Inspired! 08/23/2010
 

What a week!

Monday- Friday......We rubbed shoulders with 'giants of the faith' [NCMI trans-local team] who are impacting nations around the globe and listened to faith building testimonies of the gospel bearing fruit. It is a huge privilige to be part of a team who are passionate about Jesus and desire to honor Him through Kingdom building. The mandate of our King has been reinforced.....We need to establish NT 'base churches' that can effectively resource beyond themselves and plant churches in key cities.

Saturday......I married a young couple that have been discipled within our local church, they looked stunning! I have faith that they will flourish in their marriage. It is an amazing thing to be part of a family where we see young people growing and released into their destiny!

Sunday......Meeting in an NG Kerk on sunday nights has been refreshing. We are seeing new people come in to the church and worship together with folk from different cultures (The resident NG congregation join us). We made a small bit of history last night it is the first time drums were played in Kerk! No one frightened away. It is wonderful to see the numbers of the NG Gemeente growing on Sunday evenings as we have been meeting in their facility. they have been incredibly generous to us and are living in the biblical principle........Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2Cor 9:6

Now for the rest of the week....ihope it is going to be as full!

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Lose to gain! 08/12/2010
 
After leaving Pietermaritzburg 7 years ago, I was listening to our farewell service again and was reminded of the reason we planted a church in Port Elizabeth. What an incredible privilige it is to be instruments in our Master's hands displaying His glory in different communities, cities and nations. I have been inspired afresh to hold this mandate before the church and be even more 'stretched' into obeying the great commission. We cannot afford to settle into an introspective, complacent and 'comfortable' existence when there are the 'lost to lead to Christ, churches that are struggling and need encouragement and vision.

' Lord help us not settle for the mundane but stir us into great 'apostolic adventures'. Be encouraged by this excerpt of one of Spurgeons messages......
.
 'Imagine your Savior, who has bought you with his blood, standing in this pulpit for a moment.
He lifts up his hands, once torn with the nails,he exposes to you his side, pierced with a spear.
Now picture him. He puts to each one of you the question--

"I suffered all this for you, what have you ever done for me?"

Answer him now! Like honest followers of the Lamb of God, look back and see what you have ever done. You have gone up, you say, to his house. Was not that for your own profit? Did you do it for him? You have contributed to his cause. Ah! you have, and some of you have done well in this thing; but think, how
much have you given in proportion to what God has given to you?

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Post Title. 05/19/2010
 

How incredibly amazing, 'stretching' and our walk with the LORD is. Our dreams have to be 'faith fuelled' believing that God will bring to pass all that he has purposed for us. The writer of the Book of Hebrews states.....Without faith it it is impossible to please God!

As we wait and trust for the facility that has been prophesied over our church we want to fulfill our part in faith and have begun to sow into a 'building fund' believing that God works with the faith that we present!
Please pray for us as we walk this amazing process in faith.

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Jump 03/23/2010
 
2Cor 12:9-10
Come to the cliff edge of your own capacities and throw yourself over knowing that if Christ's adequacies are not there for you, you are in serious trouble......JUMP! [Anon]
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Hello 02/03/2010
 
What an exciting time for the church!! At the worst of times we have the best opportunities.....Opportunities to share the power of the gospel. Paul the apostle said.....Woe to me if  I do not preach the gospel [1Cor 9:16], I propose that our communities, the city we live in is 'poorer' if we do not make use of the opportunity we the church have to be a diffent voice in times of challenge. Again Paul says...for if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting.

Our boast cannot be in the church, a particular 'gifting' or a passion to see a city changed but our boast is in Christ and his precious gospel. Any other message not rooted in Christ and his gospel has the potential to glory in self. The gospel comes at a cost, what price do we have to pay, what does Christ's gospel require of the church in these times? I believe the following are key biblical principles that give the gospel momentum wherever it is preached:

a. Selfless faith. [Living in all respects for the faith of others...Titus 1:1]
b. Faith that dreams and believes in impossibilities.
c. Faith that contends for a prefered future.....We constantly live the way we want our city to look!

For this to be a reality and not remain cliched spiritual motivations it will require that we constantly live by the faith of another.....our LORD Jesus Christ. The life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of the living God [Gal 2:20b]. Who is equal to such a task?
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