Category: Blog Announcement

Friends, Happy New Year !!
We start the new year by doing
the Right Thing, by Thanking God.
Often our prayers can degenerate
into list of needs presented to God.
Whilst I believe God loves to hear
about our needs, I also believe
that He loves for us to pray back
His Promises; pray commitment
and surrender to Him; as well as
to pray Praise and Thanksgiving!!

We have been utilising Scripture
to form prayers so that we learn
to think as God thinks; and pray
in a way that is pleasing to Him.
With Scripture as our guide, we’ll
also have balance in our prayers.
Having prayed Thro the Scripture
on Knowing Him, Praising Him,
claiming His Promises and Seeking
His Truths,we start 2019 with series
on Thanking God thro the Scripture
Lord, we purpose to Thank U God
for it is the only Right thing to do:
for Gratitude sake, for it’s Your Will
and for we Belong to You. Amen.

Friends, we have completed four
topical devotion series on Praying
through God’s Promises, Knowing,
Thanking & Praising God as well as
a two-year chronological coverage
of the Bible. Before starting an
expanded three year exposition
on the Bible in January, today
we launch the fifth topical series
on Praying through the Gospels.

The Gospel is the good news that
God in Jesus Christ has fulfilled
His promises to Israel, and that a
way of salvation has been opened
to all. But the Gospel is not just
about salvation in terms of eternal
and abundant life, it also about
the power of God and much more.
We will learn more of what the
Gospel offers and what it entails
to live out the Gospel as we
mediate on the four gospels.

Dear Almighty & All-Loving God,
I pray even as Yr People meditate
on the holy and precious Gospel
that Your Spirit minister to their
soul and Will Energise them;
that they Will Experience
the blessings of a praying life;
that their Faith Will Arise and
they Will Trust & Obey You more
each day. In His name, Amen.

The Gospels present a four-
dimensional glimpse of Jesus
the Christ. Matthew, a Jew, aims
his words at a Jewish audience,
showing from the Old Testament
prophecies that Jesus is their
promised King and Messiah.
Mark seeks to reach a Roman
audience with the Good News
of Jesus the Perfect Servant,
come to minister to the spiritual
and physical needs of mankind.
Luke the physician portrays
Jesus as the Perfect Man
who seeks and saves the lost.
John beams his message to
all mankind, showing from Jesus’
miracles and messages that
He is clearly the Son of God.

We start with the Gospel of Mark
for it’s agreed by most biblical
scholars as the first gospel to be
written; of which Matthew & Luke
partly referred to in their account.
Mark’s gospel captures the two-
fold purpose of Christ’s coming
to earth: to minister and to give
His life a ransom for many (10:45).
Mark describes Jesus as the
Perfect Servant, emphasising
more the actions of Jesus & gives
briefer treatment to His teachings.
Jewish customs are explained as
story moves briskly to completion
of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry.

We will cover Mark Gospel in
two weeks over five divisions:-
M1-3: Servants of the Servant
M4-7: Service of the Servant
M8-10: Sayings of the Servant
M11-13: Sermons of the Servant
M14-16: Suffering of the Servant
May Jesus’ example cause us
to be willing to serve God and
others. And we’ll do God’s work
because we love Him, remembering
all He had done for us. Amen.

We have been Chronologically
covering the Bible phase by phase.
We start the Gospels, with Jesus
presented as the Perfect Servant,
Savior of the world, Messianic King
and the Son of God, before Acts
chronicles Growth of the Church.
Then Paul urges the Galatians to
live by Faith alone, Thessalonians
to Serve ahead of Second Coming,
to Corinthians to Live Rightly,
to Romans Justification by Faith,
to Eph Living as Body of Christ,
to Colossians Doctrinal Purity and
to Philippians Unity of the Spirit;
before Paul’s pastoral letters and
then pursing Maturity in Hebrews,
Practical Christianity in James,
Maturing thro tough times in 1/2Pet
Walking in Love in the 3 letters of
John & Keeping the Faith in Jude.

And finally we reach Revelation.
Just as the first book of the Bible
– Genesis – provides the opening
chapter of God’s redemptive
program, so the last book supplies
the conclusions as it describes
the return of Jesus Christ and
the creation of a new heaven
and earth. Revelation portrays
Jesus Christ as the victorious
King and coming Judge. Writing
from exile on the Island of Patmos,
John uses a dramatic series of
symbolic word pictures to capture
the awesome holiness of the
Lamb of God coming to defeat
Satan’s forces and judge the
world in perfect righteousness.

We will cover Revelations over
two weekends in four divisions:-
R1-3: God’s Word to 7 Churches
R4-7: Worship God & 7 Seals
R8-16: 7 Trumpets & 7 Plagues
R17-22: Final Victory & All New
Lookout for them to understand
the holiness and hope in Christ.
Blessings/chris

We have been Chronologically
covering the Bible phase by phase.
We start the Gospels, with Jesus
presented as the Perfect Servant,
Savior of the world, Messianic King
and the Son of God, before Acts
chronicles Growth of the Church.
Then Paul urges the Galatians to
live by Faith alone, Thessalonians
to Serve ahead of Second Coming,
to Corinthians to Live Rightly,
to Romans Justification by Faith,
Ephesians living as Body of Christ
to Colossians Doctrinal Purity and
to Philippians Unity of the Spirit;
before Paul’s pastoral letters and
then pursing maturity in Hebrews
and practical Christianity in James.

Next, we continue into 1st Peter;
where apostle writes to scattered
Jewish Christians who are under-
going intense persecution for their
faith. He reminds his readers that
God has given them the privilege
of being born again. Therefore,
they shouldn’t be surprised when
suffering comes their way; they
should expect it, prepare for it,
and respond to it correctly.
He also encourages them to imitate
Christ through a submissive spirit
toward one another. If they do,
God will richly reward them
when the trials of life are over.

Whilst Peter’s first letter taught
his readers to persevere through
external trials with hope, his second
letter teaches the same audience
to oppose internal spiritual struggle
with the knowledge of the truth.
Peter warns against apostasy
within the church, moral perversion
and the denial of Christ’s return.
He exhorts his readers to grow
in grace and knowledge that
come through Jesus Christ,
thereby gaining strength to
resist error and avoid heresy.

We’ll cover the two letters of Peter
over one weekend in two divisions:-
1 Peter: Encouraging Afflicted
2 Peter: Growing in the Faith
Lookout for them to be encouraged
& be steadfast in difficult situations

We have been Chronologically
covering the Bible phase by phase.
We start the Gospels, with Jesus
presented as the Perfect Servant,
Savior of the world, Messianic King
and the Son of God, before Acts
chronicles Growth of the Church.
Then Paul urges the Galatians to
live by Faith alone, Thessalonians
to Serve ahead of Second Coming,
to Corinthians to Live Rightly,
to Romans Justification by Faith,
Ephesians living as Body of Christ
to Colossians Doctrinal Purity and
to Philippians Unity of the Spirit;
before Paul’s pastoral letters and
then pursing maturity in Hebrews.

Next, we continue into James:
where the apostle shows how faith
integrates with everyday practical
experience by stressing that true
faith produces doers of the Word.
For James, a faith that produces
no change in a person’s life is
really no faith at all. True faith will
bear fruit in actions and deeds.
James offer many tests for genuine
faith: It endures trials, obey Word,
harbours no prejudice, controls
the tongue, is separated from
the world and resists the devil.

We’ll cover the letter of James
over one weekend in two divisions:-
Jas 1-3: Faith Tested & Displayed
Jas 3-5: Faith Proved & Rewarded
Lookout for it to better understand
right Christian Behaviour and the
issue of the Testing of Faith; and
be embolden in difficult situations.

We have been Chronologically
covering the Bible phase by phase.
We start the Gospels, with Jesus
presented as the Perfect Servant, Savior of the world, Messianic King
and the Son of God, before Acts
chronicles Growth of the Church.
Then Paul urges the Galatians to
live by Faith alone, Thessalonians
to Serve ahead of Second Coming,
to Corinthians to Live Rightly,
to Romans Justification by Faith,
Ephesians living as Body of Christ
to Colossians Doctrinal Purity and
to Philippians Unity of the Spirit;
before Paul’s pastoral letters.

Next, we continue into Hebrews:
Jewish believers were tempted
to renounce their newfound faith
and return to Judaism to escape
persecution. The writer of Hebrews
appeals to them to pursue maturity
based on Christ’s superiority
to the Jewish religious system.
Christ is better than Moses
for Moses was created by Him;
He is better than Aaron for His
sacrifice never need be repeated;
He is better than the Law, for
He mediates a better covenant.
More is to be gained by suffering
for Christ than by reverting
to a system He came to fulfill.

We’ll cover the letter to Hebrews
over two weekends in 4 divisions:-
H1-4: Christ > Angels & Moses
H5-7: Christ Better than Priesthood
H8-10: Christ Better than Old Cov
H11-13: Superiority of Faith
Lookout for it to better understand
the sufficiency & superiority of
Christ; and be strengthened in
your faith esp in difficult situations.

We have been Chronologically
covering the Bible. In the Gospels,
Jesus is being presented as
the obedient Servant in Mark,
the Savior of the world in Luke,
Israel’s Messianic King in Matthew
and the Son of God in John gospel.
We have also covered Acts which
chronicles Growth of the Church.
Then Paul urges the Galatians to
live by Faith alone, Thessalonians
to Serve ahead of Second Coming,
to Corinthians to Live Rightly,
to Romans Justification by Faith,
Ephesians living as Body of Christ
to Colossians Doctrinal Purity; and
to Philippians the Call to Unity.

Next, we go to the pastoral letters:
Timothy, a young disciple Paul
discovered on his 2nd missionary
journey (Act 16:1) enjoyed a unique
relationship with the apostle.
Referred to as his “own son in
the faith”, Timothy ministered
side by side with Paul as a
missionary, and later received
the challenging assignment of
pastoring the church at Ephesus.
Paul’s first letter to him resembles
a manual for building church
leadership. More generally, it is
a rich mine of principles for anyone
who wishes to have a spiritual
impact in the lives of others.

2 Timothy: Paul’s life is drawing
to a lonely close in a Roman prison
as he writes to encourage Timothy
who now faces new challenges
as pastor of the church in Ephesus.
Paul advises Timothy to remain
solidly grounded in Christian
service and to endure suffering.
He lay down principles for those
pursuing ministry of discipleship.
Underlying each theme is the
importance of God’s Word
as the foundation for living.

Philemon: On the run after
committing a wrong against
his master, Onesimus the slave
sought refuge among the masses
in the city of Rome. There he
crosses Paul’s path and converts
to faith in Jesus Christ. Though
he shows his gratitude by serving
Paul, he still must reconcile with
his master Philemon. Paul writes
this letter to Philemon asking
him to forgive Onesimus and to
accept him as a brother in Christ.

Titus lived in Crete, the largest
island in the Mediterranean, and
worked among a people who
collectively had one of the worst
reputations in the world. Paul had
left Titus to oversee the growth of
the church there & now writes to
encourage him in that difficult task.
To promote sound teaching and
offset false doctrines, Titus is told
to appoint & train spiritual leaders
as elders. Paul’s letter is a summary
of Christian doctrine emphasising
holy living and encourages all
to live worthy of the gospel.

We’ll cover Paul’s letters to Timothy
over two weekends & his letters to
Philemon & Titus in one weekend.
Lookout for them to understand
the need to persevere in service; the importance of reconciliation
and to live worthy of the gospel.
Blessings/chris

We have been Chronologically
covering the Bible phase by phase.
We start the Gospels, with Jesus
presented as the Servant in Mark,
the Perfect Son of Man in Luke,
Israel’s Messianic King in Matthew
and the Son of God in John gospel.
We have also covered Acts which
chronicles Growth of the Church.
Then Paul urges the Galatians to
live by Faith alone, Thessalonians
to Serve ahead of second coming,
and the Corinthians to live Rightly.

Next, we continue into Romans.
Although Paul had not founded
the church in Rome, he had heard
of their exemplary faith & service
and intended to visit them. Thus
the letter to the Romans served to
introduce both Paul & his message.
Writing from Corinth on his third
missionary journey, Paul sets forth
the Doctrines of the Christian
faith, life in the Spirit, unity in
the body and God’s redemptive
program for both Jew and Gentile.

We’ll cover Paul’s letters to Romans
over two weekends in 5 divisions:-
R1-3: Problems of Unrighteousness
R4-5: Provision of Righteousness
R6-8: Pursuit of Righteousness
R9-11: Program of Righteousness
R12-16: Practice of Righteousness
Lookout for it to better understand
the doctrine & practice of our faith.
Blessings/chris