Focus 2024 - Part 3 - Who are you living for?

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 21st 2024  by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. ( Sorry there is no sermon recording for this message)

WHO ARE YOU LIVING FOR – Part 3

Matt 16:13 - When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. This is the greatest question you can be asked, and your answer will determine your future. This answer can only come by revelation.

1.  The Greatest Question and the Greatest Confession

Matt16:17 - 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

At the end of time ( Rev20:7-10) we see the destiny of Satan and all who follow him.

Rev20:7-10 - 7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

V11. When Jesus came on the Earth there was no place for Him to be born. But at the end of time, we are told that Earth and sky will flee from His presence and both the great and small will stand before Him.

Revelation 20:11 - Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.

Today in our courts evil people can get away with murder but NOT on that Day. We are all guilty. Only those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be thrown in the lake of fire. But those who have put their trust in Jesus will have their names written in the Lambs Book of Life! We cannot guarantee the number of days we live therefore today is the day of salvation!

2.  The Greatest Example

Jesus was the greatest example that ever lived! Heaven is an amazing place and that is what He left to come to Earth to identify with us. He came poor, homeless and then served and suffered a cruel death. At the CROSS he defeated Satan.

Heb 2:14-15 tells us how he defeated Satan

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Col2:14 tells us that He cancelled our debts and our sins were paid for.

 14 having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

2 Cor 5:21 His good deeds have been credited to us. His righteousness has been given to us.

God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

3.  The Greatest Commitment

Jesus asks each of us to make a choice. 

Matt 16:24 - Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

Luke 14:25-26 - 25 Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.

Jesus is not impressed with the crowds. He turns to them and challenges them to become His disciples. This is outworked in practical ways. The following must be worked out in practical ways.

Deny: refuse to associate with. Deny is to disassociate with our needs, wants desires and selfishness.

Jim Elliot: He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

What are we willing to give up for the sake of the gospel? To see the great salvation of many will require a great commitment on our part.

4.  The Greatest Community – The church

Jesus came for His church, His bride. He died for His church.

Matt16:18 - And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 

One day everything will fade but the Church of Jesus will go on forever. It is a privilege to be a part of the church.

Every community has a code of conduct. Heb 10:25 – Let us not give up the habit of meeting together. We are here to be the Light of the World.

5.  The Greatest Return

Matt 16:27 Jesus will come back to reward each one according to what they have done. We live with this hope!

 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Matt 24:30-31 He will come with power and glory to gather His elect.

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

1Thes 4:16-18 The dead in Christ will rise first. We will be with the Lord forever.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Rom 8:18 -  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Rev 22:12 God is coming with His reward.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.

What is my answer to the greatest question?

What is our response in the face of suffering? Can we look to Jesus and say His grace is sufficient? Am I putting Christ first and do I value the church?

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

The Well-Trimmed Wick

 

This message was preached by  Navaz D via zoom at Word Of Grace Church on  Feb 28th,2021. for the audio please click here.   For the worship please click here

THE WELL TRIMMED WICK – SERMON

INTRODUCTION

Over the last year God has been speaking similar things to us in different ways. The year 2020 was a year of a huge pause wherein we got to reexamine our lives and reset our priorities. God spoke to us about abiding in His presence. He said He will shake everything that can be shaken. At the start of this year, God spoke to us about being in a season of a cross over. Cross over seasons are seasons of preparation. My text today is about a preparation season.
Some of us have taken advantage of last year to realign our hearts. If you have not yet spent time in reflection I hope today’s message would encourage you to do that. It is not too late yet.

Matt 25:1-13

The Parable of the Ten Virgins 

This section is what we call eschatological teaching by Jesus. He is talking to the disciples in private as they sit with Him on the Mount of Olives. The teaching of the wise and foolish maids builds on the previous teaching of the wise and foolish servants. After this parable, Jesus gives them the parable about the talents which demonstrates how we are to be prepared and faithful. All three parables illustrate the need to live in a manner that expects the return of the Lord, even when the return is seemingly delayed. “Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Wedding festivities typically lasted seven days and the processions of the bride and groom marked the beginning of the joyous event.

Delay is not uncommon at a wedding. It was customary for the wedding procession to be led by young maidens with oil lamps in their hands.

We have all been to weddings where there is some delay. We are familiar with the Indian Baraat. The procession is led by dancers and musicians who announce the groom’s arrival much before you can see him.

Let’s take a look at this parable closely and see how does this applies to our lives. Ask yourself ‘where am I in this story?’.

The challenge to us is this: Will we finish strong, will we be ready and prepared or just get in by the skin of our teeth?

Like John 15, I believe this is a now word. God is putting His finger on our vertical and horizontal relationships. Both John 15 and Matt 25 have those elements: our relationship with God, our intimacy with Him and our relationship with our fellow Christians.

Jesus is talking about the end of all things in Matt 25.

We are in a preparation season. There are 3 parables in this passage. All have a warning that if we behave like the foolish persons, we will face the same fate.

Let’s look at the parable of the Virgins.

Put yourself in the story and allow the holy spirit to examine your heart.

Who are the virgins? All are believers. The question is are we the wise or foolish ones?

We have all made a covenant with Jesus and He with us. We have been betrothed to Him and now we are in a season of preparation.

A wedding has 3 stages: the betrothal, the preparation and the wedding celebration.

BETROTHAL

Betrothal or engagement happens at our baptism if you like. Salvation is not just a free ticket to heaven.

PREPARATION

We have made a promise to be faithful to Jesus. Our life on earth is a preparation. When Jesus returns it will be the end of all the waiting and the wedding will take place.

They all had lamps – i.e., God’s Word. Ps119:5 His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Lamps are also our life and service to God. It is our life and service. We are those earthen vessels in noble service. 2 Tim 2:20-21

Light We are called the light of the world. Our function has spread the Word which dispels darkness.

They all had oil – that is the Holy Spirit. Empty lamps are useless.

Lamps are the source of power to keep the light going/our witness for Christ to shine.

For this, we need the Holy Spirit. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

 They all started off well. They were all filled with the Spirit, passionate about being the light etc.

All ten were all waiting for the Bridegroom. We are all waiting for Jesus’ return.

In this parable, we are warned not to be like the foolish virgins. Don’t assume you are not.

How are you preparing yourself? Is your oil flask full? Do you have a flask? What does that look like in today’s terms?

WHAT DOES PREPARATION LOOK LIKE?

·      It involves focus and devotion. We need to find out what makes the bridegroom happen and adjusts our priorities and our life accordingly. Eg) Before getting married in courtship you take the trouble to find out what each other like.

·      It will involve your time – learning to cultivate a relationship with Jesus. Intimacy is cultivated over time and not overnight.

·      It will cost you – there will be things you have to realign, things you will have to give up.

·      Are you actively cultivating a relationship with Jesus where you are longing for His return?

The bridegroom takes his time coming. When he comes it will be a great day and a terrifying one.

At the midnight hour – midnight is significant in Biblical symbolism. It is the point of breakthrough. The Israelites were delivered at midnight. It’s the darkest hour.

The Philippian jailer was saved at midnight. Paul and Silas were set free at midnight.

So, midnight is when problems are at the greatest but it is also the point of breakthrough.

Midnight hour - the virgins were asleep. It could refer to the regular cycle of life or that they were unaware of what was happening. Asleep the state of a lot of churches and Christians.

The there is a cry Like the Baraat announces its arrival with music and dancing – it is a prophetic cry that rings out announcing the Lord’s return announcing His return and that we should be ready. I believe that cry is going out in this season.

All the virgins wake up and trim their lamps. I feel the Holy spirit arrest my attention here. This is what we need to look at in this season of preparation.

The oil lamps have wicks that need trimming or they will give off a lot of soot /smoke that will dull the light.

The church is beginning to wake up from her slumber and realizes that the wicks are smoky and the light is dim.

Jesus talks about a time when people get offended and all kinds of wars, hardships are upon them.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Matt 24:10.

The Greek word used is “skandalon” which is a trap used to trap animals.

Oil is the activity of the Holy Spirit that flows well through a surrendered heart

The wick is symbolic of your heart. Out of the heart flows the issues of life. When the heart is impure you give off smoke viz selfish ambition, pride, offence etc.

Trimming the wick speaks of sanctification and repentance. Cutting away things that are clogging our hearts. We need to be constantly saturated with the Holy Spirit. We all need to guard our hearts for it is the wellspring of life.

What is some of the soot we are carrying in our hearts today? Unforgiveness, offence, bitterness, pride, envy, jealousy, disappointments, trauma, grief, betrayals, hate, jealousy etc.

Has the light of the Church gotten dim today? What can we do about it? Each of us needs to trim our wicks and sort those issues out.

Some hard work needs to be put into repentance and a change of heart. God is committed to transforming us and making us more like His Son Jesus. But we need to cooperate with Him.

Today there is a lot of smoke in the church and amongst Christians with the marriage, family life, relationships etc.

The difference between the wise and foolish virgins is the value they placed on the oil. The wise ones paid the price of intimacy on daily basis. The oil and wick work in unison.

This is time to reset our hearts. COVID-19 has forced us out of our big gatherings into our homes. This is a time to reset your walk with God, develop your intimacy with God. Don’t squander away this time because it is not coming back. Then it will be too late. This is the warning and we would be wise to heed this.

The foolish virgins are not evil people. They just did not value intimacy with Jesus. No one can give that to you. You have to pray the price. You have to buy it. It means you have to be willing to give up something in exchange for it. You have had to have invested time with God and forged a history with Him. It is not transferable. No one can lay hand on you and give it to you. No one can pray you into intimacy

What am I doing to get ready for the greatest marriage of all time?

What does intimacy look like? It is a close bond between 2 people that develops over time. It is progressive as time is spent in each other’s presence. It is dynamic in that you can start off well but if you do not maintain it.

V13 – Watch. Stay alert, vibrant. The opposite is sleepy, halfhearted, unaware, no prayer life.

What are you watching for?

What is happening in your heart, the influences that are affecting you.

Work – keep making sure your oil flask is full.

Pray- always goes hand in hand with watching.

Watch for His return. Do not lose sight of eternity.

In the third parable Jesus explains what this is. It is about being faithful. I’ll touch on it briefly.

Notice the reaction of the man with one talent.

He called the manager hard!!! “wicked men to lay the blame of their miscarriages upon others, oftentimes upon God himself.” (Poole)

The wicked servant was blinded by his pride. He could not see his faults. He was used to playing the blame game. He felt he was dealt an unfair hand so he did not work or even try. Jesus judged him as lazy and wicked. This is strong! Do we see laziness as sin?

THE WEDDING

What is at stake here is whether or not you get to enter the celebration. This is not about salvation. The door is shut. It will be heartbreaking to be left out. All three parables point to a grave loss suffered by the foolish and wicked.  And we are warned that it will be like this if we have the same attitude.

“Never knew you”- no intimacy developed.

The key thing is to be ready. Allow God to trim your wick- cleanse your heart and invest in an intimacy so your light will shine. We need to prepare for his coming.

CONCLUSION

 This requires a response. Maybe some of you are cultivating intimacy with God. Make sure you keep trimming your wick so it is not giving out the smoke of pride, offence etc.

Some of us have forgotten that the bridegroom will return. Repent and return to your First Love. Start cultivating that intimacy with Jesus. Wherever you are in this story there is something for you to stop doing, start doing and continue doing. Let us ask the Holy spirit to lead us into all truth. Amen.

  Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Is Your Wick Well Trimmed ?

 

IS YOUR WICK WELL TRIMMED?

This blog is written by Navaz D'Cruz. She believes this is a word for each one of us to take and examine ourselves and use this time to re-set our hearts.

Like John 15, I believe this is a 'now' word. God is putting His finger on our vertical and horizontal relationships. Both John 15 and Matt 25 have those elements: our relationship with God, our intimacy with Him and our relationship with our fellow Christians.

Jesus is talking about the end of all things in Matt 25. The signs will be wars, pestilence, earthquakes etc and they are only a sign that we are closing in on the curtain call for all of creation.

We are in a preparation season. There are 3 parables in this passage. All have a warning that if we behave like the foolish persons, we will face the same fate.

Let’s look at the parable of the Virgins. Matt 25:1-13

Who are the virgins? All are believers. The question is are we the wise or foolish ones? Don’t be quick to assume you are the wise one!

We have all made a covenant with Jesus and He with us. We have been betrothed to Him and now we are in a season of preparation.

They all had lamps – i.e God’s Word. Ps119:5 His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Lamps are also our service to God. It is our life and service. We are those earthen vessels in noble service.

Light We are called the light of the world

They all had oil – that is the Holy Spirit. It is the source of power to keep the light going/our witness for Christ to shine. They were all anointed.  They all started off well. They were all filled with the Spirit, passionate about being the light etc. The Holy Spirit keeps us passionate for Christ and pure

They were all waiting for the Bridegroom. We are all waiting for His return.

In this parable, we are warned not to be like the foolish virgins. Don’t assume you are not. Examine your heart.

The bridegroom takes his time coming. When he comes it will be a great day and a terrifying one

At the midnight hour – midnight is significant in Biblical symbolism. It is the point of breakthrough. The Israelites were delivered at midnight. It’s the darkest hour. It also refers to a time when people get offended and all kinds of wards, hardships are upon them.

Samson went to the temple pillars at midnight. The Philippian jailer was saved at midnight. Paul and Silas were set free at midnight.

So midnight is when problems are at the greatest but it is also the point of breakthrough.

 

Midnight hour - the virgins were asleep. It could refer to the regular cycle of life or that they were unaware of what was happening. Asleep the state of a lot of churches and Christians.

 

Then there is a cry – it is a prophetic cry that rings out announcing the Lord’s return announcing His return and that we should be ready. I believe that cry is going out in this season.

All the virgins wake up and trim their lamps. I feel the Holy spirit arrest my attention here. This is what we need to look at in this season of preparation.

The oil lamps have wicks that need trimming or they will give off a lot of soot /smoke that will dull the light.

The wick is the channel to receive the holy spirit and be a witness.

The church is beginning to wake up from her slumber and realizes that the wicks are smoky and the light is dim.

Oil is the activity of the Holy Spirit that flows well through a surrendered heart

The wick is symbolic of your heart. Out of the heart flows the issues of life. When the heart is impure you give off smoke viz selfish ambition, pride etc. What Jesus is saying is that we need to deal with our hearts and love God with all of our heart soul mind and strength.

Trimming the wick speaks of sanctification and repentance. Cutting away things that are clogging our hearts. We need to be constantly saturated with the Holy Spirit. This is something the wise and foolish had to do. Over time our hearts can get clogged with sin, and unresolved issues that dull our Christian witness. The lamp gives out light for others to see. We all need to guard our hearts for it is the wellspring of life.

What are some of the soot we are carrying in our hearts today? Unforgiveness, offence, bitterness, pride, envy, jealousy, disappointments, trauma, grief, betrayals.

In order to be light in the nation, we need to deal with our hearts that are giving off a lot of smoke. Some of us have our lamps and have a little oil but the wick still needs to be trimmed.

Has the light of the Church gotten dim today? What can we do about it? Each of us needs to trim our wicks and sort those issues out.

Some hard work needs to be put into repentance and a change of heart

God is committed to transforming us and making us more like His Son Jesus. But we need to cooperate with Him.

Today there is a lot of smoke in the church and in Christians with the marriage, family life, relationships etc. That is why people don’t see the difference between you and the world. Our hearts need to be changed and cleansed so that our ministries carry the life of God.

The difference between the wise and foolish servants is the value they placed on the oil. The wise ones paid the price of intimacy on daily basis. The oil and wick work in unison.

This is time to reset our hearts. COVID-19 has forced us out of our big gatherings into our homes. This is a time to reset your walk with God, develop your intimacy with God. Don’t squander away this time because it is not coming back. Then it will be too late. This is the warning and we would be wise to heed this.

The foolish virgins are not evil people. They just did not value intimacy with Jesus. They go to the others and ask them for some oil. No one can give that to you. You have to pray the price. You have to buy it. It means you have to be willing to give up something in exchange for it. You have had to have invested time with God and forged a history with Him. It is not transferable. 

No one can lay hand on you and give it to you. No one can pray you into intimacy. I feel that is the picture of the foolish ones going to the wise ones asking or oil. It is like “pray for me”, “lay hands on me”. No, it won’t work. You have to do something to cultivate intimacy with God and get ready for Jesus return. We have to be that bride that has made herself ready. What am I doing to get ready for the greatest marriage of all time? There is a cleansing and a beautification process like queen Esther went through. She took the trouble to find out what pleased the King. Do I know what pleases my King?

What does intimacy look like? Its is a close bond between 2 people that develops over time. It is progressive as time is spent in each other’s presence.

V13 – Watch. Stay alert, vibrant. The opposite is sleepy, halfhearted, unaware, no prayer life.

What are you watching for? What is happening in your heart, the influences that are affecting you. Watch the places of brokenness that you gathered. Rebuild the altar of prayer and worship by cutting off other things.

What is at stake here is whether or not you get to enter the celebration. Whether you enter in with intimacy, with honour and glory that everyone can see. This is not about salvation. The door is shut. It will be heartbreaking to be left out

“Never knew you”- no intimacy developed. You were happy for the benefits but did not want to put in the work of knowing Him. The wise ones enjoyed the intimacy celebration and joy.

The key thing is to be ready. Allow God to trim your wick- cleanse your heart and invest in intimacy so your light will shine.  Thank God that we have his Holy Spirit that comes to aid us in our preparation. We are not alone. We also have a community. Let us spur one another on towards love and good deeds as we await His coming.

You can read more her Blogs here https://somequietthoughts.blogspot.com/

 

Prepare for Jesus return | Colin D

This message was preached by Colin Dcruz at Word of Grace Church on  January 6th 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

PREPARE FOR JESUS

  

What is 2019? It is 2019 years after Christ’s resurrection. Now, we are awaiting Christ’s return.

Matt 24:3-9 –

Time is not circular. It’s linear and heading to an end. What is in the past is gone. One day, Jesus will return and take those who belong to him to heaven. Those who don’t go to heaven will go to hell. That is the worst thing because there is no turning back. Today, if you fail in something you have hope to pass. But after death, there is no changing anything.

Heb 9:27 – Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement

In chapter 24 of Matthew, Jesus goes into a discourse on what will happen when he returns.

Birth pains are not the arrival of a baby. So rumours of wars, earthquakes etc. are only signs of what is to come.

1.      What can we look for with for with surety that we are close? Look at verse 14 – The gospel will be preached to every people group. The gospel is not just for Christians but for everybody. Revelations say – from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

2.      Some try to predict the second coming of Jesus

Matt 24:36 – “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

No one knows that day or the hour when the Son is coming. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to predict.

But we know how he will come. If you know a thief will come to your house, you will be alert.

Matt 24:42 – “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

The son of man will come at an hour we do not expect. We need to be ready.

In Matt chapter 5, Jesus gives us 3 parables that talk about his coming and how we should be ready.

This is what his coming will be like. He gives us some clues. Do you think it important? He tells us 4 times.

The parable of the 10 virgins:

10 virgins with lamps were waiting for the bridegroom. 5 of them had extra oil and the other 5 didn’t have. When the bridegroom came 5 were unprepared and had to go to the market. Thus they missed the banquet. The door was shut. The other 5 who were prepared got to go to the banquet.

Jesus is coming back. Are you prepared for His return? Have you put your faith in Jesus?

Acts 4:12 – Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

Salvation is found in no other name. Today is the day for salvation. If you have done it, then you need to get baptized.

The parable of talents:

Then in verse 14, he tells them the parable of the talents. With the virgins, they had to be prepared. Here, a businessman gave his servants 5 talents, 2 talents and 1 talent. He gave to each one of them according to his ability. The expectation was that you put it to work and multiply it. When the master came back, he wanted to settle accounts. Verse 21 says –

The one with 5 made 5 more

The one with 2 made 2 more

The one with 1 did nothing

When Jesus returns, he will demand an account of our talents, opportunities that we were given. If we are faithful, much more will be given. The one talent man was scolded for being wicked and lazy.

Verse 28 says that there is the same punishment for the person who did nothing. Theologians say that this person is not a believer.

At the end of the day, you need to be productive. Thank God for what you have and ask God to help you to do something. Don’t worry. Start small.

What are you doing to be productive?

Sheep and Goats:

Jesus is pressing in his point. He will come back and there will be judgment.

Verse 34 says that there are huge rewards in store. Anything we do and bless someone, we do it unto Jesus.

Verse 44 says when we don’t serve the least; it’s like not serving Jesus.

A follower of Christ will have a desire to do good.  As we begin in 2019, we are one year closer to Jesus’s return. You be prepared, productive and perform.

To advance the Kingdom, we have to share the gospel.

Our tagline is Enjoying God, Making friends, Changing lives.

Enjoying God:

Have a deep relationship with Jesus. Is your relationship deepening? What can I do to deepen it? Take steps to grow. Get YouVersion on your phones.

Part of enjoying God is fellowship. We should have a hunger for God’s presence and to be with his people.

Making friends:

1 John 4:7 – Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God

John talks about loving one another. God’s nature is love and he wants it to be demonstrated here. How do we do it?

Make friends in the church is of high value.

Have lunch on Sunday afternoon with someone from church. Deepen your relationships. It is a rich, new and rewarding experience.

Be a part of a GYM group this year

Be a part of one of the different serving teams. We demonstrate our love by serving one another

Changing lives:

Jesus will only come back when the gospel is preached to all. Will you be a labourer in the Lord’s harvest field? This year, can you tell someone about Jesus? Jesus will touch their hearts. At the IDT, you will learn how to share the gospel.

In this 2019, will you think about how you can grow in these 3 areas?

Your relationship with God

Your friendships in the church

Reaching out to the lost

You will not change just one life but maybe a whole family and generations to come.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.