How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? JOHN 5:44
If there is a longing in your heart this Advent for something that the world has not been able to satisfy, might not this longing be God’s Christmas gift preparing you to see Christ as consolation and redemption and to receive him for who he really is?
How is the heart prepared to receive Christ for who he really is? It is very simple.
The coming of Jesus was a search-and-save mission. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
The word advent means “coming.” In this season of the year, we focus on the meaning of the coming of the Son of God into the world. And the spirit of our celebration should be the spirit in which he came. And the spirit of that coming is summed up in Luke 19:10
Jesus came into the world at the first Advent, and every Advent since is a reminder of his continual advent into more and more lives. And that advent is, in fact, our advent—our coming, our moving into the lives of those around us and into the peoples of the world.
This is the famous question Jesus asked Peter, James, and John, after they fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Could you not tarry one hour?” (Matt. 26:40; Mark 14:37). Jesus could rightfully ask this of us, His twenty-first century disciples. In our busy-ed life, we often push aside prayer when we’re pressed for time. But just like the disciples, we stand to lose an intimate connection with Jesus and an enlightened eternal perspective.
But God reminds us of the supreme value of being with Him and the superior height of His thoughts. In times of tarrying, God holds our gaze. And fuels our prayers. And give us His perspective. We receive directions in areas that could have been blocked for months. Most of all, our hearts are lifted and refocused by spending time with the Lord.
In this podcast exhort, listen to 7 keys for effective tarrying times with God.
The Greek word for tarry is grégoréo, and it means to be vigilant; to be responsible. A Christian who is vigilant and responsible in prayer is vigilant and responsible in life. Let's not neglect our Tarrying time together.
I guess most of us are often intrigued by the Holy Spirit. Like moths, we are attracted to the warmth and the light of His flame. Our desire is to come closer . . . to draw nearer, to know Him more fully and intimately, to enter into new and stimulating dimensions of His workings . . . without getting burned. I know that is true of me, and I suspect you often feel the same.
This month, we are entering a new series in our church called "Living in the Spirit", but a life in the Spirit (the Christian way) is not possible without knowing and encountering the source of that power. So, let's get reacquainted with the Holy Spirit.
Once every year in our Church, we celebrate what we call our FIRST FRUITS SUNDAY. This is normally every February (after the first month of “harvest” of the year is finished). Often in churches, there are plenty of Biblical terms and phrases we hear but may not understand. One such term is first fruits. So the obvious question is:
WHAT IS FIRST FRUIT?
The first fruits offering was an offering commanded by God to the Israelites in the Old Testament. It's mentioned several times and is in general a part of the Principle of the First in the Bible.
Exodus 23:19a: "The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God."
Leviticus 23:10: “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest."
Proverbs 3:9-10: "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine."
The most comprehensive passage about the first fruits offering is found in Deuteronomy 26. It explains that the purpose of the first fruits was to acknowledge how God took the Israelites down to Egypt, multiplied their number, released them, and gave them the land of Canaan for an inheritance. God told the Israelites that the first fruits offering was to be given in THANKS for "cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant…" (Deuteronomy 6:10-11). In the majority of appearances, first fruits is associated with THANKSGIVING to GOD for bringing the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan.
Find out more about our First Fruits Sunday:
https://www.jrmsydney.com/post/first-fruits-offering
Welcome to 2022! This year, we are carrying the theme: Changing Seasons, UNCHANGING GOD. There is an old hymns that says:
"On Christ the Solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand."
Together let's continue to stand secure on the ever stable, steady and firm foundation; the Solid Rock - JESUS CHRIST.
Knowing that our God is IMMUTABLE (unchanging) should give us Comfort, Confidence, Courage and Conviction as we go forward and upward in this new year!
This month of November, we are exploring the ROOTS of our faith and the origins of the Church through the Book of Acts. How did the early Christians, Followers of the Way, thrive and grew and spread greater and further even in the midst of unparalleled opposition, persecution and hardships? Let's rediscover the secrets of their flourishing lives and walk with the Lord.
This month of November, we are exploring the ROOTS of our faith and the origins of the Church through the Book of Acts. How did the early Christians, Followers of the Way, thrive and grew and spread greater and further even in the midst of unparalleled opposition, persecution and hardships? Let's rediscover the secrets of their flourishing lives and walk with the Lord.
This month of November, we are exploring the ROOTS of our faith and the origins of the Church through the Book of Acts. How did the early Christians, Followers of the Way, thrive and grew and spread greater and further even in the midst of unparalleled opposition, persecution and hardships? Let's rediscover the secrets of their flourishing lives and walk with the Lord.
1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
16 A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
I have experienced 3 consecutive miscarriages... 1 in 2018, 1 in 2019 and another 1 in 2020, and even before Skylar came, I already lost 1 too, so I have 4 miscarriages in total and that's 4 babies in heaven.
So we seek medical advice and we went to a reproductive immunologist in 2019 just after I had a miscarriage and the doctor found out that I have APAS. It is an Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, it's a disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks normal proteins in the blood.
It can cause blood clots to form within the arteries, veins and organs. It can also cause miscarriage and stillbirth in pregnant women and there's no cure for antiphospholipid syndrome, but medications can reduce my risk of blood clots.So my immune system mistakenly attacks my growing baby.
During that time, the doctor didn't give me any medication but he advised me to lose weight just for at least 5-10 kg. So I decided to lose some weight and even exceeded what was required of me. I lost 20 kg.
After achieving my desired body weight, I and my husband decided to give it another go. Yes, we got pregnant again so we went back to our specialist and he advised me to be on heparin injections for my entire pregnancy.It was painful to accept that I have to go through that journey just to have a baby. But I bravely faced all the injections every night, and I am thankful for my husband who bravely administered those subcutaneous injections for me. But then again just after a few weeks, I miscarry.
After 3 consecutive miscarriages, I guess in the natural, it's pretty obvious that we can't have another child. But we have a Supernatural God, that gave us supernatural strength and grace to hope again. And with the help of my mom, our church family ate Hazel, ate Tess, pastor Jeff and my Selah DG family. We trusted the Lord and believed that He is a way maker, a promise keeper and a miracle-working God.
So we moved on and continue the race that was set before us. We just enjoyed our lives together as husband and wife, doing the ministry as a family and getting busy in the Kingdom. 2020 was indeed a busy year for us in the ministry, I remember that's the time when we first launched our first ever JRM Kids TV aired in April 2020 then JRM kids Fest in November that same year.
We just stand on the promises of God. I remember what my husband says, that the Lord will not withhold any good thing from us and when He gives something He will not add trouble to it.
So we stand in faith, enjoy our Christmas together, feasting and enjoying Gods faithfulness in our lives.
So on the 1st week of January, we had the biggest news ever and found out that we are pregnant again!!!
We didn't go back to our specialist anymore but we go directly to Our Great Physician. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against doctors but we choose to trust Him more and depend on God alone. After weeks and months of waiting in the middle of the pandemic, at 37 weeks our miracle baby is born. Here she is... Baby Oceanne Zephaniah.
Romans 8:32-34
32 For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give.
And just before I end. I wanted to share what I have written in my journal. Dated 05 June 2019.
To God be all the glory.
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
As familiar as these words are in the Lord’s Prayer, their meaning and significance often escapes us.
What is the Kingdom of God? What does it mean for His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven?
In this prayer, Jesus summarized God’s plan and goal for history and creation.
The reason is simple: God is turning the entire earth into an extension of his heavenly kingdom. God is the coming King and his will will be done on earth just as fully as it’s already being done in heaven.
This is the story of the Bible - the Kingdom of God that has come, and is present here now through His Church and is yet to fully arrive!
Let's lean in now as we understand that this world is not our home. We are pilgrims here on earth; exiles from where we truly belong. Our citizenship is the Kingdom of heaven and let's learn from Daniel and his three friends how they lived as exiles in Babylon as a picture of how we also should live here in our present Babylon while waiting to return Home.
His Kingdom Comes!
Bro Jerry and Sis Tess reminds us of the importance of watchfulness and preparedness as we continue to anticipate the coming of the Lord. What really matters now are the things that matters in eternity. Are we ready?
Matthew 12:29-40
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Let's join the Sandoval Family in today's devotional and continue to be instructed by the Word on how to be a faithful and wise servant as we wait for the Master's return.
Matthew 24:45-51
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jerico and Shine share today's instructive devotional on our readiness for the coming of the Lord. Let's lean in and be found alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic.
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
33 Be on guard! Be alert[a]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Leo, Juli and DJ share today's devotional on the Parable of the Ten Virgins and how it pertains to the Coming Kingdom of Heaven and how we should be ready and prepared fro the Day of the Lord's return. Let's continue to listen and medtitate the Word today.
Matthew 25:1-13
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
As familiar as these words are in the Lord’s Prayer, their meaning and significance often escapes us.
What is the Kingdom of God? What does it mean for His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven?
In this prayer, Jesus summarized God’s plan and goal for history and creation.
The reason is simple: God is turning the entire earth into an extension of his heavenly kingdom. God is the coming King and his will will be done on earth just as fully as it’s already being done in heaven.
This is the story of the Bible - the Kingdom of God that has come, and is present here now through His Church and is yet to fully arrive!
Let's lean in now as we understand that this world is not our home. We are pilgrims here on earth; exiles from where we truly belong. Our citizenship is the Kingdom of heaven and let's learn from Daniel and his three friends how they lived as exiles in Babylon as a picture of how we also should live here in our present Babylon while waiting to return Home.
His Kingdom Comes!
Sister Grace shares today's devotional on how we as a modern-day church could reflect the realities of the early church in Colosse in prayer, in fruitfulness in every good work and in patient endurance and joy; knowing we have been transferred from the dominion of darkness to the Kingdom of the Son of God. Let's lean in to the Word.
Colossians 1:3-14
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Laguatans share with us this powerful and curious Psalm about God's rule above all and His soveregnty. As Eternal, All-powerful King of all, He reigns and is not worried at all. Let's rest on this truth. He still sits on the throne.
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Angel and Weia share our inspiring devotional today. The book of Acts ends with Paul's house arrest and an open-ended manner in chapter 28, as if to say "to be continued"... and indeed it has continued. The mission went on to spread in the entire world and we are now part of that mission. We are the Acts 29 generation. So let's go!
Acts 28:17-31
17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26 “‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
27 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29]
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!