Previous Service
Welcome
“Reading our Bibles and spending time in prayer each day, can help to protect us from the attacks of the enemy, stay strong in our faith, and live victorious lives in Jesus, with the help of His Spirit, Amen.”
Stella
Worship
Speak, O Lord, ’til Your church is built, And the earth is filled with Your glory [Keith Getty, Stuart Townend.]
Word
Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matt. 28:20
We live in days when even Churches are putting culture and the ways of this world above the Scriptures. We hear people say such things as, “well the Bible was written a long time ago, things have changed; we live in the modern era; the Bible is old-fashioned” and so on. A strength of Christianity is that it is passed on from one generation of disciples to the next, and in this way it can be linked all the way back to Jesus. We make much of the Great Commission regarding the practice of Evangelism, and so we should, it couldn’t be clearer,
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Matt 28:19
By the way, what is the “Therefore” there for? It is linked to the fact that:
All authority in heaven and on earth has [now – since His death and resurrection] been given to me [Jesus].
Matt 28:18
And everyone take note, you don’t mess about with someone who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, Oh no, definitely not!
But Jesus also went on to emphasise this: “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” In a nutshell “everything” means the whole Bible – have you noticed e.g., when Jesus started to teach those sad, doubting, fearful disciples on the road to Emmaus about Himself what did He do?
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.
Luke 24:27
At the time there was only the Old Testament Scriptures but that good bit of teaching really cheered those disciples up! How much more now we have the New Testament as well. And have you noticed the standard that was expected even in the Old Testament toward learning and meditating on Scripture,
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked … but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2
And could this be the reason why a number of so-called, ‘new’ or ‘baby’ Christians don’t make it? Is it that we don’t carry out the third part of the Great Commission, having made disciples, and baptised them, we don’t teach them all that Jesus commanded. In each one of those who didn’t fare too well in the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), a lack of understanding of the word (Matthew 13:19), a lack of being rooted in the word (Matthew 13:21), Unreceptivity to, and shallowness in, the word, and a pre-occupation with the things of this world choking the word (Matthew 13:22). All can be remedied by teaching everything Jesus commanded, but the people have to turn up as well. Amen.
Quote of the week
“Throughout history true Christianity has flourished just in proportion to the degree in which the Bible is known, and its truths are diffused among the people.”
Charles Hodge
Verse of the week
So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
Acts 18:11
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, help us to continue to grow in godliness through the knowledge of Your word. Instruct us by Your Spirit that we might learn more about Your Son, Your ways, and what You expect of us in daily living, that we might be lights in the darkness of this world, in Jesus Christ, Amen.