Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Getting to a place with no sun and moon
This week we’ve been talking allot about death… And in some way, one should think it would leave you depressed and hopeless.
We have however seen that through death you can get to heaven, a place that is very real. It shines with the glory of the Lord and sparkles like a precious stone, the gates are made of pearls and the streets of gold. It seems like something to look forward to.
There are a couple of other interesting points about heaven that the Bible speaks about:
The city has no need of sun or moon, because of this glory of God and the light of the Lamb are present. And the gates never close because its inhabitants have nothing to fear. In fact, no evil can enter through its gates. Instead, only those whose names are entered in the Lamb’s Book of Life have a ticket to heaven.
I think there is much more God can reveal to us about heaven, but He just gives us a small glimpse. Maybe because it is more important for Him that you should know how to get to this place that does not need a sun or a moon!
There is only one door you can take into this wonderful place:
John 14:6(AMP)
6Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the door to the place where there is no sun or moon!
Enter through Him and know that you are on the right Way to the door of heaven!
Shalom!
Anina
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
It is well
2 Kings 4:26(AMP)
26Run to meet her and say, Is it well with you? Well with your husband? Well with the child? And she answered, It is well.
These were the words of Elisha to a wealthy woman that lived in Shunem.
Elisha knew this woman because quite a while ago she decided to build a small room for him on the roof of their house. She furnished it so that when he passed through Shunem he would have a place to stay.
He was touched by this this woman’s generosity. He wanted to give her something in return for her goodness, but she said she had all she wanted. She was however childless and Elisha prophesied that she would have a son.
Sure enough, she soon became pregnant. And the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.
One day however when her child was older, he went out to help his father, who was working with the harvesters. Suddenly he cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” The son died!
The woman decided to go to Elisha to get his help. When Elisa’s servant however run ahead to ask her if it is well with her, her reply was: “It is well!”
How can one say: “It is well” when your only son has just died. This woman obviously had a lot of faith.
In the same way, if we lose a loved one – though with sadness – we can say: “It is well!”
We can say it is well, because we know that when someone dies, and that person placed their faith in Jesus as their Saviour, they will enter onto their new heavenly city!
It is well!
Shalom!
Anina
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Death
I don’t know about you, but when I am confronted with the death of someone, I always think of the day when I would exchange my earthly tent for my permanent house…
Now you might say: “Anina, how can you be so somber?”
It is a fact that death is not a popular subject to talk about. Many people don’t even want to mention it because of their fear of death and the emotions connected to it. Death is just not a nice thing for us as humans to talk about.
The truth is however that death is the one certain thing that will happen to each and every one of us.
The challenge is to change our worldly perceptions about death into a Biblical perception.
There is a thought coming from Irish folk wisdom that says: “Cry at a birth and rejoice at a funeral”. When you start looking at what the Bible says about where you go when you die, this saying makes allot of sense:
Revelation 21:11-12; 18-21(NLT)
11 It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. 12 The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates…
18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.
To think of my own death is definitely not a somber thought! It is the imagination of a new heavenly city that awaits me!
Although we miss our departed loved ones immensely, and it is this that created all the sadness, we can for surely know that they do not want to come back to our broken world once they have entered into heaven through Jesus Christ!
Shalom!
Anina
Monday, October 10, 2011
Taken down tent
It is always so difficult to stand next to a death bed of a loved one…
It is especially difficult when that person is a daughter or a son. Today a precious lady in our congregation had to witness her daughter slowly leaving this earth as the life-giving machines were switched of.
As I stood there and I saw Anrie’s body, I thought of this Scripture in Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 5:1(MSG)
1-5For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.
It was only Anrie’s tent that lay on the hospital bed. Her tent has been taken down and she has swapped her tent for a God-made heavenly body. This is a permanent house, her true home, for eternity!
We thank Jesus Christ for our new resurrection bodies that await all of us who accepts His gift of eternal life. We are sad because we will miss her, but because of Him we have hope in our hearts and today is not a goodbye… it is only until we meet again!
Please pray for this mother, that God will comfort Hester and that she will keep on finding her hope in Him!
Shalom!
Anina
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Smoking or non-smoking?
(God has blessed us with a week of holiday, so this week we will be featuring some of the older posts. Enjoy and be blessed!)
Today I have been thinking back about the two years God has been using and blessing us in Danville.
Some other pastors can’t imagine working in the area we are working and sometimes even pity us. The truth is, when you are where God wants you to be – it is a joy! The people of Danville are our family in Christ!
But true to a broken and hurting community – there is allot of alcohol and drug abuse. A few of these incidents left us with a smile on our faces.
One of these incidents happened about a year ago. One of our brothers lost his wife and gave up on life, lost everything and stayed on the streets of Danville. His survival against the cold – using drugs. So many times he would come to church… how can we state it…. very happy… and it was not because of the joy of the Lord!
So one day he came to church and said to my husband: “Pastor, I have found some partitions!” My husband asked him for what he wanted to use the partitions. “Well, off course to divide the church…” My husband just frowned.” Pastor, for the smoking and non-smoking parts…”
Again my imagination took over… our ushers asking people on a Sunday: “Smoking or non-smoking?”
I value this brother, in spite of his addiction. He placed a smile on my face, and he is the reason we are in Danville. To bring Hope to those who lost hope!
Shalom!
Anina
Monday, October 3, 2011
Saved by an earthquake!
(God has blessed us with a week of holiday, so this week we will be featuring some of the older posts. Enjoy and be blessed!)
Isn’t it strange that sometimes you read a familiar passage in the Bible that you have been reading many a times… and then for the first time, you read a truth that you’ve never seen before? Last night I’ve been reading about Paul and Silas…
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16 NIV)
After been beaten and thrown into jail – round at about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing like some of us don’t even pray in good times…
But the significant part – “…and the other prisoners were listening to them.”
Other’s will always be looking and listening how you handle life if you say you are a Christian, especially through the tough and difficult times – you see, we are supposed to be handing life differently if God is on our side!
Then even more significant – God’s response to praying and praising in difficult times – an earthquake, freeing them from prison… but, not only Paul and Silas were freed… each and every prisoner that listened to them, was freed!
Isn’t that just amazing – when you pray and praise in difficult times – it can even influence those who listen to you!
What do you do in difficult times? If you choose to praise Him, in spite of you circumstances, you might just also free the people listening to you!
Shalom!
Anina
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