Sunday, April 26, 2020
God Wants to be Known
Bible Reading: Exodus 34
Focus Verse: Exodus 34:29
Moses spent time with God. He went up the mountain alone to God and stayed for 40 days to be with the Lord and listen to Him. The Lord introduced himself and gave a listing of characteristics so that Moses can know Him. He said that He is "full of compassion and pity, who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness. I keep my promise for thousands of generations and forgive evil and sin; but I will not fail to punish [sins]" Upon hearing all of this, Moses asked the Lord to forgive the people and go with them. After spending the 40 days with God, Moses came down from the mountain and the people saw that his face was shining, because he had been with the Lord, and they were afraid.
We are also to spend time with God daily, but sometimes there is an occasion where God may desire us to focus more deeply in Him. Our world is going through a pandemic where our governments have asked us to stay home. Maybe this is a good time to focus on spending time with God, reading the Bible and knowing God more deeply. Ask God to forgive you and to go with you. Lie down in green pastures and allow Him to restore your soul.
Do you go out alone to spend time with God? Do you read His Word, the Bible, to know Him? Do you respond to Him and ask Him to go with you? Moses returned from the mountain glowing because he had been with God. Will you emerge from the quarantine glowing from being in God's presence?
"God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God. So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature individual in union with Christ." Colossians 1:27-28 (GNT)
Page Johnson
Interlocking Minsitries
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Reading But Not Understanding!
Scripture reading: Acts 8:26-40
Focus verse: Acts 8:29-31 – Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And He said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
Reading and understanding are two different things. I have observed how doctors write their prescriptions, though I can read what they write but I can't understand unless someone interprets it to me. You may carry the result of a doctors’ finding but you can’t understand unless he takes you through it. The doctors are trained to read and understand and prescribe with ease. A wrong understanding of a diagnosis can result into a wrong prescription and the result can be dangerous.
The Ethiopian eunuch was reading the scriptures from Isaiah but he was not understanding what he was reading. So he needed someone with understanding of what he was reading to come and help him understand. The Bible states that God through his Spirit sent Philip to go ahead of the eunuch to help him understand it. When asked by Philip if he was understanding that scripture, he confessed that he was not understanding what he was reading. He allows Philip to help him. The result of the discussion is a changed life. He accepted Jesus in his life and he was baptized.
What the world is going through today is a situation that the scholars can’t understand. The doctors have failed to interpret the happenings of the Covid-19 pandemic amongst many other world challenges. World leaders are crying foul of one another and we see a defeat in human efforts in understanding what they are witnessing today. In the midst of all this, we should be reminded of a God who can help us understand what we witnessing today. He understands all things and knows all our failures and limitations. He is our Emmanuel (God who lives with us) and is always willing to help us understand what seems so impossible for us. He patiently waits for an honest heart like that of the Ethiopian eunuch who stated that, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”
Like with the eunuch, God will always come to our rescue when we invite him in. He may walk or pass closer to us but we must be willing to allow him enter our situation and help us overcome. When Peter was sinking in the storm he asked Jesus to help him and He exactly did that. Jesus patiently waited to hear Peter speak it out. During the days of Daniel when the writing on the wall could not be read by the magicians and astrologers, God read it through Daniel, Daniel 5:24-29. There is a God who understands all that is taking place in the world today. He created the world and there is nothing he doesn’t understand about it. His plans ways are perfect and his plans are still good no matter what happens.
written by
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Bethesda Faith Ministries
Kenya
Focus verse: Acts 8:29-31 – Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And He said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
Reading and understanding are two different things. I have observed how doctors write their prescriptions, though I can read what they write but I can't understand unless someone interprets it to me. You may carry the result of a doctors’ finding but you can’t understand unless he takes you through it. The doctors are trained to read and understand and prescribe with ease. A wrong understanding of a diagnosis can result into a wrong prescription and the result can be dangerous.
The Ethiopian eunuch was reading the scriptures from Isaiah but he was not understanding what he was reading. So he needed someone with understanding of what he was reading to come and help him understand. The Bible states that God through his Spirit sent Philip to go ahead of the eunuch to help him understand it. When asked by Philip if he was understanding that scripture, he confessed that he was not understanding what he was reading. He allows Philip to help him. The result of the discussion is a changed life. He accepted Jesus in his life and he was baptized.
What the world is going through today is a situation that the scholars can’t understand. The doctors have failed to interpret the happenings of the Covid-19 pandemic amongst many other world challenges. World leaders are crying foul of one another and we see a defeat in human efforts in understanding what they are witnessing today. In the midst of all this, we should be reminded of a God who can help us understand what we witnessing today. He understands all things and knows all our failures and limitations. He is our Emmanuel (God who lives with us) and is always willing to help us understand what seems so impossible for us. He patiently waits for an honest heart like that of the Ethiopian eunuch who stated that, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”
Like with the eunuch, God will always come to our rescue when we invite him in. He may walk or pass closer to us but we must be willing to allow him enter our situation and help us overcome. When Peter was sinking in the storm he asked Jesus to help him and He exactly did that. Jesus patiently waited to hear Peter speak it out. During the days of Daniel when the writing on the wall could not be read by the magicians and astrologers, God read it through Daniel, Daniel 5:24-29. There is a God who understands all that is taking place in the world today. He created the world and there is nothing he doesn’t understand about it. His plans ways are perfect and his plans are still good no matter what happens.
written by
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Bethesda Faith Ministries
Kenya
Friday, April 10, 2020
Approaching Easter
Approaching Easter
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:35–43
As we approach the celebration of Good Friday, I’m reminded of the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross and the glory and the power in each saying.
Jesus was alone. He had come to His own, and His own did not receive Him. When He was being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, we are told that “all the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). The crowds who had so recently shouted, “Hosanna!” would soon shout, “Crucify him! … Crucify him!” (Matthew 21:9, 27:22–23).
Now even His loyal Twelve had left. And at last we hear Him cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). Not only had He been forsaken by His human companions, but now in that desperate and lonely hour, He—because He was bearing our sins in His own body on the cross—had been forsaken by God. Jesus was enduring the suffering and judgment of Hell for you and for me.
How can you show your gratitude to God for allowing His Son to endure the shame and suffering of the cross?
Good Friday: Read: 1 Corinthians 15:44–49
Good Friday celebrates the day our Lord died for our sins on the cross. I have often sat by the hour and tried to imagine the agony and suffering He went through because of our sins. At one point He said from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He meant that God had accepted His work on the cross as the penalty for our sins.
Christ’s death on our behalf is the reason God can forgive us and still be just. And His death teaches us the depth and breadth that there should be in our forgiveness of one another.
While that holy Friday was tremendous, it was only a prelude to Sunday morning when He was raised from the dead. Godly women had come to see His tomb, but angels made the glorious announcement, “He has risen!” (Luke 24:6). His resurrection guaranteed that we, too, will be raised, if we are believers and obeyers of His Word.
As you celebrate the truth that Jesus came from Heaven to redeem you, are you reflecting His likeness to those around you?
Taken from Billy Graham's Celebrating Resurrection Sunday
https://billygraham.org/story/celebrating-resurrection-sunday/
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:35–43
As we approach the celebration of Good Friday, I’m reminded of the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross and the glory and the power in each saying.
Jesus was alone. He had come to His own, and His own did not receive Him. When He was being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, we are told that “all the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). The crowds who had so recently shouted, “Hosanna!” would soon shout, “Crucify him! … Crucify him!” (Matthew 21:9, 27:22–23).
Now even His loyal Twelve had left. And at last we hear Him cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). Not only had He been forsaken by His human companions, but now in that desperate and lonely hour, He—because He was bearing our sins in His own body on the cross—had been forsaken by God. Jesus was enduring the suffering and judgment of Hell for you and for me.
How can you show your gratitude to God for allowing His Son to endure the shame and suffering of the cross?
Good Friday: Read: 1 Corinthians 15:44–49
Good Friday celebrates the day our Lord died for our sins on the cross. I have often sat by the hour and tried to imagine the agony and suffering He went through because of our sins. At one point He said from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He meant that God had accepted His work on the cross as the penalty for our sins.
Christ’s death on our behalf is the reason God can forgive us and still be just. And His death teaches us the depth and breadth that there should be in our forgiveness of one another.
While that holy Friday was tremendous, it was only a prelude to Sunday morning when He was raised from the dead. Godly women had come to see His tomb, but angels made the glorious announcement, “He has risen!” (Luke 24:6). His resurrection guaranteed that we, too, will be raised, if we are believers and obeyers of His Word.
As you celebrate the truth that Jesus came from Heaven to redeem you, are you reflecting His likeness to those around you?
Taken from Billy Graham's Celebrating Resurrection Sunday
https://billygraham.org/story/celebrating-resurrection-sunday/
Friday, April 3, 2020
God’s Spirit Over Darkness
Scripture: Genesis 1
Focus verse: Genesis 1:2-3 "The earth was without form, and void; and the darkness was on the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light” and there was light."
There is a great darkness hanging all over the globe today. The fear of death is taking control in many hearts and nobody is certain about what will happen the next day. People are glued to the media and there is a common pandemic that is reported all over the world. Doctors are overwhelmed and health facilities are overstretched. The economy is collapsing and people are loosing jobs. It’s no longer business as usual. It’s a dark time that nobody would wish to have again. Our leaders are loosing focus and so is the direction that nations are taking. Things appear formless and what we see is absolute panic.
However, God’s word in Genesis reminds us of total darkness that covered the surface of the universe. The word of God tells that there was total darkness. I believe if that kind of darkness was to happen today there would be more danger than the present calamity. Can we imagine a darkness with not a single light in the entire world. Not even the lights from the stars and any other heavenly bodies. I bet that’s something we can’t contain. God allowed that same darkness to cover the surface of the earth for three hours as Jesus hanged on the cross, Matthew 27:45. The Bible in Genesis tells us that in that total darkness, the spirit of God was hovering and taking control of all things, having authority and not being hindered by anything.
We could be going through a time of darkness but the spirit of God is moving and God is still in control. He finally declared that there be light and the whole world had light. We know that God’s power to move and work is not hindered by any form of darkness. No matter what life brings today, God can still declare light where there is darkness, life where there is death, healing where there is sickness and strength where there is weakness. The Lord is in control no matter how close days of darkness hangs from us.
As Paul states in Romans 8:1 – 18 – For I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Our God is so faithful.
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Bethesda Faith Ministries
partnered with Interlocking Ministries
Focus verse: Genesis 1:2-3 "The earth was without form, and void; and the darkness was on the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light” and there was light."
There is a great darkness hanging all over the globe today. The fear of death is taking control in many hearts and nobody is certain about what will happen the next day. People are glued to the media and there is a common pandemic that is reported all over the world. Doctors are overwhelmed and health facilities are overstretched. The economy is collapsing and people are loosing jobs. It’s no longer business as usual. It’s a dark time that nobody would wish to have again. Our leaders are loosing focus and so is the direction that nations are taking. Things appear formless and what we see is absolute panic.
However, God’s word in Genesis reminds us of total darkness that covered the surface of the universe. The word of God tells that there was total darkness. I believe if that kind of darkness was to happen today there would be more danger than the present calamity. Can we imagine a darkness with not a single light in the entire world. Not even the lights from the stars and any other heavenly bodies. I bet that’s something we can’t contain. God allowed that same darkness to cover the surface of the earth for three hours as Jesus hanged on the cross, Matthew 27:45. The Bible in Genesis tells us that in that total darkness, the spirit of God was hovering and taking control of all things, having authority and not being hindered by anything.
We could be going through a time of darkness but the spirit of God is moving and God is still in control. He finally declared that there be light and the whole world had light. We know that God’s power to move and work is not hindered by any form of darkness. No matter what life brings today, God can still declare light where there is darkness, life where there is death, healing where there is sickness and strength where there is weakness. The Lord is in control no matter how close days of darkness hangs from us.
As Paul states in Romans 8:1 – 18 – For I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Our God is so faithful.
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Bethesda Faith Ministries
partnered with Interlocking Ministries
Friday, March 27, 2020
Temporary Troubles
Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 4
Focus verse: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 "And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever."
We live in a world where troubles just come as a part of life on earth. We have experiences in our lives and some are wonderful, but others are sorrowful, painful and things we really struggle through. Yet, somehow we hold on to hope. There is a sense of something that is better to come. The good news is that these troubles don't last long.
We are created for eternity and feel that longing for heaven to be with God. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the Bible says that God has placed eternity in our hearts. This gives us that sense that there is more to life that what we are just seeing now. God gives us this longing for a future with Him in eternity.
Are you feeling trapped and afraid? Wondering about your next meal or your poor health? Take heart. You can bear up these troubles with the strength and courage of the Lord because they are temporary. The God who made you has a future for you. If you are a born again Christian, there is a better world ahead in a place called Heaven. A place that outweighs all of the troubles of the earth.
Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Hymn:When We All Get to Heaven
Focus verse: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 "And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever."
We live in a world where troubles just come as a part of life on earth. We have experiences in our lives and some are wonderful, but others are sorrowful, painful and things we really struggle through. Yet, somehow we hold on to hope. There is a sense of something that is better to come. The good news is that these troubles don't last long.
We are created for eternity and feel that longing for heaven to be with God. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the Bible says that God has placed eternity in our hearts. This gives us that sense that there is more to life that what we are just seeing now. God gives us this longing for a future with Him in eternity.
Are you feeling trapped and afraid? Wondering about your next meal or your poor health? Take heart. You can bear up these troubles with the strength and courage of the Lord because they are temporary. The God who made you has a future for you. If you are a born again Christian, there is a better world ahead in a place called Heaven. A place that outweighs all of the troubles of the earth.
Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Hymn:When We All Get to Heaven
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus
Sing his mercy and his grace
In the mansions bright and blessed
He'll prepare for us a place
Sing his mercy and his grace
In the mansions bright and blessed
He'll prepare for us a place
[Chorus:]
When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We'll sing and shout the victory
When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We'll sing and shout the victory
While we walk the pilgrim pathway
Clouds will overspread the sky
But when traveling days are over
Not a shadow, not a sigh
Clouds will overspread the sky
But when traveling days are over
Not a shadow, not a sigh
[Chorus]
Onward to the prize before us
Soon his beauty we'll behold
Soon the pearly gates will open
We shall tread the streets of gold
Soon his beauty we'll behold
Soon the pearly gates will open
We shall tread the streets of gold
[Chorus]
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Time Spent with God Makes the Difference
Scripture reading: Exodus 34:29-35
Focus verse: Exodus 34:29, 30, 34, 35a – "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. "
When Moses went to Mount Sinai and spent time with God, his life did not remain the same. He came back radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. Aaron together with the Israelites could see a difference in his life and they even feared to come near him. Not only that, but whenever he entered the Lord’s presence and talked to him, his face shone, meaning he came out different and the people could witness. I have often fallen a victim of an overcrowded program of activity that leaves me with no or less quality time to spend with God. I know this affects many other believers, we have so many tasks put on our list of activities that leaves us with less time for prayer, study of God’s word and meditation on God’s word.
One reason why many Christians are not living a life of difference is because they don’t spend quality time with God. When you don’t spend time with God you will not grow to become different. John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the brunches. If a man remains in me, and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Christians are in a constant spiritual battle. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 6:10-18, we must put on the full armor of God in order to overcome the schemes of the devil. God sent his Son so that we are reconciled back to him and he now wants us to spend quality time with Him.
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Director of Bethesda Faith Ministries
Focus verse: Exodus 34:29, 30, 34, 35a – "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. "
When Moses went to Mount Sinai and spent time with God, his life did not remain the same. He came back radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. Aaron together with the Israelites could see a difference in his life and they even feared to come near him. Not only that, but whenever he entered the Lord’s presence and talked to him, his face shone, meaning he came out different and the people could witness. I have often fallen a victim of an overcrowded program of activity that leaves me with no or less quality time to spend with God. I know this affects many other believers, we have so many tasks put on our list of activities that leaves us with less time for prayer, study of God’s word and meditation on God’s word.
One reason why many Christians are not living a life of difference is because they don’t spend quality time with God. When you don’t spend time with God you will not grow to become different. John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the brunches. If a man remains in me, and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Christians are in a constant spiritual battle. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 6:10-18, we must put on the full armor of God in order to overcome the schemes of the devil. God sent his Son so that we are reconciled back to him and he now wants us to spend quality time with Him.
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Director of Bethesda Faith Ministries
Friday, March 6, 2020
Comissioned by God
Scripture Reading: Genesis 12: 1-4
Focus Verse: Genesis 12: 4 “So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him.”
Over the next few weeks we will continue with this subject of "Commissioned by God", and how we are on assignment for the King. Are you a Christian, saved by grace and submitted to God as your boss? If you answered yes, then you are one of God’s commissioned officers. Commissioned...which means that He called him to be a leader under God's authority,
In our scripture reading we read about Abram. God placed a call on Abram’s life. He commissioned him for use in service to God. God told him to move out from where he was and made a promise to Abram if he would obey. The promise was that Abram would lead a great nation, but first Abram would have to move his home to a new place.
God told Abram not only would he lead a great nation, but other nations of the earth would be blessed through Abram’s descendants. And not only that, but through Abram’s family tree Jesus would be born to save humanity from their sins. Let us never underestimate the importance of what God is asking us to do. For Abram, it all started when God asked him to move. And Abram obeyed God and moved even when that was the only step that he knew to take. God would teach him as he went.
God has called you to do something and if you will listen and obey Him, He will do His good work through you so that He will be glorified. God might not be asking you to move, but He certainly asks us to pray, read our Bible, fellowship with believers, love one another, worship Him and make disciples. Though maybe He’s also asking you to teach a Sunday school class, work with the widows in your community or serve the needs of the sick or orphaned. There are many different things God could be asking you to do to serve Him. Have you been faithful in obeying that call? Why not pray and ask God to give you the courage and strength to obey Him.
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)