Who know the name of this flower?

“‘O JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM, YOU WHO KILL THE PROPHETS AND STONE THOSE SENT TO YOU, HOW OFTEN HAVE I LONGED TO GATHER YOUR CHILDREN TOGETHER, AS A HEN GATHERS HER CHICKS UNDER HER WINGS, BUT YOU WERE NOT WILLING.'” – Luke 13:34

“MA TAU ROUROU, MA TAKU ROUROU, KA ORA AI TE IWI”

“WITH YOUR BASKET, WITH MY BASKET, THE PEOPLE WILL PROSPER”

The prison population in our country is growing. What can we do about it?

I am asking now, “Is that a social problem or is that a spiritual problem?”

The reason for asking that question is  because someone has identified four drivers of crime:

1. Poverty,
2. Poor mental health services,
3. Poor housing,
4. Lack of educational opportunities.
   

   heart

What does the Bible say? In Matthew 15:19 the Lord Jesus Christ says,”For out of the Heart come evil thoughts, …”

It is a spiritual problem.

At the beginning I asked, “What can we do about the growing prison population?” The answer is, “We must preach the GOSPEL!”

Reading “Calling the Church to creativity” on the front page of a Christian magazine, made me look up the purpose of the Church.

A.  Ephesians 4:11-15 –

“For the perfecting of the saints, …” (Ephesians 4:12, Authorized Version) To teach the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. To instruct believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

B.  Acts 1:8 –

“and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the world.” To witness constantly.

SALVATION ARMY: New Lynn Corps, Auckland / NZ

C.  Matthew 28:19,20 –

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them …” To evangelize the world with the Gospel.

D. Ephesians 1:4-6 –

“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:6, Authorized Version) To worship God and to glorify Hom on earth.

The purpose, GOAL, of the church is to teach and instruct the believers to witness constantly, and to evangelize the world with the Gospel., so that the whole world may worship and glorify God  on the earth.

“READY?” asks a broadband advertisement I found not long ago in our letterbox. “The Future is exciting,” it says above the question.

When I am thinking about the future the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ comes to my mind.

The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is foretold in the Bible, but the time is unknown. That’s why the Lord Jesus Christ says in Matthew 24:44, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” And we must also have  the true Attitude concerning readyness.

Moody said, “I look upon the word as a wrecked vessel.”

In Hebrews 9:28 we read, “Unto them that look for him shall he appear a second time.” “Occupy till I come,” says our Lord  Jesus Christ in Luke 19:13. Read also Matthew 24:46

Moody said, “I look upon the world as a wrecked vessel. Its ruin gets nearer and nearer. God  said to me, ‘Moody here’s s a lifeboat. Go out and rescue as many as you can before the ship sinks.”‘

“George Whitefield, the great English Evangelist said, ‘I am daily waiting for the Son of God.’ But he did not sit down and do nothing. He burned out his life in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.” – Billy Graham

Yes, the future is exciting for me, and I am ready for the future with the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the beach.

It must have been a verse from the Bible I saw hanging on the wall when I entered the shop a long time ago.

Encouraged by that I started talking about spiritual things to the man running the place. It is a long time ago and I don’t remember much about our conversation. I must have asked when he became a Christian, maybe I even asked when he became born again, but from what I remember him replying was that he had been a Christian all his life.

The truth is, that nobody is born a Christian, we must undergo a great change. We must be born again. Regeneration is essential. We must become a new creation.

And that affects the whole of the personality of man.

A. It affects the WILL – “…, you wholeheartedly OBEYED …” (Romans 6:17)

B. It affects the EMOTIONS – “…, you WHOLEHEARTEDLY …” (Romans 6:17)

C. It affects the MIND – “…, you wholeheartedly obeyed THE FORM OF TEACHING TO WHICH YOU WERE ENTRUSTED.” (Romans 6:17) You apprehend doctrine with your mind.

The entire personality is involved in the change, the heart is involved, the mind is involved, and the will is involved.

It must have been a verse from the Bible I saw hanging on the wall of shop, I said at the beginning. I have been in the shop since then, but I don’t see the verse from the Bible any more.