OPEN HEAVENS 2017 WHY HEALING IS YOURS – Sunday June 25th 2017 Memorise:  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 Read:  Isaiah 53:3-5 (KJV) 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Bible in one year : Judges 20, Jeremiah 52:12-23, Hymn: Sing hymn 5 MESSAGE In life, what you tolerate goes a long way to determine what you go through, and how you go through situations and circumstances. While God expects us to be tolerant of the wea...

BE AN INTERCESSOR -AMOS 7:1-6 KEY VERSE: "And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small" (Amos 7:2). We are often consumed by our own needs and desires that we shut our eyes to the experiences of people around us. Yet, were we to pause and ponder over their situation, we would realise that compared to them, what we consider giant problems quickly pale into insignificance. We are thus, compelled by those dire circumstances to intervene on their behalf. Such is the responsibility every believer should assume, as intercessors. The Lord had twice shown Amos a vision of the impending judgment against Israel. He showed him two images here, one, of insects and two, of fire. These were pictures of ordinary things that were familiar to the Israelites and therefore, needed very little elaboration. The message should be plain enough to the general publ...

Soaking Up God’s Word Xochitl Dixon Deuteronomy 6:1–9 These commandments that I give to you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 When our son Xavier was a toddler, we took a family trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As we entered the building, I pointed to a large sculpture suspended from the ceiling. “Look. A humpback whale.” Xavier’s eyes widened. “Enormous,” he said. My husband turned to me. “How does he know that word?” “He must have heard us say it.” I shrugged, amazed that our toddler had soaked up vocabulary we’d never intentionally taught him. In Deuteronomy 6, God encouraged His people to be intentional about teaching younger generations to know and obey the Scriptures. As the Israelites increased their knowledge of God, they and their children would be more likely to grow in reverence of Him and to enjoy the rewards that come through knowing Him int...

OPEN HEAVENS 2017 BECOMING A WONDER – Friday June 23rd 2017 Memorise:  Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Psalm 77:14 Read:  Psalm 77:11-15 (KJV) 11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. 12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. 13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? 14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. 15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. Bible in one year:  Judges 17-18, Jeremiah 51:45-58, Hymn: Sing hymn 5 MESSAGE God is a wonder and He does great wonders. I pray that He will perform wonders in your own life, so that you can testify that you have experienced His wonder-working power, in Jesus’ Name. Beyond this however, do you know that God can turn you into a wonder? For instance, look at t...

GUILTLESS? -PROVERBS 24:21-34 KEY VERSE: "Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips" (Proverbs 24:28). A story is told of a policeman who witnessed an accident while on duty. In that accident, a graduate was knocked down by a reckless driver and he died on the spot. The policeman, who was at the scene, told the driver to give him some money and move on. That was done and the policeman was said to have told people that the young man was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver. Some years after he had retired from service, his son who just returned from abroad where he studied was knocked down exactly at the point where his father covered up a crime years back. So, when the old man heard what happened, he confessed to those around him what he did. Nowadays, wickedness rules the world as some people go out of their way to say outright falsehood against their neighbour. People are paid to frame-up others in criminal cases, while some ma...

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES FRIDAY, 23RD JUNE.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ VICTORS FOR LIFE. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (James 1:2). As you grow in your Christian walk, you’ll definitely have your fight of faith; it’s a must for everyone. The Bible calls it a good fight, because you’re guaranteed to always win. Some people see the fight of faith differently; they see challenges as insurmountable difficulties. Every time something happens, they cry, feeling sorry for themselves. If only such people knew how much the devil likes to see them cry, and enjoys their frustration, they’ll never give him the luxury. Realise that as a Christian, Christ lives in you; that makes you a victor for life. The Bible says, “...greater is he that’s in you, than he that’s in the world” (1 John 4:4). This is a present-hour reality. Romans 8:35-37 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation...

  June 23, 2017 Playing in Concert David C. McCasland Romans 12:3–8 So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  Romans 12:5–6 During our granddaughter’s school band concert, I was impressed by how well this group of 11- and 12-year-olds played together. If each of them had wanted to be a solo performer, they could not have achieved individually what the band did collectively. The woodwinds, brass, and percussion sections all played their parts and the result was beautiful music! To the followers of Jesus in Rome, Paul wrote, “In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Rom. 12:5–6). Among the gifts Paul mentioned are prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, and mercy (vv. 7–...