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Good morning. Yesterday the focus of the world was on the crowning of a king. The cries of "God save the king" and "long live the king" rang out. Homage was paid to the newly crowned king. Today followers of Christ will be paying homage to The King, the King of kings. Together we sing: "O worship the King, all glorious above O gratefully sing HIs wonderful love Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days Paviolioned in splendor, and girded with praise O measureless might, ineffable love While angels delight to worship above Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend" Psalms 93:1 says: "The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure." Let us afresh pledge allegiance to our King with the words of the hymn "Lead me to Calvary": "King of my life, I crown Thee now Thine shall the glory be Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow Lead me to Calvary" Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Two days ago all the Star Wars fans had the opportunity to say "May the Fourth be with you." In the movie this saying "May the force be with you" was an expression of good luck. There is an account in the Bible when the Fourth being with you was made very clear. "Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:24‭-‬25) For followers of Christ this brings us the assurance that no matter what we are facing in life, God is with us. Unlike in Star Wars, this is not wishful thinking or a hope of good luck. We have this certainty "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8) Christ in you, the hope of glory. Have an amazing weekend. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

2023 05 05 Good morning. Tomorrow, the 6th of May, we have a wonderful opportunity to host the people of our city at the Pop Up Market at GraceCov. There is a strong likelihood that many who come to the market will not be believers in Jesus Christ. This is one of those times that Paul wrote to Timothy about when he said, "be prepared in season and out of season." (2 Timothy 4:2) We should be ready to engage with folk, to introduce them our Lord and Saviour. Luke records how Paul did that when he was in Athens. "So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there." (Acts 17:17) Paul presented Christ to them in the Areopagus. (Acts 17:22-31) We are to make the most of the opportunity to represent our Sovereign Lord and His kingdom well. As we go about our daily lives, not just on special occasions, may it be said of us as it was of Paul: "And they praised God because of me." (Galatians 1:24) Have a great day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. For the early Church signs, wonders and miracles were part and parcel to being born again. "This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." (Hebrews 2:3‭-‬4) Over the years we have witnessed countless miraculous healings take place - backs straiten, legs grow, tumors dealt with, shoulders, knees and feet healed. Making room for God to move miraculously in our services was the norm. Faith and obedience are required to see God move in power: faith in a God who does what He said He will do and obedience to do what He asks us to do by letting Him move in and through us. Reading in the Bible it is evident that when miracles, signs and wonders of God were observed, people got saved. The King and His kingdom were advancing. The same can happen today. Let us together, allow Him to use us in advancing His kingdom. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how Paul greets all the churches he writes to. By writing these words Paul does two things. • He speaks a blessing over his audience. • He reminds them that this grace and peace comes from the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Were it not for God's amazing love, where would we be? "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) The words of the refrain and last stanza of Charles Wesley's great him ring out: "Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me!" "No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach th'eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own." "Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me!" Our prayer for you today is found in Paul's words. "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. This past Sunday Wesley Theron taught us the importance of the Word of God. Acts 2:42 reminds us that, amongst other things, the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching which was based on God's Word (what we know as the Old Testament) and Jesus Christ's life and teachings (which forms the basis of the New Testament.) These teachings profoundly affected the new believers. They demonstrated the countercultural nature of the Christian life. They had everything in common. • They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Culture today says work hard to get more for ourselves saying, "Look what I have." • They made an effort to met with each other daily. Worshipping God togeter as well as fellowship with each other were priorities. • They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. The result of them living a Word-based life was that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47) As we were reminded on Sunday, Christ and Christ-likeness are found in the Word Allow Holy Spirit to unlock the Word to us each day as we read it and then let Him guide our daily life. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. It is so easy for us to become church focused; our different miniseries, our programmes, our activities that we lose focus on the Kingdom of God. Recently Tyrone Daniel, who leads the NCMI Translocal Team, reminded us that there is a clear distinction between the church and the kingdom. The Kingdom is the purpose. The church is the people to achieve the purpose. Often when Jesus spoke of the kingdom He linked it to miracles. "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." (Luke 9:1‭-‬2) Paul reminds us that "the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." (1 Corinthians 4:20) Signs, wonders and miracles are part of kingdom focus. When Holy Spirit moves in power we may well do as the Samaritan woman at the well did after her encounter with Jesus. "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” (John 4:39) As we join with fellow followers of Christ today, to worship Him, let's come with expectation to see God move with power, lives irrevocably changed, and the kingdom of God extended. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. One thing the church we read about in Acts 2 did, was to connect with each other. "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." (Acts 2:46) Two extremes seem to have taken hold of the lives of many: busyness and boredom. Many people are so busy. The work day seems to start earlier and end later. Trying to get all the household chores done, preparing meals for our family or at worst it has become everyman for himself, grabbing a bite to eat. The other extreme is like being one of the vultures in "Jungle Book" - "What y' wanna do? "I don't know. What y' wanna do?" The early Church paints a different picture. It was the norm to connect with each other. While the Bible does not say it, they did not wait to be told when and where they should meet. They were glad to be with each other. We have a wonderful opportunity today on this public holiday ( Workers Day) to visit someone or invite a family to your home. Let's do this with glad and sincere hearts. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15:24) The one is important enough for celebration. Each time someone comes to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord, there is celebration in heaven. One of the things we can learn from American football is the importance of celebration. After every gain they make, they huddle and celebrate. I (Mike) suspect that the reason we don't frequently celebrate is because we don't see the gains we are making. We are so busy looking ahead that we do nor recognize what we have. The question is are we grateful for what we have? Do we see what we have? I'm reminded of the account of Samuel going to Jesse to anoint his son as God's chosen one. Jesse brought his sons, one by one, but he had to be reminded that he had another son. Jesse did not realize that he had the future king in his family. What/who do we have? Let us not be like Jesse. See who we have and work with them, celebrate them and every gain they make. Have a great weekend celebrating what you have. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning Looking at the world around us we observe people living in confusion (even within the church). Confusion, generally, is a consequence of not knowing what's going on. Jesus said, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15) It would appear that, as a result of this relationship with God, we have access to His plan for us. As followers of Christ, don't need to live in confusion. Put simply, we need to find out what God is doing and be part of it. And this we do out of our relationship with Him. Proverbs 2 give us the "how". "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:1‭-‬6) Did you get that? Out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. Confusion is minimized when we seek God and apply His ways to our life. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning The difference between a servant and a friend at first glance seems quite obvious. But when we look deeper into the differences they are quite striking. A servant is task oriented. He/she doesn't have an intimate knowledge of the masters business. A servant would know certain things about you - how you like your coffee, your hobbies, what you like for dinner, etc. A servant wouldn't comfort you when you feel down. Jesus said: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15) God has elevated us from servants to friends. He invites us into a relationship which goes beyond employer - employee interaction. When we become a friend of God, there is a positional shift in relationship.We don't lose our humility and obedience of a servant. He invites our participation. We become co-labourers with Him. As friends/co-labourers with God, we have a bright future ahead of us. "When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. One of the hallmarks of the early Church is that they cared for each other. Luke tells us "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) Now this does not mean we need to go and sell off our stuff. Rather we need what Paul wrote: "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had," (Romans 15:5) And this was Christ's attitude. "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:" (Philippians 2:5) His mindset was to become a servant. "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:6‭-‬7) So, as we go about our daily life, we should keep our eyes and ears open and look for opportunities to help those who are in need. May it oneday be said that the church of the 21st century was one to emulate because they loved, served and cared for each other. Blessings. Mike and Daphne