yahweh’s purpose on earth.
We are to follow the example of Christ Jesus who shunned worldly wealth to become the richest man to walk the earth when He was raised to Life Eternal. It is Jesus who commands us that we are to, “Seek first Yahweh’s kingdom & His righteousness.”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
He also instructs us as to what our attitude should be, as we once again, and yet once less, partake of the emblems and call to remembrance our Saviour. Paul first reminds us about the greatness and humility of Christ Jesus:
“who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.”
And then Paul tells us what our reaction must be:
“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:6-11
So it is time now to bow before the Lord Jesus and confess Him as both Lord and Christ to the glory of Yahweh. Further words from Paul conclude this morning’s preparation, before we share the bread and the wine together in Christ’s presence to remind us of our hope:
“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians4:19
(Bro D. Pickering)
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Humility and the Fear of the Lord
By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honour and life . . . with the humble is wisdom . . . The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. (Pro 22:4; Pro 11:2; and Pro 9:10)Walking in humility is the pathway for living by the grace of God. "God . . . gives grace to the humble" (1Pe 5:5). In our present verses, we see that humility and the fear of the Lord are related. Humility and the fear of the Lord result in the same blessings. "By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life." The closing trio ("riches and honor and life") are an Old Testament description of a life that is fully blessed by God. The New Testament counterpart would be fullness of spiritual life. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (Joh 10:10). Humility and the fear of the Lord also result in wisdom. "With the humble is wisdom . . . The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." Humility is the candid acknowledgement of our absolute need for the Lord to work comprehensively in our lives day by day. The fear of the Lord is respect and reverence toward our great God. It is not a fear involving terror or apprehension. Rather, it is based upon profound admiration and dependent devotion. Those who humbly fear the Lord (by placing their admiration and devotion in Him) also embrace His perspectives and values. They develop a hatred for the things that He hates. "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate" (Pro 8:13). Correspondingly, those who have respect and reverence for the Lord develop a love for all that He loves. The Lord loves for His people to walk in righteousness and justice. "The LORD loves the righteous . . . the LORD loves justice" (Psa 146:8 and Psa 37:28). The Lord loves Israel, His chosen nation. "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples" (Deu 7:7). The Lord loves His church, the children of God. "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1Jo 3:1). The Lord loves the world, those who need to know Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Joh 3:16).
Lord God almighty, I humbly bow before You, acknowledging my absolute need for You to work comprehensively in my life day by day. I want to walk in the fear of the Lord, placing my admiration and devotion in You. I want to hate all that You hate and love all that You love, in Jesus name, Amen.
- Hoekstra
Lord God almighty, I humbly bow before You, acknowledging my absolute need for You to work comprehensively in my life day by day. I want to walk in the fear of the Lord, placing my admiration and devotion in You. I want to hate all that You hate and love all that You love, in Jesus name, Amen.
- Hoekstra
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Exceeding Great and Precious Promise
| Exceeding Great and Precious Promise |
|---|
"For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt. 6:32,33 |
Let us seek the Kingdom as the preeminent matter of our lives. . . . If seeking the Kingdom seems to hinder some of our earthy prospects, so much the better. The Master said it must cost us our all. R5048:c2,p5 If the Kingdom was made first, all their earthly needs would be supplied. R5917:c2,p4 |
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