SOS 2008 by Rowland and Folake Henshaw
Proverbs 11:30 " He who saves souls is wise"
Each of us have communities we influence each day, from where we live to where we work, socialize and fellowship.
We want to encourage each one of you to begin to intentionally engage with people during these summer months and reach out to them with the love of Christ.
John3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
This is the most famous scripture ever quoted, but do we really understand it. Do we really understand God’s love?
The love God shows here is His “agape” love. This is an unconditional love, a love that is not limited by any conditions and is unreserved. Sounds strange! It shouldn’t, because this is the God we serve.
Luke 6:45
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks”
What is the Lord saying here? He is saying that what is in the heart gives rise to our speech. Our heart is the real author of our speech. What dwells in the heart is what determines what we say. Jesus also said in Matthew 14: 18
What exactly is True Worship?
In John 4 verses 23 – 24, our Lord Jesus tells us:
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
True Worship is about glorifying God and God alone. True Worship is to give glory to God. It is “giving honour to God for His Supremacy, and therefore acknowledging His genuine worth”. True Worship “gives praise to God” and Him only.
How does God really measure success? He does not measure it by what we have or own, or by our educational or personal achievements. He measures it by the degree of obedience to Him and His words. He measures it by how much we obey His commands.
In Matthew 22 verse 37 to 38, we find God's ultimate and greatest commandments:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind"
“You shall love your neighbour as yourself".
One of the main ways God wants us to show our love for Him and our love for others is by fulfilling the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.".
Distraction is the enemy of focus. Distraction does not announce itself. Distraction creeps in unannounced sometimes, other times it comes with fanfare. Sometimes it appears as being important and requires immediate attention. The only thing that it does not call itself is a distraction.
The year 2008 is a year of fulfilment. A year when we begin to see what we’ve toiled for come to pass. A year when our hunger and thirst will be satisfied. A year when all the weeping, the tears, the groaning will pale into insignificant as we see all we’ve believed for begin to materialise. That is why it is so important for us to be focused this year. Distractions will be inevitable, but our focus will determine how destination and progress.
There is the story told of two geese and a turtle that developed a deep friendship. As the nights became shorter and cooler the geese started talking about flying to a warmer place and one night openly the geese began discussing how they will miss their friend the turtle. They began to wonder how their friend the turtle will cope in the winter since he could not fly.
The turtle then came up with an excellent idea, “why don’t you get a strong stick the two of you can hold it with your strong beaks at both ends and I will hold on to the middle with my strong teeth and that way I can fly with you.”
“Are you sure you can hold on long enough” the geese asked, “Sure I am very strong” the turtle replied.
As these three flew over a farm, a farmer was awestruck by this sight as two geese and a turtle flew over his farm, he called his wife who saw the sight and could not help but exclaimed. “What a great idea! Who came up with such a brilliant idea?” The turtle could not resist the praise and said “I did” the rest is history.
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