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Good morning. What a transformation takes place when Holy Spirit enters the scene. The trajectory of lives that were plummeting towards an eternity in hell is changed - now heading towards an eternity spent in the presence of a loving Father. Once self-centered lives now see and contribute towards meeting the needs of those in need. "All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." (Acts 2:44‭-‬45) It would appear that sacrificial generosity extended beyond the church in Jerusalem. Paul writes of this about the Macedonian churches: "In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." (2 Corinthians 8:2) These followers of Christ were living in the promise of God's promise. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing ... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3) We are blessed to be a blessing. "But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving." (2 Corinthians 8:7) We have learnt over the years that one is not able to outgive or be more generous than God. As we go about our lives, may we become known as generous followers of Christ. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Often Holy Spirit is spoken of in the context of "the gifts of the Spirit". Little emphasis is placed on the purpose of Holy Spirit being given to followers of Christ. "You will receive power and you will be My witnesses." (Acts 1:8) We sing the song "Come Holy Spirit", often as an invitation for Holy Spirit to be with us as we worship God in our meetings. Examining the words of this song, we see the purpose of Holy Spirit with us. When we witness in the power of Holy Spirit, we see hearts of stone being softened, darkness being broken, orphans (the lost) bringing brought home. Let us, together, purpose to focus on the purpose of us having Holy Spirit. "Come Holy Spirit, move among us Come Holy Spirit Flow Living Water; Flow within us Flow Living Water Your Love is alive, it’s breaking the darkness It’s bringing the Light, to soften the heart of stone Your Love is alive, tt’s breaking the darkness It’s winning the fight, and bringing the orphan home Come Holy Spirit, move among us Come Holy Spirit Flow Living Water; Flow within us Flow Living Water." Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. With the outpouring of Holy Spirit the Church was born. About 3000 people repented and turned to God and received Holy Spirit. These people were transformed. Their lives were changed forever. • They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) • All the believers were together and had everything in common. (Acts 2:44) • They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2:45) • Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. (Acts 2:46a) • They broke bread in their homes (Acts 2:46b) • They had meals together with glad and sincere hearts. (Acts 2:46c) Now that is an amazing transformation. This was evidence of the transforming power of Holy Spirit in lives yielded to God through Jesus Christ. This same power is ours in Christ through Holy Spirit. "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:11) Let us together resolve to emulate these first Believers in their response to being followers of Christ. Have a good week. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Today we celebrate what Jesus spoke of as recorded by Luke. "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:39) The person and work of Holy Spirit, the third person of the Triune God, is important in the life of a follower of Christ. • When we are saved we are sealed with Holy Spirit. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 1:13) • Helps in our weakness and Intercedes for us. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." (Romans 8:26) • Guides to all truth and knowledge of what Is to come. "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (John 16:13) • Gives spiritual gifts to followers of Christ. (see 1 Corinthians 12:7-11) • Helps, teaches and reminds. "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26) Let's focus on the fulfilled promise of Jesus as we celebrate the Day of Pentecost. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The account of King David and Mephibosheth Saul's grandson, (2 Samuel 9) paints a wonderful picture of a follower of Christ. • The King sought and reached out to Mephibosheth. (2 Samuel 9:1) This is what God did for each follower of Christ. • Like Mephibosheth, we all have some defects, imperfections. In our own eyes, these stand out like a sore thumb when we come into the Kings presence. (2 Samuel 9:8) • I, Mike, suspect that despite Mephibosheth's deformities, the King could see in Mephibosheth the features of his father, Jonathan, David's beloved friend. In the same way when the Father looks at us, He sees His son, Jesus, and not our deformities, our sins. • An invitation to feast at the King's table is there for all. Our sin (deformities) do not bar us from the King's table. The deformity of our sin was dealt with by Christ on the cross. • "And Mephibosheth ... always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet." (2 Samuel 9:13) For us followers of Christ John records these words: "Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9) So, in Paul's words, we "set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:2) Have a super day, giving thanks to the Father for His generous love through His Son. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Yesterday the SA Reserve Bank announced an interest rate increase. For most South Africans this spells increased pressure in trying to make ends meet. When times are tough, as followers of Christ, we fix our eyes on God. He is who He said He is and He will do what He said He will do. We are reminded of what Paul had to say. "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8) Did you get that? God will bless you abundantly so that: • in all things • at all times • having all that you need • you will abound in every good work Paul continues: "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9:11) God blesses us sothat we can be generous, not merely through our finances, but in every good work. As a result people will give thanks to God. What are you doing that brings thanks to God? What are you thankful for today? Have a wonderful day stirring people having thanks to God. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "As the world becomes increasingly indifferent to Christ & even hostile to him & his disciples, this is no time to become lukewarm following him." (Terry Virgo) Hebrews 13:6 says: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Armed with this assurance, we should have the confidence for our lives to unequivocally declare that we are followers Christ. This does not mean that we become confrontational. Rather, as Terry Virgo has said, "It’s time to enjoy him more, experience his love, believe his promises, take steps of faith, seek first the kingdom. Be a Christian!" Being a follower of Christ is not defined by how well we follow a prescribed set of behavioural rules and regulations. Being a follower of Christ does not take the joy out of life. As followers of Christ our lives should cause those we rub shoulders with to ask how come you have so much joy in your life despite the tough times we're living in? We are thankful that we have Christ as our helper. With Christ, we are overcomers. How about you? What are you thankful for today? Let's thrive on being a follower of Christ. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Once again I, Mike, have been stirred by an article put out by pasters.com. The following is the gist of the article. As followers of Christ we aren’t perfect. We all fall short from time to time. The Christian life is a guilt-free life, but it’s not a mistake-free life. The Bible never hides this truth. It is painfully honest about the failures of its heroes. God saved the world after a flood through a man named Noah—who then got drunk and naked, and blew it all. Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea and into freedom—yet his anger kept him out of the Promised Land. King David, a man after God’s own heart—had an affair and arranged the murder of the woman’s husband so he wouldn’t be discovered. Not only does God realize our frailty, He has a solution for our failures: grace. Paul tells us that "When you were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins. He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross." (Colossians 2:13‭-‬14 NCV) You and I—just like those heroes of the Bible—are trophies of God’s grace. The amazing part of God’s grace isn’t just His power to forgive. It’s the strength He gives us when we start over. God can turn failures into triumphs. God can transform broken lives. With this in mind, what have you got to be thankful for today? Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Over the years we have heard people speak of the drudgery of their daily job; having to do the same thing over and over. It all seems so meaningless. Sounds pretty much like how Solomon felt about life. The question is "What are you planning to accomplish today?" By setting a goal/objective one is able to turn the most mundane of tasks into a challenge, and by achieving the goal we come away with a sense of accomplishment. Another way to bring a sense of fulfillment in the work place is to see the end result of what your employer does. Remember the story of the man sweeping the floor at the Kennedy Space Center. When asked what he does he replied, "I put rockets into Space." For followers of Christ, our aim is to please our Lord and Saviour. Paul reminds us: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17) Giving thanks to God our Father is key. So, what are you thankful for today? Have a fulfilling day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12) Each one of us has so much to be thankful for. No doubt we, like Samuel, can say, "Ebenezer". If we were to stop and look at how much God has provided for us, there is so much for which we need to express our gratitude to God. Here is a challenge for each of us. At the start of each day write down one thing for which you are thankful. You will be amazed how this will affect your mindset for the day. Then before you go to bed, thank God that He has been with you throughout the day. What a difference it makes when we "enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4) Have a wonderful day with thanksgiving in your heart. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The desire of our heart today is summed up in words of the great hymn by Robert Grant. "O worship the King all-glorious above, O gratefully sing his power and his love: our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days, pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise O measureless Might, unchangeable Love, whom angels delight to worship above! Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze, in true adoration shall sing to your praise!" As we followers of Christ come together may we with gusto do just that. For He alone is worthy of our worship, our devotion. The psalmist says it well when he says: "I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord." (Psalm 104:33‭-‬34) Enjoy a wonderful day in His presence. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We have become more aware that we are getting older - the aches and pains, the more pounced wrinkles all attest to this. The late Tim Keller, a well known minister and author wrote: "If we live to old age we can feel our bodies (and our beauty) fading. Yet if we are growing in God's grace our souls, as it were, are becoming stronger and more beautiful. At death this reversal is complete. Our bodies disintegrate and we become blindingly gloriously. Comfort yourself with these words. The world xan only give us peace that says, "It probably won't get that bad." Jesus's peace is different. It says, "Even the worst that can happen - your death - is ultimately the best thing that can happen." We all long for a "place" that is truly home. Jesus says that it awaits you." So, we don't need to worry about the aging process or even death. We fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. With His ascension, He has gone ahead and is preparing a place for each of us. (John 14:2) Have a good weekend. Blessings. Mike and Daphne