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Good morning. This past Sunday (Pentecost) we were reminded by Craig in his message that • Holy Spirit is a gift • The gift has to be received • Holy Spirit was a gift promised • We need to wait • You will receive (Acts 4:5) The wonderful thing about Holy Spirit, the gift, is that when you receive Holy Spirit, He comes bearing gifts. Paul reminds us of this in 1 Corinthians 12. "Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." (1 Corinthians 12:1‭, ‬4‭, ‬7) It is so important to understand that all followers of Christ have been blessed by receiving one or more gifts of the Spirit. All the gifts are of equal significance. No one gift is more important than any other. (See 1 Corinthians 12:12-27) The gifts of the Spirit are given for benefit of the whole Body of Christ, and as such should be exercised, not only privately, but also in our togetherness when we meet together. With this in mind, let's dust off our spiritual gift(s) and come prepared to be used by God when we meet together. God blessed you by giving you Holy Spirit so that the whole Body can be blessed through you. Have a blessed day. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as our comforter. He said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. (John 14:16) How amazing to think that no matter what we go through, the most powerful source of comfort we could ever want is always available to us. The dictionary defines comfort as “to give strength and hope to, to cheer; to ease the grief or trouble of, to console.” Whether we need encouragement, strength, consoling, or hope, it’s always there for us through the Holy Spirit. As we enter the middle of the working week, take heart in knowing that no matter what comes your way you are not alone. Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is with you. Have a wonderful Wednesday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Jesus speaking of Holy Spirit said, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16‭, ‬18) Paul reminds us that followers of Christ are indwelt by Holy Spirit when he says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (1 Corinthians 6:19) This is good news for us as we can rely on Him to not only teach us, but to bring to mind all that Christ has has said to us. (see John 14:26) When we spend time in God's presence, we can rely on Him to direct us, through Holy Spirit; to guide us in the way we should move. (see Acts 13:2) Having Holy Spirit living in us every moment of the day is something for which we should continually give thanks to the Father. Enjoy keeping in step with Holy Spirit throughout today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you at the outset of a new week. Yesterday we were reminded of Holy Spirit being poured out on the day of Pentecost just over 2000 years ago. We are so thankful that it was not a once off moment in history. Holy Spirit is still at work today in our lives as followers of Christ. Holy Spirit is an integral part in our salvation. Paul writing to the Church in Ephesus reminds us that Holy Spirit has sealed us for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30) Holy Spirit is praying (interceding) for us. He "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) As we look to the new week, pause for a moment and thank the Father for the work of Holy Spirit in our lives. Have a good week keeping in step with Holy Spirit. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Today we celebrate Pentecost, the day on which Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples and they were empowered to boldly declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hearing the gospel story, the good news of Jesus Christ, builds our faith. Romans‬ ‭10:17‬ ‭ declares, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” In essence this means we should, as followers of Christ, consistently surround ourselves with the message of the Gospel. We need to let His Word come alive within our hearta. Let His Word become a part of every part of our lives. We should choose to let His Word direct the course of your life. Paul likens our faith to a spiritual gift when he writes: " I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. (Romans 1:11-12) Have you noticed that when someone testifies about what God has done for them, how we are encouraged. Without realizing it our faith is built up and strengthened. Now, if faith is a gift of the Spirit, (see 1 Corinthians 12:9) then we should be intentionally using it to build each other up (1 Corinthians 12:7) With the help of Holy Spirit, let us today build up each other's faith. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Have you ever wondered if you are good enough for your faith in God to be worth anything? Reading Hebrews 11 is quite an eye opener. We read about • Abraham, who was less than truthful about his wife, Sarah • Jacob, the deceiver • Moses, who was a drunkard - after all he was found motherless in the bullrushes. Just joking! Please excuse my (Mike's) sense of humour • Rahab was a prostitute • Samson who relied on his own strength • David, the adulterer Despite their dubious lifestyle, they are commended for their faith . We can take heart that God responds to our faith in Him, not based on who we are nor what we have done. He responds to us based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ, His son. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1‭-‬2) Remember that Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:2) Enjoy your day knowing that because He has done it all, we are able to approach our Father with confidence. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Faith is important. Not just any old kind of faith. Followers of Christ exercise a Faith that is rooted in and focused on God himself. We are reminded in the great chapter of faith, Hebrews 11, of some of the people whose faith in God impacted not only their own lives, but also the world around them. Amongst others we read of Noah, Abraham and Sarah. "These people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth." (Hebrews 11:13) Shall we finish the week on a high? Let's place our faith firmly in Him, "the pioneer and perfecter of faith." For "without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) Have a faith-filled Friday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Hi. We trust you are well this morning. When we look around us, it can become depressing seeing people are struggling. Sometimes our response to all this is like that of Gideon when the angel of the Lord appeared to him. “Pardon me, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:13) However, the words of the angel to Gideon is how God sees us as followers of Christ. , “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12) Our encouragement for you today is summed up in the words of Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Lift your focus from the circumstances around you and focus on Him today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. I (Mike) was so challenged by what Lance, who leads the church in Montpellier in France, spoke about this past Sunday. 2 things stood put for me. People and multiplication. Somehow I think this is God's heart. John reminds us that God so loved the world - and the next verse says that Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save the world. (John 3:16-17) His heart is for people. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus commissions us to make disciples and teach them to obey His teachings/commands. When each one of us does this we will see multiplication. A simple way of understanding this is " Reach and teach ". Each one reach one and then teach that one to reach one and teach that one to reach and teach etc." In doing this we have the assurance from Jesus himself, "surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Can we, together, trust the Lord to show us one person to reach and teach this year? Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you. Hardly a day goes by without us hearing about "the jab". The vaccine. Will you or won't you? Discussions flow this way and that way. It has become easy for our focus to be taken off of the One who has our healing in His hands. This past Sunday, during communion, we were reminded that the work of Christ on the cross included our healing. He bore our sin and our sickness on the cross. The world has been successful in getting us to focus so much on the pandemic that folk suffering from other ailments have become almost insignificant. As Mike's friend Paul would say: "this ought not to be." While we must not be ignorant concerning the pandemic, we must remind ourselves to care for people, for each other. Once again we are reminded of the example of Paul. "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:3‭-‬6) Let us go into today determined to reach out to someone outside of our family circle. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We trust you are looking forward to the week ahead. Paul has some good advice for us at the outset of the new week. He says: "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind." (Philippians 2:1‭-‬2) In other words, Christ has deposited so much in us, how can we not be in harmony, demonstrating His love, being in agreement and unity. Yesterday we challenged you to make time this week to contact someone with a word of encouragement and to pray for each other. Let's do this and make Paul's joy complete. Bless you today. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The writer to the Hebrews has a challenge for us as we prepare for the new week. He says: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds," (Hebrews 10:24) Some of us may be facing uncertainties in the week ahead. This presents us with opportunities to put this scripture into practice. Make time to contact someone with a word of encouragement. Pray for each other. But first, let us worship our amazing, awesome God together today. Draw inspiration from Psalm 97:1 which says: "The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice." It is so good to join with other believers in lifting Him up. He is our Protector, our Provider, our Healer. He is the Prince of Peace. He is worthy to receive praise, glory and honour. Blessings. Mike and Daphne