How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? JOHN 5:44

How is the heart prepared to receive Christ for who he really is? It is very simple.

The coming of Jesus was a search-and-save mission. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Jesus came into the world at the first Advent, and every Advent since is a reminder of his continual advent into more and more lives. And that advent is, in fact, our advent—our coming, our moving into the lives of those around us and into the peoples of the world. 

This is the famous question Jesus asked Peter, James, and John, after they fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Could you not tarry one hour?” (Matt. 26:40; Mark 14:37). Jesus could rightfully ask this of us, His twenty-first century disciples. In our busy-ed life, we often push aside prayer when we’re pressed for time. But just like the disciples, we stand to lose an intimate connection with Jesus and an enlightened eternal perspective.

The Greek word for tarry is grégoréo, and it means to be vigilant; to be responsible. A Christian who is vigilant and responsible in prayer is vigilant and responsible in life. Let's not neglect our Tarrying time together.

I guess most of us are often intrigued by the Holy Spirit. Like moths, we are attracted to the warmth and the light of His flame. Our desire is to come closer . . . to draw nearer, to know Him more fully and intimately, to enter into new and stimulating dimensions of His workings . . . without getting burned. I know that is true of me, and I suspect you often feel the same.

Once every year in our Church, we celebrate what we call our FIRST FRUITS SUNDAY. This is normally every February (after the first month of “harvest” of the year is finished). Often in churches, there are plenty of Biblical terms and phrases we hear but may not understand. One such term is first fruits. So the obvious question is:

WHAT IS FIRST FRUIT?

The first fruits offering was an offering commanded by God to the Israelites in the Old Testament. It's mentioned several times and is in general a part of the Principle of the First in the Bible.

Exodus 23:19a:   "The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God."

Leviticus 23:10:   “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest."

Proverbs 3:9-10:   "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine."

The most comprehensive passage about the first fruits offering is found in Deuteronomy 26. It explains that the purpose of the first fruits was to acknowledge how God took the Israelites down to Egypt, multiplied their number, released them, and gave them the land of Canaan for an inheritance. God told the Israelites that the first fruits offering was to be given in THANKS for "cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant…" (Deuteronomy 6:10-11). In the majority of appearances, first fruits is associated with THANKSGIVING to GOD for bringing the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan.

Welcome to 2022! This year, we are carrying the theme: Changing Seasons, UNCHANGING GOD. There is an old hymns that says:

This month of November, we are exploring the ROOTS of our faith and the origins of the Church through the Book of Acts. How did the early Christians, Followers of the Way, thrive and grew and spread greater and further even in the midst of unparalleled opposition, persecution and hardships? Let's rediscover the secrets of their flourishing lives and walk with the Lord.

This month of November, we are exploring the ROOTS of our faith and the origins of the Church through the Book of Acts. How did the early Christians, Followers of the Way, thrive and grew and spread greater and further even in the midst of unparalleled opposition, persecution and hardships? Let's rediscover the secrets of their flourishing lives and walk with the Lord.

This month of November, we are exploring the ROOTS of our faith and the origins of the Church through the Book of Acts. How did the early Christians, Followers of the Way, thrive and grew and spread greater and further even in the midst of unparalleled opposition, persecution and hardships? Let's rediscover the secrets of their flourishing lives and walk with the Lord. 

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

5 Commit your way to the Lord,

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

9 For evildoers shall be cut off;

16 A little that a righteous man has

18 The Lord knows the days of the upright,

21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,

25 I have been young, and now am old;

27 Depart from evil, and do good;