HOUSE ON THE ROCK INTERNATIONAL PRAYER GROUP
April, 2010
And he said unto them, Go ye into the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. [Mark 15:16]
My house shall be called a house of prayers: [Matthew 21:13]
WE PRAY YOU HAD A HAPPY & HEALTHY PASSOVER
MESSAGE OF THE CROSS: Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10)
This past week has been a very significant time of reflection for all Christians as we celebrated and commemorated the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Messiah) or Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Jesus (Yeshua) means Salvation and Christ or Messiah (Ha Mashiach means the Anointed One. It was a remembrance and reflection of the significance of the Cross. It was a reminder of the love and sacrifice demonstrated by our Lord and Saviour over two thousand years ago, a love incomparable to none.
What is significant about the story is the salvation and forgiveness of our sins that we received through the shedding of blood. Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb so that we can all be saved. The whole scene bordered on the aspect of not only the fact that blood was shed, but that it was the shedding of perfect, sinless, spotless blood of the Lamb of God on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
God had his reason for allowing his son to die for us. He works everything according to his divine plan. It was all according to plan as had been prophesied in Isaiah that a virgin was to give birth to a son who was to be the Saviour of the world. As sin came through one man, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were cursed. Salvation through Jesus’ death by crucifixion was designed by God to bring man back to him.
In God's eyes, because of the first sin of Adam and Eve as well as our failure to keep God’s commandments or laws, we became sinners deserving death. However, because of his loving nature he sent his son to redeem us from the curse of the law. He became a curse for us by hanging on the tree or cross. Although man had been cursed and deserved to die, Christ Himself bore the curse and died in our place. His crucifixion on the cross was a symbol of the curse he bore upon himself, setting us free from the bondage of sin. He then exchanged or traded our sin for an eternal blessing.
As we celebrated Easter, we were rejoicing that we have been freed from the curse through his death. Not only were we celebrating his death but his resurrection from death. He overcame death because he was God and he ascended into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of the Father. His death brought us eternal life and we look forward to his second coming.
We therefore need to have a personal relationship with him by accepting him as our Lord and Saviour. Through this relationship with Christ, we can have eternal life forever with God in heaven. Our sins are forgiven and we become new people in him. Blessings replace the curse and condemnation. We need to renew our relationship with Christ so that we become partakers of God’s kingdom.
It is unfortunate that unbelievers have transformed Easter holiday to celebration of bunnies and eggs, which bear no relevance whatsoever to the event. We need to set examples to our own children and loved ones so that they do not get caught up in the activities of this world designed to make us backslide. Books and films are being made or written to pull out weak believers. The Lord warns us to be on guard as we are in the last days. We therefore need to guard our faith and be steadfast. There is a blasphemous film being shown in the cinemas called “Not the Messiah”. Watch out for such films and books and do not get caught up in them.
Remember we are in this world but not of this world. Hold fast to your faith in these trying times we live in. The love of many shall wax cold. Blessed are those who will stand, overcome and die in the Lord
Scripture readings: Galatians 3:13-14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, 'CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE.' That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith Deuteronomy 21:22-23, "If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance. Isaiah 32:15 Until the spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy offspring: Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: Jeremiah 32:39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Zephaniah 3:9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, says the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy offspring: Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fall short of God's glory. Galatians 3:24: Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Romans 6:23: Those who sin deserve eternal death, for the wages of sin is death
Revelation 20:15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Confession: Psalm 91
As I dwell in the secret place of the Most High I shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver me from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover me with his feathers, and under his wings I shall trust: his truth shall be my shield and buckler. I shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come near me. Only with my eyes shall I behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because I have made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, my habitation; There shall no evil befall me, neither shall any plague come near my dwelling; For he shall give his angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. They shall bear me up in their hands, lest I dash my foot against a stone. I shall tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shall I trample under feet; Because I have set my love upon him, therefore he will deliver me: He will set me on high, because I have known his name. I will call upon the Lord, and he will answer me: He will be with me in trouble; He will deliver me, and honour me. With long life will he satisfy me, and show me his salvation.
FRIDAY PRAYER GROUPs: Please continue to meet in groups and share the Word. If you cannot meet pick up your phone and pray with a loved one. This is how we keep encouraging each other. How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, and hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying [1Cor.14:26]. As we come to pray and worship, let us allow the Spirit of the Lord to use us to build, strengthen, uplift and encourage each other in the faith. Come to prayer with a verse or song to uplift the brethren.
CHILDREN IN CRISIS: Millions of children suffer in Africa, Asia and the rest of the world. It is a challenge to touch them with God's love. Make a donation to any organization helping children and feed a child for a day. If you can do it continually, this is a great sacrifice. Help these organizations to make positive changes by helping one child at a time.
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