Church Camp Day 2 Devotion - Huperetes

Luke 1: 1-2

Luke wholeheartedly believed in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, even as it is delivered through to the eye witnesses. He asked that we have perfect understanding of all things and make an order out of the truth given to us. (Verse 3)

Like Luke, we are called to be a huperetes (servant/minister) of the Word, to have perfect understanding of the Word. 1 Cor 4:1 - a minister of Christ. We must be a diakonos (deacon) to the Word, to spread His word and do His Will. 

"If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant (diakonos) be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." John 22:26. 

May we be a doulos (slave) to God and his Word, forever bonded to His Will and follow Him unto the end. 

Church Camp Message 3 - The Doctrine of Christ

Matthew 7:14- 29

The right doctrine will yield the right fruits. Without the right doctrine, the heart is not right and the works will not be acceptable. It must be God's doctrine and not the doctrine of man with an idea of Christ that is different from God. 

The fear of God makes us walk carefully less we offend Him. First and foremost - we need to confess that Jesus is God himself. John 1:1, 14. Rev 1:8 - the Almighty God. Rev 1:18 - "I am he that liveth." Only Jesus Christ has liveth. He is described as the Almighty, the one and only God. 

Jesus is also 100% man. Col 2:9 - he dwelleth in the fullness of the Godhead bodily. - manifest in the flesh. There is no salvation if we believe only in one but not another. I John 4:3 - the spirit of the antichrist would not confess that God is fully man. 

God called us to be perfect as He is perfect. However, we cannot be perfect even from birth. As such Jesus needs to be our representative to die for our sins (passive obedience) and kept the law (active obedience) perfectly so that he being perfect, can make us perfect through His sacrifice for us. Jesus has done everything for us, we just need to believe Him. 

What kind of believer should we be? Be a believer with gratitude, and be thankful for all the He has done for us. We express our gratitude by worshipping the Lord. We fulfil all righteousness and be obedient to His teachings. Have we demonstrated such qualities in our lives?

Church Camp Message 2 - Doctrine of the Bible

The Saving Power of Doctrine

Christian's fellowship must be centred around God's Word, it will be meaningful and will not be in vain. We humble ourselves and take heed on God's Word, it can save us. God's Word will be with us for eternity. Many who had gone before us had suffered to have the Bible made available to everyone, so that we may have His Word freely. 

Through God's Word there is salvation, joy and happiness, to prepare us to live a life that is truly glorifying to God. 

1. People are willing to die for this book because of its origin - all scriptures is given by inspiration of God. 2 Tim 3:16. God is the author, God's breathe, through faithful servants over the centuries. Example, to understand the last book of Revelation, we need to know the first book of the Bible, to know the background - why man needed to pay the price of sin. This is the verbal plenary inspirations of God, everything single Word of God in the bible. This reflects God's omniscience nature. The accounts in the Bible are transparent, truthful and detailed for the benefits of believers for generations to come. 

2. People are willing to die for this book because of its transmission - the Bible has lasted centuries. The first five books were write about 5,000 years ago; whereas the Gospel nearly 2,000 years ago. The Scriptures were passed down from ages to ages; protected from corruption by God. How do we know? God say so - Psalm 12:6-7. God has preserved His whole Word intact, we draw power from its 100% truth. Mathew 5:18 - God preserve even the last joy and tittle of His Word. This is God's verbal plenary preservation of His Word. There are corrupted manuscripts of the Bible to lead man astray. Our fore fathers had already respected them, as led by God. Take heed to ensure we go back to the right manuscript for the most faithful copy of His Word. 

3. People are willing to die for his book because of its power - Is the Bible the very word of God? Does the Bible contain mistakes? Believe in the plenary preservation & inspiration and we will have the power from the the Word of God. 

Thou art Christ, the Son of God, eternal truth in the past, the present and future. Experience God on our own, through His Word and life lessons, and we will know truely, God is the living God for each one of His believers. 

Church Camp Day 1 Devotion - Fellowship One with Another

Acts 2:41-42

The prayers of all Christians - for all unbelievers to know Christ and receive the gift of salvation and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Background - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the disciplines allow them to speak in tongue. Some saw and said that they were drunk, until they saw Apostle Paul stood up to preach the Gospel. Verse 2:38 - believe, be baptised and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 2:42 - the apostles continue steadfastly, and so should we. 

1. Continue steadfastly in doctrine - there is only one doctrine, unifying all apostles and believers. 

2. Continue steadfastly in fellowship - coming together to encourage one another and do the work of God. Christianity is a communal belief, believers are not meant to be alone. One day, we will all be together in eternity. 

The apostles coming together to share all things in common - verse 2:44. God would be able to provide to all for all needs if He so wished, but it is not His will. The sharing of the possessions of the apostles bring them together to grow spiritually, to love and care for one another. God blessed us, we offer our excess to others.

3. Continue steadfastly in breaking the bread - remembering the death of Christ whose blood washed away our sin. We loved Him our heart and soul.

4. Continue in prayers - encourage one another to pray. It is the desire of God for us to come together to pray. It is the only way for us to speak to God. 

God will always give us the grace to be together to meet our spiritual needs. This is the only way for us to grow spiritually. Our spiritual growth will be affected if we remain alone. 

Sunday Service - Temple of the Holy Spirit

1Corinthian 3:16-23

Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Right now we are the holy of the holies. Therefore we need to have due respect for this holy place.

We do not defile the temple of God by bringing unclean things in our lives. In church we also ensure that only goodness and truth are shared to our children. We must also worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

When Jesus died for us, the temple curtain was ripped into two and now we have direct communication with God. As temples of God, we must live and breathe God's truth and doctrine, so that we do not define this temple.

We have the blood of Jesus Christ and that sanctify us when we committed sin. The Lord Jesus will be merciful and cleanse us from our sins.

In history, God destroyed the temple when men defiled it. Ezekiel 5:11, 8:16. "Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."

Do we worship God in spirit and in truth? Do we avoid all unclean things so that they don't corrupt this temple of God? Do we put anything before God in our lives and made God secondary to what we have in our life? Is our leisure and pleasure become our idol and took us away from God?

Matthew 10:37-38. "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

Sanctify ourselves today to cleanse us from our sins. May we continue to receive the Holy Spirit with a clean and pure temple of God. We will live to our fullest potential with the word of God in our lives.

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