ShareLifeAfrica

Throughout the course of human history, there have been many corrupt kings. But humanity has continually sought a perfect ruler who will bring peace to our lives and communities. However, a fallen people enslaved to sin are unable to produce anyone who can do this. And more than ever, we are constantly dealing with anxiety, depression, and great fear about the future. But did you know that once we put our trust in Jesus, we get to know the King of Kings personally? Ephesians one tells us that after His resurrection and ascension to heaven, Jesus is seated at the "right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule, authority, power and dominion..." (Ephesians 1:20–21) Our everlasting King is powerful! He conquered sin and death, and all who put their trust in Him alone receive the gift of eternal life as well as peace and joy found only in Him. Who will you share this with this week?   _____________________________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; dedicated to providing you with the tools and resources needed to share your faith with others confidently and effectively.”

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear..." These powerful verses from Psalm forty-six remind us of a key truth found throughout God's Word—when we become a child of God, Jesus is our refuge. In fact, the last thing Jesus told His disciples before He ascended into heaven was, "...surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." There may be many things we fear or battle. I want to encourage you: Find your refuge in Jesus. He will be your Rock, your Fortress, your Bulwark when storms come your way. You can rest in Him. And knowing this important truth changes everything. It gives us the strength to do what Jesus asked His disciples to do before He told them He will always be with them: "Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations..."   _____________________________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; dedicated to providing you with the tools and resources needed to share your faith with others confidently and effectively.”

In the New Testament, Jesus performs miracle after miracle, healing the lame, the sick, and the blind. He even raised His friend Lazarus from the dead! Christ has the power to heal us physically, but the biggest miracle of all is that Jesus heals us spiritually. Psalms one hundred three (103) says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not his benefits, He forgives all of our iniquity, who heals all of our disease..." Physical illness is one of the awful side effects of sin coming into the world in the Garden of Eden. And the curse of sin has caused this world and everything in it to decay. However, Jesus has compassion for the sick and the hurting. Through His death on the cross, He offers anyone who puts their trust completely and firmly in Him healing from their sin, and complete healing one day in Heaven. Let us share the Saviour's love with those around us. _____________________________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; dedicated to providing you with the tools and resources needed to share your faith with others confidently and effectively.”

When we share our faith with another person, it is always important to ask not only if they desire to receive Jesus as their Saviour but also as their Lord. After Jesus' resurrection, He appeared to His disciples before ascending into Heaven and told them in, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me." Jesus is God—He is part of the trinity—and as such, He has dominion and power over everything. We should find security that our all-powerful, almighty God has this authority in our lives. I always find it helpful to picture driving a car. When we have trusted in Christ, we don't give Him the passenger seat or the back seat or the trunk! If He is truly our Lord, He takes the driver's seat and drives. Proverbs tells us, "In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." _____________________________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; dedicated to providing you with the tools and resources needed to share your faith with others confidently and effectively.”

In Matthew sixteen, thirteen to sixteen, Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied that some thought he was one of the prophets. And when Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And you know, to this day, people are still asking that very question: "Who is Jesus?" And being that Jesus is God, the answer to that question is too big to answer in one minute or an hour or a day. Today, I would like to start with this: that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. He came from Heaven to earth, lived an absolutely perfect life, and died on the cross for our sins. He rose from the dead, and is in Heaven now, offering the free gift of eternal life to anyone who will put their full trust in Him. Jesus is our Saviour! _____________________________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; dedicated to providing you with the tools and resources needed to share your faith with others confidently and effectively.”

When it comes to worshipping God, our heart matters. Our worship in a community of believers will only be as beneficial as our attitudes are sincere. Scripture gives us numerous "attitude checkpoints" by which we can examine our hearts to make certain that we are ready for worship. John wrote in John four that "a time [...]has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." And if the Spirit is in us, He will convict us and grow us as we worship God through Him. Our humble cry should be, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Our humble, joyful, attentive attitudes in worship matter to God. So, as we meet together with our church this weekend, let us come with the right attitude and worship our amazing Lord in Spirit and truth. _____________________________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; dedicated to providing you with the tools and resources needed to share your faith with others confidently and effectively.”

Central to every worship service should be the reading and proclaiming of the Word of God. This part of worship is non-negotiable—we need to be filling ourselves up with more of the Bible. When we hear Scripture as part of our community worship, we hear what God would say through His servant to comfort, encourage, warn, and rebuke us. And this truly demands our solemn attention. In Nehemiah chapter eight, we see an example of the Word of God being preached in a worship service. Ezra, the priest, read the Law of God from daybreak until noon, and the people of God listened attentively. It says that at the end of Ezra's reading, " he praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” They then bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground." Let us also be a people who value God's Word and worship Him when we hear it. ________________________________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; that is committed to equipping you with the tools and resources needed to confidently and effectively share your faith with others.”

Do you like to sing praises to God? Now, I know some of us aren't professional singers, but singing is an important part of Christian worship. Paul said that when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, singing will come naturally as an expression of our joy. In Ephesians 15:19, Paul writes, "be filled with the Spirit [...] singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart." You know, King David is a perfect example of the Holy Spirit causing us to worship through song. And as a leader, he was very concerned about the people of God singing in their worship services. Our hymns of worship should have a singular purpose to them: and that is to thank and praise the Lord for all He has done. He truly is worthy of all our praise! So what are we waiting for? Regardless of our abilities, let us create time today to sing to our King! ________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; that is committed to equipping you with the tools and resources needed to confidently and effectively share your faith with others.”

As we look this week at how we can grow spiritually through worship, we should consider how many of the Psalms were originally written for Jewish worship services. In Psalm ninety-five, we read that we worship God because He is the "great King." "In His hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The seas are His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land." And because God made this world and everything in it, the psalmist instructs us that we should bow down in worship and "kneel before the Lord our Maker." And it always leaves me in awe when I think about how our Creator has also created a way to redeem us from our sins—that the Creator Himself became a man to live a perfect life, to die on the cross for our sins. So today, let us worship Him—our Creator and Lord!   ________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; that is committed to equipping you with the tools and resources needed to confidently and effectively share your faith with others.”

Charles Spurgeon said, "Some Christians try to go to heaven alone, in solitude. But, believers are not compared to bears or lions or other animals that wander alone. Those who belong to Christ are sheep in this respect, that they love to get together. Sheep go in flocks, and so do God's people." We will not be able to grow in fellowship until we first develop our minds and spirits to be committed to fellowship. In Philippians two three (2:3), Paul tells us, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourself." And this is exactly how we should think concerning other believers. We need to cultivate thoughts of valuing them. And we need to prioritise edifying and encouraging them. And Jesus is our prime example of this—He met and associated with all kinds of people, and loved and grew them through meeting together. ________________________ Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; that is committed to equipping you with the tools and resources needed to confidently and effectively share your faith with others.”