NHCF Blog

by Calven CelliersThe world has always been full of religious nuts. With a long list of dos and don’ts they try to regulate their own and everybody else’s behavior to their liking. They are full of good advice, but empty of good news for those whose character fails to conform to their legal regulations. Not even Jesus measured up to their standards. Christian character is formed not by outward compulsion but by inward compassion – not by legal regulation but by spiritual reformation. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will produce the fruits of the Spirit as surely as an apple tree produces apples – not because there is a law in some book saying “Thou shalt produce apples” but because it is your nature to do so.In his letter to the church at Galatia, the apostle Paul wrote,“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5: 22 & 23NIV)This passage of Scripture gives me tremendous hope for my own life. When I read through the above list I receive a vision of who I long to be. I long to be a person full of love, joy, and peace. I long to have patience, kindness, and goodness. I long to be marked by faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I see within those incredible characteristics the marks of a fully abundant life. I see Jesus.  But at the same time, I see all the ways in which my life doesn’t line up with what the Holy Spirit desires to birth in me. How can we, in all our sin and brokenness, live a life marked by these characteristics? How can we be a people so full of the Spirit that our very being portrays the Spirit of God who dwells within us? In my own strength, I cannot. The Bible calls these characteristics fruit for a reason. They are birthed out of the glorious working of God in us.So how do we allow the Holy Spirit to work at the core of our being and produce these wonderful fruits? It comes from being connected to our source, that He might plant seeds that grow within us. You see, it’s more than behaviour modification; it’s more than conformity to a moral code. It’s more than ticking all the dos and avoiding the don’ts. It’s about practicing the very presence of God in your daily life, and investing in your relationship with Him. As we spend time with God we become like Him. In His presence our heart transforms into a greater reflection of His glorious love. He can do incredible and miraculous things in us if we simply open our hearts and spend time abiding in Him. The more time we spend receiving His love for us, the more areas of brokenness and sin become healed and transformed. If you want to bear the fruit of the Spirit — if you want to be a person marked by…

by Luke KincaidHave you ever said words, “I wish Jesus would just come back already”? I know I have more than a few times in my lifetime. I have often spoken and heard these words in response to the state of the world in which we find ourselves and wanting to be done with all the bad around us. While doing some reading today I came across these verses in Matthew 24:42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. 44 This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. If Jesus had to come back not long after reading today’s blog what would He find you doing? Would he return to a faithful disciple who is in the process of fulfilling what the Master, Jesus, has asked of you? Or will he return to find a disciple who finds themselves in a pattern of disobedience or who may even be taking their salvation for granted?These are sobering questions for me to consider as I know that I sometimes find myself swinging back and forth between these two extremes. My prayer for today is that The Holy Spirit will assist me in living in such a way that sees me being daily ready for Jesus’ return, so that one day, I might have the opportunity to welcome Him back with the obedience that He commands from me. Much love,Luke

by Graham MolOver the last two weeks we have been able to include a session of worship in our Sunday Service live stream. I'd like to share with you something that really stood out to me from the experience.When we did the first worship session with Themba I handled the technical stuff of cameras and sound. In setting up the sound Themba asked if I could turn up the volume on the main speakers so that there would be full sound in the Church, just like there would be during a normal service. Then he started to play and sing. Within in moments I was struck by how great it felt to hear worship in the Church building again! I also realised just how much I missed it. Fast forward to the next week with Steph and Luke doing the worship and after running through one song for a quick sound check both of them expressed the exact same thing that I had felt the previous week. It felt good, it felt right for voices to be raised in praise and worship in Church again. We actually find much the same conclusion expressed in one of the Psalms. "Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!" (Psalm 147:1 NIV)This experience has come with a bitter-sweet element since we cannot yet share in lifting our voices together as a Church family gathered together. But oh how wonderful and joyous it will be when we can finally do so!Until then we can still experience how good it is, and pleasant and fitting, to sing praises to God. You do not have to be at Church to praise the Lord. In Jesus' discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well, she raised the debate of where the correct place was to worship God. He responded with the following words:21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”(John 4:21-24 NIV)That time is now. It is not about the place that you worship but rather about the position of your heart, the authenticity of your praise. We can lift up praise to our God no matter where we are, together or apart. It is still good, it is still pleasant and fitting to sing praises to our God.God BlessGraham

by Calven CelliersChange is inevitable! Inevitable meaning unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped (try as we might), and it happens whether you like it or not. As any parent knows, you quickly learn the importance of establishing some structure in your children’s lives. Children thrive on routine. And when things change they are quick to let you know that they don’t like it. If we’re completely honest with ourselves, we as adults don’t like change either. We like things to be familiar and predictable. We like to know what to expect when we wake up each morning. But realistically life is constantly changing. When such changes enter our life, it’s overwhelming, confusing, even terrifying. As we’ve all learnt over the past few months, we can go to bed at night to one reality and wake up to a completely different life. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic: Life will never be the same again. I don’t know about you, but I find the very thought quite unsettling as I long for the days of old. Change can make us feel lost and abandoned, like we’ve been tossed overboard in the midst of a storm. We’re left reeling, trying to grab ahold of anything we can find that’s strong and stable.I was recently reading a secular article in which the author was chatting about the unpredictability of the world we currently find ourselves in, and he made the following statement “Change is the only constant in this life” and whilst I get exactly what the guy was saying, I found myself becoming increasingly grateful at the awesome truth that we serve an unchanging God in an ever changing world.  He is our constant in this life and the next. While I might not know what tomorrow holds, praise Jesus I know who holds tomorrow. As we all encounter major changes, not only in our individual lives, but in the world around us, may our hope always be in Him.The Bible tells us that God never changes.“6 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6RSV)The influences that cause change in your life have no effect on God. He will never be stronger or weaker. His knowledge and wisdom will not increase or diminish. God does not compromise or change His values. God does not have mood swings. There is no inconsistency in God.  Life and its uncertainties may shake you, but God-the Rock of Ages-does not move. If you cling to Him, His strength will sustain you. God's unchanging purpose gives you eternal significance. Psalm 33:11 states, “11 …the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.” (Psalm 33:11NLT)God's plan is unchangeable. It existed at the beginning of creation and remains the same today. And you are part of His plan! The apostle Paul sates this quite clearly when he wrote to the Church at Ephesus saying,  “10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has…