August - Ebenezer Family Church

AUGUST 2013
EBENEZER
CHRONICLES
SERVICE TIMES
09:00 - ENGLISH
09:00 - KIDS’CHURCH
11:00 - XHOSA
FROM THE
Pastor’sDESK
and the pastor had many discussions over
a whisky or two. God is faithful!
I recently attended a very dear friend’s I received an email from another mutual
funeral. I had known him for over 30 friend following his death and in it she
years. It was a huge shock to my system said, “He was such a special soul, a
when I received a call from his children gentle person, never a harsh word to say
to say that he had died as I did not realize about anyone, never heard him swear or
that he had even been sick. I felt this skinner (gossip) or tell a rude joke, music
deeply as some of the best memories of ran through his veins.” This summed him
But it got me
my early twenties were made with him. up completely.
thinking....how
would
someone sum me
We spent many hours doing all sorts of
up?
How
would
someone
sum you up?
things together. He was a musician of
The
fact
is
that
the
Bible
calls
upon us to
note and wherever we went, people knew
“Do
everything
him and it did not
without
complaining
God
calls
upon
us
to
allow
take long before his
guitar was out and Him to shine through us so or arguing, so that
you may become
the crowd was being
entertained. He also that He can be revealed to blameless and pure,
children of God
happened
to
be
the earth.
without fault in a
around when I had
crooked
and
my very first kiss with my wife-to-be, in
depraved
generation,
in
which
you
shine
Main Street, Port Elizabeth; he was the
one who fetched my wife-to-be from her like stars in the universe as you hold out
pad and brought her to mine so I could the word of life...” Mmmmm.....shine
Everything without
propose; and he was the MC at our like stars?
wedding. A very special friend indeed. complaining or arguing? Shu! I have such
Shortly after I received Christ I wrote him a long way to go. But this is not optional
a letter (as I did to all my friends) telling for us. God calls upon us to allow Him to
him about my faith and the hope I had in shine through us so that He can be
Jesus.
I do not recall him ever revealed to the earth.
responding to that letter, but whenever we
met up again through the years, he was We may not all go to China or elsewhere
always respectful of my standing. Last to tell people about Jesus, but we can all
time I saw him, about 6 months ago, he allow Him to shine through us! Reveal
told me he had started attending a little Him today, everyday!
church close to where he lived and that
Dear Family,
Paul
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EBENEZER CHRONICLES
AUGUST
A WORD FROM
Colin
My, my, my, how time has flown by take place, and the host is going to be
and when we look back, we see that Jesus. The R.S.V.P. requires that we,
another day, another week, another
the redeemed of the Lord, must be
month has
ready for His return
God
is
like
a
light
passed swiftly
with great
house piercing the
by and our
expectancy. The day
yesterdays have
is not stated nor the
darkness, bringing
just become
hope to the weary and time, He may come
memories.
in the middle of the
broken
hearted.
There is a
night or just before
constant battle
dawn. But whenever
going on between good and evil. The He comes, there will be special
prince of darkness is busy corrupting favour for His servants who are
the minds of people, causing some to ready. I would like to imagine that
commit suicide through various
this occasion is going be a great
reasons. Babies are aborted before
reunion with loved ones who have
they are unable to utter their first
gone on before us, but most all Jesus
words “Mama or Dada” or suck from will be the centre of the feast, the
their mother’s breast. Numerous
King Himself, the Angels, all the
diseases are ravaging young and old, saints who acknowledged Jesus as
leaving families devastated. In spite Lord. Jesus has sent out His
of all this negativity, hope comes to invitation for this great occasion, the
us through the Word. God is like a
onus on us to
light house piercing the darkness,
receive it. God
bringing hope to the weary and
bless.
broken hearted. According to God’s
Colin
Word a day is about to dawn, Luke
12:35-38 tells us about a great feast
that is going to
PAGE
3
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
AUGUST
Membership
PROFILE
Siphiwo Coba
•
I was brought up in an extended family and by a caring grandmother who
instilled moral values that I still live by. May her soul rest in peace.
•
Hardworking, considerate, patient worker, parent, brother, husband.
•
I am the principal of Sizingisile Senior Secondary at Mbaxa Village eZeleni
on the way to Stutterheim,
•
I also teach Physical Science, Mathematics and Commercial subjects. This is
my 27th year in the education department.
•
I love to live a positive lifestyle and be a worthy role-model to my children
and the community I serve.
•
I am married to Judith Phumela, have two girls, three boys and one
grandchild.
•
I have stayed in King Williams Town for fifteen years.
•
The town offers me the peace and quiet I need at this stage of my life.
•
I have been a born again Christian since my arrival in King Williams Town in
1997.
•
I become fulfilled every time one of my former students achieves his/her
dream in life in a sphere of his/her choice.
•
I feel appreciated and welcomed by fellow church members and have become
part of the family.
AUGUST 2013
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
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Teenagers Openly Xcited in Christ
Grades 8-12
Youth Home Cell, Tuesdays
19:00—20:30
@ Ebenezer Family Church
PAGE
5
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
FROM THE
Do you enjoy “whodunnit”
books? Here’s a well-written
murder story with a Christian
theme woven into it in a
natural and believable way.
Terri Blackstock’s Cape
Refuge series begins with
Book 1 entitled “Cape
Refuge”.
“A brutal double murder has
struck fear into the heart of
the peaceful Cape Refuge
community.
The
crime
weapon belongs to the
victims’ son-in-law,
but
police Chief Cade remains
unconvinced that his best
friend took the lives of
Thelma and Wayne Owens.
The Owens’ ministry, a
halfway
house,
shelters
individuals
far
more
questionable than Jonathan
Cleary. Now people are
concerned that it may house a
AUGUST 2013
LUELL
Library
with
Shattered by her parents’
death, Morgan Cleary
struggles to keep Hanover
House running while her
husband sits in jail. Her sister,
Blair, is no help. Embittered
by the scars of her past, Blair
wants no part of her dead
parents’ ministry or their
Christian faith. She wants to
sell the house – until her
determined search to find the
true killer uncovers some
startling findings. A lethal
race against time ensues for
Morgan, Blair and Cade with
far more than Hanover House
at stake.” (BACK COVER)
For more information on
the Library ask one of
our friendly ushers.
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
with
ALBUMDavi
review
Revealing Jesus:
A Live Worship Experience
When Darlene Zschech and her
husband, Mark, accepted the
calling to move on from Hillsong
Church in Australia to start their
own church, they took everything
they had learned over the 20 or
more years they had spent there
and poured it into their new
adventure.
Darlene Zschech, former worship
pastor at Hillsong Church
Australia, has released her first
live project called “Revealing
Jesus: A Live Worship
Experience”. Accompanied by the
likes of Israel Houton, Michael W.
Smith and Kari Jobe, this album is
power-packed with a special Holy
Spirit anointing. The songs that
were chosen and written for this
album, have one purpose: to reveal
the finished work of Christ in our
lives.
A perfect album to kick start your
day, Revealing Jesus, promises to
help you declare the power of the
cross over your life.
PAGE 7
What I personally love about this
album is the diversity in music
styles. Beautifully adapted hymns
and a collaboration of different
instruments make this album a
must for any accomplished or
budding musician.
Darlene, you have introduced to
the world, an album that could
potentially change a whole
generation and we are very proud
to call you a sister in Christ.
This album is available at
CUM books or any other
good music retailer.
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
AUGUST
In the beginning, God created
the earth and rested.
Then God created Man and
rested.
Then God created Woman.
Since then, neither God nor
Man has rested.
Do you think that you’re funny?
Send your jokes, images and anything
else that might be funny to:
[email protected]
PAGE 8
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
AUGUST
COMPETITIO TIM
A DECADENT SLAB OF CHOCOLATE IS UP FOR
Answer as many questions as possible.
The first entry with all the correct answers wins.
Send question numbers with answers to:
[email protected] or drop your answers off at the
church office (07:30—16:30) with your contact details.
Please note: only entries submitted in either one of these
methods will be accepted.
1. How many books are there in the Bible?
2. How many books are there in the Old Testament?
3. How many books are there in the New Testament?
4. Which is the shortest book in the Bible?
5. Which is the longest book in the Bible?
6. Which is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
7. Which is the longest chapter in the Bible?
8. Which is the shortest verse in the Bible?
9. Which is the longest verse in the Bible?
10. Which chapter of which book has been calculated as being
at the middle of the Bible?
11. Which is the first book in the Bible?
12. Which is the last book in the Bible?
13. Which is the first book in the New Testament?
14. Which is the last book in the Old Testament?
15. In what year was the Authorised Version of the Bible first
produced?
PAGE
9
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
AUGUST
Owl
a
From
fellow
Talk:
traveler
“He gave strict orders not to let anyone
know about this, and told them to give her
something to eat.” Mark 5:43.
This is the last verse of Mark’s story of
how Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from
the dead. Why on earth did He tell her
parents not tell anyone what had
happened? Surely it was clear to
everyone that He had done a miracle?
It wasn’t the miracle that was the issue
because he had done many miracles in
public. It was how He had done the
miracle that He did not want revealed yet.
Let me explain.
As a Jew, Jesus wore a sleeveless robe
which was a rectangular piece of cloth
that had tassels on the four corners which
He wore like a poncho.
The tassels were a symbol that He was
“wearing” the presence, the Word, the
name, the nature and the ways of God.
The tassels were attached to the corners
of His garment which were also called
“wings”. In Malachi 4:2 there was a
Messianic prophecy that referred to these
tassels:
“But to you who revere my name, the sun
(or servant) of righteousness will rise
with healing in its (His) wings (corners,
implying the part of the garment that held
the tassels).”
The woman who was bleeding, crawled
through the crowd to touch the tassels of
His robe because she understood that He
was the Messiah and that there was
healing in His “wings”.
AUGUST 2013
It will take a revelation of
Himself to our hearts as
we watch, listen and learn
from Him, to convince us
that He is the Christ, the
Son of the Living God.
Her faith in His identity as Messiah
brought her instant healing.
When Jesus took the little girl by the
hand, He said, “Talit ha coum – little girl,
I say to you, get up!” Mark 5:41b. Jesus
had revealed His identity to the parents
and His three disciples by that simple
statement and His action.
He was the fulfilment of Malachi’s
prophecy, the Messiah of His people, but
He did not want people to believe in Him
because other people told them. He
wanted people to listen, watch and be
convinced of who He was because they
came to that conclusion themselves.
How can we really know who Jesus is?
Praying the sinner’s prayer, signing a
decision card or even answering an altar
call will not convince us. Jesus told us
what to do. He said, ‘Follow me.’ It will
take a revelation of Himself to our hearts
as we watch, listen and learn from Him,
to convince us that He is the Christ, the
Son of the Living God.
Jesus wants followers who will stick with
Him through thick and thin because we
KNOW who He is and not because of
what we can get out of Him.
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
Prayer
Thoughts
with
Luella
What have “Jesus revealed” and
prayer have to do with each other?
One of the reasons why we pray is to
have fellowship with our Master.
Fellowship means spending time
together, getting to know one another
and sharing what we have in
common. That means that we not
only talk but also listen.
Jesus spent a great deal of time in
fellowship with the Father. We must
remember that He was human as well
as divine and that He voluntarily laid
aside His deity during His sojourn on
earth. He had to learn all the qualities
of sonship during His lifetime. He
learned obedience through what He
suffered.
He spent time with the Father to hear
what the Father was saying and see
what the Father was doing so that He
could be an intelligent partner with
God and not just a hit-and-miss
activist. He and the Father worked in
perfect tandem because Jesus got to
know the Father’s mind.
The apostle Paul stated, in 1
Corinthians 2:16b, “But we have the
mind of Christ.” I think that means
that we have the potential to know
what Jesus is thinking but we have to
PAGE 13
at renewing our minds with God’s
Word because, when we came to
Jesus, our minds were cluttered with
misunderstandings and wrong ideas
about Him.
One of the best and most productive
ways of being transformed by the
renewing of our minds is to ask
questions. But that means we must
take time to be with Him so that we
can ask our questions face-to-face –
not the “why?” or “why me?” kind of
questions but enquiries about Him
and His ways.
Jesus loves it when we ask questions
about Him. He never fails to answer
in the loveliest and most unexpected
ways. I have prayed David’s prayer
(Psalm 86:11) from time to time over
the past five years and He has
revealed His ways in many different
experiences in my life.
We can make our journey with Jesus
full of surprises instead of a boring
religious routine if we take time to
search Him out. The Holy Spirit is
“stuck” on Jesus. He delights to
reveal Him to us if we are interested
enough to ask.
Like any parent, the Father also loves
it when we take an interest in His
Son. He will bend over backwards to
fill our minds with the glory and
beauty of Jesus if we take the time to
get “stuck” on Him as well. Why not
get started on a great adventure?
Luella
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
Flower
Saroj Paramanandam
4 August 2013
Cynthia Valela
11 August 2013
Nomonde Koyo
18 August 2013
Margaret Foxcroft
25 August 2013
Join a
Home Cell
Today
For a Home Cell near you,
phone Bev during office hours
043 - 642 5006
AUGUST 2013
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
PAGE
15
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
Kids’
Corner
Did you know that Jesus wants to be your friend? Yes, your best friend.
Jesus died and rose again so that you can talk to God, your Creator.
Colour this picture in.
Can you think of other words that begin with the letter J?
AUGUST 2013
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
PoetryPa
SECOND CHANCES
ge
Anusha Chetty
A ‘woman of the night’,
Prostituting herself to the ways of the world.
Yet, the Lord saw into the heart,
And took her insignificance and unsavoury past,
To be instrumental in bringing down Jericho.
Indignant righteousness chose to judge her,
Blinded to their own sinful nature.
The invitation to throw the stone,
Was for humanity to understand the penalty,
Of standing in condemnation, instead of compassion.
The sycamore tree did not hide his sins,
Untouchable, unpopular, the Lord called to him.
When the Christ convicted, restitution followed.
Inward change, producing outward action,
Salvation came to the true son of Abraham.
When thrice the cock crowed,
Denial covered the darkness.
A half-hearted hanger-on became the devoted disciple.
A follower who failed, rather than failing to follow.
Upon this rock, the church prevailed.
In the ‘place of skulls’, he lay down his sins.
A dying criminal closed his eyes to temporary shame,
And opened his life to eternal glory.
We are born into this world surrounded by sin,
And leave it with the mercy of a second chance.
PAGE 17
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
AUGUST
ou
Prayer
for yo
Our prayer is that you would discover
the Author of Love...Jesus.
His life and death represent the greatest gift of love the
world will ever see...a gift for you.
All you need to do is accept it,
a brand new start to a life lived in relationship with God.
Meeting God is as simple as praying a prayer...asking Jesus
to meet you right where you are. If you are not sure that you
know God, and that you are going to Heaven, then make this
your prayer today...
Dear Lord Jesus,
I need You, I need Your grace to forgive me
and I need Your love to change me.
Thank You for Your amazing love.
Thank You for giving me life and eternity.
But above all, thank You for dying on the cross for
me.
I accept You as my Lord and Saviour.
Now I am a Christian,
which means that You live in me.
I belong to You.
I will live my life for You and I will love You forever...
Amen
If you prayed this prayer today,
we would love to hear from you!
Contact the office on (043) 642 5006
or email [email protected]
AUGUST 2013
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
e
h
c
é
r
C Bit
s
Revealing Jesus in Story
Ebenezer boys and girls learn about Jesus everyday through the various
activities of their school day. One of these activities is story time.
Many of the Ebenezer boys and girls go home and witness to their families
about Jesus.
One parent even admitted to not being allowed to eat a meal without first
giving thanks to Jesus.
PAGE 19
EBENEZER CHRONICLES
bankin
details
Ebenezer Family Church
Nedbank
Branch Code: 125519
Account Number:
1013198875
offichours
Monday to Friday : 07:30 - 16:30
contact
details
(043) 642 5006
www.efc.org.za
(043) 642 6513
[email protected]
follow
us
Ebenezer Family Church
www.facebook.com/ebenezerfamilychurch
AUGUST 2013
@efckwt
www.twitter.com/efckwt
EBENEZER CHRONICLES