eDevs

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

2017-10-17 [Month of Mission 2017] Examples of the Kingdom#2 -- The first congregation

Examples of the Kingdom#2 -- The first congregation

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts2:41-47 )

When we go back to that day when three thousand people were baptized in the first congregation, we see that ACCEPTANCE of the gospel is key to growth of a church. Those who accepted the gospel received 7 gifts from God. 1) They were filled with awe as they experienced God's spirit upon them. 2) They were no longer isolated, but working together for God. 3). They were enabled to give to those in need without hesitation, 4)They met regularly to keep themselves growing and accountable. 5) fellowshipped and ate together regularly with sincere heart, 6) praised God and 7) enjoyed the blessing of all of God's people.

The key to growth and mission is thus to figure out ways for our society to participate in a process of acceptance. It is for us to take time to look into ways in which a skeptical, highly individualized society can participate in the act of taking and receiving what is offered in the gospel. How do we find favourable reception in a society that is somewhat disappointed in leadership and skeptical that Jesus is the answer to all their woes?

I am sure that the 1st generation Christians had equally as many dilemmas about accepting Christ's message as we do today. The difference is that the early church were hungry and when they were fed, they understood and accepted, but today we have a generation of people who satisfy their hunger by either living in a virtual world or by satisfying themselves with material things to feed their emptiness. Control of self has become all important. Little time or energy is given to what others, let alone Jesus thinks. What if we begun to show how to have more than a narrow self-controlled world and embrace a broader and more encompassing Godly world?

What would happen if we LISTENED to why people are rejecting or ignoring the message of Christ? And why there is such a need for self-control today? And what would happen if we comforted those who are itching and hungry more seriously and spoke of the way in which God's is far greater than the present trend of self-control?

We also have to ask ourselves : Are we willing to listen to the rejecters, or are we simply happy to stay in our own happy environment and only preach to the converted? Are we willing to sacrifice more time for those who are in need, that they indeed are comforted and wish to take on the power and gifting that acceptance brings. And for those who are presently receiving the gifting that comes with acceptance of Christ, let us delight and enjoy it forever and of course share the enjoyment with all whom God puts before us.
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Pat Baxter, Ministry Secretary, Seeking to Serve You as best I can

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Monday, October 16, 2017

EmmDev 2017-10-16 [Month of Mission 2017] Examples of the Kingdom#1 -- Comfort for John

(This week we move from parables of the Kingdom to examples of the Kingdom)

Examples of the Kingdom#1 -- Comfort for John

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" 4 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." (Matthew11:2-6)

John is in prison and he hears what Jesus is doing and wants to know if Jesus is the One. If he is the Messiah. Just as John asked this question people today ask similar questions. People are still spiritual seekers and they are asking questions about life and faith. People want to know what the meaning of life is. They may not be asking the church these questions but they are asking.

The answer that Jesus gave to John is one that included real evidence. He pointed to real events. He told John about people who had been healed from many different ailments and even dead people who were raised to life. He also pointed to the Good News being proclaimed. He did not make promises that the people could not relate to but pointed to real works done in his name.

I have just returned from 10 days in India. I was invited to see a children's ministry to children living in remote villages who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. It was a great opportunity and blessing to see this ministry. In one village after we had finished the children's program an old lady who had heard everything came and asked us to pray for her. She had four children who did not look after her and there is no support for old people in India. She had heard the message and wanted to see if Jesus could help her. Being a Hindu she had 330 million gods to approach but was open to see what this Jesus who she had just heard about could do for her.

Jesus is still performing miracles in peoples lives today. He still heals the sick and brings hope. He is still the Good News that people need in the world today.

To some people we are the only bearer of the Good News that they will experience. Do we have a faith that is built on real experiences of Jesus Christ? Can we share with others the miracles that he has done in our lives? If not, shouldn't we trust him more to perform miracles in and through us?

Ask Jesus to send you people who can ask you questions about the one true living hope in your life.
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Brian Smith is husband to Lana and father to Caleb and Jayden, who loves to mountain bike and tinker and who serves the Hillcrest Presbyterian Church.

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Sunday, October 15, 2017

2017-10-15 [Month of Mission 2017] Sola Fide. Only faith

Sola Fide. Only faith

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed --- a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." (Romans1:16-17)

These verses, as part of Paul's introduction of the letter in Romans 1, explain Paul's boldness in proclaiming the gospel. He was "not ashamed of the gospel". And he boasted only in the gospel (Rom15:7-19). The reason for Paul's bold confidence was the power of the gospel message itself. The gospel is "the power of God unto salvation," for both the Jew and the Gentile, both the church member and the agnostic, for both the backslidden and the sanctified.

This is a truth which we profess, but which we may easily fail to practice: The message of the gospel is the means by which God's power is implemented to save us; to save the lost.

We must be careful to instead of faith in the saving power of the gospel, rather put our trust in our methods to preach it. To love the wine skins more than the wine!

To have faith in our marketing strategies can so easily replace our firm belief in the simple gospel message that has the power of salvation if it is received in faith. Believing in methods rather than in the Good News, has the risk of watering down and compromising the lesson of the reforming fathers that we are saved by grace, only through faith -- that is, faith in the undiluted Good News, as proclaimed in the Scriptures, that Jesus Christ alone is the way, truth and the life.

If the gospel is itself mighty to save, if it is the power of God resulting in salvation, then we need but to proclaim it, in simplicity, in purity, and in dependence upon God, who will by his Word and Spirit save those who believe it. And save only those who believe it, by the grace of God.

Paul explains his boldness to proclaim the gospel in terms of what it reveals about God. The gospel, Paul says, reveals "the righteousness of God." The gospel displays that God is awesomely good. It reveals God's standards of holiness. It reveals God's divine love by the way in which he saves people through faith, by pouring out his wrath on the Lord Jesus, so that sin's penalty is paid.

The wine skins that carry the simple, powerful Gospel to all must be fitting to the understanding that it is the wine and not the wine skins that bring salvation.

This faith is a gift that does not earn us any merit. It is rather a gift of faith in the saving merit of the work of Jesus. If we add anything else to faith as a requirement for salvation, we delete the bold message that the Gospel of Christ really has the power to save.
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Andries Combrink, minister at Centurion West Presby, retires on 28 February 2018 after 40 years in ministry. He is the husband to Marthie and devoted grandfather to Hannaleen.

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Saturday, October 14, 2017

2017-10-14 [Month of Mission 2017] Kingdom Parable#6 -- Treasures new and old

Kingdom Parable#6 -- Treasures new and old

He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." (Matthew13:52)

This is the last of the parables of the Kingdom that we will be looking at for the Month of Mission, and it is beautiful! Martin Luther's story embodies this parable beautifully...
He was a teacher of the law but deeply and hopelessly aware of his failures and sinfulness. He served a church that was the custodian of a beautiful treasure - the gospel - but had locked it behind the walls of church tradition, indulgences, politics and legalism.
Luther discovered the truth of the Kingdom of God:
He rediscovered old treasures (some of them so long forgotten that they were like new):

Salvation by grace. (Sola Gratia)
A King who gave His life for us. (Solus Christos)
Justification by faith. (Sola Fide)
The Word of God. (Sola Scriptura)
The sovereignty and glory of God. (Soli Deo Gloria)

When the Spirit-empowered dynamic of the Kingdom drops the scales off our eyes and we (re)discover Christ's love in our lives, and it brings the beautiful treasures out of the storeroom:

The Bible becomes exciting to read.
The celebration of Easter becomes a glorious celebration of Christ as King over all
Faith becomes a journey of hope, trust and relationship
Grace becomes a well-spring of gratitude
Our lives have purpose in bringing glory to God.

The Kingdom opens our eyes to what God had in mind for us when He created us. The Kingdom has its roots in the promise of an offspring who would crush the serpent's head and its glorious fulfilment is the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and return of Christ. The law that was meant to bring life and reveal God, became a burden of legalism and guilt, but the Kingdom restores its glory.
The Kingdom - that God come near in Christ - is the key that unlocks the glorious treasure of our faith. It blows the cobwebs off dusty religion and offers abundant life!

Soli Deo Gloria!

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Friday, October 13, 2017

2017-10-13 [Month of Mission 2017] Kingdom Parable#5 -- The Net

Kingdom Parable#5 -- The Net

"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew13:47-51 )

Jesus' parable of the Net is perhaps the most poignant and disturbing of all. It was told to the twelve apart from the crowd. This alone should give us pause lest we fall prey to what John Stott describes as evangelical Schadenfreude, delight in the misfortune of others. Jesus speaks of separating "the wicked from the righteous", of "a blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The language might be metaphorical but it is no less real. Lest we dismiss them in our PC world as 'theological hate speech' we do well to remember that they are the words of a loving Saviour.

Granted the gospel is not a message about hell. However, the gospel cannot be understood apart from its reality. Hell is real. It is vividly described in the New Testament. Granted it was originally "prepared for the devil and his angels". (Matt 25:41) However, it is shared by people. Sinclair Ferguson reminds us, 'if we need to be convinced of the reality of hell all we need to do is to consider the cross. It is all there... darkness, pain, isolation, sin bearing, divine judgement, curse, alienation, utter darkness, separation from God'.

The more profoundly we are aware of this, the more rigorous we will be with ourselves and the more tender toward the lost. Around 1843, the physically frail and soon to die aged 29, Robert Murray McCheyne wrote, 'As I was walking in the fields, the thought came over me with almost overwhelming power, that every one of my flock must soon be in heaven or hell. Oh how I wished that I had a tongue like thunder, that I might make all hear; or that I had the frame like iron, that I might visit every one, and say "Escape for thy life!" ' On another occasion, when he met his dearest friend Andrew Bonar, McCheyne asked what Bonar had preached on Sunday prior. On receiving the answer 'Hell', he asked: 'Did you preach it with tears?'

Once more the words of Jesus should give us pause, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me' ". (Matt 7:21-23)

May the gospel of our great salvation, rather than hell, have the last word: "...whoever believes in him [Jesus] shall not perish but have eternal life". (John 3:16)
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Alan Cameron. Minister at Trinity, Lynnwood. Married to Cecile. Blessed with three young adult children: Ross, Jess and Caitlin.

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

2017-10-12 [Month of Mission 2017] Kingdom Parable#4 -- Treasure and Pearls

Kingdom Parable#4 -- Treasure and Pearls

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew13:44-46)

In his book, Signposts to Spirituality, Trevor Hudson, tells the following story of his decision to enter the ministry:
"It was a nerve-wracking moment. I had resigned from secular employment and offered myself as a candidate for the ordained ministry. The first requirement involved passing an oral examination before the annual Synod. Examining me was a bishop well known for his direct and stern approach. His first question seemed simple enough.
'Tell me, Mr Hudson,' asked the bishop, 'what was the central message of Jesus?'
'Forgiveness of sin, sir!' I shot back immediately.
'No', responded the bishop, matter of factly.
'Peace on earth, sir', I tried again, remembering a line from the chorus of the angels that startled the sleepy shepherds in the middle of the night.
'No', said the bishop again, as my face began to redden.
By this time I thought it would be best for me to give up trying and I said so. Leaning over his desk the bishop caught my eye in his solid gaze and said, 'I want you to never, never forget that the main message of Jesus was, 'The kingdom of God is at hand."

In Luke 4:43 Jesus says it plainly, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."

And notice what we are told Jesus did after his resurrection -- "After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3,4)

It strikes me that if Jesus understood his mission to be about proclaiming the kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven, then surely, our mission as his disciples and citizens of God's kingdom is to do the same!

In fact, the good news about God's reign is so important and significant (life changing) that Jesus uses the above illustrations to drive his point home.

God's kingdom is found wherever God's reign of love and truth and compassion and justice is proclaimed -- in words and deeds.
As citizens of God's kingdom our purpose is to embody his values and goals (in community) and so proclaim his reign, to go out and share the love and grace and truth of Jesus with the world -- in other words, to establish, with him, his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

And when we 'get' this, i.e. that it is all about God's kingdom, God's reign, God's values, God's love, everything else fades into insignificance, or better stated, everything else is put into proper perspective. We first seek the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God is the only true reality, through which all of life must be viewed and understood and lived.
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Chris Judelsohn is minister at Midrand Presbyterian Church, married to Keryn with 3 children -- Rachael, Emma and Nathan. He also serves as Convener of the UPCSA's Mission and Discipleship committee.

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Wednesday, October 11, 2017

2017-10-11 [Month of Mission 2017] Kingdom Parable#3 -- Mustard and Yeast

Kingdom Parable#3 -- Mustard and Yeast

31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches."
33 He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about [27 kilograms] of flour until it worked all through the dough." (Matthew13:31-33)

Jesus must have been such an interesting person to have been around. Something was always happening when he was ministering during his lifetime on earth. If it wasn't some teaching that touched the hearts of ordinary people and enraged the spiritual elite then it was some healing by which a blind man received sight or lepers were healed or some miracle where the dead were raised. Aside from the teachings, healings and miracles, there were the parables that he told. These were simple stories about items and situations that people encountered every day that were used to reveal truths about the kingdom of God.

In these two parables today, Jesus does exactly this. The mustard seed is really tiny and, from that tiny seed, grows a substantial tree. Maybe Jesus was standing in the shade of just such a tree as he speaks. Perhaps as he walks into a nearby village he sees a woman making bread, possibly a baker baking bread for the whole village. For 27 kg of flour you would need about 2.7 kg of yeast, the ratio is about 1:100, about 1%.

In this world of bigger means better, Jesus' words come as something of a surprise. In the economy of the kingdom, smaller doesn't necessarily mean less effective. A tiny mustard seed grows into a great tree which in turn produces innumerable seeds which then grow into trees themselves. A tiny seed has an almost infinite number of trees inside it. A tiny bit of yeast works its way through the flour and causes the bread fill out and rise. Jesus tells these two parables in the context of a series of parables about the nature of the kingdom: the sower; the wheat and the weeds; the hidden treasure and the pearl and the net are all parables that occur in this chapter.

In a society that is becoming increasingly secularized, where faith doesn't seem to count for much anymore, where fewer and fewer people attend church and more and more people identify as atheists, we, as people of faith, wonder what the world is coming to. Our influence seems to be on the decline. To us Jesus says, "Do not worry. Although you might be small, you are not insignificant because, in the economy of the kingdom insignificant things can be amazingly effective; tiny things can have massive consequences. Take heart, people of the kingdom. Just because you're small doesn't mean that you don't count."
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Peter Langerman is husband to Sally, father to Jaimee (and father-in-law to Tim), Natasha, Emma and Gabby, who loves to walk, cook, read, shout at the TV when the boks are playing and who serves the saints at Durbanville. (He is also the Moderator-Elect of the UPCSA)

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

2017-10-10 [Month of Mission 2017] Kingdom Parable#2 -- Wheat and Tares

Kingdom Parable#2 -- Wheat and Tares

Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 28 " 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 29 " 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' " (Matthew13:24-30 )

One of the strategic guidelines adopted by the UPCSA is as follows: The UPCSA will have mission oriented and holistically developed ministry. Ideally, people that are involved in mission and discipleship should be able to read, construe and interpret the signs of time. They should be conscious of the workings of God and detect the machinations of the enemy.

The servants of the owner of the field had been so well 'discipled' (disciplined), trained and developed to identify and analyse the plants. They knew very well the seed that the owner had sowed and the plants that should germinate from that seed. They were very sure that the owner had sowed the correct seed. They vigilantly and diligently observed the germination. To their amazement, they noticed that there were plants that were not of the seed of their owner.

The owner, knowing the competitors, reckoned that it was someone with sinister motives that planted the weeds. The enemy wanted to frustrate the owner, as the wheat could not give the expected product when choked by the weeds. The enemy had come when everyone was asleep. People of God -- wake up! In our slumber, the empire is at work, sowing seeds of blind subservience and loyalty, seeds of complacency, individualism, materialism, division, inequality, mistrust, pride, ignorance and arrogance, etc. We see hate and love, commendation and condemnation, growth and stagnation, cooperation and contradiction, efforts of unity and forces of division, etc., all thriving alongside each other. While we rest from the true worship of God, the enemy finds time to advance his machinations. People of God -- wake up!

The owner assured his servants that his seed would grow and produce despite the attempts of the enemy. The owner believed in grace - that by and through grace, the wheat that is to be food for so many could not be choked by that which could not help anybody. At a right time, the weeds would be gathered and burned.

The UPCSA must be able to differentiate between the wheat and the weed. The church members must identify the forces that stifle their growth as individual Christians and as a reconciled community. That ability to identify is a step towards the right direction -- liberation of the individual and liberation of the community from the snares of the empire. The grace of God is sufficient to help us realise our liberation without the permission of the enemy. Sola gratia. Shalom.
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Lungile Mpetsheni is the minister of word and sacrament, the General Secretary of the UPCSA and a proud family man. Thandiswa is my wife.

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Monday, October 9, 2017

2017-10-09 [Month of Mission 2017] Kingdom Parable#1 -- Seeds and Sower

Kingdom Parable#1 -- Seeds and Sower

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew13:1-9)

This month of Mission also coincides with the 500 hundred year celebrations of the Reformation. The 31st of October in particular, is the day to reckon with, when 95 Thesis were pinned to the Church door in Wittenberg in Germany. These were the statements that exposed the Papal sales of indulgences as a fallacy, bringing about the reformation movement as we now know it. It only takes a spark to get the fire going.

Jesus the master teacher and preacher used illustrations, parables, analogies to address the audiences of his time. In the parable of the sower, He compared his hearers to four types of soils and the receptivity of the gospel seed into the inner soul, are concepts that demand an understanding that evokes faith. The narrative approach is still as effective as it was in Jesus time. The missionary person is someone sent by God to carry the seed of the word, to spread it as he/she teaches and preaches.

The result and reaction of the different soil types are prototype of human types and their responses to the gospel imperative of God's kingdom calling. The preacher/evangelist spreads the seed of the word relying only on the one who sent him to give the increase. You cannot change a soul, but God does the increase, your duty is to spread and scatter the seed.

The preacher is the sower. Some easily welcome the seed of the gospel word, others harden their hearts, others are shallow and are pricked by worldly passions, which waylay them from the true path as they wallow in worries of this life. Other seed fell on good soil and bears much fruit. The word is the seed that the Holy Spirit uses to bring about a change of heart which is lasting and bears fruit of Godliness and depth.

The seed of the word can be snatched from the receptive heart by the evil one, symbolized by the seed that fell along the path. Some fell on hard rock lack depth and wither away quickly. Others fell among thorns and are pricked by worries of this world. The others fell on good soil and yielded 100, 60 and 30 fold. The missionary endeavour hinges on the seed that penetrates deep into the different soils in the global village.

We look to the One who says the labourers are few but harvest is plenty. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more labourers. The different contexts, call for cultural and contextual relevance in order to have inroads that are linking us to the reformation mandate of caring. This is a kingdom imperative. Which soil type fascinates you? Lord help me to receive your word by faith alone.
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Robert Munthali is my name ,a village Pastor in the Limpopo, Gooldville Mission ,married to Balekeni and blessed with two boys Tiwonge and Gomezga. I like reading and travelling. (Robert is also serving the General Assembly as Moderator.)

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Sunday, October 8, 2017

2017-10-08 [Month of Mission 2017] Solus Christus

Solus Christus

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. (Colossians1:15-22)

As Paul writes to the Colossians he is addressing an audience comprising Judaists, false teachers and the general people. He is taking the good news of Jesus Christ to them.

Rather than attacking each peculiar belief point by point, Paul countered with a positive theology The principles he outlines can be used today to judge new cults. "Christ is enough," Paul declares. He is God, the fullness of God, the one who made the world, the reason that everything exists.Paul emphasised that all the mystery and wisdom one could ask for are found in the Person of Jesus Christ. Hence, there is no need to look elsewhere.

Paul's motive was to take out the old system that had vested power in mere human beings, restoring worship to its rightful place, that is, the body of the Church and Christ its head. As he talks about reconciliation and the blood of Christ atoning all he is saying there is a new order of doing things lets get away from the old ways. In this new order your blemishes and alienation is taken away by the death of Christ on the cross. Away with our old ritualistic way of cleansing ourselves.

To fit into this one has to accept Christ as he is all and everything. This has reflections on Jesus' parable on old and new wine skin. The new covenant spoken of in Jeremiah. And is outright missional in all senses, as he takes the gospel to them. The mission let Christ alone be known in His fullness to all people of all backgrounds and inclinations. Paul is at pains to describe who Christ is, so that they can believe. Thus, a mission for everyone who is a Christian.
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Elias Simango, husband to Medury. Blessed with three children, Mitchel 15, Arnold 11 and Junior 7 months old. Serving at Dzivarasekwa Congregation in Harare.

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