Lawrence Kirby shared a message titled,
'Hope in Jesus' The Christmas story can give us HOPE, because if God chose to enter Earth, submitting himself as a little human baby, then anything is possible! Luke 2:21-35 NLT "Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. 22 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” 25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” 33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” It was amazing that Simeon lived as long as he did (possibly 150 years old), holding onto the hope of the Messiah coming in the time of Roman rule. This takes place after what the people of Israel called a time of silence. They were waiting for the prophecies to come to pass. In amongst that, Simeon was standing with the Promise, listening to the Holy Spirit, never giving up hope. Hebrews 11:1 NKJV "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The moments of disappointment are part of the journey of faith and hope as well as the moments when we see the fullness of the Promise. Death is not the end! Hope is based in Jesus and He is always present by His Spirit. God's not finished yet - there is more to hope for. Your hope needs to be in the person of Jesus. What are you hoping for?
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Lawrence Kirby shared a message titled,
'An Increase of Peace' Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Peace is a central part of Christ’s government (his rule and reign) There will always be an increase of his government and peace. How is peace increasing in your life today? Peace is 'Shalom' in Hebrew The idea of 'Hauora' in Māori This is about complete well being. Everything about you is growing in wholeness, all areas. How are you going with increasing peace in your world? One of the things this world is crying out for is more peace. The message of Christmas is what the angels declared to the shepherds: peace on Earth at the coming of Jesus! One of the greatest battles we face is holding our peace. John 14:27-28 NLT ““I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am.” Jesus left his peace which is his presence and it is with you every day. The Greek word for peace is Eirene It’s a picture of stillness, like a still lake with no movement, no chaos or waves or roughness In creation God brought order, shalom, peace to the chaos. We can carry peace into every environment we walk into! So again, the question or invitation is, how is peace increasing in your life today? Lawrence Kirby shared a message titled,
'Our Core in Christ' Jesus said he wouldn’t just transform our behaviour, he’d change our hearts. Our hearts being transformed, allows us to shift from being selfish and self-centered (living from our human nature) to being God-centered and others-centered. Christ is with you while you're living out your call. The Kingdom view shows us the cause of Christ. We could ask ourselves, do we idolise the call over our cause? Our call must come under the cause of Christ. Sometimes our call must submit and be laid down for the greater cause. This is like putting the wellbeing of the whole body over the function of your own part you play. Your core needs to centre around the idea that you are in Christ. This is about identity. Ezekiel 36:25 NLT ““Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” God makes us tender and responsive to his spirit. “The heart of human problem, is the problem of the human heart” (unknown) Proverbs 4:23 NIV Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. We need to allow the transformation to invade every part of who we are. Galatians 3:26-29 NLT “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Your identity is as a child of God. You may still be maturing, yet that doesn’t change your identity as a son or daughter. We are heirs of everything good Father God has in store for us. Have you settled for something that’s less than God’s best for you and accepted “this is just my lot in life.”? There are moments of breakthrough God has for us! We are IN CHRIST. Philippa Kirby shared a message titled,
'What is Required?' The grace of God is with us. What does God ask of us or expect of us? It's easy for us as Believers to put too much weight or emphasis on a certain way or must-dos. Micah 6:1-8 NLT The Lord’s Case against IsraelListen to what the Lord is saying “Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints. 2 And now, O mountains, listen to the Lord’s complaint! He has a case against his people. He will bring charges against Israel. 3 “O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me! 4 For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. 5 Don’t you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove[a] to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.” 6 What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? 7 Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? 8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly. How does it look for us to do these things God requires of us? God is not a slave-driver. He gave everything for us! 1 Samuel 15:22 NLT “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Romans 12:1 NLT I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. James 2:20 NLT Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Luke 9:23 NLT “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me." [spoken by Jesus] All these verses talk about obeying, submission, doing, loving, walking, being a daily living sacrifice. Jesus was God's gift to the world, and yet so many have scorned Him and not accepted the gift. We can put musts in front of the list of things God requires of us, yet these things are really about our heart. Am I willing to give all of my heart to God? Proverbs 4:23 NIV Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Psalm 139:23-24 NLT Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. When we DO, it needs to come from our heart, so we need to look after our hearts. We do this by asking God to search our hearts. Search me - know me - test me - lead me. God doesn't ask us to do things alone, but rather to do them with Him. What areas do we need to allow God to search, know, and test us? |
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December 2024
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