Archive for October, 2006

The New Years music festival in Ashburton KZN turns 9 this year. It’s moved to a new venue, but by the look of their map, it’s not too far down the road from where it was before. At only 120 bucks for the whole weekend (a bit less if you book before December) plus R60 per tent, it’s a really affordable getaway.

The JJS team have chosen life as the theme for this year’s festival, and they’re having a competition for all the songwriters out there: If you slap some chords and lyrics together - don’t forget the word ‘life’ somewhere in the chorus - your tune could get picked to be the theme song of the festival!

So come on… why waste New Years’ Eve sitting around at some lame party when you could take a road trip down to JJS, camp out and spend it worshipping God with Christians from around the country (they’re expecting 5000 people)?

Sunshine, volleyball, good music, good company? Sounds like a plan!

For the band lineup, booking info, a map, wallpapers to download and tons more, click on over to www.justjesus.co.za

John 15 vs 4 and 5 “Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”.

Jesus calls us to all things “in Him”. By this He means that every thing we do should be influenced by our relationship with Him. We can do this by bringing all our relationships into His presence and considering Him as the third person in all our relationships. Jesus suggests that outside of His kingdom we can do nothing. Attempting any relationship without His guidance is bound to be unfruitful.

What steps could you take to make Christ a part of your relationships?

Matthew 7 vs 21 “’Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’”.

Are you just a “pew warmer” or do you really know Jesus? Is He going to recognise you on Judgment Day?

Galations 5 vs 22 to 25 suggests that knowledge of Jesus is evidenced through fruit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Have you put aside your old sinful nature with its passions and desires along with being conceited, provoking and envious of each other.

Micah 6 vs 8 “He has shown you, O man,
what is good.
And what does the Lord
Require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
And to walk humbly
with your God”.

Reflect on your relationship with God. Does your relationship with Him inspire justice, mercy and humble submission to His will? Why not recommit your relationship now.

1 Corinthians 8 vs 3 “But the man who loves God is known by God”.

We are created to be in relationship and we have a longing to be intimately known by those we do life deeply with. What an awesome privilege to know that God knows us more deeply than anyone. He delights in our love that is shown when we seek His kingdom first.

If you want to know more read Psalm 139.

Matthew 6 vs 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given unto you”.

What are your priorities? What do you spend most of your time doing? When faced with a decision or situation do we first consider what God would have us do or do we seek our own purpose?

Paul suggests to the church in Corinth to attempt to “live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord”.

Matthew 22 vs 37 “Jesus replied:’ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’”.

Matthew 4 vs 19 “Jesus said, ‘Come, follow me’”.

These are he words of Jesus to Simon/Peter and his brother Andrew and later to James and John. In Mark 2 vs 14 it says, “Jesus told him, (Matthew) ‘Follow me’”. Jesus is constantly inviting people into relationship with Him and He continues to do so today. Where is Jesus calling you to follow Him?

John 3 vs 16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

The Change Agents 2006 team have made all the teaching material (audio and talk outlines) from the conference available for free download on their web site. For me and many others who weren’t able to make it to the conference, this is invaluable - well done guys! Even if you were there, it’s great to be able to go back and pick up on anything you might have missed.

Have a look ‘n’ listen at www.changeagents.co.za

The Jesus Journey - it’s not about me!

Genesis 2vs 18 “The Lord God said, ‘It I not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’”.

The simple fact of the matter is that, very early on, we learn that man is created for relationship. By virtue of the fact that he is a created being he has a relationship with his Creator but we are told that the relationship that man has with God is unique.

If God created man for relationship we can then assume that He has a plan for these relationships. The question that we as Christians need to be asking ourselves is “what is God’s plan for our relationships” and secondly “how does his differ from what the world is saying about relationships”. If God is God of our lives then His kingdom must come in our relationships and our faith should be making a difference in our relationships.