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Hallelujah

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by Graham Mol"Hallelujah!"It's a word that we've sung countless times in our worship songs. A word that has become familiar through its frequent use. But do we know what "Hallelujah" actually means?The term is actually a joining of two Hebrew words: hallelu  and Yah. Two put it simply hallelu is a form of hallal (praise, glory, boast) that basically means "you (all) praise" and Yah is a shortening of the LORD (YHWH). Often this is written in our Bible translations as "Praise the LORD!" We find this phrase in many places in the Bible and once such place is in Psalm 146:Praise the Lord.Praise the Lord, my soul.2 I will praise the Lord all my life;    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.3 Do not put your trust in princes,    in human beings, who cannot save.4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;    on that very day their plans come to nothing.5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,    whose hope is in the Lord their God.6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,    the sea, and everything in them—    he remains faithful forever.7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed    and gives food to the hungry.The Lord sets prisoners free,8     the Lord gives sight to the blind,the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,    the Lord loves the righteous.9 The Lord watches over the foreigner    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.10 The Lord reigns forever,    your God, O Zion, for all generations.Praise the Lord.In this psalm "Hallelujah!" is both a shout of praise and affirmation but also a declaration of devotion to the Lord amidst the other things of life that compete for our allegiance.While others look to a particular person, organisation or charismatic leader to save them from their troubles, when we cry out "Hallelujah" we recognise that our hope is in the Lord our God.We are reminded of all that He has done: the beauties of His grand creation, His loving care for even the least, the freedom He brings, how He opens our eyes and lifts us up, how He defends the weak from the wicked.Hope and trust in the Lord is never misplaced. He has not, and will never let us down. He is Sovereign God over all nations for all generations.So I'd like to encourage you to speak or sing it out. Whether from your lips, or in your heart.Hallejuah!Praise the Lord! God BlessGraham

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The Fruit of the Spirit

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by John DoyleGalatians 5: 22 - 23 "But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control, against such there is no law."As we all know when Fruit is freshly pick from the tree it is Yummy. We all have our favorite Fruit and many of us have different fruits that we love to eat. I just ate an Orange with my wife Barbara and was hoping she would donate me her half, but is was too sweet and tasty and she ate it and it brought some wonderful smiles so I am glad she ate it. Would you like to bring some smiles to your Precious Lord and Savior? The best way to do that would be to live out the "Fruit of the Spirit" in your life so that it will impact the lives of others.It of course begins with LOVE and I am sure you display this to your Loved ones and those around you on a daily basis.When faithfully lived out it will bring JOY to your heart and JOY to the lives of others and this is a very sweet Fruit to have in your life.Having the LOVE of God in your life will also bring great PEACE that often passes all understanding even in difficult days such as the days of Lockdown we are all going through.Applying His Love and feasting on this Fruit will also take us through these times of *LONGSUFFERING*. Not being able to see Family and Friends and or being able to Worship together in Church is hard but take this time to feast on His Word and spend time in prayer for Family and Friends in need.There could not be a better time to practice *KINDNESS and GOODNESS* to those whom God sends your way in these times.*FAITHFULLNESS* is a key FRUIT to have especially in the World we live in and reading all that is taking place that is against what Gods Word proclaims. When we practice and apply this it will bring out the Fruits of *GENTLENESS* and *SELF-CONTROL* in our lives that the World around us needs to see.When we practice and apply the Fruit of the Spirit in each of our lives the Lord can remove any inner conflict that maybe going on. When we do not eat of the Fruit and apply it to our lives we will be tempted to follow our old natures and we end up playing into the hands of the enemy.The Apostle Paul must have been in the midst of such a personal civil war when he cried, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of death?” Then he answered his own question when he said, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 8: 24 - 25.The Apostle Paul went on to display the *FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT* throughout the rest of His life.Check out the parts of the Fruit of Gods Spirit in your…

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The Harmony of a United Body

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by Luke KincaidUnity is a topic that I have been passionate about for quite some time now. When it comes to the local church it is essential that its members are united for a common purpose while all sharing their unique gifts within the life of their local church: 12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.1 Corinthians 12:12-26 NLTWhile browsing YouTube the other day I came across a video by a local artist, The Kiffness, which helped me understand the concept of a body united in harmony in a most vivid way (which will be linked at the end of the blog). As you will see in the video, many different musicians from all around the world collaborated and added their own unique take to the original song. As each contributed part is added, you will hear how the song keeps getting better and better, as the musicians share their gifts and talents in only a way that they can.The local church is similar in that each of us has a unique role to play. God has gifted us in different ways and when shared within the local church, the greater the harmony that is…

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There is a Time

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by Calven Celliers1, 2, 3, 4……. 36, 37, 38, 39 days until Spring.Anybody who knows me knows that I hate winter (and if you didn’t, you do now). I’m not a fan of the cold, at all, whatsoever! Despite numerous attempts over the years, by various people trying to convince me that it’s easier to get warm than it is to cool down, the freezing temperatures and icy wind that blows across the highveld, overshadows any hope of ever converting me. I spend my days, from the first autumn leaf that falls, counting down to Spring, and then Summer… aaaah the very word brings a smile to my dial, especially after the bitterly cold weather we’re currently suffering. As with Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, in our Christian walk, we too experience seasons that are wonderful and seasons that are not so wonderful; in fact, there are times in life that are far from wonderful, they’re awful and we wonder if they’ll ever end. So many verses in scripture come back to the foundational truth that God knows best and wants us to trust Him in all things and at all times. He made the world and governs the universe, and is never phased nor astonished at what is going on in the world at large, nor the troubling circumstances that are happening in the individual lives of His children.In Ecclesiastes 3, wise king Solomon reminds us that there is a season for everything; we will experience both good and bad in this life.“1 There is a time for everything,    and a season for every activity under the heavens:2     a time to be born and a time to die,    a time to plant and a time to uproot,3     a time to kill and a time to heal,    a time to tear down and a time to build,4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,    a time to mourn and a time to dance,5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,6     a time to search and a time to give up,    a time to keep and a time to throw away,7     a time to tear and a time to mend,    a time to be silent and a time to speak,8     a time to love and a time to hate,    a time for war and a time for peace.”(Ecclesiastes 3: 1 – 8NIV)Therein lies acknowledgement that we may experience seasons of great abundance or great loss. We can experience great joy or great pain. We have wins, and we have losses. But, the beautiful thing in all of this is that none of these seasons or experiences is ever wasted –“11 He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11NIV)There is a time for everything, life is full of contrasts, and God in His mercy always provides His love and His grace. We need to hold onto the blessed truth that the God on the mountain-tops of life is the exact same God who walks with us through the deep ravines. God is…

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