Mama and Daddy Thick-Knee

 Welcome to our church in Table View. This is where we planted some trees and some flowers. And as I looked closer on Tuesday, I found a mama thick-knee and a daddy thick-knee.
They do the camouflage thing very well.
Then today I saw them again.
I fond them to be quite cute little ones and extremely funny when they quickly walk away.

LOVE TABLE VIEW - LOCAL MISSIONS COASTLANDS

Watch the space....God is moving!

Rain - Drought

It is raining here right now. That is a most preferable sight for us here in Cape Town. We thank God for every drop that falls to the dry ground in this drought. This is the season that it always rains but we can see that it has been raining less than normal. Our dams are currently at 27% which gives us 17% of water usage. That is not enough. A lot of people think we are out of the worst of the drought when they see the rain but as it was reported to us last week: We need 3 full rain seasons to catch up and get back to normal. This is insane.
I have not been drinking tab water since March. We are encouraged if to take very short showers. Some people use this type of weather now to run out and wash their cars. And yet there are still so many people that have high water usage. I just heard on the radio that the City of Cape Town is contemplating to switch of our water at certain times.
3 Years ago we had shortage in electricity. We had load shedding where at different times different areas were without electricity for 2 hours to safe. Back then, there were people

that said we would have water problems like that soon. Well here we are.

PEACE of GOD

Do not let Your Hearts be Troubled (John 14:27)  

Whatever the situation or circumstance we are in, God speaks: Do not let your heart be troubled. This is HIS peace. With His peace, we can go through any situation.

Definition:

Shalom – Eirene

Shalom is the Hebrew word for our word Peace used in the Old Testament. Eirene is the Greek word used for Peace in the New Testament.

i)                    Freedom from disturbance/tranquility, calm quiet, stillness

ii)                   A state/period in which there is no war

It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, a gift from God – He gives it to us- we cannot earn it or work for it

Biblical concept of peace: to be whole, to live well

It describes the right relationship between two parties

In Isaiah Jesus was prophetically called the Prince of Peace. We find peace in Jesus (John 16:33). He is Peace Himself because through Him we have peace with God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we can approach God the Father, Jesus’ sacrifice brought us peace. He made Himself Peace for us. Gideon experienced God as the Lord who is Peace. He was beaten that we might have peace (Is.53:5). It is God’s peace that brings us comfort, hope and strength from the inside out (Judges 6). God is a God of peace (1 Cor 14:33) and as such the best guideline in making decisions. The Kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness and peace and joy. Pursuing / seeking peace (peacemaker) is a blessed thing according to Jesus in the sermon on the mount (Matth.5:9). Peace replaces fear, replaces anxiety, replaces, anger,

3 points from what the Holy Spirit highlighted to me about PEACE

       1) Trust is important for peace, for receiving peace (Isaiah 26:3)

You will keep in perfect peace
    all who trust in you,
    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

The word translated mind (thoughts) here is not the usual Hebrew word for it but rather the word meaning “creative imagination” Isaiah’s thought is that he whose creative imagination, the seat of plans and ideas, is firmly founded on the eternal Lord, will enjoy shalom in all its implications. Even the following verse, verse 4: “Trust in the Lord always, for the LORD God is the Eternal Rock”, brings emphasis to the action of TRUST. Trust is the foundation for receiving Peace. IT’S A DECISION

Trust needs to be there first. We need to trust God afresh. We need to tell Him that we trust HIM. We need to give Him the reigns in our lives. Trust Him with the outcome. Thoughts need to be fixed on Jesus, fixed on God in all turmoil. It is God who can show us Perfect Peace. The foundation of the key to this is trust. Trust that God knows, trust that God is in control, trust in God’s promises. When I trust in God I recognize my insufficiency of my own efforts to find salvation. To trust is to put our confidence alone in Jesus, and not in man made things or efforts. We need to ask ourselves the question: Do we believe that God is trustworthy?

Only through trust we can receive the peace of God that HE so willingly offers us

a) He offered us this peace in general once and for all – our salvation

b) He offers us this peace, the shalom of God in every situation, again and again

2    2) Through peace we overcome (John 16:33)

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world”

Putting Christ’s words into context, we find Jesus addressing His disciples for the last time before His crucifixion. Jesus tells them what is to come. He tells them about the Holy Spirit and in conclusion He brings such a comforting word to them. He tells them not to let their hearts be troubled because He Himself has overcome the world with all its hardships and tribulations. Jesus gives the content of Peace in an unsure and frightening situation. He assures the disciples that even though there is hardship, even though there is tribulation, they can have peace.

This is such an important verse and I am so glad it is in the Bible (see James 1:2-4: “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”). It shows that we do have hardships, even as Christians. It shows that hardships are part of our lives and it gives us good reason to be of good cheer: Christ has overcome this world with all of that and that brings the peace into our hearts. So, we need to look unto HIM, Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We need to focus on Him since He is the one that overcame.

Amid trouble we can have peace by taking His yoke (Matthew 11:28-30). Finding rest for our souls is finding peace through which we overcome.

Story from “William”:  Yes, I have cancer, that is clear but even with that I experience perfect peace now. I am ok and I know that God is with me.

3          3) God’s peace needs to guard heart and mind (Phil 4:7)

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

These lines are in the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians (the first church Paul founded). He wrote it from prison. Knowing this gives it so much more power. The whole letter depicts the joy and encouragement during adversity. Prayer as the most intimate conversation with God is the key to bring all fear and anxiety to God.  It is about fully transferring the burden of one’s soul into God’s hands. Praying earnestly and entrusting it all to God is the key to experience His peace in heart and mind. Being thankful plays a big role in it as well. The verse says to thank Him for all He has done or bring everything to Him with thanksgiving. God’s peace is higher and beyond our understanding. It is not the same peace as the world understands it (John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart, and the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”) We will not understand God’s peace – it is a mystery but when our heart and mind is flooded with this peace we know that we know that we know that all will be well.

In a personal and intimate time of conversation with God (prayer), we need to tell Him everything and ask Him to do the Impossible and as we do so He can in turn give us His peace that guards not only our hearts but also our minds, a peace that we cannot understand (surpasses all understanding). When our hearts are at peace and our minds are at peace we experience perfect peace. Worry less and pray more – turn your worries and problems into prayers and you will experience God’s peace.

Bring it home

1)We need TRUST to receive His PEACE

2)We overcome through His PEACE

3)His PEACE needs to guard hearts AND minds

As I said, everyone needs peace, we all need to be at peace inside. Even living here, we need peace inside. Let us ask God afresh to reveal Himself as the Peace to our souls. He is our peace and the only peace we need.

Peace is what the world hungers for. Peace is what the human mind thirsts for. Yet the peace that the world understands as peace is different from the peace of God.

The peace of God is more than a state in which there is no war. With the peace of God, you can be in war and have perfect peace.

Now may the Lord Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all (2 Thess.3:16)

A WILLING HEART Psalm 139:23-24

Sermon notes Vue Du Cap

20.02.2017

A willing Heart

Introduction:

Since the end of last year, my desire grew to go deeper with God/ grow closer to God

God led me to Psalm 139 v 23-24

“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.”

It is a psalm of David

The last two verses stand out. The rest is written in a poetic language

The last two verses are a prayer to stay on course/ to check ourselves

The foundation to be able to pray this:

-trust

-the right knowledge of the character of God

-God is a good good Father

-God is faithful and trustworthy

-I need to let God speak into my life

-That helps to be right with God/to show remorse and a readiness to repent

Psalm 26 v 2; Psalm 143 v 10; Psalm 5 v 8; Job 31 v 6

Look at Psalm 51 (background: David's sin)

• verse 10: Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me
• a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 18 v 31)
• to create = bara - to bring into existence, to fashion existing matter into something new
• verse 17: key is a contrite heart
• contrite: a crushed, broken heart/grieving, penitent for sin/it offers no excuse and shifts no blame/it sees our sin the way God sees it/it does not take God's forgiveness for granted
• contrite: having a heart of repentance/to be seen in connection with humility/poor in spirit and fear of the Lord
• A contrite heart seeks the strength of God to overcome sin and to move on towards holiness
• It is a WILLING HEART
• God is pleased with a willing heart that seeks to please Him and that is open for correction

Psalm 34 v 18

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Isaiah 57 v 15

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
    the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
    with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
    and revive the courage of those with repentant heart”

Isaiah 66 v 2

“My hands have made both heaven and earth;
    they and everything in them are mine.[a]
    I, the Lord, have spoken!
“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts,
    who tremble at my word.”

Matth. 5 v 4

“God blesses those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted. “

Luke 18 v 10-14

“ Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Ending off with a deeper look of Psalm 139 verses 23-24

Search my heart

Test me

Show

Lead

My guitar and I

I love my guitar. I got it in 2013. That was also the year that God told me to learn how to play the guitar. That came out of nowhere really. I was a bit concerned because I did not know how to read music notes and I felt this was too hard a task. But then a friend approached me saying she felt she was supposed to give me her guitar for a while. Now that got my attention. A few weeks later I started to go to a music school and got discouraged at the same time. I was a real beginner not knowing anything.
I obeyed the Lord's lead but did not see any progress. I then asked if they could use only worship music to teach me with since I only wanted to worship God with it and not play some weird stuff.
I got so discouraged I stopped going to music school but by then I had bought myself my own guitar- a Tanglewood. It stayed in the cover for a while and yet God seemed to tug at my heart.
I would tell HIM: But I don't know anything. God encouraged me to meet with the worship team and practice with them...not becoming a part of them but letting them encourage me. I would sit in and work on my rhythm or work on the two chords that I knew I to play. God started to wet my appetite and motivate me more and more. Months later, I was able to play a few songs in G and I was so so excited.
Last year God challenged me to lead in my life group 3 times playing 3 or 4 songs for worship. That was a huge step. I love it now and play as much as I can. I can do lots of songs in G and my next challenge is songs in A.

Simon the Cyrene - Creative Writing

 Who is Simon the Cyrenian?

He is mentioned in the Bible only once in the gospels (in all the gospels except the gospel of John). I should take you back to that dreadful morning of the day Jesus was about to be crucified. He had just come out of the Praetorium where he had been scourged and stripped and tied to a whipping post, beaten to nothingness back and front, fragments of flesh hanging from his body. Now they put a cross on him to carry. According to customs, the victim was required to carry his own cross to the place of execution. However, Jesus was too weak to do that for the whole journey out of the city walls to the place called Calvary which was found outside the city walls (notes on Mark 15 v 21 in New Spirit-Filled Life Bible NKJV). That is when Simon of Cyrene came onto the scene.

So here we go: He is only mentioned in one verse. He was compelled Matthew, Mark and Luke write. The Webster Bible Dictionary defines the word compel as 1. To drive or urge with force, or irresistibly; to constrain; to oblige; to necessitate, either by physical or moral force. The Roman soldiers saw Simon and took him and forced him to take the cross from Jesus. Mel Gibson also chose to show this Simon the Cyrenian. Reading up on this location I learned that Cyrene is found in the Northeast part of modern day Libya. This was quite a long way from Jerusalem where the Roman soldiers spotted Simon. He must have been one of the few Jews from Cyrene (Cyrene was a colony of Greeks coming from the island of Santorini due to overpopulation. The Libyans welcomed them openly. Among those Greeks also lived some Jews – Topical Bible Online: Cyrene) Since it was the morning after Passover and Jews had made their way to Jerusalem to observe this special time, Simon must have travelled there to observe Passover. He must have stood by as the Romans came past with Jesus trying to carry his cross. We do get a vivid demonstration of the scene ion Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ with the soldiers to spur on Jesus while mocking him and all the people watching from the sidelines.

Getting into the character:

What did go through Simon’s mind when the solders picked him out of the crowed to take up Jesus’ cross? First of all, he saw Jesus like that who must have been full of blood and very very weak. Had Simon of Cyrene heard of this man called Jesus before? He had come from far away (roughly 1000km away). After knowing the fact that it was the duty of the one committed the crime to carry his own cross, it must have made Simon feel sorry for Jesus. The fact that Jesus was not able to carry his own cross made him look even weaker than he was. It was considered a shame not to be able to fulfil that last duty. This is quite a dynamic to ponder on.

Then the moment came when Simon took over and somehow his eyes must have met the eyes of Jesus. I love that scene in Mel Gibson’s movie. What a moment. There are no words to describe it. It was a moment with Jesus Christ the Messiah- it was a very vulnerable moment. This is what could have gone on in Simon’s mind:

“Why did they choose me? I cannot carry this cross. Look at this man…oh my he is full of blood. They are torturing him. Let me help him then. “  And as Simon takes the cross from Jesus: “This is not just an ordinary man. He…He…He is the lamb of God. His eyes…..I understand…I understand Lord. I will carry your cross. I help you, you are not alone”.

See , it has always been so comforting to know that even Jesus came to the place of accepting help. God the Father did not want Him to carry this alone. HE chose men to be at HIS side. This is very remarkable. It is also the decisive factor for many to not understand the God made himself so weak..even let His own son die on the cross.

Yet this is the most decisive moment in History because that is where He redeemed mankind once and for all.

What was this moment like? What was the rest of the journey to Calvary like for Simon as he was so close to Jesus the Messiah? I do believe it changed Simon’s life. This was an encounter with the LAMB of God. This was an encounter he probably never forgot. In the gospel of Mark is says that Simon was there with his two sons Rufus and Alexander. They probably also never forgot how their father was forced to carry the cross of a man who changed history that day. The fact that Mark mentioned those two by name means that they were apparently known my Mark’s readers. In Wesley’s commentary we read that Rufus and Alexander were afterward two eminent Christians, and must have been well known when Mark wrote (Wesley).

Maybe that encounter brought Jesus’ light right into their lives.

I know this is all speculation but it does intrigue me to think about it. It intrigues me to think how amazing and mesmerizing this journey of carrying Jesus’ cross must have been.

Praise Be to God - Idutywa

Yes it was a tremendous time as we went to the Eastern Cape as a team.
God was with us all the way. We drove through the night. Siyabulela drove all the time...what a champ.
Shortly after a little town..early the next morning, around 6am when the sun just came up, we drove over something and our back right tire burst. It was God's grace that is was light and we were not too far from a town. Siyabulela hiked back with the tire to have it fixed there and we stayed behind praying. After more than an hour and us getting cold, Siya came back and the tire was back on in no time. The time at the new building was really wonderful. It actually was a leaders conference. So we had Friday, Saturday and Sunday until lunch time and then we were on our way again. 14-16 hours there and back. It was worth it.

I felt home immediately and enjoyed the worship in Xhosa (their language) so much. Saturday night, I was scheduled to speak to the women. All of them were much older than I which was really humbling to me. I had no idea what the theme of that conference was or what would be relevant and needed to hear for those ladies. Moreover, this was a completely different culture I was supposed to speak into.
I was completely dependent on the Holy Spirit. I had prepared after asking the Holy Spirit and I felt Him leading me to minister from the account on Hagar in Genesis 16 and 21. God is the God who sees me: El Roi. It was amazing to see how this word opened those ladies' hearts and after the word everyone of them came up for prayer.

All this time I had Amanda translating me simultaneously. That was amazing. I could sense the flow. I spoke in English and she interpreted it into Xhosa.
God used all of us in the meetings and it was great to connect and build new relationships even with our church family in East London. Praise Be to God