Sunday 7th June

Good morning all!
This morning we are going to hear from two different people – John O and Michelle. They both have thoughts that they would like to share with you and Michelle has chosen some songs for us to worship with at the end.

SEEK THE KINGDOM OF GOD
It is written in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 12:

Then He [Jesus] said to his disciples, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Luke Chapter 12 v 22-32

Verse 22 starts with “therefore” because in the previous verses 16 to 21, Jesus told the disciples a parable about a rich fool. When his ground yielded plentifully, he tore down his barns and built greater ones. He told his soul that he had many goods laid up for many years; take ease; eat, drink and be merry. But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

During my recent intercession time, the Holy Spirit highlighted for me verse 32 and gave me a burden to share it. In the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is natural to experience all the things Jesus says in the scripture we should not worry about. Our Heavenly Father wants to give us the kingdom of God where all those things we are anxious about shall be added to us, but we must seek the kingdom
John O

While listening to Joyce Meyer preach a message recently on how to demolish strongholds and resist the enemy, a thought came to me about how crafty the serpent in Genesis 3:1 was:

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say ‘you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” 
Genesis 3:1

As I was listening, I thought about how important it is for us to put on and wear our spiritual armour. The enemy – the devil – prowls around looking for whom he may devour. It is therefore important that we, as the body of Christ, remember to put our armour on daily.

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 
Ephesians 6 v13-18

Michelle

Let’s arise, stand firm and rejoice using the songs Michelle has chosen and keep doing so as we head into this week.

It’s the final part of our Mission Impossible series today – The Victory Is God’s.
We heard in week 1 how Gideon thought that God had got the wrong man for the job and we were reminded that we are God’s masterpiece. We see who we aren’t but God sees us for the who we are – a masterpiece created by Him. Last week, we saw how Gideon looked to God for reassurance when his mission seemed impossible and today in part three we will see how the mission got harder before the victory – which makes that victory all the more spectacular!

I’m sure you will want to join me in thanking Faye for all of the preparation, hard work and personal trauma that comes with videoing yourself as she has shared this series with us. I know lots of us have enjoyed and benefitted from what she has shared. Something else to add to your “lockdown learning curve”, Faye!