Category: Weekly 2016

By Posted on Posted in Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

(1) Our Closet Prayer Life

Matthew 6:6 “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

(2) When Ye Fast

Matthew 6:16-18 “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

Blessed Assurance

– The Most Cherished Hope

At the age of eighty Fanny Crosby moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to live with her sister. There she increasingly thought of heaven and the blessings the Lord had in store for her. She anticipated for the first time having sight and expressed her most cherished hope in the confident refrain of one of her last hymns:

Some day this earthly house will fall,

And I no more as now shall see,

But this I know, my All in all,

Has now a place in heaven for me.

And I shall see Him face to face,

And tell the story, saved by grace.

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

(1) The Fruit of the Spirit is Temperance

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The word “temperance” means exercising restraint, having self-control. It is the exercise of a Spirit-given, Spirit-enabled restraint against the fallen, corrupt human nature called the flesh. It is the intervention of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life to enable him to put under subjection fleshly passions and appetites (Gal. 5:19-21).

King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 25:28, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls”. The literal translation may be, “A city being broken down with no wall is like a man who has no control over his spirit”. He who has no self-control is like a dilapidated city (Timothy Tow, Pearls of Great Wisdom – A Study of the Book of Proverbs). Self-control is the spiritual quality or virtue that enables a Christian to have the power to keep him in check against the sin of the flesh and the spirit.

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly 2016, Weekly Newsletter Tagged with , ,

The Fruit of the Spirit is Faith

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Faith may be defined as being grounded in the truth of God’s Word. From an objective perspective, true faith is always based on the Holy Scripture. Subjectively speaking, “faith” is firm persuasion, conviction, belief in the truth, its veracity and reality.

The outworking of faith in the believer’s life can be described as loyalty, faithfulness, allegiance, fidelity, trustworthiness, reliability, dependability, steadfastness toward God. The basis for this loyalty is God’s infallible and inerrant Word. Faith is adherence to the Holy Scripture in practical Christian living.

Faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s gift. Spiritual life begins with saving faith, when one receives by faith the gospel of Jesus Christ. This faith needs to be cultivated. It takes time to bear fruit and the believer must persevere as the Lord helps and guides him.

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

The Fruit of the Spirit is Goodness

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Biblical “goodness” is an active, energetic principle. It is the generosity which springs from the heart that is kind and will always take care to obtain for others that which is useful or beneficial. It is character energized, expressing itself in benevolence. [Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament]

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

The Fruit of the Spirit is Gentleness

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Do you often second-guess others’ intentions in a negative way? Do you count the wrongs others have done to you? Are you willing to forgive and make peace? To be forgiving and forbearing is a fruit of the spirit called ‘gentleness.’ Where there is no forgiveness, each one is irreconcilably offended.

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

The Fruit of the Spirit is Peace

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

When God created the earth, it was a peaceful paradise. That peace was broken when Adam sinned. As a result of Adam’s fall, his posterity inherited a sin nature, the propensity for evil.

Since then, the generations that came failed to secure that most elusive “peace” which is the normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations or the world, a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations and the normal freedom from civil commotion and violence of a community. This world has yet seen true peace. War characterizes all the history of mankind. There can be no true peace for mankind plagued by this inalienable disease of sin which the Apostle Paul calls “the works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-21). Peace in the first family was broken, when Cain the elder son of Adam and Eve murdered his younger brother Abel (Gen. 4) because of uncontrolled anger.

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

The Fruit of the Spirit is Joy

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Biblical joy is a cheerfulness, a calm delight and gladness in the heart of God’s children as the Holy Spirit’s fruit. It is the joy that comes with living a victorious Christian life according to God’s will. Jesus taught that obedience to God’s Word brings biblical joy in John 15:10-11 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

(Galatians 5:22a)

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The hallmark of a growing Christian is growing in love, biblical love! It is attested by an unfeigned, sacrificial love for our brethren.

Read more ›

By Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

Joy Amidst Trial (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Christians are to expect trials and tribulations. The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that suffering is a normal part of a true Christian life (Behind a Frowning Providence, Murray, 12). It is the Christians’ response to trial and tribulation that authenticate the Christian’s faith.

When Christians exercise faith in God during trials, there is a joy which can subsist in the midst of sorrow (Leighton).

Read more ›