With a new year comes a new lifeteam. These dynamic youngsters come from all over the world to serve God and His people. We would like you to get to know them so here are a few ice-breakers. Reading about them is good but don’t be a stranger, make an effort to meet them face to face. They’re part of the family now.
Name: Mpho Ntuli – Lifeteam Leader
Age: 20
Hometown: Johannesburg – South Africa
What did you do last year?
Teaching
What do you plan to do next year?
I plan to walk wholly into what God has for me! 
What are your expectations for this year?
One of my biggest prayers for this year’s team is that God would minister to us through His Holy Spirit like none of us have experienced before. Also that this would be a year of raising leaders.
You’re going to a deserted island and can take three things. A book, a person and some form of entertainment. What would you choose?
The Racist Guide to South Africa
My best friend Claudio
Definitely my guitar!
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Name: Shaheedah Aufe
Age: 19
Hometown: Gweru – Zimbabwe
What did you do last year?
Matric
What do you plan to do next year?
Go to Medical School
What are your expectations for this year?
Draw closer to God. Be a very social person and make new friends. Serve God and other people. Have fun, learning and doing new things. And finally be a part of the Cornerstone family.
You’re going to a deserted island and can take three things. A book, a person and some form of entertainment. What would you choose?
A Karen Kingsbury novel
My mother
A TV!
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Name: Jabulile Antoinette Dlamini
Age: 19
Hometown: Jeppestown, Johannesburg – South Africa
What did you do last year?
I completed my Matric
What do you plan to do next year?
I would like to study to become a social worker
What are your expectations for this year?
I would like to learn more about the Gospel. To have more confidence when sharing His Word. I want to serve Him and preach His Word to those who don’t know Him.
You’re going to a deserted island and can take three things. A book, a person and some form of entertainment. What would you choose?
Joy for the Journey
Anika Kruger
My phone, a skipping rope or a ball
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Name: David Edward Wahba
Age: 21
Hometown: Cairo – Egypt
What did you do last year?
I studied a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance
What do you plan to do next year?
I still don’t know but will definitely serve God in whatever way I can.
What are your expectations for this year?
I expect to know God more and what my next step should be. I hope to have a better understanding of God’s call on my life and I look forward to interacting with different cultures and communities.
You’re going to a deserted island and can take three things. A book (other than the bible), a person and some form of entertainment. What would you choose?
Either Secret Believers or The Shack
Akram – my best friend
My Wii or X-Box
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Name: Mattanja Bakker
Age: 19
Hometown: Noordhorn – Germany
What did you do last year?
Finished school and worked at McDonalds
What do you plan to do next year?
I would like to study History and English.
What are your expectations for this year?
Change. Greater intimacy with God. Improve my English.
You’re going to a deserted island and can take three things. A book, a person and some form of entertainment. What would you choose?
Il Milione
Marco Polo – yes, the famous explorer
Surfboard
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Name: Tshepo Mashiane
Age: 20
Hometown: Springs Kwa Thema – South Africa
What did you do last year?
I was at school in grade 11. I also spent a lot of time doing art.
What do you plan to do next year?
I’m planning on going back to college to finish my studies. I’d like to do a course in Boiler-making
What are your expectations for this year?
My expectation is to know how to share the Gospel. I want to take this year seriously and make the most of it.
You’re going to a deserted island and can take three things. A book, a person and some form of entertainment. What would you choose?
The Bible
Nick Wienand
Soccer ball
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Name: Tshepo “Fish” Sisoko
Age: 20
Hometown: Malvern East, Johannesburg – South Africa
What did you do last year?
Art and swimming.
What do you plan to do next year?
Work and do a swimming instructor’s course
What are your expectations for this year?
To know more about the Gospel and getting to know Jesus more.
You’re going to a deserted island and can take three things. A book, a person and some form of entertainment. What would you choose?
Make God First
Kyle McClean or Kyle Bosman
My swimming gear
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TITLE: Acts 1:8 – You Will Receive Power
PREACHER: Mark Meeske
DATE: 19 FEBRUARY 2012 – Sunday AM
(Right Click the link and choose the ‘Save As’ Option)
Marcus and Adele are currently in the U.S. with Tyrone Daniel and many others on the NCMI team. They’ve sent us a little update on how things are going there, so here it is:
From Denver
13 February 2012
We’re starting our team meetings Tuesday through to Thursday this week. Please pray for us. God’s will and directing are of paramount importance.
We then go on to spend the weekend and a few days with Kirk and Jan Slow in Ottawa, Canada. We’re looking forward to our ministry time and connecting time there. They do feel like they are on the frontiers of our vision and need all the support and friendship they can get.
We believe God has led them there to plant a base church and already the signs of that are evident. They are moving into a new venue and are trusting God for greater breakthrough with young people. Nathaniel, their son, is being used by God in this regard!
I’ve heard great reports from home and hear that part two on the Holy Spirit has been well received. This is our season and this is the challenge of the day: how is your relationship with the Holy Spirit? He has taken hold of us and is doing things in us so that He can move through us in a mighty way.
I want to urge us to stay the course. The enemy will try to steal the baby! But we overcome through the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and not loving our lives unto death (Revelation 12:11).
We love you guys and are enjoying the privilege of sailing again! See you soon!
Marcus & Adele
The First Key Women Meeting for 2012 was held on Thursday 2nd February and after worship, an introduction and sad farewell to Bernie Weeden, Collette Meeske discussed the plan for the year ahead.
Exciting dates to diarise are:
9th March – Discussion by leading gynecologist on Women’s Health,
17 – 20th May- Kaleidoscope 2012
28th July – A talk by a local Image Consultant.
1st Sep - Annual Spring Walk
These are all perfect opportunities for women to fellowship together and invite other women from the community to join.
The Theme for 2012 – ‘Lessons Learnt from the Remarkable Women of the Bible’
Theme Scripture – 1 Corinthian 10 – 11 and Proverbs 3.
We can learn and follow the examples from the leading women in the bible and I encourage all women to take 2 hours a month and come to the Key Women meeting.
Some verses offering encouragement and inspiration are Ephesians 2 vs. 10 – ‘For we are God’s Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’
Read 2 Timothy 3 vs. 6-7.
Remember in Christ we are all equal 2 Corinthians 3 vs. 4 – 5
Women have a role to play -
In Christ we are competent,
In Christ we are adequate
and in Christ we are sufficient.
You do have a role to Play. Join Collette on the 8th March to learn more about the remarkable women of the Bible and how God uses ordinary women to achieve remarkable things.
The Christian life is one full of adventure when we allow God to use us. That was the message Gregg MacAlpine shared with us on Friday morning. The predominant themes coming out of our time of Prayer & Fasting the week before, were “We’re Going Sailing Again” and “Roaring Forties, Doldrums and Traded Winds” and Gregg made this applicable to those in the marketplace. As he illustrated, we’re looking to move from “here to there” and not get caught in a life of simply maintaining the status-quo.
This was the first Exchange meeting of 2012 and the turnout was brilliant. It is so great to see so many men and women who want God to use them in their workplaces. As we met before the meeting and connected over a cappuccino , there was an air of excitement and anticipation. There were a number of first-time visitors who were treated to copy of Chippy Brand’s “Branded by Grace.” As Gregg shared the sense of challenge was strong and I believe many were changed as the Holy Spirit ministered. We ended the morning with a delicious breakfast, served by Linda and her team. Thanks to all who were involved.
Gregg concluded with this challenge; “To “Go Sailing” and make the most of this life that God calls you to, to live well, and to live to the full, you require a ticket! A two coupon ticket of FAITH and WORKS. The coupon of works is not good for passage, and the coupon of FAITH is not valid if detached from WORKS!”
We look forward to seeing you at the next Exchange.
P.S. You can download the recording and Gregg’s notes here.
It’s nearly seven months later and here finally is the long overdue second part of my “Why Lead Worship?” series of posts (read part one here).
As a brief aside, my previous post was followed by some good discussion around the use of the popular term “leading worship”. For various reasons, it’s actually not my favourite term for what musicians do while serving in the area of the musical expression of worship in a local church setting. I would actually like to cover this point properly but that will have to be in a different post.
Getting back on-topic, I think it’s fairly obvious that I was referring to David at the end of my previous post. David is a good character to look at with this topic for various reasons, one of which is simply because there’s just so much to see in scripture about this guy. We can learn a lot about and from him in 1 and 2 Samuel, Chronicles and in other parts of the Bible.
Not only can we see his heart as displayed through the story of his life, we can also see it in great detail in the things that he wrote. The Psalms are a big collection of songs and poems that essentially made up Israel’s “worship song file” and David wrote many of them.
What’s also interesting is how scripture doesn’t rose-tint the story of David’s life. We see that he was a polygamist, adulterer and ultimately a scheming murderer who ruled over a nation and yet left his own family in a complete mess. Yet despite all this, scripture also speaks very highly of him. David is used by the Apostles and New Testament writers Peter, in Acts 2, and Paul, in Acts 13, as a prophetic picture or type of Jesus Christ Himself. The Messiah is often referred to in the Old Testament prophetic books and in the gospels as “the Son of David”.
And then there’s this big one, especially within the scope of this series of posts: In his Acts 13 sermon, Paul talks about David as a person whom God calls “a man after my heart” (v22).
Until fairly recently I had always interpreted this phrase to mean a person who is in pursuit of God’s heart – a worshiper. While this kind of statement may be true of David, it isn’t what this text is actually saying. The word translated “after” is the Greek word kata which means “according to” and not “in pursuit of”. So, it uses “after” as in, “a son takes after his father” and not, “grown men chasing after a ball.” I had always understood the phrase incorrectly as “David… a man who pursues God’s heart” whereas the correct understanding would actually be, “David… a man who has the same characteristics or qualities as God’s heart.”
Coming to understand this, I have to say that this must be one of scripture’s highest commendations of any man – God saying that this man, David, had some of the same characteristics as Himself. As far as I know, David is the only person in the Bible that God directly describes this way. Surely this is something we would love be true about us and so it is this statement that we must investigate further.
Why does scripture make such high commendations of a person who’s life story would make a serious R-rated movie? You could argue that there must be better characters in the Bible to choose for this honour.
This contrast beautifully illustrates the triumph of God’s grace over sinful human messiness in the achievement of His sovereign will. But even with this in mind, we still have to ask what it was that David had or did that caused God to call him a man after His heart in both the Old (through Samuel in 1 Sam 13:14) and New Testaments (through Paul in Acts 13)?
To answer this we have to examine what it was about David that was after or “according to” God’s heart. More on that in part 3 which hopefully won’t take another seven months to post.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts? What kind of similarities between David and the heart of God can you see?
As has been announced, this weekend we’ll be having water baptisms. If you haven’t been baptised before and you’d like to get baptised, please chat to one of the Cornerstone elders. You can call them at 011-616-4073 during office hours if you want to chat to them today.
But what is water baptism? Why do we do it? Is it some weird, religious ceremony that bears no meaning? What exactly is it about?
Here’s a brief little outline. The first thing to remember is that water baptism is a very simple matter – you don’t need to go through some hectic course before you can do it; you don’t need to learn Latin so you can chant some strange spiritual phrase; and, if you get baptised, you don’t have to wonder for the rest of your life what exactly it all meant.
If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, given Jesus your life, believed that He is the Son of God, put your faith in Jesus (these are just different phrases for the same thing, the act of believing in Jesus) then you can be baptised. And you should. Here’s why.
1) Water Baptism is a symbol, and an important one
Scripture says that when we begin to trust (have faith) in Jesus something real, but miraculous, happens to us. We are ‘born again’, ‘given life’ and ‘regenerated’. Romans 6: 1-14 specifically talks about being ‘dead to sin’ and ‘made alive to Christ’. Essentially, everything about our old way of life and our old desires are changed, made ‘dead’. Perhaps, before, you used to partake in some activity that you knew was wrong but you didn’t care. Now you find you care – and you care very much indeed. Maybe you used to do one or two shady deals at the office, now you find you just can’t do that anymore. Something inside you has changed.
This change has been done by God Himself, through the Holy Spirit. If that sounds spooky to you it’s not. But we can’t go into too much detail on that here as we’re talking about water baptism. The short of it is that God now fellowships and abides with you. He is nudging you in a life of true happiness and joy – a life of less and less sin.You have died to your old way of life – sin – and you are now alive to your new way of life – Jesus. It’s not just your acts that change but also your very nature.
And there’s no limit to what God does in terms of change. You could have been involved in some of the ugliest sinful stuff out there, but God still forgives and He both has and will deliver you from your sin. That’s the end of it.
Going under the water symbolises the reality of this event – you ‘die’ when you go under, you are ‘alive’ when you come back up. Metaphorically, of course. It’s done publicly so that everyone can see your personal commitment to living in Jesus Christ.
It’s also true that the act not only symbolises a past event (when you accepted Jesus) but also a future one – when you will physically die and be raised up to live forever, now with a glorified and sinless body. Just like Jesus who rose up on the third day. Except now God would have made a new heavens and earth (Rev 21:1) where we will live forever in His joyful presence. As can be seen, even all of creation – heaven and earth – will undergo a kind of death and resurrection. What baptism represents goes incredibly deep when you study it.
2) Jesus got baptised, so should we
As we follow Christ we do what Jesus did and even He got baptised. Read Mat 3: 13 – 17. Jesus also commanded that as we make disciples of all men, bringing them to Him, we also baptise them. Read Matt 28:19-20 for more on that.
In obedience to God’s command it’s good that we get baptised as quickly as possible after we make a commitment to Jesus. This is to help encourage us to go all the way, as it were, with our new commitment.
Baptism, as a physical act, also helps us to deal with doubt in the future. This is because it was an actual event, something that others saw as well, not an abstract or emotional choice that we might question later in life – wondering to ourselves if we really made a commitment to Jesus or not. (Unfortunately, a lot of teaching out there can put these sorts of doubts into our heads.) Now we can look back at a physical, not abstract, event and be sure of the reality of our commitment in our own minds.
In the Old Testament we see God regularly command the Israelites to remember certain days with festivals or altars and that sort of thing. He instructs them to do this so that they won’t forget what He did for them. Baptism is a moment in our lives we can always look back on when the going gets tough to remind us of what Jesus did – he made us dead to sin and alive to Christ. So we can live it!
3) The early church did it, so we do too
There are a number of places in Scripture where it shows the early church baptised. See Acts 2:37 – 41; Acts 8: 12 – 13; Acts 8: 36 – 38; Acts 9: 17; Acts 22: 16; Acts 10: 33 – 48; Acts 16: 13 – 15; Acts 16: 31 – 34. This isn’t holding to a tradition, this is holding to Scripture which commands we be baptised.
4) What about infant baptism; christening; sprinkling etc.
If you were christened; sprinkled; baptised as an infant you still need to get baptised as an adult (or, rather, at an appropriate age of understanding). This is because, as a baby, you can’t make a commitment to Jesus. You don’t even know you have hands and feet yet! Never mind deciding to turn away from your sins and making a commitment to Jesus. This is also why (amongst other reasons) at Cornerstone we don’t do infant baptisms.
5) Still not sure about this? No problem
You can chat to any of the elders, your Life Group leader, or get a copy of our Foundations manual for more. We’re also going to be starting a Foundations Bible Study soon (keep your eye open for details) that Andrew and Kirsten Marsterton (Deacons in Cornerstone) will be running. You can chat to them – if you don’t know what they look like, though, just call the church office at 011-616-4073 and ask to speak to an elder about baptism.
6) Want to get baptised? Awesome
Chat to any of the elders or your Life Group leader. If you’re not that integrated yet into Cornerstone, give any of the elders a call at 011-616-4073.
The Krugers being ordained onto Eldership
Last night at Central Cornerstone we celebrated God’s design for church leadership – specifically, elders and pastoral leadership. The evening was filled with mixed emotions as we said goodbye to Ian and Bernie Weeden, who are off to Nelspruit to continue the call of God on their lives there, and Barry and Charlene Ward, with their two daughters Taryn and Robyn, as they head off to Durban North to plant a church. We also celebrated the inclusion of Waldo and Anika Kruger on the eldership team, who were ordained by Greig Garratt from NewDay who is also a part of Tyrone’s NCMI team.
What a wonderful eve. It was great hearing the solid testimony around these couples – how they have pushed forward in what God has for them, how they’ve been so faithful, how they’ve touched lives. While it’s sad seeing some of the guys go, this is what the call in God is about – the apostolic, going where God wants the Gospel and the Kingdom to go, and being available for wherever He wants to send us.
The Weedens
The Wards
After the ordaining and the sending off of the Weeden’s and Wards, Craig and Shaun told us about the movie and music escapades of these two couples which was really funny. So awesome to celebrate in this way!
UPDATED:
Download Greig Garratt’s message from the evening.
On Friday night and Saturday morning this past weekend, the Cornerstone Elders connected with the Deacons, Leaders, Potential Leaders, Workers etc. of Cornerstone to “invision” us for the new year and chat about the prophetic season the Elders feel we are entering – a season of sailing in the “trade winds” of all God has for us!
The two key words for the time are “vision and strategy”, two works that are often misunderstood. In our context, what is meant by vision and strategy is that this is the best estimation of what God is saying to us now, and what some of the resulting implications are.
“We are called to dream wild and dream big!!! God’s dream for us needs to scare us, otherwise it’s not God’s dream but ours!” says the InVision pamphlet which was handed to the leaders.
The key passages and points spoken about over the weekend were :
The moving into the trade winds needs to be kicked off with prayer, which is why we are having a prayer and fasting weekend this coming weekend. It’s going to be a powerful time. Listen to Marcus’ “A Call to Prayer Sermon” preached last week for more on why we view prayer as important.
Works and Faith
A key word for our time together was the correlation between works and faith. Some of us have great works but little faith, some of us have great faith and little works. No need for us to feel guilty, but we need to ask God to help us where we are lacking.
Ultimately, faith comes from God and empowers us to perform good works. Some of us may feel we are in the doldrums or the roaring forties in our own lives and having faith right now is difficult for us. But it is God who is working in us and performing His will in us (Phil 2:13; Hebrews 13:20). If we lack faith, let’s ask God, who will give us all good things!
What’s important never changes
As we move into the future it’s great to hear how the elders feel about what never changes and what can change. The Gospel will never change and Cornerstone will always preach the Gospel, no matter what’s going on. While meeting times, methods of serving, logistics, events and such things can change; and while our evangelism strategies should change, as well as anything that breaks down or works against the apostolic calling of Cornerstone – the Gospel and the message of the Gospel that Cornerstone will preach, teach, sing, write about, talk about and live in will never change. Jesus Christ will always remain the same and be the centre of Cornerstone’s life.
UPDATED:
Download Marcus’ message on the InVision Friday night
Download Marcus’ message on the InVision Saturday morning
Download the ‘Orientation’ sermon from Sunday morning
