You Might be Misrepresenting God...

* If your message is not filled with hope, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you tell people that they need to come to you to understand the message of scripture, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that “being real” means talking more about the wind and waves in your life than about the One who calms the storm, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that people who don’t attend a Sunday morning meeting are outside of God’s covering and protection, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that sickness, financial problems, hurricanes, broken bones, auto accidents, and terrorist attacks are all tools of God “to teach you something”, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that a person can’t live above their circumstances and walk in peace and victory, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that someone is not being real unless they tell you they’re struggling with some huge temptation, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that the only legitimate types of prayer for a Christian are prayers of lament, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you tell someone who is experiencing the peace and joy of the Lord to “hang on, your turn is coming”, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you believe that Christianity is best represented by a set of propositional statements and/or a systematic theology, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If your message does not lead to freedom, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that the Father doesn’t speak to his children in various ways, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that you can only “cooperate” in ministry and missions with people who have been baptized by a pastor in your same denomination, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that true Christianity is only represented by a particular denomination or systematic theology, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If your belief in Christ does not manifest itself in living the life that Christ commanded us to live, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that you are more capable of articulating what someone else believes than that very person is capable of doing, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you believe that sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, freedom to the captives, and walking to the lame were only for first-century “verification of the message”, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that our main responsibility in relationship to God is to study the Bible, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you think that Jesus turned water into mere grape juice, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you believe that a particular translation of the bible is the only inspired version, you might be misrepresenting God.
* If you believe that one’s beliefs about baptism, bible translation, rapture timing, tongues, or a particular interpretation of Genesis 1-2 are absolute essentials to salvation and/or fellowship, you might be misrepresenting God.

Exerpt taken from a blog by Steve Sensenig

Emergency Numbers

Conflict Resolution

As God so often does in our lives, when we hit a bump in the road and turn to Him for advice and guidance, he puts the rights words or people in our way.

We were convicted to address a problem with someone lately, a close Christian friend, and we handled it poorly, because we did it OUR way. Instead we should have spoken with Jesus' tongue and manner. I saw the following paragraph in an article by Rick Warren lately and I wanted to share it with you...

"Matthew 18 gives us the procedure we’re to use when someone is blowing it. In the passage, Jesus says: "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:15-17 NIV).

People often come to me as the pastor when they have a problem with another person at the church. I always ask them if they’ve talked to the person with whom they have a problem first. The first step of conflict resolution is to go to the other person. Don’t let people go behind their back – even if they’re coming to you.

Then, the Bible says, if the other person won’t listen, take someone else along and confront them. If they still don’t repent, you bring them before the whole church. If there’s still been no repentance, you treat them like a pagan – like an unchurched person. The church still needs to love them. They can even attend the church. But you’ve got to make it clear that for them to be a member of the church, certain behavior is expected. Following what God’s Word says can flat out change lives. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.

Jesus tells us that a church that sticks together is a tremendous witness to the watching world. You see, it isn’t normal for people from different backgrounds and social statuses to come together as a family. But it happens every day when local churches work together to do God’s work in the world. People who aren’t believers see that unity. And it’s attractive."

If something is weighing on your heart, pray and look up the Word of God and you will find all the answers. We did EVENTUALLY!

God Bless

Speaking Up

Our latest project is reaching a difficult stage as we close in on the deadline. Last week we were all in a meeting when our Manager hinted that there was a long weekend coming up and we should think of spending some time at work.

Without hesitation my hand was up and I explained that on Good Friday, my Saviour died and washed away the sins of all mankind, so I can't work I am celebrating; on Sunday it is my Sabbath where I worship my Lord in fellowship with others, so I do not work AND on Monday I celebrate Easter Sunday, when my Christ rose from the dead as proof he was the Saviour of man, so I can't work.

Everyone was quiet for a moment and then our Manager spoke and said "You have a point - see you on Tuesday"

Don't be afraid to speak up in support of Jesus - I do!

Indescribable

Unfathomable

Jesus' CV

Curriculum Vitaé

Name: JESUS CHRIST
Address: Ephesians 1:20
Phone: Romans 10:13
Website: Bible
Keywords: Christ, Lord, Saviour and Jesus

My name is Jesus - The Christ. Many call me Lord! I've sent you my CV because I'm seeking the top management position in your heart. Feel free to read my details below.

Qualifications
I founded the earth and established the heavens, (See Proverbs 3:19)
I formed man from the dust of the ground, (See Genesis 2:7)
I breathed into man the breath of life, (See Genesis 2:7)
I redeemed man from the curse of the law, (See Galatians 3:13)
The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your life through me, (See Galatians 3:14)

Occupational Background
I've only had one employer, (See Luke 2:49).
I've never been tardy, absent, disobedient, slothful or disrespectful. My employer has nothing but rave reviews for me, (See Matthew 3:15-17)

Skills and Work Experiences
Some of my skills and work experiences include: empowering the poor to be poor no more, healing the broken-hearted, setting the captives free, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised, (See Luke 4:18).
I am a Wonderful Counsellor, (See Isaiah 9:6).
People who listen to me shall dwell safely and shall not fear evil, (See Proverbs 1:33).
Most importantly, I have the authority, ability and power to cleanse you of your sins, (See I John 1:7-9)

Educational Background
I encompass the entire breadth and length of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, (See Proverbs 2:6).

In me are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (See Colossians 2:3).
My Word is so powerful; it has been described as being a lamp unto your feet and a lamp unto your path, (See Psalms 119:105).
I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart, (See Psalms 44:21).

Major Accomplishments
I was an active participant in the greatest Summit Meeting of all times, (See Genesis 1:26).
I laid down my life so that you may live, (See II Corinthians 5:15).
I defeated the archenemy of God and mankind and made a show of them openly, (See Colossians 2:15).
I've miraculously fed the poor, healed the sick and raised the dead! There are many more major accomplishments, too many to mention here. You can read them on my website, which is located at: www dot - the BIBLE. You don't need an Internet connection or computer to access it.

References
Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my divine healings, salvation, deliverance, miracles, restoration and supernatural guidance.

Summary
Now that you've read My CV, I'm confident that I'm the only candidate uniquely qualified to fill this vital position in your heart.

In summation, I will properly direct your paths, (See Proverbs 3:5-6), and lead you into everlasting life, (See John 6:47).

When can I start? Time is of the essence, (See Hebrews 3:15)

Send this CV to everyone you know, you never know who may have an opening!
Thanks for your help and may God bless you!

Satan’s Challenges and Ways to Fight them

In the weeks leading up to my Baptism I was warned that Satan would constantly be challenging me before and after the event and this has been so true…

He cast doubt in my mind about the event, I was nervous about my testimony, financial challenges raised their head (customers not paying me and affecting my margins), even on the day before the event Satan was trying to poke a large hole between Lisa and I by causing us to argue about previously inconsequential items. After the event I was bombarded by negative feelings and a sense of depression I had not felt for a while BUT…

Through this all we prayed and used the Word of God to help and protect us.

I learnt five lessons to fight his influence:

1. Guard our emotions - When we feel restless, anxious, exhausted, hungry, lonely, angry, fearful, one of Satan’s demons could be battling in our mind. He tries to influence our behaviour and decisions. Conversely, God calms our emotional storms helping us feel content and peaceful.

2. Guard our thoughts - How can we tell the difference between thoughts from Satan and God? Although the difference should seem obvious, Satan appears as an angel of light and twists even the Bible to his advantage (2 Corinthians 11:14; Luke 4:10). Therefore, we must not trust our own understanding. Every thought we think must be taken captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5). Ask the question (and I learnt this last night) – “Is this the wise thing to do?” when challenged and you need to make any decisions (Ephesians 5:15-17).

3. Put on the full armour of God - (Ephesians 6:13-18) 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

4. Get to know the Bible in context and use it - Use the verses in the bible that are specified for the particular troubles you are facing.

5. Pray together

God Bless

Anton Dinkelmann

(22/06/07)

Crying For Guys

What an emotional sermon on Sunday!

Are we not Blessed to be able to display our emotions so openly before God! Dictionary.com says there are 14 synonyms for Cry - wail, keen, moan, sob, bawl, whimper, yowl, clamour, vociferate, exclaim, scream, shout, bellow and roar and we have all used these as expressions in our daily lives for different reasons – I wailed when the Springboks lost, I sobbed when my Gran died, screamed when I got hurt – but why don’t we cry more often – Guys?

Often we may be embarrassed or we remember that an unwritten rule that if you cry you’re a sissy or sometimes we feel that we just want to be tough – cowboys don’t cry! You know I found out early in my teens that girls loved a guy who showed his feelings, so when a girl would come to me for advice on (mostly puppy love) issues, I would cry with them and they thought I was the greatest….I found early on too that after a good cry (after a sad movie or a difficult day) I felt a lot better and calmer about myself and my surroundings.

But what brought me to cry, was it the poignant message or the poor dog left without it’s mother etc – No – for me it was the feeling I got that there was a great moral to the story – somebody did something bad and he/she stood up for it, fought for it and was eventually forgiven and/or went to a better place. That did it for me…

On Sunday, John’s message about forgiveness brought many tears to my eyes (I had to be careful I didn’t wail or bawl) because of the simple forgiveness by Jesus of a sinner. The story struck a chord which was reinforced later during Starting Point class as our task for next week is to reconnect with someone. For me this may mean forgiving this individual and a lot of tears – but if John can do it so can I.

Luke 6:37 “….Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

God Bless
Anton Dinkelmann

(26/06/07)

Making a difference…
(14/08/07)

In the message on Sunday we were reminded of our Christian duty of saving souls, of bring our non-believing friends into church and letting them experience the wonder of worship and communion and the power of Jesus.

This got me to thinking and I Googled a few statistics and was very excited to find that Christians make up 33% of the world’s 6.1 billion population, BUT despite this large percentage the following remains true:

• Over 4 billion + people are non-Christians
• Despite Christ’s command to evangelize, 67% of all humans from AD 30 to the present day have never even heard of his name.
• 648 million Christians today are active in Christ’s world mission; 1.3 billion Christians ignore this mission
• 124 million new souls begin life on Earth each year, but Christianity’s 4,000 foreign mission agencies baptize only 4 million new persons a year*

It’s clear that we need to cut into that 4 billion but how? Just imagine if each one us at Stellenberg led one person into a meaningful relationship with Jesus every year! That won’t make a difference you say…..I challenge you…..let’s do the numbers;

Year 1 = 300 new people,
Year 2 = 600 new people,
Year 3 = 1,200 new people,
Year 10 = 153,600 new people,
Year 20 = 262,988,800 new people
Year 30 = my calculator doesn’t go that far…….

So let’s all make our motto “Bring-a-friend-a-year” and MAKE a difference

Matthew 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

God Bless
Anton Dinkelmann

* Taken from http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/globalchristianity/gd/findings.htm

A Big Story From A Big Man

What a blessing God has bestowed onto Nick, he is a GIANT amongst men, a true example of the Grace of Jesus Christ and the work he does in our lives.

An inspirational story, but one which begs the difficult question – Are we being Big for Jesus? Are we standing tall and proclaiming his Word? Are we living for Him? Come on everybody, accept the Lord and feel free, feel the breathtaking changes that will take place in your life once you drink from His cup. Grow with him and become a GIANT for Jesus – I am.

Stand tall Nick – thank you for the Story.

God Bless
Anton


Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name

See more of Nick at http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/