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Suggestions as to how we might keep freshness in our relationship with the Lord In Part 1 we considered three suggestions that might help us stay fresh in our relationship with the Lord. They were 1. Not taking the Lord for granted 2 Keeping a child-like humility 3 Always committing our way to the Lord We are now going to consider a further 4 suggestions (4-7) that might help us stay fresh with the Lord. These suggestions all can help based on my own experience. 4 Walking in the Spirit Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. So often, we start in the Spirit but end up in the flesh performing what has become a ritual. The ritual becomes a tradition which then becomes a tablet of stone. Walking in the Spirit entails being responsive to the voice (wind) of the Spirit. When a yachtsman sets off on a voyage, he must catch the wind at the right angle so that the yacht will be propelled by the prevailing wind. However, he will not have gone far before he will need to adjust his sails to keep moving in the desired direction. So, it is with the Lord we need to keep going back to the Lord for redirection and course correction. If the yachtsman is sailing at night, he must navigate by his compass or by the stars (if it is a cloudless sky). Modern navigation is assisted by satellites which allow the navigator to triangulate their location. However, the sailor or airplane pilot must keep making constant checks on their direction to avoid drifting off course and into danger and so we must keep referring to the Lord for fresh directions. 5 Cleave (cling) to the Lord Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before your life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Deuteronomy 4:4 But ye that did cleave [1] unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. We need to stick to the Lord with His superglue (love). Sometimes we feel that we are on a bucking bronco but if we cling tight and hold on all will be well. Our walk with the Lord is like a dance in which He is the leading partner, the minute we stop holding on to Him as he moves, we are at first out of step then eventually dancing on our own i.e. doing our own thing! Sometimes we hear the still small voice from behind saying this is the way we ye in it. 6 Intimacy with God In the bible the physical intimacy between a man and his wife was described in terms of ‘knowing’ e.g. and Adam knew his wife. Our spiritual intimacy with God comes through knowing Him and we come to know Him progressively through meditating on His word and by fellowshipping with Him in prayer. Not just petitionary prayer! We can get intimate with God in praise and worship as we open our hearts to him. Telling your spouse that you love them increases intimacy. To know God is to love Him so we ought to tell him. 7 Desire for God When read how the psalmist panted for God like a deer for water in the desert (Psalm 42), we must admit that sometimes our hunger and thirst for the Lord is not what it should be. However, our God is so gracious that we can pray to Him asking Him to increase our hunger and thirst for Him. We can be sure that such a prayer is in His will! Other areas you might want to explore in seeking freshness with the Lord include abiding in the vine, staying accountable, remaining faithful, staying teachable, being available and finally resting in the Lord. Conclusion and prayer Let us repent of taking the Lord for granted and stepping out without consulting Him. Let us ask Him to give us a child-like humility and trust in Him. Lord teach us how to commit all our ways and all our works unto you, for unless you the Lord build the house we labour in vain. Teach us how to walk in the spirit, moment by moment, constantly being aware of the Holy Spirit’s leading, not getting ahead or behind you or to the left or the right. Lord teach us how to cleave and cling to you knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Give us a hunger and thirst for you each new day that we might know you in all your glory and grow intimate with you the living God. Amen After thought: The aroma of your fresh relationship with God is attractive and can draw people to something real. [1] Cleave; 1692. dabaq, daw-bak'; a prim. root; prop. to impinge, i.e. cling or adhere; fig. to catch by pursuit: --abide, fast, cleave (fast together), follow close (hard, after), be joined (together), keep (fast), overtake, pursue hard, stick, take.

The practicalities In Part 1 we looked at what the bible teaches about forgiveness in two dimensions. The vertical dimension is about our need for forgiveness from God, and the horizontal dimension about us seeking and/or giving forgiveness from and to other people. 1 Corinthians 11:27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. Paul reminds us that especially when we are taking communion that we need to keep short accounts with the Lord and with our fellow believers. We need to put right anything in our lives that is displeasing to the Lord and seek His forgiveness as in 1 John 1:9 (see Part 1), and forgive other people or where possible ask forgiveness of other people. How to deal with someone in the church who has sinned against you. Matthew 18:15 "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. This scripture gives you a path to follow when a brother/sister sins against you. Please note 99% of offences are opportunities to grow. If it is serious, then check all the facts before going to see him/her. v17 The purpose of going is to bring him into a place of repentance with the view of forgiving him and restoring unhindered fellowship. We must go alone in the first instance, to protect the person from potential scandal, that is what we would like if we were the offender! We have no right to blacken their reputation before we even have raised the matter. The offended person should be humble and prepared to listen and discuss the matter and being hoping that reconciliation can be achieved. The offending person, should realise that we all have blind spots, and that the person coming to him is upset about something. They should listen and if convicted of sin , express sorrow and repentance. If they feel that the accusation is unjust they should agree to pray about it and get back to the offended brother in due course. v18 If the offender is unrepentant, then the offended person returns with two witnesses, this is an escalation, and should show the offender that he means business. The two witnesses should be praying and reasoning from the scriptures and always appealing to both parties to walk in love. v19 If reconciliation has still not occurred the offended brother has the right to take it to the Church . The church has the right to exclude this brother from fellowship. At any stage if the brother repents he must be forgiven. We ought to bear in mind that if we sow mercy then we shall reap mercy. Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. We must guard against any root of bitterness springing up from unresolved issues. Bitterness can destroy our walk with the Lord and disrupt the church fellowship.. Ask your church leaders (if appropriate) for prayer if you are struggling with the aftermath of dealing with someone who has sinned against you. Amen Personal Prayer

What does the bible say? Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith with hundreds of scriptures that pertain to this subject. We are going to consider a selection of them. But first let me ask you to consider the cross. The cross gives a good visual aid for looking at the dimensions of forgiveness. The vertical beam signifying our own vertical need for forgiveness which can only come from Father God via Jesus Christ (see Isaiah 53). The horizontal beam represents firstly our need for forgiveness from other people whom we have wronged, and secondly our own need to forgive others who have wronged us. Definition Forgiveness [1] is the mental and/or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. Forgiveness may be considered in terms of the person who forgives, in terms of the person forgiven and/or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In some contexts, forgiveness may be granted without any expectation of apology/compensation, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is dead). In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, apology, and/or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe they are able to forgive. Key Biblical texts about forgiveness: The ‘Lord’s Prayer’- "Forgive us our [debts], as we forgive our [debtors]" (some versions have sin instead of debts, the Anglican Book of Common Prayer uses trespasses instead of debts), see Matthew 6:12. "Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times (or seventy times seven).' See Matthew 18:21-22. This brings us to a relevant parable, that of the ‘Unmerciful Servant’, which concludes: "In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." See Matthew 18:34-35 . Many people today are tormented by guilt, fear , bitterness, and resentment. It is often those closest to us who are involved in actions that generate the need to give or to receive forgiveness. "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." See Mark 11:25. This can be taken to imply that the exercise of forgiveness is part of that repentance through which the believer has access to the forgiveness of God. "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." See Luke 23:34 as uttered by Jesus Christ as he was put to death. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." See Ephesians 4:32. The Apostle Paul said, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” See Colossians 3:13. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When God forgives us, he blots out the record-He forgives and forgets! Further aspects of forgiveness The Benefits of forgiveness Psalm 32 The joy of forgiveness 32:1 A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed (plural) is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. The benefits of forgiveness include lovely things such as reconciliation, peace, concord, mutual understanding, restored relationships and renewed fellowship. Forgiveness bears beautiful fruit. Forgiveness may even benefit our health with psychiatrists and other health care professionals now agreeing that restored relationships can affect our health. Failure to forgive produces bad fruit; bitterness, resentment, hatred, and can lead to feuds, vendettas and even wars. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and therefore we all need forgiveness. Even at our personal best we can still stumble and be capable of wronging people. Forgiveness is part and parcel of our daily Christian lives. It should be a lifestyle. Yet sometimes it is so difficult to forgive someone! Forgiving someone is not simply excusing them rather it is having considered the matter and arrived at the conclusion that the person or persons involved did wrong to you or your loved ones and that through the power of God you are going let them completely off the hook! Who do you ned to forgive today? Amen Personal Prayer See Part 2 which discusses the practice of forgiveness. [1] Wikipedia

Dealing with rejection Most of us at some time in life will experience some form of rejection. Family or so-called friends might decide to terminate their relationship with us under various circumstances. We might feel let-down, bewildered and angry that people can be as unkind, but it is a lesson unfortunately we need to learn in this world. Even when we go for a job interview or some selection process for sports or team ventures, we might be rejected. In all these forms of rejection we must be humble, forgiving and fight any tendency towards bitterness. This what Jesus Christ himself experienced. The one people in the world who should have known who and what the Son of God would be like, were the Jews. But when He came to them, most of them including their secular and religious leaders rejected and dismissed Him as an impostor. He was the precious stone which the builders rejected yet he was and still is the most important stone in the building known as the church, that is the cornerstone! The corner or cap stone is usually laid at a ceremony in honour of a new building. All the other stones fit in around the cornerstone. So, is there someone whose judgement that we can trust? When we look at people we can be so influenced by external things, such as their appearance, demeanour, dress sense, personality etc. But when God considers a person, He looks right into their heart. A clear example of this was when the Lord sent Samuel the prophet to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as King over Israel. Read Mark 11:25 John 1:11 1 Peter 2:6-8 1 Samuel 16:6-11 Samuel considered each one of them from the natural point of view, how tall or handsome that they were. But God makes it quite clear in 1 Samuel 6:7 that He is interested in a person’s heart. The inner qualities not the external are much more important. So, what does this mean in practice for us in our day to day lives? Firstly, when we are rejected and feel put down, our loving heavenly Abba Father is always there to remind us of our true value, which is that you are valuable and precious to Him. So much so that He gave His only begotten Son…John 3:16. The world’s value system is superficial and dangerous. Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light! Do not trust outward appearances, Jesus told the Pharisees that they were white-washed tombstones, white on the inside but inside dark and horrible, full of dead men’s bones! Secondly, we must ask the Lord for discernment in all the appropriate areas of life. The wrong choice of a marriage or business partner can easily ruin someone’s life. Running with the wrong crowd of friends has also caused much unnecessary suffering and grief in some lives. We can take a good example from the disciples after the resurrection when they gathered to choose a replacement for the traitor Judas Iscariot. They prayed indicating that only God Himself truly knows what is in a man’s heart and therefore they asked the Lord to show who His choice for the vacant position was. The Lord then spoke to the hearts of the disciples and they chose whom they believed that the Lord had already chosen. Since only God truly knows a person’s heart, we must ask Him to guide us in all our decisions involving people. We might not always get the answer we want or like, but we can console ourselves by the knowledge that the Lord’s choice will always be the right one! In conclusion, no matter what rejection people say or do to you, God will always love you and never let you down. God accepts you and wants to heal you of any sense of rejection today. Amen Personal Prayer

Following Jesus and discipleship When Jesus called his disciples, he told them all on various occasions to follow him Here are some examples. 1. Matthew 4:19 Simon Peter and Andrew “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 2. Matthew 8:22 Another disciple But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 3. Matthew 9:9 Matthew As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 4. Matthew 10:38 All 12 disciples whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 5. Matthew 16:24 All 12 disciples Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 6. Matthew 19:21 Rich young ruler Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 7. Luke 9:23 Daily Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 8. Luke 14:27 Those Excluded from following Jesus and whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 9. John 1:43 Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael. The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Following and being a disciple? The word disciple actually means a ‘learner’ or ‘follower.’ Jesus did not tell people to get converts but rather to make disciples. Jesus wants us to be his disciples. Will we be followers who will obey or will be followers who walk away? Disciples follow Jesus and disciples make other disciples. Some tough questions for would-be disciples. What do we need to give up to follow Jesus? If we compare ourselves with the first followers of Jesus in the first century. This is where we come face to face with a big challenge. Do we really have to give up everything we have to follow Jesus? Do we have to love him in a way that makes our closest relationships in this world look like hate? Could He tell us to sell everything we have and give it to the poor? Was it easier in those early days of the New Testament believers to give everything up for Jesus? How do we go about this in this day and age? Can we follow Jesus without leaving our families, jobs, or wealth? Should we just join a monastery or nunnery? Interestingly God called Martin Luther out of a monastery to follow Him! Bonhoeffer [1} tried to answer this question by suggesting that Jesus did not call all his followers to give everything up initially and gave examples of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Bonhoeffer also says that as we identify with Jesus’ death in our baptism then we are showing full commitment to following Him. So could Jesus still call you and me to give up our families, possessions, and jobs? However, my own view is that we only need to give up whatever Jesus specifically tells us to give up. But it is up to Jesus to tell us specifically and it is over to us to decide whether we will obey Him or not. Is He worth it? This brings us to the crucial question for every true follower of Jesus: Do we really believe He is worth abandoning everything for? Do you and I really believe that Jesus is so good, so satisfying and so rewarding that we will leave all we have and all we own and all we are in order to find our fullness in Him? Do you and I believe Him enough to obey Him and to follow Him wherever He leads? Amen Personal Prayer [1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer in ‘The cost of discipleship.’ In Part 2 we discuss what Jesus expects from His followers,

Suggestions as to how we might keep freshness in our relationship with the Lord Oh, the fragrance of fresh flowers, the aroma of freshly baked bread, or freshly brewed coffee. There is something in us that appreciates freshness. Stale bread, wilting flowers, stagnant coffee do not do anything for us. There is something about day-to-day life that can easily desensitise our senses particularly with those people we see regularly. It is only when something bad happens to one of immediate loved ones that we realise how much we love them. Whatever it is, whether it is familiarity breeding contempt or a similar process, I am sure you will agree that it is not a good thing. What about extrapolating this idea to our walk with God? Have you ever felt that your walk with the Lord has become a bit stale? Or that the Lord is distant? Sad to say but the truth is that many Christians experience a lack of freshness in our relationships with the Lord at some time in our lives. So, whose fault, is it? God has not changed. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). The Lord takes the lead in bringing fresh blessings, fresh manna, fresh love to his people day by day. So, how do we keep a freshness in our walk with the Lord? Is it enough to have daily prayer and bible study? Well, quite frankly, we are beginning to backslide if we do not have daily prayer and bible study. These two disciplines are our staple diet in maintaining our fellowship with the Lord. However, there seems to more to this business of keeping a freshness in our walk with God, for there are some believers who do both things religiously but have little spontaneity or freshness with the Lord. Unfortunately, I do not have all the answers to this but here are some suggestions to consider as we ponder how we can sustain freshness in our fellowship with God. 1. Taking the Lord for granted The main difficulty in maintaining freshness in any relationship is the problem of taking the other person for granted! None of us likes it! Yet we all do it! How often have these words been spoken between husband and wife...? Oh well I just assumed that… Well I told you twenty-five years ago that I loved you... When we make assumptions about other people, we are placing our thought processes above their thoughts and feelings and not acting in love. People are complex beings made in the image of God and yet we make assumptions about their will and choices to the detriment of our relationship with them. How much more with God the creator! Can we afford today to make assumptions about his will choices and instructions for our life? 2. Child-like humility Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. This same child-like humility that leads us into salvation is the same approach to our walk with Lord that keeps us close fully depending on and trusting in Him. Our attitude of heart and mind ought to be ‘Lord you know best’! Lord you are the Boss! Really, we know so little of the spiritual realm and the overall picture in any given situation that we ought to consult the Lord on how to pray into every situation. Remember that the Lord is omniscient and omnipresent, we are not, so let us admit our poverty and inability before God and so our dependence will be on Him and His strength and ability. 3. Committing our way to the Lord Psalm 37:5 Commit [1] thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. We must get God in on the act, He must be the first guest at every party for He is the life and the soul of the party. We must seek the Lord for both the direction and the execution of the task. Unless God is in it from the inception our plans are going nowhere and unless God sustains us in our ministries and tasks, we are just wasting our time. If God is not in it, why are you? If he did not commission your ministry, then why are you doing it. We must get God in the act so we ought to in humility seek his face and his will in every situation. Remember how the Gibeonites fooled the Israelites because they did not inquire of the Lord. If we do not ask the Lord about each step in our life, then we must live with the consequences of acting in presumption. Again, the Israelites were defeated at Ai because of hidden sin of Achan, and it was only when they inquired of the Lord that things were put right. [1] 1556. galal, gaw-lal'; a prim. root; to roll (lit. or fig.):--commit, remove, roll (away, down, together), run down, seek occasion, trust, wallow Personal prayer In Staying fresh Part 2 we will consider 4 more suggestions that may help keep fresh our relationship with the Lord.

Ensuring that God's power is available to meet the needs of His people Jesus was a superconductor of the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38; God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him. In Luke 4:18 Jesus spoke these words “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus mission statement or manifesto was as follows. Jesus came to meet people’s needs Jesus came to meet their need for Salvation Jesus came to meet their need for Deliverance Jesus came to meet their need for Healing Jesus came to meet bind up broken hearts, open blind eyes, and deaf ears, to heal their bruises and to tell them “today is the day of Salvation, if you hear His voice don’t harden your heart”. Jesus came to meet people’s needs and he had the anointing of the Holy Spirit to give the power to meet those needs of the people. Isaiah 10:27 tells us that is the anointing that breaks the yoke (of bondage). In other words, the Holy Spirit (in believers) supplies the power to change, to save, to set free, and to heal. The ‘anointing’ in a physical sense means a perfume prepared from oil and aromatic herbs and this perfume was poured on the head of the High Priest, setting him apart as holy unto the Lord. This perfume is a picture of the Holy Spirit being poured out onto the head of the believer. Jesus Christ - The Anointed One (Luke 4:18) And we are the Christians the ‘little’ anointed ones. The power of God comes with the anointing. Every good work needs power, from Salvation to healing and deliverance. In the New Testament a miracle is literally a ‘Dunamis’ a working of power. Only God himself, God the Holy Spirit can supply this power to change, heal, to set free and to have this power available to meet the needs of people so we must have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Summary God wants you and me to meet these same needs in the lives of people, for salvation, healing, deliverance and will give you and me the anointing to perform these works. So, what is the limiting factor? So, why don’t we see more miracles? So, what is the problem? Why was Jesus able to always be successful in meeting the people’s needs? He led a Holy sinless Life. (Psalm 5:4; 66:18) Electricity can flow down wires, but its flow is impeded (we call it resistance) by non-conducting components. Non-conductors produce unwanted heat and so reduces power. Water flowing through a pipe is greatly impeded by blockage in that pipe. The liquid flow can become a trickle if there are leaves and debris in your petrol tank. Such debris will eventually find their way into the pump and stop all power to move in your car. If we consent to evil, give regard, allow, nurture it so will the sin in our lives reduce the power of the Holy Spirit which is able to flow in our ministries and we will not be able to meet the needs of people. God hates sin in all its forms and must turn away from it. Testimony God drew certain mental sins in my life, attitudes of not giving up something that wasn’t right. But the moment I repented and forsook these attitudes (with God's help) I knew a new power and anointing in my ministry. In retrospect, it seems clear these unforsaken sins were significantly hindering the flow of God`s power through me and as a result people`s needs were unmet or not fully met. Dead flies in the ointment Ecclesiastes 10:1 KJV: Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. In this scripture the ointment represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. The dead flies represent our sins/folly that produce a bad smell so that the perfume cannot perform its function. When the perfume of the Holy Spirit is removed than we have no power to perform the good works commanded by Jesus. We should avoid any foolishness in our lives and maintain a good reputation. King David came at this issue in a similar way, speaking of the little foxes that spoil the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15). Application Now, is the time to identify any dead flies in your ointment, asking God to reveal to you, what sins/foolishness that need be forsaken. If you do repent you will experience a new power of the Holy Spirit present within your ministry and that God will use you to meet the needs of people. Such an anointing, when you ask for it, will be available for each circumstance, see the example below. Me: Lord, I have no power of my own, and unless you provide the anointing for this person nothing will happen. They will be disappointed so you so will I. Dis-anointment causes disappointment. Lord: My son and daughter, will you forsake the sin in your life, for I cannot flow through an unclean vessel. Me: Lord, I will, I name them now and with your help I forsake them, thank you for blood of Jesus Christ. Lord: My son, what do you want? Me: Lord I want an anointing of the Holy Spirit with the power to meet this person’s need. Lord: My son, go in faith. God wants you to be vessel for meeting people`s needs. Purge and cleanse your vessel and cast the dead flies out and be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. See the power of God flow through you and meeting people`s needs, Glory to God. Amen. Personal Prayer

The path to follow Mark 8:34-5 In Part 2 we covered what Jesus expects from his followers. Today we look at the path Jesus has set for his followers. Mark 8:34-35 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." If we want to be Jesus’ disciple, we must (1) deny self, (2) take up our cross, (3) follow Jesus. (4) Be prepared to lose our life. Let us have a closer look at this path. 1. Deny self Denying self requires us to give up anything that we would want or seek that would hinder our doing the will of God. This does not mean that, if we want something, it is necessarily wrong. It means we must demote our wants and desires down from the throne of our wills and place Jesus and His will as the governing priority in our lives. There is room in each life for only one master (Matt. 6:19-24). If God is to rule in our lives, then our will must be made subject to His. We must be willing to give up anything in life in order to please God. 2. Take up your cross and 3. follow Jesus Many think this means bearing burdens and suffering hardships for the Lord. Surely such hardships will at times be required, but there is a fuller meaning if we consider the context. (a) What is a cross for? It was not just a burden to be borne. Far more than that, it was an instrument of death and total sacrifice. Many 19th century missionaries when preparing to embark for the mission field packed their belongings not in trunk but rather a coffin! They had already surrendered their lives to God. (b) Jesus said take up our cross and follow Him. He bore a cross, and we must bear our cross and follow Him. But where was He going with His cross? He had just said He was going to die. (c) In the next verse Jesus said we must give our lives for Him. (d) Then He asked what good our lives would be to us, if we are unacceptable at the judgment. So, "taking up your cross" suggests giving your whole life to God, as Jesus was about to give His life for us. This involves bearing burdens, but it is deeper than that. It is a total dedication of life. Our whole life is to be given to His service in anything He says. This will lead us to willingly deny self. Following Him then requires us to live as He lived His life. Luke adds "take up your cross daily" (Luke 9:23). There is a sense in which Christians must give their lives to God every day. This is not necessarily a physical death as Jesus died for us (though such might be required), but a daily total sacrifice of self to do the will of Jesus. We are called to be living sacrifices [1]. Whatever He wants with my life is what must be done with it. What I want no longer matters, but I give myself for Him, just as He gave Himself for us despite the fact His human nature would naturally recoil at the thought of the cross. 4. Lose your life for Jesus Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Verse 35 then helps us understand Jesus' point. If a person holds his life so dear to himself that he wants to use it only to please himself, do his own will, and accomplish his own purposes, rather than denying self and serving God, that person will in the end lose his life eternally. But anyone who loses his life for Jesus' sake - gives it in service and sacrifice to God by denying himself, as described above - such a believer will save his life by gaining eternal life. This passage helps us understand the true meaning of being a disciple or follower of Jesus. This is how our Master lived, so this is how His disciples must live. God calls his followers to live lives of complete and total submission to the will of God. Amen Questions Will you follow Jesus this year? Is He worth it? Have you counted the cost of following Him? Have you considered Jesus’ expectations for you? Are you prepared (with His help) to deny your own desires this year? Will you embrace your cross and follow Him into this year? Personal Prayer [1] Romans 12:1 ‘’I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

What does Jesus expect of his followers? Here are three things that Jesus requires of his followers (disciples). 1. If we love Jesus, Jesus expects that we will obey him. John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments. What commandments – the three found in the New Testament; Love God, love your neighbour, love one another as I have loved you John 15:12 2. We are expected to follow his example Jesus told His disciples to follow Him, while He showed the disciples how to follow God. Jesus did not tell His disciples to follow other teachers; in fact, He warned against "false teachers" and rejected teachers of questionable beliefs. Paul followed the example of Jesus as he instructed believers to follow him, 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." It is scary thought to consider ‘just who are our children following today’? Our modern society "teachers/leaders" can include both people and peers and even the media. Media includes influences such as educational curriculums, books, television, music, movies, gaming, internet, etc. This is an urgent need for people especially our children to see just who it is that we are following. Many people would rather follow someone on Twitter rather than follow Jesus in life. 3. Jesus expects His disciples to count the cost of following Him. In the book ‘Mere Christianity’ [1] C.S. Lewis put the idea of counting the cost like this: "The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self--all your wishes and precautions--to Christ. A.W. Tozer on this topic expressed it like this: "Among the plastic saints of our times, Jesus has to do all the dying, and all we want to hear is another sermon about his dying." Part of following Jesus is being willing to put the self-life to death. Rom 6:11a Think (reckon) of yourselves as dead to sin. Death to self is NOT optional for Christians- We need to count the cost of following Jesus and the effects it will produce in our lives. It is a sobering thought to read- Mat 10:38 anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Amen Personal Prayer [1] C S Lewis Mere Christianity Chapter 23: 24, 26-33. In Part 3 we discuss the path that Jesus wants us to follow.

King Saul's jealousy of David There are in the bible various forms or types of ‘Godly’ jealousy. These involve instances where a righteous zeal is expressed either by God Himself or by His servants. Here are some examples. Exodus 20:5; Our God is a jealous God, who loves us so much and therefore forbids His people from idols to protect us from demons behind the idols. Numbers 5:12-31; Where a jealous husband suspects his wife of infidelity, if she is innocent, she will then be able to conceive a child. Number 25:11; Phinehas is jealous for God’s honour and His commandments 2 Corinthians 11:2; Paul is jealous to protect purity of Corinthian Church However our subject today is ‘Ungodly’ Jealousy Definition: ungodly jealousy is a negative emotion which often involves envy, mistrust , and suspicion. Jealousy is a form of covetousness. It changes the way people perceive others, their own life, and even their perception of God’s goodness and plan. Biblical examples of ungodly jealousy are found below. 2 Corinthians 12:19-21 v20 includes ‘jealousies’ on the list of things that should not be in the church. Galatians 5:19-21 v20 ‘jealousies’ (in KJV emulations) are included in the evil works of the flesh. Case study One of the clearest examples of ungodly jealousy was that of King Saul towards David, the son of Jesse. The story is found 1 Samuel Chapters 17-19 where the start of the ungodly jealousy and its ultimate consequences are clearly seen. Picking up the story In 1 Samuel 17, we saw David (who knew his covenant) killing the giant Goliath and initiating a great victory over the Philistines. 1 Samuel 18:1-4; Jonathan and David’s covenant is made 1 Samuel 18:5-9 Verse 5; David is promoted over the men of war, and everyone is pleased. Verse 6; As the Israeli troops came home, they were welcomed with immense joy. Verse 7; The women sang and danced for joy but ascribed only thousands slain by Saul but ten thousands by David. Verse 8; The singing of the women caused a seed of jealousy to be sown in Saul’s heart which produced anger and displeasure, insecurity, and a sense inferiority in Saul. Verse 9; Saul now viewed David with suspicion and mistrust. Verse 10; Saul’s heart attitude appears to have opened a door to a distressing spirit which troubles Saul. Verse 11; Saul’s jealousy drives him to attempt to murder David with a spear. Verse 12; Saul now becomes afraid of David because Saul recognizes that God is with David. Verse 13; Saul removes David out of sight by transferring his role in the army. Verse 14; David behaves wisely demonstrating that the Lord was with him. Verse 15; David’s wise behaviour made Saul even more frightened of him. Verse 16; David’s shrewd behaviour made him a success, a hero, and loved by the people. Verse 17; Saul’s plan B, is a deceitful plan. Saul promises his daughter in marriage if David goes to war, and Saul hopes that Philistines will kill David. Verse 18; David is humbled at the very thought that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Verse 19; Saul acts shamefully by giving the wife promised to David to another man. Verse 20-21; Saul’s next daughter Michal loved David, Saul thought that she could work against David as a tender trap. Verse 25; Saul plots again hoping the Philistines will kill David. Verse 26; David was pleased with Saul’s idea for an alternative dowry for Michal’s hand in marriage. Verse 27; David triumphs again giving Saul twice the amount asked for. Saul must give Michal to David. Verse 29; Once Saul realizes how much Michal loves David, he is even more afraid of him. Verse 30; David acts wisely as a commander and as a son-in-law of the King. Saul’s every plan fails because his son Jonathan loves David, his daughter Michal and all people also love David. The story goes on Saul then arranges various further plots to try to kill David, including the murder of seventy-five priests at Nob. Saul eventually dies in battle. What Saul’s jealousy of David did to himself The poison seed of jealousy entered Saul when he heard the women ascribe thousands to himself but ten thousands to David. This poison seed produced negative emotions in Saul including anger, displeasure, insecurity, and an inferiority complex. Saul now looked on David with suspicion and mistrust. This evil attitude of Saul’s heart permitted a distressing spirit to trouble him from time to time. David’s music gave Saul some relief from the distressing spirit but more than once Saul tried to kill David with his spear. Saul then tries various ploys involving Jonathan then Michal to get David killed by the hands of the Philistines. All these evil plans fail because God is with David. Saul’s downward spiral continues until he is eventually killed on the battlefield. What a tragic demise for King Saul who once was the Lord’s anointed. Lessons for us today about ungodly jealousy While it may seem trivial to be worried about an emotion like jealousy, it often leads people to act in ways that are harmful to themselves or others. Understanding what jealousy is, and recognizing it, can help shape the way believers deal with it, and so strengthen our walk with God. Jealousy falls under the tenth commandment to not covet. Jealousy is the noun that relates to the state of being jealous: “feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages; inclined to or troubled by suspicions or fears of rivalry, unfaithfulness.” It can also be the state of dislike for another’s goods, success, or even lifestyle. It begins with a sinful feeling or thought, but such a poisonous seed can lead us to acting in sinful ways that will not lead to happy endings in our lives. I believe that the purpose of this study is that the Lord wants us to deal with any ungodly jealousy seeds sown into our hearts. This is achieved by confessing and repenting (1 John 1:9) so let us pray. Father in the name of Jesus Christ we ask that your Holy Spirit come and convict us of our sin, including all jealousy of others including their success in life or ministry. Please forgive those of us who have acted wickedly through jealousy, insecurity, envy, fear, and mistrust even with your church and remove all the evil consequences from our situations. Amen Personal Prayer

Psalm 84:6-7 The Valley of Baca Each one of us has a destiny in Christ. A walk or a journey that we must make to get to our final destination. God himself is our destination, as in his presence is fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore. Yet, to arrive at our ultimate destination, all believers should expect to pass through the dry valley where the only apparent water is our tears. We cannot make a detour as it is on the highway to heaven. Do you feel that the Lord forgotten you, as you are even now passing through the dry valley? If that is you or a loved one then His word to you today, is to remind you that He is the same Lord God who pours out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground and causes the crocus to bloom in the desert. The Lord has filled your wayside pools with living water. Draw near to him who is the fountain of living water and be refreshed and renewed and you shall go from strength to strength, and you shall increase. The early rain has started and is falling. Main Text Psalm 84 Spurgeon has called this Psalm ‘the pearl of the Psalms.’ Psalm 84 has a subtle radiance. The psalm would be sung accompanied by the music of the gittith (a stringed instrument) and sung joyfully as the grapes were pressed to make the new wine. It is subtitled 'longing for temple worship', and we are a people who are longing for true spiritual worship of the living God. The Psalm describes a journey into God’s very presence. Our motivation for the Journey Verse 1-2; Feel the longing and desire of the psalmist as he contemplates the Lord’s house some Christians almost have to be whipped to come to the Lord’s house. It was the psalmist’s heart’s desire. Verse 3; He guided the sparrows and swallows just to be near him. We can identify with him as my King and my God. Verse 4; What a privilege for those who are with him, all the time. No wonder they are praising him continually. When the journey gets difficult Verse 5; How unmovable, how unshakable are those who draw their strength for the journey from God himself as their map, and their route is in their heart. As the Spirit says, ‘this is the way, walk ye in it’. Verse 6; The Valley of Baca, is known as the valley of weeping and is the dry and arid valley where only the mulberry tree can grow. The Valley of Baca to the Israelites represented the season of spiritual drought and dejection. A dry and arid time where the only water is from your own tears, but yet we can take our strength from God. His ways are in our hearts. As we are passing through (for it is for a season) the dry valley, we can actually turn it into a place of pools and springs, joyfully looking to our final destination. God himself surely, he is worthy of a little toil and effort. He intervenes and is intervening today to show you his pools of living water that you can drink deeply from to be refreshed, to be renewed and comforted whilst you are in the dry place. Beloved, it is by faith that we bring out the living water from the rock and the dry ground. God has and is even now filling the pools with his gentle early rain and the desert areas in your lives are beginning to bloom with the crocus. Drink of His Spirit instead of becoming weary as the journey goes on. Verse 7; We can go from strength to strength, supply to supply, force to force, company to company. Drink from the scriptures: Isaiah 12:3; Draw joyously from wells of salvation. John 4:14; Drink of living waters that truly quench. Psalm 23; Let your cup overflow. Everyone who thirsts may come to the waters. Yes, everyone who draws their strength from him. Yes, everyone who places their trust in him. Yes, everyone who drinks deeply from his Spirit. Yes, you will go from strength to strength and will make it. You will achieve your destiny and enter into his very presence forever. Even today, your wayside pools are filled with water, the early rain of the Holy Spirit is falling right now. Let each one of us drink deeply of the Spirit right now by faith for the Lord desires to refresh, renew and comfort you today. And you will go from strength to strength. Amen Personal Prayer Please share this message as appropriate

1 Corinthians 3:12 Are you building a palace or a shack? The rewards accumulated in every faithful believer’s life are described in 1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field; you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God, which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. We will receive these rewards at the end of our life at the bema judgement seat of the righteous[1]. Paul compares the life of faith as though each believer was building a structure. Our materials can be gold, silver, or precious stones or else they can be wood, hay and stubble. If you are building with gold, silver, and precious stones you are building a palace. However if you are building with wood, hay, and stubble the best you could hope for would be a shack, a hut, or a mud-hut [2]. In the above scripture v13 we learn that each person’s work for God will be tried by fire. The fire would only purify the gold, silver and precious stones but would completely consume and destroy the wood, hay, and stubble. This confirmed in v15 which is not talking about loss of salvation but the loss of rewards. What does this mean for Christian believers? Are we building a palace or a shack? Or are we building a mixture precious and worthless materials? If this is the case, there would be a partial collapse of the structure when tried by fire. When serve the Lord with work done in the flesh, or in our own strength, or not specifically commissioned by the Lord then we would expect to produce wood, hay, and stubble. When we serve the Lord by doing works that He commissioned and were conducted in the power of the Holy Spirit then we can expect our rewards to include gold, silver, and precious stones. What do you think? What about me? I suspect I have a mixture of both types of work in which case there will be size reduction when my building it is tried by fire! What do you think you are building today? Amen Personal Prayer [1] The Bema Seat is the title given the Judgment Seat of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:10, and Romans 14:10). [2] Roger Price CCF Tapes BBS 023 ‘Palaces or mud-huts’.