Sunday Service - Profitable Service

1 Corinthian 3:5-15

The Corinthian Chuch is plagued by carnality - the idolising of people. This leads to divisions in the church. We should only follow God. The idolising of people is about the external and not spiritual. This the the wrong attitudes.

Verse 5 - there are many divisions and parties according to the various apostles. Jesus Himself is a lowly servant. We should worship God, the apostles are just instruments of God.

Hebrew 13:7 - remember them which have the rule over us. Respect them but not worship them. They are not God.

Verse 8, 9. For those who serve The Lord, The Lord is mindful of our service and give us our just reward. We don't glorify ourselves or do we crave for the praises of man.

Verse 10 - 11, Apostle Paul is the architect, God is the designer. A. We must build according to a God specifications, and do work according to a pure heart.

We should do likewise, serve The Lord with pure motives, truly, sincerely and with the right spirit. The Lord will commend and crown us according to our work.

Women of Reformation - Argula von Grumbach

A "walking bible", Argula von Grumbach was the first woman who publicly campaigned for the Reformation in 1523. A significant and memorable act from Argula was her challenging the faculty of the University of Ingolstadt on the teaching of the Bible.

On a day in the late summer of 1523, a young woman courageously takes hold of quill and paper in her study. With determination, she writes a letter to the faculty of the University of Ingolstadt. Her name is Argula von Grumbach, aged 31, of noble descent, educated, mother of four. Her bold action, with which she wanted to support a follower of Luther, who had got into trouble, did not remain without consequences. Argula von Grumbach makes history as the first female Protestant lay theologian.

With a letter, a single woman challenges the whole faculty of the university of Ingolstadt: Argula von Grumbach requested that the professors ought to enter a public dispute with her about the exegesis of the Holy Scripture. While they rubbed their eyes when faced with this audacity, the sender knows exactly what she wants: to contribute theological arguments to the case of the young follower of Luther, Arsacius Seehofer, and ultimately to the cause of the Reformation itself. She confidently ends her letter with the words: "I  have not written women's gossip to you, but the word of God, as a member of the church."

God gave His people the courage to carry out His Will at appropriate time, and Argula von Grumbach is certainly an instrument of God in this monumental times.

Taken from: http://www.luther2017.de/en/18681/argula-von-grumbach-i-have-not-written-womens-gossip-you

Enrich Your Life

Our Hope to an Enriched Life

John 10:7. Why did Jesus come to earth? He came to give us an abundant life. Without him there is no hope of an enriched life. He is the only door that leads to God's blessings. This is exclusively provided by the Salvation of God. There is no way we can work towards an abundant life unless through Jesus Christ.

"All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them."John 10:8. Who are the thrives and robbers of our life now? Those that pulled your life away from Jesus and our faith. Your work, your friends, anyone and anything that casted doubt in your faith. We may do well in this world, we will still fail in God's eye.

What then, is an enriched life? It is a life of spiritual growth. John 10:9 " I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Surrender our lives to Jesus and find the door to an enriched life.

Our Responsibility to an Enriched Life.

John 10:9 "...shall go in and out.." Labour in the work of the Lord and feed on the Word of God as the pasture of our life. With that we can have spiritual growth and endless opportunities in God's kingdom. This is the process of sanctification that gives us an abundant life gradually and naturally in God.

Start the day with God, and ask Him for power and strength for the day. The quiet time is the most important part of the day, start your life with this.

Enrich your life and be accountable for it.

Unholy Division

1 Corinthian 1:10-17

A little leaven can corrupt the church and divide the church.

Paul beseeched the people of the Corinthian Church, the brethren of The Lord Jesus Christ. They were backsliding at that time, hindered by sin and pride. External elements can further add to the the division. Division in the church is destructive, bring people down and tear us away from The Lord and His Word.

Perfect 100% unity in the church is possible. We have the perfect reference point, our Lord Jesus Christ, so long as we have the mind of Christ and be Christ like, and be perfectly joint together in the same mind, same doctrine. We can have the same doctrine so long as we prevent foreign thinking from influencing us. Grow in the truth of God and we will think like Christ and the same doctrine with the rest of the brethren.

There were contentions in the church where people fought and debated among themselves. Debates are outward appearances for people with the gift of the gab, with the purpose of winning the argument. Such arguments are unhealthy. Personal pride needs to be taken out of all argument in search of the truth in doctrine, then the arguments will be holy and God centred.

When Apostle Paul preached the Word of God, he preached in Spirit and truth, not because Paul was eloquent in his speech. Do we follow Christ or the speaker just because he spoke so well? Paul's ministry was to preach simply and truthfully Christ and salvation. When he preach, the people see The Lord Jesus Christ and hear the good news, not Paul himself.

Submit to the church and His Word and we will have unity.

I am in the Father

John 14:8-11

Man recognise and acknowledge that Jesus existed, as a great teacher, prophet. However this is not enough to describe Jesus, grossly insufficient. He is fully God, and only when you recognise this fact, then would you truly appreciate who Jesus is. His disciples saw the miracles He did, their belief was based on physical demonstration. Only when Jesus taught them the teachings of God and shared his resurrection then they would believe these teachings by faith. For us, we need to have faith to believe in all things.

"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father". Jesus is in the Father, and we just need to believe in His words and we will be able to see the Father. Walk by faith and by faith we will see the Father.

Christ Our Security

Zechariah 10:4
Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail,
out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.

The Lord is our cornerstone - the foundation of our faith. In Eph 2:19-22, we are part of the household of God, the citizen of the city where Christ is the cornerstone. Strengthen our faith on the word of The Lord, and take our step in faith towards Him. God's word is also the perfect reference point in our faith, where all doctrine and moral values are measured against. We need to know more about His word to understand God's will for us.

The Lord is our nail - the nail that held all things together, the nail that strengthens the faith in our hearts. He was on earth and he went through it all. He knows our pain, needs and wants. He is very near us so long as we plead with him. Man can fail us, but God cannot fail us!

The Lord is our battle bow - he fights for us! He fought for his people throughout the history. Deut 3:22 - The Lord your God shall fight for you! God always win. He is our sure and certain security! He is our safe heaven.

Where else in the world would you wish to be? None else but the Lord's.

Who is this?

Palm Sunday, we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. Could we imagine the agony of our Lord, knowing what lies ahead and yet willingly followed what was needed to be done.

What a sight to see! Our humble Lord on a colt, walking through the gate of Jerusalem and people waving palms to welcome him. His colt trotted on palm leaves, while His heart pained to see the very people that welcomed him would also crucify him 5 days later. And yet, with all the sins and transgressions in the evil hears of men, He still willingly and lovingly die on the cross for our salvation. On the third day, He conquered death and resurrected, securing our own resurrection from our own sin and death, so long as we believed in him.

May we always remember what our Lord has done and always cherish our salvation by following our Lord Jesus Christ till the end of our days.

 

Matthew 21:1-11

21 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

² Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
³ And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
⁴ All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
⁵ Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
⁶ And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
⁷ And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
⁸ And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
⁹ And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
¹⁰ And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
¹¹ And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.


"Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
O Christ, thy triumphs now begin
O'er captive death and conquered sin" - Henry Hart Milman