Strengthening the Prophetic Anointing

TITLE: Strengthening the Prophetic Anointing
PREACHER: Mark and Colette Meeske
DATE: 9 MARCH 2014 – Sunday PM

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The Twelve: Four Disciples

TITLE: The Twelve: Four Disciples
PREACHER: Craig Herbert
DATE: 9 MARCH 2014 – Sunday AM at Bedfordview

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MEET THE MEN

Name: Philip
Marital Status: Home town and general facts: Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. He was called by Jesus to follow him the day after Peter and Andrew.
Profession: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Death: A second century Ephesian tradition believes he died at Hierapolis, roughly one hundred miles inland of Ephesus. Another tradition says Philip was crucified; and as a result, medieval art often depicts Philip on the cross.

**

Name: Thomas, or Didymus, meaning the twin
Profession: Unknown. Possibly a fisherman. He was fishing with six other disciples (Peter, James, John, Nathanel and 2 others that are unnamed) on the Sea of Tiberias after Jesus’ resurrection when Jesus appeared to them. The second miraculous catch of fish happened and Jesus cooked them breakfast. It seems as though these men had gone back to their old job in the absence of clear direction from Jesus after his resurrection. Hometown: Unknown. Traditionally somewhere in Galilee.
Married: Unknown.
Age: Unknown. Probably young. Most sources say Peter or James were probably the oldest of the 12, being between 20 and 25 years old. It is quite possible that he was still in his upper teens or low twenties.
Post-ascension ministry: There are many different accounts but they generally seem to agree that he first travelled through the near east: Turkey and Iran (Persia in those days) before reaching India sometime between 49AD and 52AD. He is generally credited with being the first to take the gospel to India, and beginning the church which then became the Orthodox church in India. His time in India is surrounded with legend with claims that he ministered to kings, built many great buildings, and evangelised a great many people. Historical evidence does seem to indicate that the orthodox churches in India (including southern India) are old enough to make the spread of the gospel there in the first century plausible. Certainly Christianity is one of the oldest religions in India – older than Islam.
Death: Most traditional accounts claim that he was martyred in India sometime about 72AD, possibly at Mylapore near Chennai. There is a tomb in Chennai which is claimed to be the tomb of Thomas. A catholic church, San Thome Basilica, was built over this tomb in the 16th century. Other traditional accounts claim that he was martyred in Persia. Still others claim that he died a natural death in Edessa. The last account is an account from the explorer Marco Polo from the 13th century: he claimed that Thomas was accidentally killed by an arrow near Chennai – he claimed that the arrow was shot by a man hunting peacocks.

**

Name: James son of  Alpheus
Father’s name: Alphaeus
Town of Origin: Unknown.
Other names/nicknames:    Possibly ‘James the Less’ or ‘James the Younger.’ This is a result of a possible correlation with the James referred to in Mark 15.40 who may or may not also be the James (the son of Mary) referred to in Luke 24.10 and (more probably) Mark 16.1.
Meaning of nickname: The Less would probably have referred to a younger age or a shorter height – not importance or status.
Profession: Unknown
Hometown: Unknown.
Married: Unknown.
Age: Unknown. Probably young. Most sources say Peter or James were probably the oldest of the 12, being between 20 and 25 years old. It is quite possible that he was still in his upper teens or low twenties.
Best remembered for: Being one of the 12.
Relatives: Possibly the brother of the apostle Matthew (Levi) who is also referred to as the son of Alphaeus. Otherwise unknown. Some dubious traditional sources claim he was a member of Jesus’ family – usually his brother, half-brother or cousin.
Social status: Unknown.
Personality: Unknown.
General facts: None known.
Post-ascension ministry: Very little known.
Death: Tradition maintains that he was martyred by crucifixion in Lower Egypt at Ostrakine.

**

Name: Jude, also know by several other names: Judas (not Iscariot) and Thaddeus. In lists of the Twelve, he is called Thaddeus, a surname for the name Lebbaeus (Matthew 10:3, KJV), which means “heart” or “courageous.” He wrote the book called Jude in the New Testament.
Marital Status: Unknown
Home town: Unknown
Profession: Unknown
Age: 16-18
Relatives: Father – Alphaeus , Brother – James the Less
Social Status: Unknown
Personality: A man of unwavering conviction
Death: He was crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72 while on a missionary trip to Persia, according to tradition.

**

THEY LAID THEIR LIVES DOWN

As elders we feel that, as a church, we are called to be followers of Christ, and that’s what the disciples were. They learned Jesus’ trade, which was to seek and save the lost.

We don’t know much about these four disciples. When it comes to Peter, James and John we see them often encouraged and rebuked and a lot of scripture is around them. It’s been difficult finding things about these four men, we’ve had to look at church history in a big way for this one, to see how they influenced the world.

What’s significant about all four of these disciples is that they laid their lives down for the Gospel. Read more

The Exchange: The Book of Revelation – Laodicia

TITLE: The Exchange: The Book of Revelation – Laodicia
SPEAKER: Greg McAlpine
DATE: 7 MARCH – Friday AM

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The Exchange (7 March)

The Exchange on 7 March

Living passionately and enthusiastically

It’s The Exchange this Friday (7 March). We’ll be kicking off our new seven part series that looks at the seven letters to the churches in the book of Revelation and applies the principles found there to our roles in the marketplace.

This week we’re looking at the church in Laodicia, known for being lukewarm and blasé. We, however, are called to live passionately, enthusiastically and zealously in all that we do.

It promises to be a challenging and inspiring time!

The Exchange
Friday, 7 March
At Cornerstone Church Bedfordview
Click here for a map
6:00am: Coffee
6:30am: Prompt Start

Join our new Exchange LinkedIn Group

Join our new LinkedIn group where we will inform of upcoming events and have a space to discuss topics relating to The Exchange and the marketplace.

To join, click here and then click on the yellow JOIN button at the top right. (You may need to log in to LinkedIn.)

Alternatively, log in to LinkedIn, search for “The Exchange, Johannesburg”, click on it when it pops up and then click on JOIN.

Looking forward to connecting on LinkedIn!

A Glimpse into Eternity (The Perfect Wave) – Ian McCormack

TITLE: A Glimpse into Eternity (The Perfect Wave)
PREACHER: Ian McCormack
DATE: 28 FEBRUARY 2014 – Friday PM

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At the age of 24, New Zealander and surfer Ian McCormack and his best friend went looking for “the perfect wave”. They embark on a journey that takes them to Australia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Mauritius. It’s in Mauritius that Ian’s life changed forever. Stung by five deadly box jellyfish while on a night dive, Ian finds his atheist beliefs challenged after having an extraordinary experience.

Ian came to share his story with us at Cornerstone Bedfordview while we also got to meet Bruce MacDonald, the director of the movie “The Perfect Wave” which is based on Ian’s life story. It was indeed a very interesting and inspiring evening.

Ian’s story is very different to many other of the books and “near-death” or “after-death” experiences you hear about out there. What sets it apart is he constantly refers back to the Bible as he relates his experience. There are many people who claim to have gone to heaven but one is sceptical of their story – especially when they talk of golden plaques above beds and many other things that seem to reflect worldly values and not heavenly values. Ian has committed his life to letting people know about Jesus and the Gospel.

We had a wonderful evening with Ian and the film-makers of The Perfect Wave. Here is the trailer for The Perfect Wave – it’s in cinemas this week.

The Story (14 – 16 March)

The Story

From strife to rest; from darkness to light; from death to life; from war to peace; from hate to love. This is the story of man and the story of God.

Experience The Story on Sunday evening – an evening of film, music and storytelling – on the weekend of 14 – 16 March at Cornerstone Church Bedfordview.

Tickets are R20 per ticket – why not buy a ticket for friends and family?

Friday, 14 March is a youth evening only – youth are invited to attend at NO COST. Show will open at 7pm.
Saturday, 15 March – show will open at 6pm
Sunday, 16 March – show will open at 6pm.

Food will be on sale. Or bring food to share!

Send this invite to friends!

The Story

Friday, 14 March – Sunday, 16 March
at Cornerstone Church Bedfordview
Benard Road East
Morninghill
Bedfordview
Click here for a map
Tel: 011-616-4073
Email: info@www.cornerstonechurch.co.za
R20 per ticket
Friday evening for youth only – no cost for youth

The Twelve: Judas

TITLE: The Twelve: Judas
PREACHER: Marcus Herbert
DATE: 2 MARCH 2014 – Sunday AM at Bedfordview

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BIO

Name: Judas Iscariot – Judas means praise or God leads.

Marital Status: Unknown

Home town: Kerioth. The Hebrew word for Iscariot means ‘man of the village of Keriyyoth’. Kerioth was about 25 km south of Hebron, in southern Judea, Israel. Judas was from the tribe of Judah, the same as Jesus.

Profession: Unknown

Age: 25-30 years old (unreliable source)

Relatives: Father: Simon Iscariot (John 6:71)

Social status: Unknown, but again from unreliable sources, these state that he must have been an educated man to be trusted as the treasurer.

Personality: Devious, underhanded, sold out to money and greed, despicable, a coward, untrustworthy, hypocritical, a disappointment and a betrayer!

Best remembered for: Selling Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver, and betraying Jesus with a kiss.

Position amongst the twelve: His name is always mentioned last in the list of disciples, and is accompanied by the statement that he betrayed Jesus. He was appointed by Jesus to be the treasurer. (John 12:6; 13:29)

Death: After realising what he done to Jesus, he hung himself.


LESSONS WE LEARN FROM JUDAS’ LIFE

Acts 1:17-20

For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’

There are three things we can pick out from the Scriptures about Judas that are relevant for us today:

1. He never responded to correction

2. We have a choice over our future

3. The love of money destroys

Let’s take a look at each of these. Read more

Wanting to Respond to the Call

IMG_5840 by Ryan Peter

We had a hugely encouraging time with Hennie Keyter and his motley crew on Sunday night as they shared with us their stories, struggles, and joys of living out the apostolic call of God. I couldn’t help coming away and feeling that, even if I’m not as tough as Hennie, God has a plan and purpose for us all and, perhaps, I just need to “get over myself” and go for it.

Hennie launched his book His Call, My All at the event. Janet Batchelor has been reading the book and here’s what she thinks:

“His Call, My All” has inspired me about God’s call for our lives in a very big way. As you read it you start saying to yourself, “I want to have a heart like that.” Hennie reflects on many things in this book – and you get to know him, find out more of his background, and how he met Rita and led his family – but one thing that comes up again and again is God’s goodness and that if you trust God, He comes through.  Through all the stories Hennie relates in this book – and it’s been a gripping read – you see the Lord honour Hennie’s determination for the apostolic call in the most amazing situations. Doors open as a result and the Gospel can spread further. I know that anyone who reads this book will, at the end, want to go fulfil God’s purposes for them.

First Impressions (15 March)

First Impressions Slide

Responding to the Call

TITLE: Responding to the Call
PREACHER: Q&A with Hennie Keyter
DATE: 23 FEBRUARY 2014 – Sunday PM

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