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Trusting in God’s Provision

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by Christopher Bompas

It is easy to get accustomed to a mentality based on scarcity and worry. We worry if our debit orders are going to go through, whether we will have enough cash to check out of the shops, if our transport money will last till the end of the month, and many other things.

Christ knows our needs. The simple words ‘give us our daily bread’ in the Lord’s Prayer lay out a pattern by which we should position ourselves in relation to God. When we place our dependence in God, we also open ourselves to receive and share his blessings.

So how can we open ourselves up to receive and share God’s provision?

Surrender to Jesus. Fear is such a dangerous emotion because it opens the door to greed, vanity and pride. Jesus offers us eternal peace in him (John 14:27). Does it mean that our problems are going to disappear overnight? Obviously not. What we will have instead is the spiritual reserves to push through them.

Avoid debt. While it is not a sin to borrow money, it is that much harder to serve Christ and service a debt (Romans 13:8) at the same time. Read this useful article on how to pay off your debts faster!

Sow seeds. The Father is our model for radical generosity. He held nothing back, not even his Son (John 3:16). Giving is essential to the spiritual principal of sowing and reaping. God always rewards the little faith that we show when we give unselfishly (2 Corinthians 9:10-15) in time, energy and finances.

Be patient. Unlike Debonairs, God’s provision doesn’t come with the promise “if it’s late, it’s free”. In fact, you can’t buy it, much less deserve it. Just as a farmer plants a field, blessings take time to reap a harvest. God’s timing is perfect. He knows exactly what we need and when (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Seek Christ first and what you need will be added unto you. Stay connected.

One on One with Joe Muthee

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by Christopher Bompas

If you are part of Yeoville, you will know that Joe Muthee often starts his sermon by introducing himself as the proud husband of Cathy and father of two beautiful kids. We caught up with Joe to find out more.

Chris: Tell us about your background, for example, how you came to South Africa, where you went to school and your family?

Joe: I came to S.A. from Kenya at the age of 11 with my mom by road. It took us five days to get here. Soon afterwards, I enrolled in Hillcrest Primary School and then completed my secondary education at Jeppe High School for Boys. I have three sisters and a brother. My youngest sister lives in Kenya while the rest of my siblings live in Joburg. Both my parents are alive and they live in Kenya.

Chris: What are your hobbies and interests? How do you relax?

Joe: I enjoy reading books, watching sports (soccer in particular), listening to good music (Deep House takes the cake) and connecting with people. I also enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities.

Chris: How did you come to know Christ? Was it in Cornerstone Church?

Joe: Jesus Christ drew me to himself at a yearly NCMI Equip in September 2006. This was after two years of floating around.

Chris: Tell about your journey into eldership?

Joe: The call to eldership came after seven years of faithfully serving in any and every role possible. It was a surprise at first but I knew it was right as I had desired it. But along the journey I had to come to terms and understand that I do not need a title to serve Christ. Once this settled in my heart, it wasn’t long before I got ordained. What a journey! Being an elder is a function, not a title.

Chris: Who are your spiritual mentors or the people that inspire you?

Joe: RT Kendall is one of my favourite modern-day spiritual heroes. The late Michael Eaton is another one who has influenced or shaped my Christian life. As this is a journey, I have other names within our ranks that I have great respect for and some are not even ‘elder’ than me. For me, a hero is someone who you know – you have seen their weaknesses and their strengths, and not just their strengths (their high moments).

Chris: Long before our site was started you were involved in evangelisation in Yeoville. Why did you choose this community?

Joe: I didn’t choose Yeoville; God gave me a love for the people in this beautiful community. Planting this site was not difficult as I loved the people. Interestingly, Yeoville was the first place I lived in when I arrived in S.A.

Chris: What are the challenges and opportunities that you and Ken have in ministering in Yeoville?

Joe: Challenges: Spiritual immaturity and prevalent socio-economic problems. Opportunities: Many Yeovillians feel they have no hope. We have the opportunity to bring hope to them through the gospel. We also have opportunities to up-skill people in various ways in order for them to provide for themselves.

Chris: As a market-place elder, how do you balance your business with your ministry?

Joe: The simplest answer is by the grace of God. I am not being ‘super-spiritual’. I have no idea how I balance everything, it just happens.

Chris: What kind of legacy would like to leave for your children?

Joe: I would love for my children to impact their respective communities with the gospel: the love of Christ, first and foremost – and also open doors for others to succeed in different industries.

Children’s Church: Jesus, the Resurrection

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Continuing with our ‘I AM’ series, this weekend we looked at Jesus declaring that He is the Resurrection. Can you even imagine making such a statement? How could people take you seriously if you declare that you are the Resurrection? What does that even mean exactly? Well, we unpacked this statement a little bit this weekend.

Our Part
There are many things that people turn to as a ‘lifesaver’. We discussed how money, family, medicine, even our talents can be turned to as a giver of life. These things have value, but they cannot save us.

We then looked at the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus waited four days after Lazarus’ death to display his authority and prove His statement that He is the Resurrection. Jesus proved this again when He did resurrect from the dead. Jesus proved that He is the Resurrection. Jesus alone is our giver of life to the life and He truly is our only lifesaver.

Your Part
Explain the term “resurrection” to your children and how Jesus is our resurrection. Our hope is that our children are growing to see the incredible person Jesus is, the promises he makes, and the life we now have because of him. How is the reading plan going? We would love feedback from you how this term is going.

– The Children’s Church team

Who Should our Children Listen to?

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There are so many voices in our lives today that are trying to lead us: our voice, the world’s voice, our friend’s voice, the enemy’s voice, and God’s voice – to name a few. It must be so difficult for our children to try and determine the truth for life now and their future. Who should our children listen to? Who should they trust?

Jesus says that He is the gate for the sheep (John 10:9). Continuing with last week’s lesson on Jesus being our shepherd, we continued to unpack this metaphor who is Jesus is to us, and how, because of who He is, we can trust His voice above all others.

Our Part
We looked at three stories this Sunday: Jesus healing Jarius’s daughter, Jesus calming the storm, and Jesus freeing the man with evil spirits. In all three stories, as soon as Jesus speaks, what he commands happens: the daughter comes back to life, the storm stops, and the man is freed of the evil spirits. Jesus’ voice has such authority that storms, death, and evil will obey Jesus. We can trust His voice. His voice speaks truth. We can follow Jesus.

Our craft and games this Sunday aimed to show how we need to learn to hear Jesus’ voice. We aimed to show that Jesus alone is our way to God, our Father.

Your Part
This picture Jesus gives of himself is so practical to understand. We showed a video of how sheep would only listen to their shepherd’s voice. Help your children with meeting Jesus, with getting to know Jesus, and learning how to hear His voice. Again, reading scripture is key for this. Pray with your children. Show them what it means to trust Jesus.

We continue with the next ‘I AM’ statement next week.

– The Children’s Church team

Children’s Church: The Good Shepherd

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If your child is not sure of a future career path, we may have swayed them to consider being a shepherd. We apologise if that worries you. This past Sunday we looked at what Jesus meant when he said that He is the Good Shepherd. Once again, Jesus caused some dispute with those listening to Him. How can a carpenter claim to be a shepherd, one who will lay down his life for his sheep? We had a wonderful time exploring what Jesus meant when He said that He is the shepherd and we are His sheep.

Our Part

Our memory verse this week was, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me” (John 10:14). Across the sites some teachers tried to dress like fake shepherds. There were even some wolves trying to act like sheep. The children had to identify that only Jesus is the good shepherd.

We then looked at characteristics of sheep and of shepherds leading us to discuss why Jesus would compare himself to a shepherd. We learnt that Jesus desires to lead us, to protect us, to search for us when we are lost and even lay down His life to save ours. The incredible truth is that this is exactly what he did: Jesus died for us so that we can live. He truly is the only good shepherd.

Your Part

The challenge to the children is that we need to want to be Jesus’ sheep. We need to want to follow Him and not wander our own way. We need to learn to identify His voice, discerning His voice in the midst of many voices. You can help your children in learning to trust Jesus, to choosing to follow Him and in learning to hear His voice. Reading the Bible is so vital for this. Spend some time reading with your children and learn to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd.

If your children are put off lamb for a while, we apologise for this too. 🙂

– The Children’s Church team

Children’s Church: The Light of the World

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This past Sunday we continued with the next ‘I AM’ statement that Jesus made, which is in John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Isn’t it fascinating how fear and evil are associated with darkness? Without someone even telling our children, they learn to fear the dark and what it can represent or contain. How encouraging it is then to hear Jesus announce that he is the Light of the world, and that in him, we will never be in darkness.

Our Part
We explained what Jesus meant by saying that he is the light. No, he doesn’t mean that he is a torch, or a solar charged lantern. Light is the source of life. We need light to live. Plants need light to grow. Light reveals truth. It does not allow something to hide. When there is light, we feel capable of doing things. So the same applies to Jesus. He gives life to us and he reveals all truth. He is our only source of life. We all need to know how much we need Jesus.

We also explained how we can be stuck in darkness. Our sins can leave us in darkness. Distance from Jesus makes us feel like we are in darkness without much hope. But the joy of the Gospel is that Jesus brings light into our life, he removes the darkness (sin) and he gives us life.

We had fun exploring this using glow in the dark paint, solar jars and items hidden in dark boxes.

Your Part
You can continue exploring this I AM statement with your children. Use solar lights or teach them about plants needing the sun. Remind your children when they may be feeling down or discouraged that Jesus is our light and if we come to him, we feel life.

We have a Lesotho Big Weekend coming up in September. Please pray with your children for this time.

We are looking forward to the next ‘I AM’ statement from Jesus.

– The Children’s Church team

Children’s Church: The Bread of Life

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In John 6 we read how Jesus feeds 5,000 people and performs many miracles that amaze them. He soon has many followers who are ready to crown him as their king, but Jesus sees their heart in why they are following him. Most of them simply want more miracles and more food. They want their bellies to be filled with more bread. That is why Jesus says He is the bread of life and if any want life to the full, they need to eat of Him.

That sounds both confusing and challenging. Therefore many of His followers abandon Him after that. Jesus’ statement “I am the bread” led the people from wanting to crown Him king to rejecting Him in a moment.

Our Part
We looked at what Jesus meant when He said “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). As much as we long for food every day to fill us, we must desire Jesus even more. We wanted our children to see that there can wrong motives for “following” Jesus: forced by family, wanting blessing etc. We wanted them to hear how Jesus promises that He is all we need for a full life: He is the bread of life. With Him in our lives, we will never hunger or feel lacking in life.

To help the lesson, some sites baked some bread which was both creatively made and tasted delicious.

We also gave each child a reading plan for the next few weeks. To know Jesus more they need to read about Him. Please support and join them in this reading plan.

Your Part
Look at the curriculum and re-emphasise what the lesson taught. Read the story again in John 6. Ask your children why the want to follow Jesus.

We have a Lesotho Big Weekend coming up in September. Please pray with your children for this time.

We are looking forward to the next “I Am” statement from Jesus.

– The Children’s Church team

I AM: Knowing Jesus at Children’s Church

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This past weekend we began the third term of 2017. This term we are looking at the ‘I AM’ statements made by Jesus as seen in the Gospels. As a church, we really desire to magnify Jesus and make much of Him in our lives. We are so excited to get to point to Jesus and get to know Him better in the coming ten weeks.

Our Part
This Sunday we began by explaining what “I AM” means. Our children found it fascinating that God would speak to Moses through a burning bush (that did not burn up). We read in that engagement how God reveals to Moses that Moses must say, “I AM has sent me”. It is here we first read of the title ‘I AM’. Exodus 3:14-15 says “I AM who I AM… This is my name forever”. This name speaks of God’s sovereignty; His eternal existence; His many characteristics and abilities. He is our all-powerful God.

Over the next few weeks, we will learn how Jesus reveals his divinity by teaching us who he is through his ‘I AM’ statements.

Your Part
As we said, we want to fix our eyes on Jesus and draw nearer to him. We want to see who He wants to be to us and how we should respond to Him. Please feel free to download the curriculum and spend each week revealing more of Jesus to your children.

We feel so convicted by our children’s education, their health, their future security, their choices, their abilities etc. We need to sense the greatest gift we can impart to our children and that is teaching about Jesus and praying they fall in love with him.

– The Children’s Church team

Heart of Serving in Cornerstone Rosebank

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Sunday morning, 23 July – Wesley Fuller shares on the heart of serving in Cornerstone Rosebank.

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Igniting the Fire Within Your Spirit

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By Christopher Bompas

It’s remarkable how we can be so specific about our beverages (hot or cold, never in-between), the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, etc. and yet be so uncertain about what kind of relationship we have with Jesus. We can often be ‘lukewarm’ and not even know it, not realising the boundless riches available to us in Christ.

What are the signs of being a lukewarm Christian?

1) You aren’t certain that you are right with God.
2) You rationalise your sin.
3) You’re a Sunday Christian but on other days you’re indistinguishable from any one else.
4) You’re not reading the scripture or praying.
5) You rarely share your faith with others.
6) You only turn to God when you want something.
7) You appear fine but you’re secretly struggling with fear, anger and loneliness.

Does any of this ring a bell? The Good News is that Christ is ready to restore you if you let Him.

How to be on fire for Christ

Repent. The first command issued by the Church is to repent because sin poisons the relationship that we have with God. No matter what you have done, Christ’s Blood will wash you clean if you ask. (2 Peter 3:9)

Surrender to Christ. You have to choose between Christ and your family, Christ and your job, Christ and friends, Christ or your hobbies. This doesn’t mean you cannot have these things, of course, but it’s about what comes first. The Cross is ample proof that His love for you is boundless. When you put Him first, everything that you need will follow. (Galatians 2:20)

Break the cycle of sin. Do not rely on your willpower to resist temptation. Rather arrange your lifestyle in such a manner that you put yourself in a position where the possibility of sinning is minimised. For example, if you’re an alcoholic you shouldn’t be hanging around at a bar! (Matthew 5:30)

Go back to the basics. If you’re not praying and reading the Bible, you are spirituality starving. Not only are you likely to remain spiritually stagnant but you will find yourself going backwards. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Word gives us the gospel, which is what we need.

Involve God in your decisions. Slow down. You won’t die if you don’t make a decision this minute. Rather wait upon the Lord for Him to tell you what to do (Proverbs 3:5-6). Moreover, the Bible is singularly our greatest reference guide to God’s will. Once you do act, however, act fully. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Trust him. The righteous live by faith. Your spiritual life comes alive when you put all your trust in Christ. (Romans 1:17)

Here is a song to help you raise your spiritual temperature. Let’s be on fire for Christ!