Followers of Christ                            

By Apostle Aje Pelser, preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, 15^th January 2012.

Mark 8:34-38

“And having called the crowd together with His disciples to himself, he said to them, If anyone is desiring to come after me as a follower of mine, let him at once begin to lose sight of himself and his own interests, and let him at once begin to take up his cross and carry it, and let him start taking the same road that I travel in company with me, and let him continue to do so moment by moment. For whoever would desire to save his soul-life will lose it. But whoever will lose his soul-life for my sake and the gospel, will save it. For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this generation which is adulterous and sinful, also the Son of Man shall be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of His Father with the angels, the holy ones.”

“The New Testament. An Expanded Translation.” By Kenneth S. Wuest. Teacher Emeritus of New Testament Greek, the Moody Bible Institute. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids Michigan.

Followers of Christ have characteristics that set them apart from worldly standards and releases God’s glory in their lives.

Characteristics of Followers of Christ:

1. Decide to become a Follower.
2. Lose sight of yourself.
3. Lose sight of your own interests.
4. Take up your cross and carry it – at once – immediately.
5. Take the same Road that Jesus travelled.
6. Keep company with Him. Practise his Presence.
7. Continue and persevere in fellowship with Him and His Church.
8. Walk with Him moment by moment. Be constantly led by the Holy Spirit and be known as sons of God.
9. Let go of your soul-life, fast and sacrifice soulish needs and gain a glorified soul-life in return.
10. Boldly stand up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and witness God’s glory.

Expanded Points:

 1.   Decide to become a Follower.

Make Jesus Lord of your life at once. Don’t delay and ponder about a life without His presence, you’ll lose whatever life you thought you had anyway to the enemy who is out to steal and to kill and destroy. Every week we come across broken lives people who knew God and His love, yet backslid and lost their jobs, families and self-respect. Many such lost sheep are returning to the Lord right now, it is a time of great harvest. We are seeing souls come to the Lord on a weekly basis, but will start seeing it on a daily basis soon as the world grows darker and the light of the Church grows brighter.

 2.   Lose sight of yourself.

Mike Wood said once that if we want to make God laugh we should tell Him our future plans. It is not because God is a killjoy, but because His plans for us are far greater than what we could ever ask or think!

Ephesians 3:20  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Eph 3:21  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

His power is at work within us to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

The glory we seek is IN the Church, by being part of a many membered body of Christ locally, His power can work the very thing we are asking for today. The glory of the eternal church is within us as we realize our part in the Body of Christ and submit wholeheartedly to the processes of God in every phase of our Christian work as followers of Christ.

God is a Good Father that has already prepared a wonderful life full of challenges and also provision for you.

Seeing yourself as part of a team in a church, helps you to lose sight of yourself because you realize there are other people with much worse problems than you and your so-called lot in life is not that bad after all. You become grateful and content and start helping others to reach their full potential and while you are helping God with His dream the Church, He makes your dreams come true. Think of how many dreams God has helped you live out up till now and thank Him for it.

Dr. Gray’s words bear repetition: “If you make seeking God the most pre-eminent thing in your life, he will take care of so many things that you think you need to care of…”

3.   Lose sight of your own interests.

The price we pay is far less than what Jesus paid on the cross of Calvary for us. Imagine the pain and humiliation He went through for us, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, like a lamb that is silent before his shearer, taking the punishment for our sins upon Him publicly stripped and beaten and crucified for all to mock and jeer at Him, and shedding so much blood that he went into hypovolemic shock and passed out on the way to Golgotha.

“Hypovolemic shock is an emergency condition in which severe blood and fluid loss makes the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body. This type of shock can cause many organs to stop working.” http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000167.htm

 Some complications that can occur when someone goes through hypovolemic shock are:

• Kidney damage
• Brain damage
• Gangrene of arms or legs, sometimes leading to amputation
• Heart attack

So if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, Jesus paid for it on the way to the cross and took all our diseases upon Him so that by His stripes we were healed. Past tense. Take it. Confess it now. Believe it and act out your faith in Jesus name.

What interests can you lose sight of today that are actually not going to build you up at all, rather keep you busy with things while your spirit starves to death? Not all things are edifying, so let the Holy Spirit eliminate interests that break you down and highlight interests that are good for you. Remember the key of moderation to unlock a peaceful lifestyle.

4.   Take up your cross and carry it – at once – immediately.

No hesitation and no compromise is the call for followers of Jesus Christ. Put your hand to plough and hold on! As Bob Dylan sings. If you start to plough with Jesus and you look back your plough will lose direction and the harvest will be ruined.

Luk 9:59  Then He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

Luk 9:60  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."

Luk 9:61  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."

Luk 9:62  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Apostle André and prophet Nola Pelser did a show at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg once called: “The Gospel Plough.” They have unwaveringly lept ploughing the fields of the Lord and now are experiencing a wonderful harvest. I just received am SMS Epistle from Apostle André in Uganda:

Great waves of glory when I peeled, cut, mashed sweet potatoes to act out three degrees of unity! The people praised God spontaneously! Invite to Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and someone has already started translating GG (God’s Genius – Apostolic Reformational Theology.) into Swahili, praise the Lord!

Sent from my BlackBerry®

When describing the cross we are called to carry Apostle Andre explains that it is different for each one, and that we have a cross specifically designed for us, it is something that we can’t change and something that probably won’t change for a long time. It si a case of resigned to the will of God in that area and tapping into His grace. Paul had a thorn in the flesh, an understatement of his fulfilment of the sufferings of Christ. Crosses have splinters!

Col 1:24  I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

Col 1:25  of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God,

5.   Take the same Road that Jesus travelled.

The wonderful thing about Jesus’ life is that it really became the way unto eternal salvation. His life is worth studying so that you can understand the road He travelled, smell the dusty roads, share a laugh with His disciples while he confounds the Scribes and Pharisees of His day, see the miracles that confirmed the Word He preached, the same Word He now calls us to preach. Fulfil His great command to love and His great commission to go into all the world, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15.

Teach others in the Way.

When you find someone zealous for the Lord but with limited understanding, graciously share a deeper understanding with them by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as Aquila and Priscilla did:

Remember that Paul first found the couple in Corinth because they were of the same trade, and then they must have heard Paul reason and persuade people in the synagogue. That is how they were able to help the preacher named Apollos.

Act 18:24  Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.

Act 18:25  This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Act 18:26  So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

So use your trade and occupation as a platform to disciple others.

“Help others along the way” is a phrase the Holy Spirit enlightened for me as I pondered about all the students that have come through MBC over the years already. Some of them never come back, but we have helped them on their journey, hopefully in a manner worthy of the Lord. Now and then we come across Old Locbians – old students from Life of Christ Bible Institute days, many of them have started businesses, have Godly families, some have started churches and have successful ministries. It is always good to remember where you learnt about God’s principles and from whom you learnt them.

We had to change the name “life of Christ Bible Institute” because we found out that there were existing training facilities using that name overseas already. My wish is that students that have graduated from Miracle Bible College, or Life of Christ Bible Institute will help us train another generation of reformers, of students that hear accurately from God with an open Bible, artists and performers that will show the world what God can do through dedicated artists. Apostle Leigh Collins always says “with the emphasis on the ‘dead’ in ‘dedication’.”

6.   Keep company with Him. Practise his Presence.

Brother Lawrence wrote letters to a friend that were compiled into a book form available freely today on the internet, “The Practise of the Presence of God.

7.   Continue and persevere in fellowship with Him and His Church.

When two or three gather in My Name

Mat 18:19  "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

Mat 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Neglect not the gathering of yourselves together:

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

Heb 10:25  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Apostle Paul taught publicly and from house to house: Act 20:20  how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

Excerpt from MBC Evangelism Manual:

The biblical basis of Household Evangelism

The term "household" comes from the Greek word “oikos”(Strong’s G3624). The word “oikos” and its related word “oikia” (Strong’s G3614) have several meanings. They communicate the meaning of both "house" and "family" since Greek has no word for the small social unit called the family. It can also mean a clan or larger tribal unit.2

In the New Testament “oikia” usually means a physical building (a house) as in Luke 4:38, "and He arose and left the synagogue, and entered Simon's home." But by metonymy it can sometimes mean the people or family living in the house (e.g., Luke 19:9, "Today salvation has come to this house"). Other examples in Paul's writings are in 2 Timothy 4:19 ("Greet Priscilla and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus") and 1 Timothy 3:4 ("He must be one who manages his own household well").

In the Book of Acts, several times the word “oikos” means the members of one's household. Many of these instances relate to a situation where evangelism is being carried out. The following are verses in Acts where “oikos” means family. "And when she [Lydia] and her household had been baptized" (16:15); "And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household'"

(16:31); "He was baptized, he and all his household" (16:33); "having believed in God with his whole household" (16:34); "And Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household" (18:8).

In Acts “oikos” is also used to refer to more than one's own family members. Cornelius was "a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household" (10:2). He "had called together his relatives and close friends" (10:24). And Peter told Cornelius that God had told him to "speak words to you [Cornelius] by which you will be saved, you and all your household" (11:14).

The inference of the combination of these three verses related to Cornelius' household is that “oikos” referred not only to his immediate family unit but also to his other relatives and friends.  Thus the concept of "household evangelism" means the sharing of the gospel with the people with whom a believer has some kind of personal relationship, whether family members, relatives, friends, or associates. These are people in one's sphere of influence.  A study of the New Testament passages referring to laymen involved in evangelism demonstrates an important observation. With only two exceptions (Philip and Stephen), the primary target of New Testament laymen was their “oikos” people in their sphere of influence). As a result of an ever-increasing network of Christians reaching others in their sphere of influence, the gospel spread rapidly throughout the many different regions in which the believers lived.  This concept of laymen presenting the gospel to people in their spheres of influence seems to be the primary target of lay-evangelism not only in Acts, but also in the Gospels and the Epistles, as evidenced by the following events. Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus (John 1:41). Philip brought his friend Nathaniel to Jesus (John 1:45). Matthew held a banquet for his fellow tax collectors and other friends to meet Jesus (Matt. 9:10).  Jesus instructed the former demoniac to go home and tell his family what happened (Luke 8:39). Jesus went to Zaccheus' house and his whole "house" was saved (Luke 19:9). The woman from Sychar who met Jesus at the well went back to Sychar to tell people in the town about Jesus (John 4:28). After the man born blind was healed by Jesus, he told his neighbors and others about it (John 9:8). Paul baptized the "household" of Stephanas (1 Cor. 1:16). Paul told Timothy to greet the "household" of Onesiphorus (2 Tim. 4:19).

 For more information about Miracle Bible College and Correspondence Courses contact mbc@harvesterchurch.org.za

8.   Walk with Him moment by moment. Be constantly led by the Holy Spirit and be known as sons of God.

Those who are led by the Spirit are called sons of God.

Rom 8:13  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

The former scriptures summarize the message for Followers of Christ. If you try to live according to the flesh it produces death anyway, but he supplies an alternative: “but if by the Spirit” it is by the Spirit that we put to death the death of sinful nature in us daily by faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. Try to change and fail, allow the Holy Spirit into your life and be led by Him in every aspect of your life, your very life will be saved and you will change from glory to glory and Christ will be formed in you over time as you are built into a many-membered body of Christ, through which His blood flows, cleansing you automatically by virtue of your committed fellowship with other believers walking in the light as He is in the light.

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

9.   Let go of your soul-life, fast and sacrifice soulish needs and gain a glorified soul-life in return.

It is not about your feelings anymore. It is not about reasoning away your life in hesitant doubt about your calling and election wile millions go to hell every day. You soul is your mind, will and emotions. Renew your mind by His Word, Submit your will to His Will and do not be led by your emotions, but feel God’s heart and compassion for the world. In doing so you will experience His glory, His power and the eternal pleasures that are in His right hand.

10. Boldly stand up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and witness God’s glory.

Peter and John were known to be disciples of Jesus through their boldness:

Act 4:7  And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?"

Act 4:8  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:

Act 4:9  If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,

Act 4:10  let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.

Act 4:11  This is the 'STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED BY YOU BUILDERS, WHICH HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE.'

Act 4:12  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Act 4:13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Act 4:14  And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

When Jesus confirms His word in your life, people will perceive by your boldness that you are with Jesus moment by moment, and they will not be able to say anything against the proof of Christ in you the hope of glory! Better still, you will instruct them more accurately in the way and their lives will partake in His glory too.

Apostle Andre Pelser preached this sermon at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town on Sunday. he mentioed that hte first time he heard the story about the two horses, was from Bob Mumford.

Drawing the King’s Carriage

By Apostle Andre Pelser

1/2/98, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town.

Picture a man lying underneath a carriage drawn by a team of horses. He trusts them because he trained them. Meekness is strength, ability, skill in submission to authority.

A key to allowing Holy Spirit to develop meekness in your life:

Fear of God.

Another key is submission to spiritual authority where God places you..

Meek people find great delight in obeying the Word.

It is the beginning of wisdom: Psalm 111:10

Psa 111:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

Aspects of Meekness that will usher in God’s glory.

I.                Meek People fear God.

Read through Psalm 112. There are blessings on the house of those who fear God.

People who fear God are: honest, right with God, gracious, compassionate, generous, fair, stable, trusting in God. Moses. David. Elijah. John. Jesus also had his strength under control and did nothing unless the Father showed him what to do.

Jesus tells us to learn meekness and humility from Him:

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

And we find rest for our souls:

Rest G372  anapausis  an-ap'-ow-sis

From G373; intermission; by implication recreation: - rest.

We receive the Word with Meekness

Jas 1:21  Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

 II.             There are Rewards for a Meek Lifestyle.

Honoured by those who fear God, triumph in the end, be remembered, not shaken, wealth, children be blessed and have influence.

Versus a wicked person’s expectations come to naught. They will only see how God blesses the Godly person. The wicked will be vexed and gnash their teeth, fade and waste away.

 III.          God will usher his glory into the Church through Meek people.

In these days as God is preparing to usher in His glory into the Church, He is looking for men and women who will come under His discipline to be trained and equipped to draw the king’s carriage.

 IV.           Story of Two Horses.

There were two horses running free on the hills. One day the king’s men were recruiting horses to for the King’s Stables. One accepted discipline and the other refused.

Discipline brings:

Restrictions; routines; exercise; training; corrections; rebuke; tests.

Benefits of Discipline include:

Care, provision (the King’s horses are well fed.); warmth; cleansing; polished and brushed!

V.              Choose to be meek.

Who will draw the Kings Carriage in the Royal Parade in heaven? Who will be cast into outer darkness? Who will bear God’s Presence?

 Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

By Apostle Aje Pelser, preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, 18/09/2011

Meditation based on 2 Chronicles 14 - 17

Asa’s Initial explorations in Kingdom rest:

• Land was at rest 10 years
• Did what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God.
• Took away foreign altars, high places, idols pillars and obelisks and Ashera poles.
• Commanded Judah to Seek the Lord – God of their fathers; to inquire of Him and for Him, to crave Him as a vital necessity.
• Removed idolatrous high places and incense altars from the cities
• Kingdom had rest under his reign
• Built fortified cities in Judah – for the land had rest; good time to build when there is no war.
• 2 Chronicles 14:7 “Therefore he said to Judah, Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the lord our God; we have sought Him [yearning for Him with all our desire] and He has given us rest and peace on every side. So they built and prospered.
• He had an army of 300 000 men of Judah and 280 000 men of Benjamin, mighty men of courage who bore shields and drew bows.
• Faced Zerah the Ethiopian with a host of a million, too many to be numbered. Asa went out against him and set up his lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah:
• Zephathah H6859 tsepha^tha^h

BDB Definition:

Zephathah = “watch-tower”; a valley in western Judah

• Mareshah H4762  mar'e^sha^h  /  mare^sha^h

BDB Definition: Mareshah = “crest of a hill”; one of the cities in the lowlands of Judah

• Asa cried to the Lord his God. See calling on the name of the Lord and being saved in Romans 10.
• “O Lord, there is none besides You to help, and it makes no difference to You whether the one you help is mighty or powerless. Help us, O Lord our God! For we rely on You, and we go against this multitude in Your name. O Lord, You are  our God; let no man prevail against You!”
• The Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah and the Ethiopians fled – pursued them to Gerar: overthrown, destroyed and none remained alive.
• Gerar H1642  gera^r  BDB Definition:

Gerar = “a lodging place” a Philistine town south of Gaza, modern ‘Umm’

• So during battle a watch tower of prayer in the valley, based at the crest of the hill the church sets up the spiritual battle for rest, and the lodging place of evangelism is where we win the victory and take the spoils of war. Jesus sent His disciples out and told them to lodge with a house where there was peace:

Mat 10:7  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Mat 10:12  And when you go into a household, greet it.

Mat 10:13  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

• After smiting the Ethiopians they plundered the cities round about Gerar, for het fear of the Lord came upon them, they plundered all the cities for there was much plunder in them.
• They smote cattle encampments and carried away sheep in abundance and camels; they returned to Jerusalem.
• Asa heeded one prophet Azariah and was angry with another – Hanani
• Oded the Prophet as Azariah was referred to (He was the son of Oded.) his prophecy contained some keys for Kingdom rest:
• Know the Lord is WITH you
• Seek Him
• Inquire of Him
• If you Forsake Him, you are forsaken
• Israel’s spiritual condition is summarized: without the true God; no teaching priest, law.
• In trouble, they turned to God – and He was found by them
• No peace in the land
• Vexing Afflictions
• Disturbances upon inhabitants of the countries
• Nations broken in pieces against nation, cities versus cities
• God vexed and troubled them with all sorts of adversity because they forsook Him
• Azariah encouraged Asa to be strong, let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded.
• Asa’s reaction to the prophecy includes dome obedient actions of a reformer:
• Took courage
• Put away abominable idols from the land
• Repaired the altar of burnt offering of the Lord in front of the house of the Lord
• Gathered all Judah and Benjamin
• People came over to Asa from Israel – formerly estranged, tribes that were torn away during Rehoboam’s reign returned – for they saw the Lord His God was with them. 1 Kings 12.
• Gathered in Jerusalem – New testament this speaks of the gathering of Church; Hebrews 10:25
• Sacrificed to the Lord from the spoil they had brought

Explorations in Prophetic rest

Asa’s Acts of Reformation

700 oxen, 7000 sheep. New Covenant equivalent includes: Heb 13:15  Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Heb 13:16  But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. We will also see many “sheep” come in and be saved!

• Entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, God of their Fathers, to yearn for Him with all their heart’s desire and with all their soul
• Took an oath – New testament equivalent is to confess Jesus Christ as Lord over all
• Judah rejoiced
• The Lord gave them rest and peace round about
• Cut down, crushed and burnt the obscene Ashera idol of Asa’s mother, removed her from being queen.
• Brought vessels of silver and gold dedicated to the house of the Lord.
• No more war until the 35^th year of Asa’s reign.
• Baasha king of Israel came against Judah and Asa brought treasuries out of the house of the Lord to the king of Syria.
• Went into a league with foreign nation, Syria and their king Ben-Hadad, a nation that did not serve God.
• The cities of Israel suffered as a result.
• Hanani the seer came and pronounced judgement against Asa:
• “Because you on the king of Syria and not on the lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
• Hanani reminded Asa of God’s intervention against the Ethiopians.
• “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.
• Asa did foolishly in this. Receive correction from the sent ones in your life and you will be prosperous in what you do. Chastisement yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Heb 12:11  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Also
• Asa was angry with God’s prophet and put him in prison, Asa also started to oppress some of his people when he backslid in his relationship with God. Note the difference in David’s attitude when he was corrected by Nathan the seer: 2Sa 12:13  So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And N

Become like a Child Again

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser

Harvester Cape Town, 4 Sept. 2011

Receive the Kingdom as a little child to enter it

Luk 18:15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

Luk 18:16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

Luk 18:17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." It’s all about how we receive God’s kingdom that allows us entrance into His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.

Instances in life to become like a child to enter the Kingdom of God. 1. Being Born Again 2. Believing God’s Word 3. Being Baptized – water, spirit, fire 4. Giving a Sacrifice of Praise 5. Learning something New 6. Forgiving and Forgetting 7. Enduring Chastening 8. Inheriting the Kingdom

1. Being Born Again

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Joh 3:4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Joh 3:7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' Joh 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

2. Believing God’s Word 1Jn 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1Jn 5:5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Sometimes we accept the Word of God like a child, and later the understanding comes as we act on it by faith.

3. Being Baptized – water, spirit, fire Baptism is a humbling experience, but it does away with the old man and releases the power of the new creation in you. Jesus said to John the Baptist,

Mat 3:15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.

Speaking in tongues needs child like faith to start off with and as you grow in it, you realize that the writer of the new Testament encourages believers to pray in tongues more. It is a neglected art in modern church society to speak in tongues and when given to the church, to interpret it. Speaking in the Spirit means we speak mysteries to God and He then replies with the illumination of our understanding by His Spirit. It is a code language necessary to operate in the spiritual realm. Without it your life is one dimensional and religious. With tongues we access the mysteries and riches of God on another level. Apostle Andre says that many of the things our church is doing today was received many years ago through tongues and interpretation.

Child like faith in God’s ability to have them in the fire helped Daniel’s friends and Jesus was manifest in the fire with them. Going through a baptism of fire magnifies our dependence on God Our Father.

4. Giving a Sacrifice of Praise

Heb 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

One has to become child-like to praise God in a sport like manner, like when Jesus Himself rejoiced when his disciples returned triumphantly in Luke chapter 10. He “agalio’d” in the spirit! Those who worship God in Spirit and in Truth – this is the conference the world has been waiting for, for God is seeking such to worship Him – we have to behave like kids that are happy to see Dad! When children get a present they dance and jump and make little random hand gestures and laugh and giggle about the fact that they are being blessed. Jacqueline Louw danced that in the Good News production the other night and it released such joy. Praising God with spirit, soul and body like David means becoming like a child again, saying “Hosanna to the King” like they did for Jesus when he entered Jerusalem and people spread out their garments and palms branches before Him.

5. Learning something New

James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

In order to learn from someone you have to become like a child and say teach me because I don’t know. You almost have to stop your thoughts about a subject in their tracks and submit mentally like a child listens to a parent about something. Messge competition will cause a breakdown in your listening ability and prevent you from learning something from anyone. The people God allows us to meet can help us learn the things we need to be successful in life, so become aware of that and become like a child to learn. I received some drum coaching in England from a young man named Tim, who completely changed my grip and I had to become like a child, and relearn all the drum notes I had studied for years, but the result is that now I play without strain in my fingers and wrists and in addition I have more control at higher speeds while playing for Jesus! Which means God can use me to drum out His victories in people’s lives even faster! I can also teach others because I was willing ot learn and became like a child again. But the wonder of becoming like a child again, is the release of Child like vigour and energy and the awe and wonder of drumming has been rekindled. I can’t wait to go and experiment with the new found wisdom and knowledge on the kit and practise every day like when I started to drum.

In spiritual terms, this is returning to your first love!

Being born again does that for our souls, we returned to the Creator, Our Father who made us and we see again, hear His voice again, think like Him again, access His power for our lives again and live life to the full by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

6. Forgiving and Forgetting

Children are amazing in that you can reprimand them and give them a hiding one minute and within a few hours they are running around laughing and give you a hug as if nothing happened. An Amazing power to forget, that resilience in the spirit of a child is amazing and should be cherished, therefore we should not over correct children, exacerbating them, making them feel inadequate from our adult perspective on life. Remember that they are children and try and rekindle your childlike joie de vivre! That means a hearty or carefree enjoyment of life. See free www.dictionary.com for more synonyms.

When forgiving people we need to become like a child and forget so that “play time can continue”. Children will forget terrible things that there friends say and do to tehm, just so that the game can continue. It doesn’t justify the wrong behaviour, but it causes a continuity in the friendship in spite of hurst, Grown ups tend to hold onto hurts too long and bitterness sets in over time. This ruis friendships and releases outbursts of wrath under pressure, hurts from years ago surface during arguments and people are surprised to find that you held things against them for so long. Forgive folks as God in Christ forgave you.

We forgive because we need forgiveness

Tony Louch on Soulwinning 28 August 2011.

 Tony Louch is one of the founders of Go-Tell Communications, a company that distributes Christian films. The company is 40 years old today. They have calculated 10 million responses for salvation over the years! People like Ray Macauley and Graham Powers were some of the early converts of Tony Louch and Go-Tell Communications.

 I worked for Go-Tell right at the outset as a young man and went around the old Witwatersrand from town hall to town hall to show movies and win many souls for Christ. I also went to the sugar plantations of Kwazulu Natal where I did my first missionary work with those films.

Tony gave us wonderful practical hints on winning souls.

1. God loves every person We initial premise should always be that God loves everybody.

God loves the worst sinner. John 3:16 is stilly true today: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.’ Anyone can be a soulwinner. Don’t make it complicated for people to get saved. Make it easy. They don’t have to kneel before you, they don’t have to close their eyes when they pray, they don’t have to follow a formula or fall over on their back, they simply have to acknowledge that they want Jesus Christ as their Saviour! Tony would ask someone, ‘do you know Jesus?’ And if they say ‘no’ he would add, ‘are you ready to receive him?’ Then he would say, ‘you don’t have to close your eyes, just repeat after me: Jesus I am a sinner, forgive my sins. I accept you as my Lord and Saviour to the glory of God!’ And that is that. Phillip led the Ethiopian to the Lord in a simple manner. He asked him if he believed with all his heart. The Ethiopian Eunuch replied: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God!’ And with that he was baptised in water. He was the first African convert and the Gospel spread through Africa ever since!

2. You need to be a giver to be a soulwinner If you have not learned to give of your substance and your money you will not be able to give of yourself, your time, your effort to win souls.

Sometimes people reject you and you need to know that they reject the Word and not you. But you can only suffer rejection on behalf of Christ if you are willing to give yourself to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God noticed Cornelius’s giving of alms and prayers and sent an angel to him to tell him to call Peter who would preach the Gospel to him. God pays attention to givers. Tony told us privately how he witnessed to Sony Garcia, a seven times world surfing champion in Hawaii. But Sony did not want to know anything about God.

Something happened and Sony was imprisoned and after leaving prison he accepted the Lord. Tony has witnessed to Shaun Thompson and his dad in Durban. Shaun’s dad was the last surfer to be bitten by a shark before Durban put up permanent shark nets to safeguard their beaches from shark attacks. Tony also witnesses a lot at Motor Cross Grand Prix where his daughter in law assists Valentino Rossi’s team in the pits. If someone does not want to accept Christ, just give them the 7 ‘I AM’s’ of Christ! Just say, ‘Well, how do you explain that Jesus said, I am the Way the Truth and the Life, I am the Door, I am the Living Water, I am the Living Bread, and I am the Light of the world?’ The Word of God will never return void.

3. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord No matter how stubborn people are to accept Christ, eventually they will have to bow the knee and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

4. You might win the next Billy Graham to the Lord An unknown minister, Pastor Munzie, led Oral Roberts to the Lord. And Oral Roberts laid his hands on over a million people for divine healing. Mordecai Ham led Billy Graham to the Lord and Billy won over 3 million souls for the Lord in his crusades all over the world.

5. Don’t let condemnation or guilt stop you There is therefore now no condemnation or guilt for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Dough Fisher that passed away recently, used to say, Christians are not sinless they sin less. It’s not charm or personality that wins souls, it is the precious blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that does it.

Tony prophesied over Harvester Reformational Church: ‘This church has tremendous potential for soul winning. I see a tsunami of Evangelism flooding this church and flowing out to your city and your nation and all the way up to Africa. It is bigger than anything before. This church will double, treble, quadrupple in the near future!’ The gift of an evangelist was imparted to our church during Tony’s ministry and we want to share that gift with everyone reading this article.

To God be the glory!

Jesus in the window

Andre’s  4th visit to Uganda 2011

It was about 4 pm in the afternoon. Tropical rains in Nakaseki, Uganda were coming down with great gusto. As we drove along I caught a glimpse of something with the peripheral vision of my left eye. I saw something I never saw before. At first I let it go, but then I thought: I might never see something like that again in my entire life!

‘Stop! Turn back!’ I commanded Richard Ssendi who was driving our rented 4X4. The people in the car were astonished. They asked me: ‘what did you see?’

‘I saw Jesus in a window!’

They laughed because no one else saw it.

‘I will show you. Just go back.’

The car slipped and slided in the red mud as we made a U-turn in the narrow  dirt road. On the way back Richard kept asking: ‘is it this house? Is it that one?’I said he should just keep driving until I tell him to stop. There were not many houses, because it was jungle area. Here and there a hut or a house would crop up beside the road.

Eventually I spotted the blue walled house where I saw the picture. The entire family was standing on the stoep as if they were expecting someone. We asked permission to take a photo.

‘There! ‘ I said, ‘Jesus in the window!’

The people in our vehicle were astonished.

‘How did you see that?’

‘My dad was a hunter and he taught me to train my eye to pick up anything that is different in the bush.’

And there it was: a giant poster of Jesus in the window. I posed next to the window to take a picture of Jesus and me!

The reason why the poster was there is obvious: they have no curtains and the big poster had to be the substitute. It did the job. It also attracted my attention. When we finished the photo session, I gave the family fifty thousand Uganda Shillings ($100 equals 270 000 Uganda Shillings). The family were so happy some of them danced around on the stoep.

We all have far too many pictures today: the digital world has made it easy to take many pictures and to store them. We hardly look at all the photographs we take. But this one is a special one. It is one in ten thousand. I thought of the verse in the Song of Solomon 5:10 that describes the Lord as ‘the fairest of ten thousand!’

This is the kind of photograph I want to take: the one you will never take again. It was worth turning back for. I felt content. My heart was happy. I had a picture of Jesus and me.

I had to go to the middle of the jungle bush in Uganda to find that picture!

Then the Holy Spirit started ministering to me from the Scriptures within me.

Song of Solomon 2

⁸ The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. ⁹ My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing?^e? himself through the lattice. ¹⁰ My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. ¹¹

Song of Solomon 3

¹ By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. ² I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. ³ The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? ^{4 [1]}

Song of Solomon 5

² I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. ³ I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? ⁴ My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. ?^b? ⁵ I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. ⁶ I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. ⁷ The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. ⁸ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. ^[2]

My beloved was at the window, He put His hand through the lattice, He tried to open the door, but I was heavy with sleep. When I finally got up and opened the door, my beloved was gone...I ran after him, looking for Him in the streets, but the watchmen caught me and beat me...but I was sick with love...I said, if you find my beloved, tell Him I am looking for Him.

How many times do we have those divine moments when the presence of the Lord is so real in our lives? But we are heavy with earthly sleep. We are not awake spiritually to capture those moments. We miss the heartbeat of our beloved. We send him away because we are too busy with other things.

And when we decide it is time for the Lord, we cannot find Him. He has gone away. And we rush out to seek Him where we will not find Him. We get beaten up by the bullies in the street and yet, we continue seeking after Him.

How many times does the Lord want to speak with us, commune with us, have intimate fellowship with us, but we miss the opportunity? He is at the window and His hand is at the lattice...but we are heavy with sleep.

II Corinthians 4:4 says the god of this world has rocked people to sleep in his lap so that they cannot hear the Gospel and get saved. All the worldliness that we have allowed in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ has put people to sleep. They can no longer recognise the voice of the Beloved, nor can they wake up out of their deep sleep to respond to His promptings.

Men love the systems of the world that give them success, more than the presence of the Lord. They would rather be successful in the world’s eyes than have communion with the Master. The church services have become dry and dead, the people are fast asleep, because they use the multi-level selling pyramidal schemes to build the church. They worship church growth rather than the Living God. They worship their own achievements rather than God.

In other churches they are so man-centred that they even have coffee breaks between the worship session and the sermon. People are more addicted to coffee than to serve the Living God. They entertain in other churches and many churches have become Christian disco’s with strobe lights and the auditorium is dumped in darkness so that the youth can dance to their hearts delight in the church.

Where there are miracle workers, they turn the meeting into a show, with all the glitter and gold, like a Hollywood show. They perform the miracles to the applause of the people.

The simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is lost in all the worldliness in the church. There is hardly any difference between the church and the world anymore.

Jesus is knocki

Seek God
There are great blessings for those who seek God.
By Apostle Aje Pelser, preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, 21st August 2011;

Isaiah 65:8-10
Isa 65:8  Thus says the LORD: "As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, 'Do not destroy it, For a blessing is in it,' So will I do for My servants' sake, That I may not destroy them all. 
Isa 65:9  I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, And from Judah an heir of My mountains; My elect shall inherit it, And My servants shall dwell there. 
Isa 65:10  Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, And the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, For My people who have sought Me. 

There is even a reminder of South Africans in this passage!
Isa 65:3  A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; Who sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on altars of brick; 
South Africans like to Braai, hold barbeques on fire places made with bricks! It can be a blessing, but also a place of forgetting God and His provision. Say A prayer around your fires South Africa and remember the Covenant of the Lord!

Always Hope - Throughout the Prophecy of Isaiah, there is always a glimmer of hope:
“That I may not destroy them all.”
God is So Gracious!
He is looking for a hint of faith and He is seeking those who will worship Him in Spriti and in Turth:
Joh 4:23  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

Seeking God:
Israel - Deu 4:29  But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 
Deu 4:30  When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice 
Deu 4:31  (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

When the Ark of the Covenant returned: David knew how to seek the Lord
1Ch 16:7  On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: 
1Ch 16:8  Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 
1Ch 16:9  Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 
1Ch 16:10  Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! 
1Ch 16:11  Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 
1Ch 16:12  Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, 
1Ch 16:13  O seed of Israel His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones! 
1Ch 16:14  He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. 
1Ch 16:15  Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, 
1Ch 16:16  The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, 
1Ch 16:17  And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant, 
1Ch 16:18  Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance,"
Highlight David's actions in this passage as an example of how to seek the Lord. A good Household Church exercise.

Blessings for those Who Seek the Lord:
Blessing is preserved. Jesus’ New Wine is better than the old. Being filled with the Holy Spirit trumps being drunk with wine.

Mercy of God is released – His mercy triumphs over our judgement. 
Jas 2:13  For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Mat 12:7  But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

God gives you Spiritual Descendents

We are joint Heirs with Christ.
Christ is the Heir of the Mountain of the Lord – the true Church, Hebrews 12:22. The Holy Hill, Zion is the New Jerusalem, the Church of the Firstborn, and Registered in Heaven.

God calls you His elect – called out ones
Ekklesia – the Church. G1577 ekklesia
Thayer Definition:
1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly
1a) an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating
1b) the assembly of the Israelites
1c) any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously
1d) in a Christian sense
1d1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
1d2) a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake
1d3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
1d4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
1d5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven
Part of Speech: noun feminine; A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
G1537 ek  /  ex
Thayer Definition:
1) out of, from, by, away from
Part of Speech: preposition
Thayer Definition:  G2564 kaleo
1) to call
1a) to call aloud, utter in a loud voice
1b) to invite
2) to call, i.e. to name, by name
2a) to give a name to
2a1) to receive the name of, receive as a name
2a2) to give some name to one, call his name
2b) to be called, i.e. to bear a name or title (among men)
2c) to salute one by name
Part of Speech: verb; A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: akin to the base of G2753

In the Book of Revelation, it says that if we overcome, He gives us a new name:
“Rev 3:10  Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 
Rev 3:11  Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 
Rev 3:12  He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. 

Jesus is the Rose of Sharon where the blessing is a field of Flocks!
History:
here are considerable rolling hills; but, compared with the mountains to the East, it is quite properly described as a plain. The soil is a deep rich loam, which is favorable to the growth of cereals. The orange, the vine and the olive grow to great perfection. When the many-colored flowers are in bloom it is a scene of rare beauty.
Of the streams in the plain four carry the bulk of the water from the western slopes of the mountains to the sea. They are also perennial (permanent, perpetual, continuing.), being fed by fountains. ISBE


 
Over David's herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite (1Ch_27:29). In the day of Israel's restoration “Sharon shall be a fold of flocks” (Isa_65:10). Jerome speaks of the fine cattle fed in the pastures of Sharon, and also sings the praises of its wine (Comm. on Isa 33 and 65). Toward the Sharon no doubt there was more cultivation then than there is at the present day. The German colony to the North of Jaffa, preserving in its name, Sarona, the old Greek name of the plain, and several Jewish colonies are proving the wonderful productiveness of the soil. The ora
                    
                

Me and My House

2011-07-24

Andre Pelser

Joshua made definitive statements as leader that clearly indicated his position of faith in spite of the choice the nation would make.

1. He chose to serve the Lord

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. KJV

2. He warned the people

Joshua 24:19-20:  But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.” NKJV

3. He commanded the people

Joshua 24:23 “Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” NKJV

4. He left a reminder for the people

Joshua 24:26-28: Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.”

5. He gave the people their inheritance

So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance. 

A sense of belonging 

by Apostle André Pelser

Preached Sunday 17th July 2011 at Harvester Reformational Church Cape Town

Mark 9:41: For whoever gives you a cup of cold water to drink in My Name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

Four facts that will give you a sense of belonging to Christ:

1. It is a basic human need to belong somewhere
2. Your problems become His responsibility (Is 9:6)
3. Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you (I Pet 5:7)
4. Look forward to the prize (Phil 3:14)

I once dreamt how friends rejected me for not sharing their experience. They climbed down a steep hill and I didn’t. So they ignored me. I felt sad and dejected. Then one stepped forward and said, ‘Stay here, you belong here.’

Luke 24

I.                  The disciples’ need for belonging

1. He came to His own and they did not know Him. At birth and even in death, even after His resurrection His own people rejected Him. Satan tempted Him to doubt His own identity. Is 53 He was a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. We despised him.
2. Cleopas (‘of a renowned father’) and the other disciple missed the significance of history’s greatest moment even because they were too focussed on their own disappointments and problems. They had a ‘sad conversation’ about the events in Jerusalem.
3. They did not recognise Jesus because they did not look for Him. They walked away from fellowship into loneliness. When they left Jerusalem (‘possession of peace’) they went to Emmaus (‘hot springs’) to enjoy luxuries and pamper the flesh.
4. When people are pre-occupied with their dashed hopes and frustrated plans they cease to look for Christ Jesus and fail to recognise Him in the midst of their storm.
5. Their false expectations made Him a stranger. They expected a militant Messiah and they saw a gentle Saviour instead. They wanted a champion and instead saw a suffering Saviour. Humility and Meekness are never popular with the masses.

2.      Jesus’ sense of belonging

He opened the Scriptures concerning Himself and applied it to the situation. Jesus lived the Word. The Word was made flesh. He was the promised Seed in Genesis, the suffering Servant in Isaiah, the Pierced One in Zechariah, the Promised One in Malachi. The thread of the anointed one is woven throughout the prophetic Scriptures and holds it together. When He opened the Scriptures to them, their sad conversation turned into glad tidings! (v.34)

3.      Jesus’ willingness to belong

How easily they constrained Him to stay with them. Stay here with us! That’s all it took! (v.29). Jesus in us is the hope of glory. We need to share Him with others. Through understanding of the Opened Scriptures we abide in Him and His Word abides in us.

4       Making room for other people

We need to say to those who are looking for a place to belong, ‘Stay here with us!’ or ‘You belong here!’ until their eyes are opened and they can see Jesus Christ clearly among us. Then their hearts will burn with excitement! Christ accepted you; accept one another also (Philippians 1).

Blessings of belonging to a body of believers

1. Heaven’s resources are made available to all. It is at our disposal. The God who created the universe is at hand where two or three gather together in His Name!
2. The world was startled by the power of the atom bomb. We serve the God who created the atom! His power works mightily through us who believe! It is the same force that raised Jesus from the dead! (Eph 1:19-22)
3. The marriage of the Prince and Princess of Monaco as well as Prince William caused a great stir in the world – but we have an invitation to the wedding of all ages: the wedding supper of the Lamb! Jesus and His bride invite you to attend His marriage!
4. When we are born again, we are adopted into God’s family! We have all the rights and privileges Jesus had! We are co-heirs and joint-heirs!
5. Some political prisoners are happy when they receive amnesty, but when you are born again, you are set free from all your guilt and condemnation. You can stand in the presence of a Holy God without any sense of inferiority as a child of God!
6. There was great rejoicing when WW II ended – but we can rejoice because Christ fought and won the battle over sin and the world for us! We share in His victory! He is the conqueror that displayed Satan as a defeated foe to all the universe – and we are more than conquerors just by following Him. We can now cast out demons in His Name and they have to obey us!
7. Jesus broke off sins handles and claimed that the devil has nothing in Him. He can get no grip on his life. He can’t control or manipulate Him. He gave the devil no place. He purges us from our old sins and makes us vessels of honour to Him.

Requirements to belong to a body

1.  Jesus gave the prescription to qualify as one of His followers: ‘deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me.’ Without self-denial the cross is simply an irritation. People who are not willing to deny themselves cannot fit into a body. If self is too important you cannot be part of a team.
2. Mutual submission is a key to an apostolic body of people. Mutual respect and acceptance helps to discover the gifts in one another in order to regard others higher than you.
3. Submission to spiritual oversight is a vital aspect of belonging to a body. There are those who have to give an account of you before God. You can ensure that they do not do it with a heavy heart, but with a joyful report. Correction is part of the job description of a leader. Rebuke comes when someone has not received correction or hardened their hearts against leadership. A rebuke received speeds up the spiritual growth of an individual, but a person who ignores and rejects a rebuke is foolish.
4. Carrying weight in a body is important to lighten the load of the others. To attend a church is a good habit, but it carries no weight. Every member has to do its share in a body of believers to cause growth (Eph 4:16)
5. Understanding the protocol in a church allows peaceful relationships. Protocol is often the unspoken modus operandi that you sometimes find out through trial and error.

Remember the Lord builds the church

The Lord adds those who are saved to a church because He knows the role they will eventually play in a church. If you build a church on a church growth system, the system has to be honoured and obeyed. All new converts do is to learn the system until they are able to teach it to others. This is not how Jesus builds a church. He builds the person and the person learns to obey the Spirit – first by obeying the leadership.

Shoot roots before you try to bear fruit

The Lord builds slowly. Anything that God plants, grows.

Reforming the way we think

by Apostle André Pelser

Preached Sunday 3rd July 2011 at Harvester Reformational Church Cape Town

As a man thinks in his heart so is he. If we want to change we need to change the way we think first. Then our words and our actions will follow suit. To redesign our mentality is not easy. We have to bombard our sensibilities with fresh truth in order to change position.

Apostolic preaching and teaching has the authority to reform. Apostles uncover the deeper meanings in Scripture as it is revealed to them. They are in tune with what God is saying to the church today. They can break the seals of the sealed mysteries of God and make it plain to the people. (Daniel 12:8-10) They decode the visions of God.

They preach the unsearchable riches of God to reveal the fellowship in the mystery of God. (Ephesians 3:8-10)

Paul says he was given a certain grace from a divine source to preach the mysteries of God. It was sovereignly given to him, and not asked for.

In order to live a proper Christian life we need to tap into this apostolic grace.

For instance, Stephen, the first Christian martyr had a mother. She had to listen to Paul and read his letters. She had to hear him say, ‘I have harmed no man’. She needed grace to accept the man that approved of her son’s stoning. Without grace it is impossible to forgive and forget. Grace takes you beyond your personal prejudices. It takes you beyond racial prejudice. It takes you beyond your hurts and failures. It takes you into a place where you are safe and secure.

I once asked the Lord for a picture of grace. Then I saw a man stooping down to pick up a little boy with outstretched arms. As he lifted him up I understood grace. It lifts you up where you belong: in the arms of your heavenly Father.

The preaching of the unsearchable riches is like uncovering the footprints of God. He left His footprints behind in the earth in His dealings with Abraham, Moses, David and other men and women of God. Jesus came to uncover those footprints for us.

Nola and I love to walk on Sunset Beach, where we live. You see your own footprints for a while and when you return the waves have washed them away. They have disappeared. You know they were there a moment ago, but now they are gone.  It is the same with the dealings of God with man. He showed us His ways, and then the waves of time washed those footprints away. Paul says, I can show you where those footprints are! He can show us the present emphasis of God.

The Bible is God’s treasure map to His rich deposits in the earth.

The wisdom of God’s Genius is revealed through the church. The New Testament Church is ascending beyond the comprehension of the world. We are a step ahead. We should not follow worldly trends in the church. The world should follow our lead! We pioneer new positions in the spirit realm and the world wonders where we get our wisdom.

We change the structure of things to contain new blessings. New wine requires new wineskins.

One church can bless nations! How is this possible? It is the Genius of God at work.

We have relocated centres of truth. We no longer look the earthly Jerusalem who represents the bond woman, Hagar, but we have shifted our focus to the Heavenly Jerusalem, the Church of the First Born, and Mount Zion in the spirit realm, that refers to Sarah the woman of Promise.

We no longer measure success by what we see and are no longer moved with the outward impressiveness of things, because we have found an inner reality that operates by faith.

We reform stale ministries and introduce a new season of refreshing to them by the presence of the Lord. Principles of Reform are as real as the laws of Gravity.

When you come in touch with the apostolic ministry, it affects you, one way or another. It is like sticking your fingers into an electric socket: power is released!

Many pastors are tired, exhausted, worn out; they get heart attacks at an early age because the systems they serve have depleted their strength. Serving a system of church growth makes people slaves of a system. The Lord Jesus builds a church and His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He adds people to the church that will be a blessing not a burden.

The old way of doing things in churches have become obsolete. The Lord is doing a new thing. We have to change our thinking accordingly in order to enjoy the blessings.

When the burden gets too heavy discontent and frustration sets in. The joy of the Lord is no longer there.

When we have reached the limitation of the old systems we have to renew our minds to what God is doing today. We need to call the old obsolete in order to embrace the new.

21^st Century kids live outside the boundaries of their own lives. Churches have to offer something different in order to keep them interested. God loves them and cares for them, but they have to know that God is interested in their generation as well.

Moses was a great man, and yet his system came to an end. It had to go. It had to make way for something new.

The Latin chants in the Medieval Churches had to make way for Luther’s hymns. He often took worldly tunes and wrote Christian words for them.

Guttenberg printed Luther’s sermons and the Bible in German. All of a sudden people could read the Bible! Before that only the priests read the Bible in Latin and no one understood what he said!

John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the Lord. People who accepted his reforms were ready to receive Jesus