Archives for August 2018

To help the community, our Trust offers financial mentoring. From this Monday they are starting a new programme called MoneyMates. This is an opportunity
to learn from others, talk about financial hardship, goalsetting and gaining control. It is an open conversation about everyday experiences (café style).
MoneyMates is a free course, 10 am Monday, August 27th, at Ranui Baptist Church. If you would like to know more, you can contact Care Ranui Budgeting Service by phoning: 832-5961. As children of God, we should walk in financial wisdom.

‘Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow’ (Proverbs 13:11).

‘Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the
righteous’ (Psalm 37:16-17).

‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’
(Hebrews 13:5).

‘If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest’ (Exodus 22:25).

‘The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful’ (Matthew 13:22).

‘But godliness with contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that’ (1 Timothy 6:6-8).

‘Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment’ (1 Timothy 6:17).

God bless you as you walk in the wisdom of Christ, Pastor Matthew.

We’ll be looking at some amazing Scriptures on love. Here are some of the main verses that will be using in today’s message:

    ‘One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

    “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

    “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

    When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions’ (Mark 12:28-34).

    ‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband’ (Ephesians 5:25-33).

    ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others; it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….’
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

‘Do everything in love’ (1 Corinthians 16:14).

God bless you as you walk in the love of Jesus, Pastor Matthew.

 

‘Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.’

(1 Timothy 1:18-20).

 

In this passage of Scripture, we find the lives of four people. We have the apostle Paul, who wrote this message. We have his spiritual son, Timothy, and we have another two men by the names of Hymenaeus and Alexander. The first two men are among the righteous, and the last two are among the wicked. The first two men hold onto faith and have a good conscience. The last two men shipwreck their faith and become blasphemers.

From the lives of these four men, we can see the importance of maintaining a good conscience. I especially want to apply this as a warning not to drift away from God. Life is a spiritual battle, and we must be diligent in our walk with Christ. No Christian should fall from grace, but it does happen when people reject the need of holding on to faith and a good conscience. We want everyone to enter the kingdom of Heaven and to be assured of eternal life. We want everyone to be saved.

In this message we will look at five points:

1) What your conscience is.

2) The example of the apostle Paul.

3) Paul’s instruction to Timothy.

4) The sin of Hymenaeus and Alexander.

5) Things that corrupt the conscience.

 

When people feel guilty of sin, we must teach them to follow their conscience.
Many of us know that we are guilty, so what should we do? We must confess our sins to God and surrender our lives to the lordship of Christ. We must follow Jesus and live for Him as our Master and King. We must love Him and keep our hearts soft before Him, so that we have a sensitive conscience that is alert to His voice. We must persevere in our walk with the Lord so that we do not drift away.
The reason why many Christians backslide is that they do not keep their conscience clear. Through various forms of compromise, they let go of their faith. What about you? Are you going to have a guilty or a clear conscience? Jesus wants you to have clean hands and a pure heart, and that is what He offers you.

True peace comes out of having a clear conscience.

God bless you and encourage you as you live for Jesus, Pastor Matthew.

 

Continuing from last week, we will look in more detail at who Jesus is from His names and titles in the Book of Revelation.

11) The Living One (Revelation 1:18). Jesus had the power to raise Himself from the dead (John 2:19-22), and therefore He can give eternal life to those who believe in Him.
12) The Son of God (Revelation 2:18). By calling God His own Father, the
Scriptures proclaim that Jesus was making Himself equal with God (John 5:17-18). To enter the kingdom of Heaven, you must know that Jesus is divine and one with God.
13) Holy and True (Revelation 3:7; 6:10). Jesus was holy from birth (Luke 1:35) and born without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus is perfect, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He is the truth (John 14:6).
14) My New Name (Revelation 3:12). Jesus is going to write His own new name upon those who believe in Him. As a wife shares her husband’s name, so the Church, His bride, will share in the new name that the Father gives Him, meaning that we shall belong to Jesus forever.
15) The Amen (Revelation 3:14). Amen is the equivalent of an emphatic ‘yes’ or ‘so be it.’ To say that Jesus is the Amen is to say that He is the unshakeable confirmation and guarantor of the promises of God. Amen is used to affirm the return of Jesus Christ, and it is the last word of the Bible (Revelation 1:7; 22:20).
16) The Ruler of God’s Creation (Revelation 3:14). Jesus holds the whole universe
in His hands. He is our co-Creator (John 1:3). We must know Him as our Ruler and Master. A ruler is also a judge (Exodus 2:14), and Jesus is the ultimate ruler of this world, executing His righteous judgments.
17) Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty (Revelation 4:8). The repeat of the word “Holy” three times has been taken as a reference to the Trinity. In regard to the holiness of Christ, He is the Holy One of God (Luke 4:34).
18) The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). A lion is fearless, bold and mighty among beasts; he retreats before nothing (Proverbs 28:1; 30:30). These attributes
reveal the strength and courage found in Jesus. Like a lion, He will prevail over all His enemies.
19) The Root and the Offspring of David (Revelation 5:5; 22:16). Jesus has eternally identified Himself with the Jewish people. Even from Heaven, He comes to reveal Himself as Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 22:8), the Lion from the Tribe of Judah, and the Root of David.
20) The Lamb of God (Revelation 5:6; 13:8). Jesus is the Lamb that was slain, and He still retains the marks of His crucifixion (Revelation 5:6,12). That is the love of God for you.

Pastor Matthew