Servant King

Luke 12:37 says"..the master will dress himself to serve and tell the servants to sit at the table and he will serve them".
Jesus served His followers by washing their feet. He serves us by doing the same. Each morning He gifts us with breath. Each moment He dwells in our hearts. If Jesus is so willing to honour us , can we not do the same for others? Let's make people a priority. Let's regard others more important than ourselves. Love does.

Worry Changes Nothing

Philippians 4:6-7 says," Be anxious for nothing but in prayer and suplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus".
The author Max Lucado once said that worry can be broken into categories –
40% never happen
30% are unchangeable deeds of the past
12% focus on the opinions of others that cannot be controlled
10% centre on personal health which worsens with worry
8% concern real problems that we can influence
We can conclude that 92% of the things that we worry about are out of our control. Be quick to pray. Focus less on the problems ahead and more on the victories behind. Lord, today give us a new perspective on the things that trouble us.

Better is One Day

Psalm 84:10 says - "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness".
Even a glimpse at the love of God is better than ages spent in the earthly pleasures. The humblest position in the Lord's house is better than the highest position among the godless. Only to wait at His doorstep and peep within, so as to see Jesus, is worth absolutely everything. Let's have the heart of the doorkeeper.

Hope in God

Sometimes life can beat us up. In Psalm 42, David speaks to his soul. He asks (KJV), "Why are you cast down? Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God!" We need to command our own souls to start trusting God. It is a choice. We can choose to trust Him. We can also choose to praise Him - even when we don't feel like it. This is our "sacrifice of praise", as seen in Hebrews 13:15. And as we choose to put on the garments of praise, that spirit of heaviness falls aside!

True Plans

Jeremiah 29 verses 11-14 speak to us of God's heart for His people.
We all experience obstacles and go through life's trials. When we find ourselves in these situations we must not give up. We must do our part and continue living and being fruitful. God does have a plan for us but His plan might not be on our timing. We must pray to God and when we do, He will listen. We must seek Him with all of our hearts. Then and only then will we find Him and He will bring us out of our captivity to experience the plans He has for us. God does indeed want us to live an abundant life here on earth but the true plans He has for us will be realised when we meet Him.

Come and See!

In John 1:46 Nathanael said to Philip upon Philip’s discovery of the Christ "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nazareth is barely, if ever, mentioned in first century documents outside of Scripture. The little we do know is largely speculative. Apparently scholarship suggests that Nazareth was a small rural community of anywhere between 500 and 2000 people. However, Jesus came out of Nazareth. It was in Nazareth that Jesus was raised. It was in Nazareth that Scripture says Jesus "increased in wisdom and in stature and in divine and human favour." There is a sense in which the greatest gift the world has ever received, Jesus, was the gift of a rural community. Do we find ourselves uttering the same words as Nathanael? Or do we come to the cross and see the sign above the head of the crucified Savior of the World, the sign that proclaims him the King of the Jews and be reminded that the sign begins, "Jesus OF NAZARETH . . ." Let’s invite our community to "Come and See" this Christ, the hope of the nations, the Saviour of the world! Has something significant come out of an insignificant place?

Perfect Love

1 John 4:18 tells us that there is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear. Fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. If we understand by love, that we are in God, and God in us, that we are sons, and that we know God, and that everlasting life is in us: then we can conclude that we can draw peace and quiteness by revelation of who we are in Christ. Perfect love makes no room for fear. It casts it out!

Look what the Lord has done!(August 2008)

God is doing some amazing things in PCC at the moment. We have seen people saved, healed and others get set on fire with more passion to follow Jesus. If you have a story to tell then please post your comments to this blog. This is your space to tell your story. Happy posting.
Thanks.

Your Unique Harvest

Psalms 1:3 tells us that a "blessed" man, "...shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." A "blessed" man prospers in everything that he does because he has learned to flow with the seasons that have been uniquely designed for his life, instead of working against them. Galatians 6:9 adds further revelation by saying, "and let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season ("kairos") we shall reap, if we faint not." The Bible says that we will reap in our "due" season, which is the Greek phrase "idios kairos." "Idios" is the Greek adjective that means pertaining to one’s self, what is one’s own as opposed to that which belongs to another. The timing of "your" uniquely designed season might not coincide with the timing of "my" season. And my harvest is not crafted to look like your harvest. It is of vital importance that each one of us recognises that we all have "due" seasons in the Spirit; and, if we act accordingly, we will reap a harvest of blessing!

Run the race

"… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…" (taken from Hebrews 12:1–2)
Here are some principles for running the race of faith -
Prepare – understand that it’s not a quick sprint so prepare for the long haul
Focus – just as Christ maintained His focus on the joy set before Him, so must we
Endurance - tap into His power within you so that you can endure
Finish – remember, it’s not how you start but it’s how you finish that counts – win the prize

Greater things

The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Do you want to be a person that is purpose driven for God? Do you have a vision for greater things in God? If we don’t have a vision, we don’t have a focus. We perish for lack of drive and don’t achieve things in life. Do you have a dream, a vision to believe in, something that so grips you that you will not let it go? Vision will keep you from accepting less than God’s best for your life. Press into the greater things of God for your life today.

Digging new wells.

We read in Genesis 26:22, "And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."
Isaac not only re-claimed what his father had claimed, but he dug new wells and made his own claims. It is profitable to go after the same spiritual truths that our father’s went after. We must both draw upon and remember all that has gone before yet we must also open new wells and make claims to spiritual territory in our day. This generation is thirsty. They need led to new wells. We need to experience a work of God in our day and in this place. Dig deep for many will come to drink.

The Song of the Free!

Acts 16:25 "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them"(KJ).
Even though Silas and Paul were imprisoned the spirit within them had complete liberty to pray and sing praises to God. Never before had such sounds at midnight been heard from that inner dungeon. It’s an amazing thought that our sufferings can actually release a song of hope for others in "spiritual chains". Perhaps we should remember Christ’s suffering and how the greatest sacrifice ever shown continues to free captive hearts just like us. If you are struggling today, remember that you too can sing the song of the free.

PCC's PRAISE 4U CD makes it to Australia!

Hi . Thanks so much for the CD's of your recordings, I've been very blessed by them and the fellowship with the hearts of all those who are a part of making them! I extra specially love 'Great is the Lord' and 'You are Special to Me'. Blessings to you in all you do, Shirley-Ann (Perth, W. Australia).

Keep posting your comments if you have been blessed by our CD and let us hear what music projects you are up to.

When God draws near.

Being in the presence of the Lord could arguably be considered the single most important part of our lives. While God is omnipresent, and His presence is always with us, we continue to long for an encounter with the Presence of God. When we talk about experiencing the presence of the Lord, we are talking about the realisation of God’s presence – of perceiving His presence and being conscious of Him. The manifest Presence of God is what brings power and changes lives. Practising God’s presence through worship is one of the most valuable things we can do. God has promised that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us and we will experience His presence in ever increasing measures. James 4:8 speaks of putting off wrong thinking which distracts us from the real pursuit of knowing God. Let's make it a priority in our lives to draw near to God and see the manifestation of God coming close to us. This has the power to change everything! Has it been a while since you experienced His nearness?

Perfume and Tears - costly worship.

Here are some thought's on Luke 7 v's 36 -50.
This woman’s worship of Jesus was at a great cost to her. It cost her the expensive perfume, the humility to kiss, wash, and dry the dirty feet of the Lord Jesus. However, did the woman pay a higher price than this? Perhaps, the greatest price which she paid was facing the scorn and rejection of the Pharisees and other dinner guests. The woman’s desire to see and to worship Jesus was greater than her fear of the reaction of others. Perhaps we should consider that :
- Worship is for sinners
- Worship takes place at the feet of Jesus
- Worship is preoccupation with the person of Jesus Christ
- Worship is not concerned about receiving something from our Lord as giving something to him
- Worship involves the emotions
- The worship of this woman was without a recorded word - "wordless worship"
- Finally, worship is not easily hindered
Lord, let us discover that the highest place in worship is down at Your feet!

Have we lost the wonder?

Thought I would share an exerpt from a song by Vicky Beeching with you. We must never let familiarlty cloud our pursuit of our God. He is above all and beyond all. He is GREAT! He has done it all for you and I.

May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost
Undone by mercy and left speechless
Watching wide eyed at the cost
May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross.

BIG DREAMS - BIG GOD!

If there is one thing we know about our Father in heaven it’s that He gives good gifts to His children. Not only good gifts, but gives to us abundantly above what we can ask or think (Eph. 3:20). He has always asked the body of Christ to dream big, because the destiny of God has always been above what we can ask or think. That’s what the Bible declares—those who know their God shall carry out great exploits (Dan. 11:32). That’s the kind of God He is—great exploits! What’s more, He releases not only what we have need of, but He does it in abundance—12 baskets left over, 7 baskets left over (John 6:13; Mark 8:8). Do you have big dreams?

Dependance v's Independance

Prov 3:5 -6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. We need to trust God from the bottom of our hearts and stop trying to figure out everything on our own. We need to listen for God's voice in everything we do. He's will keep us on track. Throughout Proverbs we see the reward of setting our hope and confidence upon the Lord as opposed to being resigned to self-sufficiency and independance which is rife in our world today. Sometimes we act on the impulse of a good idea yet not every good idea is from God. The vision of the transfigured Christ inspired Peter: "O Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matthew 17:4). Our natural impulse is to do something good for God and suggest it to Him. Perhaps we should move away from suggestion and put our whole weight upon the One whose understanding is far beyond ours.

Building something for God!

God had blessed Nehemiah so that the king had given permission for him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah continues to give God the credit. In order for the work to prosper, the people needed the provisions offered by the king as well as the authority to do the work. Nehemiah had already obtained this. Nehemiah motivated the people by telling the good as well as the bad. He told of the work that needed to be done, but he also gave them reason to believe they could do it. We need to do the same in motivating ourselves to work for God. Yes, we often face great problems. But let us not be discouraged but trust in God to provide what we need to accomplish His work. He can give the victory if we will use what He provides! Are we ready and willing to get to work on something that will give glory to God and offend the enemy?