Bible References:   Ezra 1:2-4; 7-11; Isaiah Isaiah 44:28 The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.   The heart of kings is in the hand of the Lord. We need to look for the Lord to lead us; lead in the Church and the world. Cyrus was a king God used to help restore Israel back to the land. God wants us to be part of witnessing the morality of God to the world.   Jesus came so God could deal with our sins; let God deal with your sins and we are to get on with what God wants us to do. Cyrus made a proclamation that the gentiles were to assist Israel through gifts to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and he proclaimed the greatness of God. Today, the story is God rebuilding the temple - you, me, Christian people God wants us to look to God to find the way.   God’s offering us freedom; we have a walk with Jesus Christ.   It starts when we accept Him.   Be a world-changer – those who went from Babylon to Jerusalem.   Put yourself into God’s hands, not sitting in our sin.   T

Bible references:  2 Samuel 9:1-13 The Son of God looks for his lost and ruined people.  David went looking for those left in the house of Saul,  even though Saul had tried to kill David,  to show kindness to them. Mephibosheth, son of Johnathan,  crippled in both feet.  He had a son.  Ziba was Saul's servant and his whole household.  Mephibosheth had fled to a desert, worthless place.  David shows that he wants to restore people and do things God's way.  He showed kindness and charity to Johnathan's son.  David had to search for family related to Saul.  God is faithful to us, and showed us tremendous kindness.   David did this to Mephibosheth.   David could have destroyed all of Saul's family, including Johnathan's son.  This account tells us of real people.    David comes to restore instead of destroying.  This marks a change in the history of Israel.  Mephibosheth = shame David, like Jesus,  seeks this person out to restore him.  This is what Jesus do

Bible references:  Romans 15:1-33 In following the example of Christ,  we are to tolerate one another and each other's failures.  Christian liberty is a wonderful thing,  but its not for our pleasure but to bring glory to God.  We are not to please men and women,  but to be servants of Jesus Christ.   He is our Lord,  our Saviour and example.   We who have trusted him are called sons and daughters of God.   We are to consider one another at all times.  We are to bear one another.    We are not just believers but disciples, because he first loved us. Jesus was meek, and put up with the lowly.  He stood with the weak, not Lord it over them.   As God's people,  disunity causes strife.  We should be building up people (edification).   God did what he did,  because he loves you.  People will never agree on everything,  but we are to live in harmony.   No one is better than another,  we are to serve one one another.    We are not to despise God's people,  the Jews.  T

Bible references: Acts 20:24; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:14-16; Romans 6:13-15 Romans 12:1-2 speaks to us about how ought to behave.   We should dedicate ourselves to Jesus Christ every day; a spiritual act of worship.  Often people struggle because they don't know how to think.   Teachers teach us to think.   We need to renew our minds.   We want to love because Christ's love compels us to live for Him. With salvation comes responsibilities. 

Bible Reference:   Acts 16:1-99, Acts 22:1-99, Acts 24:1-99, Acts 25:1-99, Psalm 119:61-62 Ephesians 6:19 “And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.” “At one point during his ministry, the Apostle Paul was at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He was accused by some Jews of bringing a Gentile into the courts where only Jews were allowed. He hadn’t, but they thought he did and a riot started. When Roman soldiers pulled him out of the crowd to flog him, Paul said, “You’d do this to a Roman citizen?” (Acts 21 & 22). The penalty for abusing a Roman citizen without a trial was severe, so instead the terrified soldiers sent him under armed guard to be tried by the governor of the region. What makes this story especially interesting is that seven years earlier, in the city of Philippi, Paul was arrested, flogged, and imprisoned for teaching about Jesus – but he neve

Philippians Chapter 1:1-2 16-18 One day, on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl ran into us. She was a psychic and, with her fortunetelling, made a lot of money for the people who owned her. She started following Paul around, calling everyone’s attention to us by yelling out, “These men are working for the Most High God. They’re laying out the road of salvation for you!” She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, “Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!” And it was gone, just like that. 19-22 When her owners saw that their lucrative little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed them up and dragged them into the market square. Then the police arrested them and pulled them into a court with the accusation, “These men are disturbing the peace—dangerous Jewish agitators subverting our Roman law and order.” By this time the crowd had turned into a restles

Philippians Chapter 1:1-2 16-18 One day, on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl ran into us. She was a psychic and, with her fortunetelling, made a lot of money for the people who owned her. She started following Paul around, calling everyone’s attention to us by yelling out, “These men are working for the Most High God. They’re laying out the road of salvation for you!” She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, “Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!” And it was gone, just like that. 19-22 When her owners saw that their lucrative little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed them up and dragged them into the market square. Then the police arrested them and pulled them into a court with the accusation, “These men are disturbing the peace—dangerous Jewish agitators subverting our Roman law and order.” By this time the crowd had turned into a restl

Bible References: Acts 16: 11-15; Philippians 1-2 The Message Version: 11-12  Putting out from the harbor at Troas, we made a straight run for Samothrace. The next day we tied up at New City and walked from there to Philippi, the main city in that part of Macedonia and, even more importantly, a Roman colony. We lingered there several days. 13-14  On the Sabbath, we left the city and went down along the river where we had heard there was to be a prayer meeting. We took our place with the women who had gathered there and talked with them. One woman, Lydia, was from Thyatira and a dealer in expensive textiles, known to be a God-fearing woman. As she listened with intensity to what was being said, the Master gave her a trusting heart—and she believed! 15  After she was baptized, along with everyone in her household, she said in a surge of hospitality, “If you’re confident that I’m in this with you and believe in the Master truly, come home with me and be my guests.” We hesitat