HUMBLE SHEPHERDS HEARD IT FIRST!

(December 07, 2024) Dr Richard Winter encourages…

Image a dark night on a lonely hillside scenario…

‘Feel cold, Mordie?’ asks Nathaniel. But before Mordecai can answer young Elijah opines: ‘It’s always cold out here at night! Why ask such silly questions?’ Before Nathaniel can respond, Jacob interrupts with ‘Listen… can you hear… see something?’

Those lonely shepherds are instantly troubled. Maybe a hungry wolf. The nearby village is asleep, the sheep were asleep, now they’re disturbed. The shepherds pull their robes a little tighter and inch closer to a small fire.

And suddenly—

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LUKE’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

(December 05, 2024) Brian Bell shares… and encourages—

As we are now in the season of Advent, I share a few thoughts taken from Luke’s gospel. Chapter 1:1-4NLT shows that Luke is very specific about his purpose: ‘to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught.’

Now Luke was not one of the first early disciples called by Jesus, he was not writing from a personal meeting with the Lord Jesus. And he wrote his gospel for the benefit of a person named in verse 1 as ‘the most honourable’ Theophilus who also didn’t have a personal meeting with Jesus… and that makes Luke’s message very relevant for you and me today.

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KEEP YOUR LIGHT BURNING!

(December 02, 2024) Norman and Margaret Moss share another precious meditation…

Throughout my (Norman’s) childhood my grandparent’s house was without electricity. There was an incandescent gas light fitted in the ceiling. Even the early days of my ministry a few of the homes I visited still had oil lamps.

Both of our childhood homes had electricity and ‘Fairy Lights’ always adorned the Christmas tree. However these had their frustrations, because they were so wired that if one lamp went out, they all went out and each had to be tested in turn until the culprit was discovered and replaced. The cheap bulbs (oh the days of ‘Woolworths the local Sixpenny Stores’) seldom lasted more than a few days.

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HOW’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS?

(November 30, 2024) Robert and Maureen McQuillan share servanthood principles…

John 15:5 tells of Jesus’ desire for all who would be His followers— ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’

Oh… Jesus had many followers:

  • The crowds— those who were easily swayed.
  • The religious— those wouldn’t see, those who couldn’t see.
  • The true disciples— those who trusted Him and gave up all to follow Him.

Reflection
Which group do you belong in? Maureen and I trust that by God’s grace we’ll always be in that third category, despite whatever comes against us!

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OPINION PLEASE

(November 30, 2024) Dr Robert McQuillan shares …

Hi Robert

I hope you are well. I would appreciate your feedback on this commentary (title followed)— Jonny.

Greetings to not just Jonny but all our readers… I’ll explain the background here. Jonny is a dedicated Christian and very aware that some so-called Bible teachers aren’t true to scripture in what they teach/preach. And, somewhat cautious about a particular one— a comment on a particular Old Testament prophetic scripture— he was enquiring what was my perception of the comment and accompanying prayer.

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BREAKING MANMADE RELIGIOUS RULES

(November 29, 2024) Wayne Swift once again calls it as it is…

Often our speech is filled with promises, hopes, and New Year resolutions— all of which are soon forgotten or deliberately ignored or broken, especially the latter! And the older we get the more we’ll stay safely within the parameters imposed on us by our upbringing and experiences. ‘Breaking-out’ is a term for the often midlife crises.

I actually want to share with you about breaking-out from certain rules, not promises, hopes or resolutions! Deliberately stepping out and intentionally going against some rules that are imposed on us takes a special sort of attitude.

Now many people break rules every day— road laws perhaps by speeding or using mobiles while driving. Many an adult breaks even simple dietary rules. Every day TV news tells of rules being broken not just by adults but even by students, by teenagers regarding certain things.

Some rules when broken create a sense of guilt, some a sense of freedom. But… before you work out which rules you might be guilty of breaking today, let me share about the sort I think should be broken.

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5 FIRST LESSONS FOR JESUS FOLLOWERS

(November 24, 2024) Dr Richard Winter challenges…

Imagine walking by the sea of Galilee and witnessing the following…

Jesus meets some fishermen and says, ‘Leave your nets, guys, and follow me.’ Then He gathers them with ten others to talk about something He’s going to start called ‘church’ and you overhear the first meeting—

First Disciples’ Meeting?
‘Meeting to order, please!’ Jesus declares adding, ‘I’ve called you gentlemen here today to assist me launch a new  enterprise. Of course, you must realise how difficult it is to get a new commodity on the market. Competition in our field is rather stiff these days and it’s going to take the best of our resources if we’re to be successful.’

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BEARING EACH OTHER’S BURDEN!

(November 17, 2024) Angeline Selvakumari encourages us to think of others…

Scripture tells us that God has called us to be His children. What a privilege! But,Paul urges, ‘… live a life worthy of the calling you have received’ (Ephesians 4:1).

  • What exactly are we called to do?
  • What does it truly mean to live such a life?
  • While there are many aspects, let’s focus on the following—

Characteristic: No Troublemaking!
Matthew 5:9 promises, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’ Dear brothers and sisters, if we wish to live lives worthy of our calling, this is a key characteristic… He has called us to be peacemakers, not troublemakers.

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EVANGELIST KILLED AFTER LEADING 18 MUSLIMS TO CHRIST

(November 15, 2024) GodReports shares good and sad news…

A local group of Muslim extremists on October 30 killed an evangelist in eastern Uganda after he and another Christian refused to convert to Islam, the other Christian said.death of an evangelist

After three days of a scheduled six-day evangelistic event at Nawaikoke trading centre in Kaliro District at which 18 Muslims put their faith in Christ, area Islamists surrounded Emmanuel Dikusooka, a 29-year-old father of three children, and a fellow church member, Jack Mbulante, at about 6:30 pm as they returned to their hotel in Kaliro town, Mbulante said.

Refusing to Embrace Islam
The six Muslim youths stopped the motorcycle the two Christians had rented just before crossing Lumbuye bridge, Mbulante said. Wearing traditional Islamic dress of tunics and capes and armed with long Somali swords (pangas), sticks and iron bars, the assailants forced them to surrender their bags, which contained Bibles and other Christian books, he said.

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SMART, INTELLIGENT AND WISE

(November 14, 2024) Mama Lava shares another precious insight…

Hello there, my smart, intelligent, and wise friends! How are you all today?

What has been on your mind lately? To be honest, my brain has been a jumble. I have so many things on my mind that there is, essentially, nothing on my mind. Can you relate to this?

This morning, I’m in a rabbit hole of thought around those words above: ‘smart’, ‘intelligent’ and ‘wise.’ What do they mean to me? Do I decipher between them correctly? Read on and let me know if you agree with my assessment.

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