Glory to God!
Yesterday we were allowed to meet again as a church as we adhered to the governmental requirements to ensure a safe environment for larger groups to be able to meet. It was wonderful to see members of our church family face to face again and in the words of king David, "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord'" (Ps 122:1)! There was much rejoicing and the power of corporate worship was particularly evident as we spent time praising God and drawing near to Him together! Although we had to observe the safety guidelines (which you can read here), and the premises has been set up very differently to what we are used to, nothing could stop our meeting together in unity of Spirit to worship our King and fellowship together! Hallelujah!
Over the past weeks we have not been able to meet as a church but the Lord has been speaking to us through the weekly video messages. Here is list of the messages and a brief summary of what the Lord has been saying to us:
An Anchor for the Soul: Frances spoke to us about the hope we have as believers because of the two unchanging truths of God's nature and His promises. She showed us how we can weather the storm and come out of it even stronger than before as we depend on God and trust in the fulfilment of His Word.
The Suffering Servant: Richard shared a Good Friday message in which he spoke to us about entering Christ's sufferings, followed by a reading of Isaiah 53 accompanied by music composed and performed by Simon.
Resurrection Relevance: Alexander showed us how the account of Christ's resurrection applies to our lives and how we can live in, and be carriers of God's hope.
Power in Prayer (Part 1): Richard spoke to us about how Jesus taught His disciples to pray and the significance of the what it means to pray, "Our Father."
Power in Prayer (Part 2): Richard continued his series on the Lord's Prayer as we looked at the significance of the Father's presence "in heaven."
Power in Prayer (Part 3): Richard continued his series on the Lord's Prayer as we looked at what it means to "hallow" God's name.
Yesterday, Alexander shared a message entitled, "Praying with Expectation" in which he showed us how Psalm 122 applies to our lives and how the Lord wants us to position ourselves to be an influence and to deal with pressure and persecution so that He is glorified. Alex explained that to pray in faith is to pray specifically, persistently and expectantly. Hallelujah!
As we have purposefully sought to help our church family be encouraged in the Lord and stay connected, we have also been sharing a short video message every Wednesday that has been based on the "7 Pillars of Healthy Relationships" that we have studied as part of our "Keep Your Love On!"course by Danny Silk. Here is a list of the videos we have shared so far:
All You Can Eat: Richard encouraged us to be self-controlled.
Vision: Elizabeth encouraged us to have eyes like a dove and the vision of an eagle.
Bleib Dran! Stand Firm! Natalie encouraged us to stand firm in faith despite every obstacle.
The Truth: Frances encouraged us to hold on to God's truth and to apply God's Word to our lives.
Your Spiritual Check-Up: Alexander gave us 4 questions to ask ourselves to help us take responsibility for our walk with God.
God's Love: Richard encouraged us to love as God loves us: zealously, intentionally and practically.
As we continue to navigate through this season, we are continuing to pray simultaneously as a church every Wednesday from 19:00 - 20:00 and will continue to share words of encouragement and short videos to help us remain strong in God and connected to one another. We are also helping those in need both in Frankfurt and in Butuan in the Philippines as we provide food for the homeless and care packages for families without any resources due to the strict lock-down in Butuan.
We praise God for His faithfulness and that in Him we can remain steadfast and certain! Hallelujah!
