The Bondage of the Church

Introduction:
When we give our heart to Christ, we have a need to share our faith and testimony with the children of God, and we presume that that place is the Church. In fact, our desire for and participation in the Communion of the Blood of Christ (1 Cor.10:16), the Communion of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16 – Holy Communion and His Church) and the Communion of the Holy Ghost (2 Cor.13:14) are essential elements of our Christian life.

It is debatable what this communion with the Body of Christ, meaning His Church on Earth is to be interpreted as, but generally it is accepted as being the Church where you worship him.

Regeneration and Replenishment of Earth

Adult Sunday School - Part 3 - Regeneration and Replenishment of Earth

And so we come to Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

We have seen in the previous part how the earth was laid waste, being void, and without form and without light. It was time for God to remake the vessel :

Jer. 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make.

If we read this story as the story of creation, we will see many anomalies and discrepancies. If we read it as the regeneration of earth, we will find it interesting. If we read between the lines or on a deeper level, we will find it vital and exciting - and I will try to bring all three to you.

Disaster strikes

Adult Sunday School – Part 2 – Disaster strikes

We have seen that God has created the heavens and earth in Genesis 1:1 - and all was well.

But then, sin was found on earth ... and God destroyed almost everything on earth, with only a few souls remaining. Scripture says He shook the earth.

The aftermath of this tragedy is described in Genesis 1 verse 2 : And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. In Hebrew the word ‘hayah’ is used which means ‘it became’ and not as translated ‘it was’.

A Litmus Test for the Church.

Why a Litmus test for the church? A litmus test consists of a piece of paper impregnated with different chemicals shown by different colours on the paper, to enable one to ascertain the chemical composition of a liquid substance such as water.

When this litmus paper is inserted into the water, the different chemical substances in the water discolours these colour blocks to reveal its presence in the water. The paper also warns one of the presence of certain adverse chemicals which should not be present.

In this blog, we are going to try and design such a piece of litmus paper and insert it into the holy waters of the Church.

In the Beginning

Sunday School for Adults – Part 1:  In the beginning

The story of creation is very much misunderstood and abused and derided by atheists and agnostics, because they, and many of us think that it is narrated in the first book of Genesis.

However, if you read that carefully, you will find that it is not the story of creation. There are at least eight serious anomalies, which cannot be explained away, and thus we were taught in Church that it is merely a myth covered in a cloak of religion, much like the religion of many Christians in the world is a myth covered with a 'form of godliness, but denying the power thereof' (2Ti 3:5). We are rather encouraged to 'refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise ourselves rather unto godliness' (1Ti 4:7).  And this I will try in this series. I will go into this supposed story of creation in more detail in a next part of this series. Today I am addressing the actual story of creation.

Amazing Grace

I would like to begin a song of praise over the indescribable amount of grace that became ours through the salvation of our souls.

The scriptures say: Eph. 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

By surrendering our will to the Lord we have therefore received so much – think about it, the salvation of our souls, the communion with the Father and his Son, a legacy that cannot be surpassed, and the privilege of being the children of the Almighty. And over and above that, protection against the world’s grief and sorrows. Think about alcoholism, drugs, love of power and money, irrationality, greed – the Lord protects us from all of these.

Children Bible Study Books

Bible Story Lessons & Study Guide for Children

Series 1: Fruit of the Spirit

Our Bible study guide for children is here! Fruit of the Spirit is the first in a series of Sunday School Lessons for children.

This book is also available in Afrikaans.

The theme is enforced with relevant Bible stories in 20 lessons over 90 pages with full colour illustrations, space for notes and an activity after each lesson. To encourage them further, we have a certificate of completion at the end.

DON'T BE A COMPLAINER!

Complaining. There is room for legitimate complaining, but if you let this deadly disease of attitude - complaining – loose, it will conquer you. Complaining can take over your life. Destroy you and leave you without anything. Nobody wants to take along a complainer. Nobody wants to promote a complainer. Nobody wants to live with one. Nobody wants to be a partner of one. Nobody wants to have one around.

Complaining leaves you out of more opportunities than you can possibly imagine if you let it take over and grab you by the throat. If you don't think complaining is bad ask the children of Israel of Old Testament fame. They are typical of us all, but their story just happened to get in the Book.

Can We Trust the New Testament as a Historical Document?

Many people do not believe that the Bible is a reliable document of history. But, the fact is the Bible is very trustworthy as a historical document. If we were to look at a chart that compared the biblical documents with other ancient documents, we would see that the Bible is in a class by itself regarding the number of ancient copies and their reliability. Please consider the chart below.

Manuscript Evidence for Ancient Writings Author Written Earliest Copy Time Span # Mss.

Caesar      100-44 B.C. 900 A.D. 1,000 yrs 10

Plato 427-347 B.C. 900 A.D. 1,200 yrs 7

What Constitutes a Good Life?

How does the decisions I make in life influence my future? How do I live a full satisfying, fulfilling life? The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheque, or a Sony Playstation. Here's the ultimate expression of life in my opinion, and that is living a good life. Here's what we must ask constantly, "What for me would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list.

Proverbs 3:1-7 My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments: For length of days, long life and peace, shall they add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you: bind them about your neck; write them upon the table of your heart: So shall you find favour and good understanding in the sight of God. Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.