It’s a quiet, peaceful and calm morning where I am on the sofa with a cup of coffee and the dog curled up next to me. I feel the urge to pick up my kindle and read The Reader’s Bible. It’s a Bible that takes out all of the verse numbers. It provides a beautiful, fluent reading experience. 

I put on ‘Come He’s Waiting’ by William Augusto and decided to read the Book of Exodus. It was a particular passage that really touched my heart this morning.

‘During those many days the King of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel – and God knew.’

Exodus Chapter 2 (Reader’s Bible ESV)

God hears our cries and hears our prayers, and He always fulfils His promises. The story of the Israelites in Egypt can often seem like a reflection of our lives today. Things seem to go well one moment, and then it feels like we lose everything and we feel like we’re in this slavery of pain and suffering. God hasn’t forgotten you. His promises still stand and He won’t fail you.

Did God Forget His Covenant With Israel?

“and God remembered His covenant with Abraham , with Isaac, and with Jacob.” The key word here is zāḵar. The best way to translate this word into modern language is through the word ‘remembered’ or ‘to remember.’ However, to understand the Hebrew word more by looking at the context of the word. The word means to action something, rather then something slipping the mind. For example, in Psalm 77:9, the Psalmist says, “Has God forgotten to be gracious?” The Psalmist isn’t asking if God had forgotten the Psalmist’s plea, but he was asking, “why God hasn’t acted graciously?” Why hasn’t God acted?

So, when you apply this to the Exodus passage, you get something like this, “and God was ready to act on His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” Pretty breath taking, right? And God certainly did act upon His word and kept His promise by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, and into the promised land.

Therefore, if God acted upon His word for the Israelites, then He will certainly act upon His word and promises in your life!

Talk to God

One thing that is important for us Christians to do is to talk to God about how we are feeling. We often think of God as this human being that we don’t really want to disturb because He is very busy and we don’t want to burden Him. That’s not how it works. The thing  about God is that He wants us to put forward our burdens. God wants a deep relationship with all of His children and for any relationship to work, there needs to be communication.

The Israelites cried out to God to be set free from slavery and He delivered. He didn’t just set them free, but He led them into the promised land.

A key part that stood out to me in this passage was ‘and God knew.’ God knew their suffering, God knew their cries and He had a plan in place. 

The point I’m trying to make today is that it doesn’t matter how big or small our burdens are, we serve a God who is omnipotent and omnipresent; who has a plan in place for every single one of us. Cory Ashbury wrote in his song ‘Reckless Love,’ “There’s no shadow You won’t light up, Mountain You won’t climb up, Coming after me, There’s no wall You won’t kick down, Lie You won’t tear down, Coming after me.”

Can I Get an Amen?

God hasn’t forgotten you. He loves you so much that He will always pull through for you. Things might seem challenging, but challenges make us stronger. Lastly, Remain faithful in God and trust in Him. Amen!

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Easter is a significant holiday, also known as a feast, in Christianity, marking the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his crucifixion. It is considered the joyous conclusion of the Lenten season of fasting and penitence for many Christian churches. Although the earliest recorded observance of Easter dates back to the 2nd century, it is believed that even the earliest Christians celebrated the Resurrection, which is a fundamental belief of the faith.

The Origin of Easter

The first recorded observance of Easter dates back to the 2nd century, although it is widely believed that the commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection took place even earlier.

The etymology of the English word Easter, which bears resemblance to the German word Ostern, remains uncertain. One theory, put forth by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, suggests that it may have originated from Eostre or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. However, this theory has been contested as it implies that Christians adopted pagan customs and traditions despite their opposition to paganism. Today, experts widely accept that the word Easter comes from the Latin phrase in albis, the Christian term for Easter week, which means “dawn” in the plural form of alba. In Old High German, this term evolved into eostarum, which became the modern German and English term for Easter. Similarly, the French word for Easter, Pâques, derives from the Latin and Greek term Pascha, meaning “Passover.”

Why is Easter Important for Christians?

Christians view Easter as a festive occasion because it symbolises the realisation of the predictions in the Old Testament and the revelation of God’s redemptive strategy for humanity. In observing the Resurrection of Jesus, Easter also commemorates the triumph over death and the expectation of deliverance. The Christian doctrine stipulates that Jesus’ death atoned for the sins of mankind, and his Resurrection signifies the hope of rebirth for all believers.

Christian Beliefs About Easter

Easter holds great significance for Christians as it commemorates Jesus Christ’s victory over death and the promise of eternal life for those who believe in Him. Moreover, Easter confirms and validates all that Jesus taught and preached during His ministry. Without His resurrection, Jesus would have been merely another teacher or prophet, but His resurrection provided irrefutable evidence of His divine nature and His triumph over death.

How Do Christians Celebrate Easter?

Easter is an eagerly awaited event celebrated by Christians worldwide. It is a time when special church services, music, candlelight, flowers, and the ringing of church bells signify the occasion. Many Christians take up the tradition of eating just fish during the Easter weekend.

Jesus’ Resurrection in the New Testament

Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV)

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Mark 16:1-8 (NIV)

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Luke 24:1-12 (NIV))

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. 

John 20:1-10 (NIV)

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Old Testament Prophecies of the Resurrection

The Messiah Will Overcome Death

Prophecy: “On this mountain he will destroy

    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,

the sheet that covers all nations;

   he will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears

    from all faces;

he will remove his people’s disgrace

    from all the earth.

The Lord has spoken” 

(Isaiah 25:7–8).

Fulfilment: “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’” 

(1 Corinthians 15:54).

The Messiah Will Be Resurrected

Prophecy: “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death” 

(Psalm 118:17–18).
Fulfilment: “In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again”‘” (Luke 24:5–7).

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Sunday 19th March was a special day at NTCG Herne Hill. We had a lovely day of worship, fellowship and celebrating the amazing mothers in our community. 

This past Sunday at NTCG Herne Hill, we had the privilege of celebrating the amazing job that mothers play in all of our lives. It was heart-warming to see so many lovely mothers join us for this special occasion. We believe that it’s important to take time to recognise and appreciate the contributions that mothers make to our families and our communities. It was a joy to share this celebration with them.

As a church, we are dedicated to creating a space where everyone feels seen, heard, and loved. We believe that by living out our faith through acts of service and kindness, we can make a positive impact in our community and the world around us.

A massive thank you to all of our volunteers who helped to organise the Mother’s Day brunch. Thank you to every one who came along to celebrate this magnificent day with us.

#WeAreNTCG

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Notice how it says ‘Complete trust’, let me just say this before we start. Do you have ‘Complete trust’ in God? With everything that goes on in your life that may seem bad and unrepairable, do you have ‘complete trust’ in God?

Before I found the Lord again, I very often worried about the current situation, or how something was going to turn out. I used to dwell on the past too. I used to say to myself, “If only I had done things differently!” Does all of this sound familiar?

Now I worry less and I am more focused. I mean if God didn’t care about us, then why did He sacrifice His only son for us? If God didn’t care, then the death of Jesus was worthless.

I’m going to mainly focus on Genesis as I deliver this message to you, because I think there is a lot about faith and obedience in the book of Genesis.

Abraham’s Faith

Okay, so I’m going to start with Abraham. So go to the book of Genesis with me, and go to Chapter 22. Here we see that God is actually testing Abraham’s faith by telling Abraham to sacrifice his only son to God. ‘Then He (God) said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”‘ Now, I don’t know about you, but that is a huge ask! Would you sacrifice your only son? The very son that you have been praying for all of your life? Nope, probably not. I think the first thing you’d do is say to God, “Erm God, are you sure that was meant for me?” You’d definitely be questioning God!

But, does Abraham question God? No! Abraham just gets up early the next morning and does as God commanded!

Abraham & the Altar

Abraham went to the place of which God had told him to go. Isaac carried the wood used to burn the offering (Isaac had no idea that he was going to be the offering). Abraham put Isaac on the altar and was about to slay Isaac with a knife, and just at that moment in 22:11, it says ‘But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven. “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”‘

Abraham shows how faithful he is to God, and how much he trusts in Him. How often do we see faith like this? I don’t mean for you to go and kill your son! But having true faith in the Lord is something that we all need as Christians! Just a quick note, I will be working on prophecy of Jesus in Genesis. So these specific verses will be in that post too.

So what happened after all of this? Well, we see that Abraham passed the test of faithfulness.

‘Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord , because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son – blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.’
Genesis 22:17

Wow! So God rewarded Abraham for his faithfulness in Him! Does God keep His promises? Yes! Does He still make promises like this today? Yes!

Think about it. The Lord our God is faithful to us, but are we faithful to Him? Out of love He gave us life, out of love He gave His son Jesus Christ for you and me. God wants us to be His friend, He wants to be your father. He wants to bless you, and make you live a happy life. Will you let Him? Spend some time in prayer with Him. Thank Him for the life He has give you. Let Him in your life, because He wants to be in it.

Joseph

Moving on now to a character that really is faithful to God, and should be an inspiration to us all is Joseph. Joseph was the son of Jacob, and was one of 12 sons. Joseph’s other brothers were jealous of him and ended up selling Joseph as a slave, but they told their father Jacob that he was killed by a beast. Things aren’t looking great for Joseph are they? Did he complain? No! Did he question God? No! After a while Joseph was sent to prison after being accused of rape (which he did not commit), God stayed faithful to Joseph and vice versa. Joseph later went on to being one of the most important people in the land of Egypt. Why? Because he remained faithful to God no matter how bad the circumstances were.

‘Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.’
What a terrible thing! Being sold by your own brothers! Not being able to see your father again! The tides change though. Joseph doesn’t complain to God about how bad his circumstances are. Joseph just remains faithful to God, and later becomes the second in command in Egypt, and he gets to see his father and his brothers again! And Joseph is given land by Pharaoh for his family!

Conclusion

Reading about this is really inspiring. We often are in situations where we feel we are being punished for unjust reasons. Sometimes we are put in bad situations so God can see how faithful we are to Him, just like Abraham, Joseph, Job and many more. Give thanks to God even in the bad situations, because He has got plans for you. Yes just for you! He loves you just as much as He loves anyone else! Pray to Him. He wants you to reach out to Him. I promise you, that if you stay faithful to Him and thank Him, you won’t be the same person you were before. You will be filled with the spirit, and your life will be transformed!

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