Search Results

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 16, 2023 | Matthew 9:14-17 KEY VERSE: "¹⁶No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." Matt 9:16-17 (NIV) MESSAGE: Religious people know how to fast and love to fast. So, the disciples of John came to compare notes with the Lord on the subject of fasting. The Lord did not take away the importance of fasting; His disciples would fast after He had departed from them. The disciples of John and those of the Pharisees fasted often and were very strict about it. The other Gospels indicate that the question brought against Christ and His disciples was a joint effort of the disciples of John and those of the Pharisees (see Mark 2:18, see John5:33). It was an attempt to get the Jesus Movement to conform to what had become normal rigorous religious practice and formality. The Pharisees fasted at least twice a week and kept that as a regular rule. The disciples of John obviously followed the strict lifestyle of their leader as in Matthew 11:18. But the Lord Jesus led a more relaxed and liberal band of followers in the symbolic party of the Kingdom. The Lord uses the discussion of the fast to raise a more important question; is the Kingdom message to be presented and followed as a new mode of life with its new expectations and directives, or was it to be seen as a version of old religions and religious mindsets? His point was that Christianity was to be held as a new teaching and way of life, separate and distinct from any other religious understandings and forms that might have been in existence before, or around the believer. Its power and its effects are like new wine and must be kept in new wineskins in order to be preserved. The observation that the Lord and His disciples ate and drank often was not denied by the Lord. He had come to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, the feast to which all humanity was invited, and He symbolized that in His merry life. He indicated that in the period between His return to the Father (after His death and resurrection), and the future manifestation of that Kingdom, His disciples would fast. It was not therefore for the disciples of John and the Pharisees to determine the fasting timetable for the citizens of the Kingdom. Besides, if the disciples of the Lord fasted at any time it was not to follow the sombre mood that the disciples of John and the Pharisees did, for the Lord had asked His followers to hide their fasting from other people so that it would not appear to others that they were fasting. Whereas the Kingdom life will use some forms of religious expression that had existed in the Old Testament and may correspond to traditional expressions of spirituality, we must be careful not to force Christianity to look like anything we have been used to. Otherwise, we destroy the old practices and take away the message and teaching of the new life of the Kingdom. New wine must be kept in new wineskins! FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: We are the new people of the new Kingdom of God. Let us understand and preserve the new doctrine and practices of the new life. The new wine of the Holy Spirit of God in us must be kept in a new life and new lifestyles that glorify God. PRAYER: Lord, I acknowledge that I am religious and that there is so much religion around me. I do not just want to be religious; I want to be a Kingdom citizen, a faithful Christ-follower. Please help me, and all others like me, that we would be able to live the new life of the new Kingdom, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 15, 2023 | Matthew 9:9:13 KEY VERSE: ¹²On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" Matt 9:12-13 (NIV) MESSAGE: The Lord Jesus called Matthew who was busy at his post as a tax collector to follow Him, and he responds beautifully by leaving everything to follow the Lord. Subsequently, Matthew throws a party to celebrate his new friendship with the Saviour, and to bring his friends and family to get to meet this wonderful Teacher. We learn from the case of Matthew that we do not need to make excuses and prolong our responses when we have heard from God’s invitation to us for a closer walk or some divine assignment. Matthew showed his appreciation for the privilege of his call by throwing a meal for his new Master Jesus, to which he invited his friends who attended in their numbers. The scenario of the Lord Jesus and his disciples sitting and sharing a meal with tax collectors who were called sinners in their culture, for many wrongs they represented in their culture, became an opportunity for the detractors of the Lord to raise issues against Him, through his disciples. They intended to accuse the Lord of impurity by his association with sinners, and maybe to lure his disciples away after them. The Pharisees who kept physical distance from the “sinners” accused the Lord of mingling with the unclean because they thought themselves better than those they condemned. They did not understand the grace of God for which the sinner is a welcome guest at the table of the holy God. When the Lord heard their complaint He responded, "¹²It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' a For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:12-13). The ministry of the Lord was one of repentance and forgiveness to those who repented. We must always remember to think and sing with the 19th century Charlotte Elliot, Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Yes, we may come to the Lord Jesus no matter how wrongly we have lived. He only requires of us that we turn away from sin (repent), and follow Him truly. Then He forgives us and shares fellowship with us. Have you turned from sin and sinful living, and pledged to follow the Lord Jesus? You are a welcome member of the family, a member of the Kingdom of God. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you accept me just as I am, and make me worthy of your holy company. All praise and honour to you. May I reach out to other people with your saving grace and enjoy the new life and privilege you give. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 14, 2023 | Matthew 9:1-8 KEY VERSE: “Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’” Matthew 9:2 (NIV) MESSAGE: In our text today the Lord Jesus heals a paralytic man, as part of the healing narratives of chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew. Suffice it to say that the healing itself is very spectacular, but we must also observe that Matthew develops another level of teaching through the narrative of the healing of the paralytic. Matthew was answering the question of the identity of the man Jesus. He was answering the question that had come up earlier, after the calming of the storm, “The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 8:27 (NIV), the question which would come up with His powerful preaching and teaching (Matthew 13:53-57). The Lord takes the discussion of the question of faith to another level. It was clear that the men who brought the paralytic had faith, for He saw their faith. It was however necessary to clarify in whom they were placing their faith, and who was bringing the solution they were seeking. Desperate people and religious humans have faith and may even find themselves in the very midst of Christian activity and commitment. But in whom do we believe when we say we believe in Jesus Christ? Is it the belief in another psychic, seer, healer, miracle worker or prophet? This fundamental question must be asked and answered by anyone of us who wants to be a true beneficiary of the Kingdom of God, saved from the reign and power of Satan and made into a true child of God. The Lord deliberately approaches the healing of the sick man by offering to forgive his sins. This certainly raised concerns among the very religious and knowledgeable teachers of the Jewish law; because they were very aware that the forgiveness of sins is a work of God which no ordinary human should presume to be able to do. They therefore concluded in their minds, in verse 3, that “"This fellow is blaspheming!” NIV. Having known their thoughts the Lord confronts them with what He had been doing, claiming to forgive the sins of the paralytic instead of just performing a miracle on him. Claiming to forgive sins was going to raise controversy and opposition, and an accusation of blasphemy as had just happened, (which had the punishment of death by stoning). On the other hand, a claim to have healed the paralytic, if it proved to be ineffective would only be a failure to achieve something he pretended to achieve. It was easier to pretend to be a healer than to pretend to be God. And then, to drive home His point, to show that He was aware of the more serious claims He was making to the effect that He was God, He makes the lesser claim of healer and by a word, causes the man to receive instant healing from his paralysis. When you hear people say that Jesus never claimed to be God, ask them to read the Bible carefully, and they will see everywhere that Jesus Christ of Nazareth affirmed His identity of being more than a mere miracle-worker; He was God Himself among His people as He had promised through the prophets. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Who is Jesus Christ of Nazareth to you? In our desire to be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven let us resolve once and for all the question of the identity of the One we are following. Jesus of Nazareth is more than an ordinary Jewish carpenter. He is God Himself in human form to bring about our salvation through His holy blood when He died on the cross. Let us like Thomas in John 20:28 fall on our knees and declare, “My Lord and my God.” PRAYER: Jesus, my Lord and my God, I acknowledge you for who you truly are. More than a mere mortal, God Himself in human form. To identify with me, and to be my perfect saving substitute, you took on human form. Please help me to follow you closely and to represent you accurately. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 13, 2023 | Matthew 8:28-34 KEY VERSE: Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region. Matthew 8:34 (NIV) MESSAGE: What do we have to do with the Lord Jesus, or what does He have to do with us? These are important questions that must be asked and answered by people everywhere. Pilate asked a similar question in Matt 27:22, "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" NIV. The demons in the two possessed persons in our text raised that question, and the people of the region where the miracle of the deliverance from demonic oppression took place dealt with the question. We also need to consider the question, “What do I do with Jesus the Christ?” Satan, his demons, and humans who have given themselves over to him raise the question posed by the demoniacs, "What do you want with us, Son of God?”,"Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" Matthew 8:29 (NIV). They know the identity of the man called Jesus, that He is more than an ordinary human being. He is the Son of God, meaning He is God who took on human form, as properly understood by those who understood the language that was used (reflect on John 10:22-33; 19:7). The Jews understood by their culture, religion and language that by claiming to be the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus was claiming to be God! The demons understood that too when they referred to the Lord as the “Son of God.” The people of the town responded to the question of what to do with the Lord Jesus by deciding to send Him away from their community. The loss of their pigs, their business, and their income was sufficient grounds to get rid of God in their midst. They did not consider the benefit of the deliverance of two souls from satanic enslavement, they valued their pigs more than the souls of their fellow humans. Therefore, Jesus must go! FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Give the Lord your word of assurance, that though the whole world rejects Him you will always crown Him King of your life, and that there is room in all of your heart for Him, all of the time. PRAYER: Dear Lord and Saviour Jesus, I am privileged to know you as such. I crown you Lord over all, and covenant to yield my life to you as your throne. Live in me and live through me. May I never place any other thing or person over and against your kingship in my life. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 12, 2023 | Matthew 8:28-34 KEY VERSE: Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region. Matthew 8:34 (NIV) MESSAGE: The demonstration of the power of the God-in-human-flesh, Jesus of Nazareth, has travelled, the healing of leprosy, and fevers, calming of nature’s storms to the casting out of demons in our text. Two miserable human beings, some students of the Bible conclude it is a couple (for which reason the other Gospel writers talk of one man), are held captive and harassed extensively by the Devil and his demonic host. The two have become a terror to themselves and a threat to others so that no one dared pass their way. They lived in the tombs and shared in the environment of the state of those who had died, though they were alive. This is what demonisation can do to humans created to reflect the image of God. Is there a real Devil and an assortment of demons? Do they matter in our life as Kingdom citizens? This is the matter of our reflection today. In the times of Christ, the Pharisees believed in the existence of angels and demons, the Sadducees on the other hand did not believe in angels and demons, and they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (Luke 20:27; Acts 23:8). Different people today have different opinions on this question. C. S. Lewis, in his classic work, The Screwtape Letters, published in 1942, observes that there are two extremes of belief to which the Devil is always happy to have Christians drawn to; one is to deny the existence of the Devil and his demons, and the other is to become overly concerned with them. The modern era has definitely fallen into these two extremes, and the Devil is very very happy. While there are those, even among Christians, who by their education, material wellbeing and sophistication think that they have arrived at a stage in their human development which makes the concept and talk about the Devil and demons a sign of intellectual backwardness. There are on the other hand those who are preoccupied with Satan, demons, witchcraft and sorcery. They find the cause of every challenge as a cause of demonic activity, and consequently their Christianity is more of demon-hunt than God-worship. Satan and his demonic hosts are alive and well on planet earth. We will do well to assign them their defeated state in the coming of the Kingdom of God in the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in their ultimate defeat when they will all be thrown into the Lake of Fire, to be forever disbanded from troubling the human species. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: The Christ-follower is given authority to trample underfoot scorpions and serpents (Luke 10:19), that means to have the authority of our Master Jesus to overcome the Devil and his demons in our encounter with them. Do not be an ostrich and deny the existence of demonic reality. At the same time do not become a feather blown in the wind by unnecessary fear of the demonic hosts that can render you powerless in your journey with Christ. Put the Devil and his demons in their right corner, and march on in the victory of Christ. PRAYER: Lord Jesu Christ, thank you for defeating Satan in your ministry, but ultimately on the cross (Col. 2:15). Please help me to walk in your victory, and to live a life unaffected by the enemy and his agents. May your Church have a balanced understanding of the forces we are called to fight, and may the Church live in the victory of Calvary. For you dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 11, 2023 | Matthew 8:23-27 KEY VERSE: He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. Matthew 8:26 (NIV) MESSAGE: The demonstration of the power of the Lord Jesus over diseases and demons demonstrated in the context of Matthew 8 and 9 is taken to the control He had over nature. The power of nature challenges the smartest advancement of human knowledge and scientific advancement. The forces of wind, water, fire and earthquakes have remained untamed. We actually fear these forces of nature, and we continue to learn how we may bring them under perfect submission. The devastating power of nature was shown in the fact that the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ did not forbid the storms from rising. The first show of the Lord that He was in charge of affairs was seen in the fact that while the storm was raging He was fast asleep. His disciples were frightened by the storm and cried out to Him to save them because they feared they were about to drown. He rebuked the disciples, and then rebuked the winds and the waves. The result was an immediate calm and quiet in the raging forces then at work. The Lord Jesus still has power over nature and does what we may not always be aware of, to safeguard our safety and comfort. The whole of creation is in chaos and is groaning (Rom. 8:8-25), and the Church must call upon the Lord, to bring some order into the situation. We must also speak and act in ways that bring restoration rather than degradation to the environment. As Rom. 8 shows the fullest realization of the redemption and calming of nature will happen when Christ comes and releases God’s people completely from the limitations of the fallen world we live in. In the journey of life also we meet storms that frighten us. The Lord Jesus has the power to intervene wonderfully. When that happens, our necessary response should be that of the disciples, “The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" (Matthew 8:27). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Appreciate the environment that God in His wisdom has given us to live in. Determine to protect the environment as much as it is in your power to do so. Speak up against the degradation of the environment. Look forward to the new Heavens and the new Earth where there are no storms or disasters. PRAYER: Lord, you made the heavens and the earth, you have power over the sin-stained world, and can silence its forces of destruction. Lord, please limit the occurrence of the natural disasters you predicted as signs of the end. Please make me an agent of environmental preservation. Above all, please speak to the storms in my life, and I will be careful to praise you. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 10, 2023| Matthew 8:18-23 KEY VERSE: Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Matt 8:20 (NIV). MESSAGE: Despite all the attacks that Christianity has suffered over the centuries and the turning away from a vibrant Christianity by nations that were built upon Christian values, Christianity is still an attractive choice in many parts of the world. Many people call themselves Christian because it is culturally appropriate or the thing that everybody is doing, and therefore appeals to our crowds-psychology. It feels good to be part of the crowd. However, it seems that many of those who claim to be Christians are not following the Lord Jesus to the point of Him changing us into His image, and if we seem to be following Him we want to do so on our own terms. The two persons in our text who offered to follow the Lord Jesus were disappointed with the response that the Lord gave to their loose offers. The offer of the teacher of the law was as innocent and impressive as it could be, that he would follow the Lord wherever the Lord went. In our current quest to swell the numbers of our church membership, we would have clapped and bent over backwards to announce to everyone that we gained one more member. However, the Lord Jesus saw in the motivation of the would-be follower a certain expectation of comfort (maybe in view of the miracles he had seen the Lord perform), and He addressed it by His response. The discipleship life is one of sacrifice, and comfort could not be guaranteed. The disciple must understand this and commit to following with a readiness to suffer, to bear a cross. The second offer to follow the Lord came from a man described as a “disciple.” It would seem that he was part of the usual crowd seeking to follow the Lord. He shows signs of wanting to go deeper and further in his commitment to following Jesus the Master. His only condition was that he would go and bury his father before coming to fulfil his intentions. A cursory look at the response of the Lord seems rash and devoid of feelings. However, it needs to be observed that the father of the man in question was not dead at the point at which he made his proposal to the Lord. This disciple wanted to go and wait for his father to die, and bury him, before coming back to follow the Lord. This is misplaced priority since the ministry of giving spiritual Iife to spiritually dying people was more important than waiting for people to die and be buried before serving the Kingdom agenda. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: The call to follow the Lord Jesus Christ is an urgent, demanding, and self-sacrificing call. It has benefits for this life and the afterlife. Would you covenant with the Lord, to leave everything behind and follow Him? on His terms and on his terms only. PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you that you left your glory and comfort and came to save me. Now I commit myself to you, determined to follow you and to do so on your terms. Please help me to follow you more nearly, love you more dearly, day by day. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 9, 2023 | Matthew 8:14-17 KEY VERSE: This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases" Matthew 8:17 (NIV) MESSAGE: From the Fall of the human race into sin by the deception of the Devil, the human story has been a painful sad one. Sin brought with it hardship, toil, sickness, hatred, and physical and spiritual death. Spiritual death is the immediate separation of the human soul, every human soul since Adam, from the loving living relationship we were meant to have with God, and physical death is the eventual separation of the human soul from the human body. When the Lord Jesus, as God in human form came on earth, He was on a mission to take away the curse of the Fall and restore us to Himself. This mission He demonstrated in His teachings which redirected His immediate hearers to new ways of thinking and behaving which correspond to the way God intended and desired for His human creation. Those who received His message and believed in Him were spiritually raised from their spiritual death, just as succeeding generations of Christ-believers are born again into the new life by which our spirits are born again, resurrected, and given life when we believe. Along with the restoration of the human spirit Christ the Lord also dealt with the physical consequences of the Fall. In our text, Matthew 8:14-17, we see all the wards of the human clinic opened for the visit of the Great Healer. The Lord Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever, she is immediately healthy enough to set about preparing and serving food to Jesus and His entourage. Consequently, “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick” Matt 8:16-17 (NIV). Jesus came “to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” The Lord Jesus is the Master of our spiritual infirmities as well as of our physical infirmities. He heals today as He healed when He was on earth. And if for His own purposes and in His excellent loving wisdom He allows a painful state to remain He does so for our benefit and to His glory (reflect on 2 Cor. 12:7-12) FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Do you have a burden of body, mind or of spirit? Come to the Saviour, the Master-healer. There’s GRACE at the throne of God for our healing. And if He permits anything that hurts us to remain, there is still SPECIAL GRACE to bear the cross and to follow Him. Even in this latter case, He heals us by giving us the peace of God which surpasses human understanding. Go to the willing Saviour with your burden and cares. Lift your afflicted loved ones also before the Lord. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that burdens are lifted at Calvary. I come to you this moment believing in your saving healing power. Lord heal me, of all that troubles body, soul, and spirit. Lord heal me of the effect of the curse of this fallen world. Lord, heal me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being my Healer. For your dear Name’s sake. Amen! THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | March 8, 2023 | Matthew 8:5-13 KEY VERSE: When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Matthew 8:10 (NIV) MESSAGE: Astonish Jesus, is that possible? Yes, it is, and that in itself is astonishing, for the Lord knows all things. Our text shows us that when the centurion expressed his faith in the Lord Jesus, in His authority, in His capability to heal and to heal from a distance, the Lord Jesus was astonished. To astonish someone is to make them impressed with something good we have done, or to surprise them for something wrong we have done. Astonishment arises out of earlier impressions or expectations we hold of the people concerned. And so, the Lord was astonished (impressed) with the barriers that the centurion pulled down to express such faith in Him. In Mark 6:1-6 we have another Gospel narrative in which (in verse 6) the Lord Jesus was astonished. In this case, it was the people of His hometown, Nazareth, who astonished Him. They questioned His teachings and His miraculous power, making reference to His family, His ordinariness among them as a simple carpenter, and they were offended at Him, loaded with unbelief. As a result of their unbelief, “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.” Mark 6:5 (NIV). The Lord was astonished that His countrymen who had the Law and the Prophets and the promises concerning the Messiah could not see Messiah in their midst, and could not understand God’s visitation among them, but measured by human standards and underestimated the God-in-human-flesh among them. These are the only two instances in the Gospels that we read of the Lord being astonished. In Matthew 8 the Lord is astonished by a Gentile’s faith which released the blessing of healing intended for all humanity, whereas in Mark 6 the lack of faith on the part of Jews resulted in the Lord not being able to work out miracles among descendants of Abraham for whom there was a standing line of credit which should have released much more blessings upon them. The Lord has expectations of us in our various situations, and how we act, react, or respond, often astonishes Him. The Lord is not only astonished (impressed or surprised, as the case may be) in the matter of our expression of faith, but in our attitudes, behaviour, conversation, and what we fail to do or choose to do. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Imagine the Lord observing your life and being astonished. Determine to astonish the Lord positively by choosing, despite the challenges of your circumstances to show your faith in Him by living according to His word. One way or the other you astonish the Lord! PRAYER: Lord, I may not see how I have shocked you by my wrong choices and behaviour, but I now acknowledge that I sometimes astonish you rudely. Please help me to live by faith in you and in your word, and may I be so changed by that word, that I may be a wonder to the devil and a joy to you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING! SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | MARCH 7, 2023 | MATTHEW 8:5-13 KEY VERSE: When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Matthew 8:10 (NIV) MESSAGE: We have discussed the place of prayer in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His instruction to us, as His followers, to use God’s gift of prayer to access God’s provision. However, when we pray, we are expected to have faith, to believe that God is able and willing, according to His will to do the things we ask Him for. In our text today we see the faith of the centurion from His initial decision to go to the Lord Jesus, and His actually taking the steps to do so. He was a foreigner in the first place, besides he was an agent of the occupying force of Rome, and these facts could have served as barriers for Him, to make him wonder if the Lord would receive him. He overcame these barriers and by faith trusted in the loving grace of the Lord Jesus and went to Him. When the Lord Jesus offered to go to the place where the servant was in order to heal him, the centurion raised the faith bar further by indicating that he was convinced that Jesus did not need to move to the location of the sick servant; in effect the centurion expressed the faith that the power of the Lord Jesus was such that it could take effect at a distance and that there was no distance in the power of God. He acknowledged the spiritual power of the Lord and compared it to his own power as a top military officer, whose commands are obeyed by all under his command. Certainly, the Lord was impressed with the faith of the centurion, and used the opportunity to challenge the lukewarm attitude of the Jews who were not responding that heartily with the ministry of the Lord. The Lord gives us the divine arrangement for God answering our prayers; Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 (NIV). Could it be stated any more simply? When you desire whatever (which is in line with the word and will of God), pray about it. When you pray believe God that you HAVE RECEIVED IT, and then YOU WILL HAVE IT! FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Take your prayer life to another higher level. Do not pray as a mere formality and empty religious exercise. Intentionally tell yourself, God is real, God cares about my needs, God is listening for my prayer, God is able to meet my need, and my need is met! Then look forward to your prayers become reality before your very eyes. We have tasted and can say, GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS! PRAYER: Dear Lord in Heaven, thank you for the gift of prayer. I believe in you, please help my unbelief, and usher me into a life of asking God and receiving answers from God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen! THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | MARCH 6, 2023 | MATTHEW 8:1-4 KEY VERSE: Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured b of his leprosy. Matthew 8:3 (NIV) MESSAGE: From the mount of instruction, the Lord Jesus descended into the valley of human needs. In Matthew chapters 8 and 9 we will meet the Lord in the valley of human affliction and demonstrating His power to save by His miracles. His miracles were to show compassion to human suffering, to endorse His credentials and to reveal saving truth to His observers and followers. Among the large crowds that followed Him, who had listened to His Kingdom message, there was a leprous man who sought the assistance of the Lord, and requested, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Matt 8:2 (NIV). This individual man in need is representative of humanity contaminated by sin and negatively affected by life’s challenges. Leprosy was a contagious disease which rendered the person suffering from it ceremonially unclean and an outcast from Jewish society. They were to live on the outskirts of town, and when people drew near to them, they were to announce their contaminated and contaminating presence by shouting “Unclean, unclean.” Those who were not infected were not allowed to touch the leprous. What a life of pain, physical and emotional. The leprosy of sin has affected all of humanity, so the Bible teaches us (Rom. 3:23). We were born sinners and are unclean before God. When we come to the Lord in humble acknowledgement of our need for help, like this man did, He does reach out to us in ways that change our circumstances and set us free to live a new life. It is astonishing that “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.” (verse 3). That is the wondrous beauty of what God is willing to do for anyone who acknowledges their need, for spiritual cleansing in the first place, but also for any and all needs of life. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: For some people, life has dealt the hard blows that make us feel unwanted, undeserving, and hopeless. For some others, the feeling of guilt and shame has made life depressive. For whatever state of need we may find ourselves in at any time, let us remember that if we cry out to the Lord Jesus, He will reach out to us, touch us and meet our needs. PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I ask you to reach out to me as I seek to attain my right standing in society. Above all make me worthy to stand before the Heavenly Father, by your touch and your embrace. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | MARCH 5, 2023 | MATTHEW 7:24-29 KEY VERSE: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 (NIV) MESSAGE: Hearing the message of Christ is easy and simple, someone speaks, I listen and walk away without the word making any impact on my life. Just as talk is cheap so is hearing cheap. Doing is the matter of the matter. Our relationship with God is not based on having access to the revelations about God but conforming to the demands and directives of God through His word. The Lord paints the picture of two types of hearers of His teaching. Verses 24 and 26 show the marked difference in response to the teachings of the Lord. There are those who hear and obey the teachings of the Lord (verse 24), and there are those who hear and disregard the word of the Lord (verse 26). Those are choices that the individuals concerned make, and they are free to do so. However, there are real-life consequences to those choices. Hearing and obeying the instructions of the Lord makes a person strong in the face of the challenges that life presents. Life lived according to the teachings of Christ is like a house built upon a rock, whereas a life which disregards the word of Christ is comparable to a house built on the sand. Both houses face the storms, and storms of life come uninvited and without discrimination. The end result of the two houses is the house on the rock standing when the storm is over, and the house on the sand falling, and with a great crash! The danger of hearing and not doing the word of God is very close to everyone of us. The Holy Spirit finds it necessary through James to remind us in James 1:22-25 “²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.” (NIV). Knowledge without application is useless, and faith without work is evidently dead (James 2:14-17). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Where are you in your faith journey? Have you reached the place where reading or hearing God’s word is not a mere academic exercise with no practical relevance for life? We need to make God’s word the determinant of the direction of our life. Commit to obeying the word of God you know at every point in your life. You will be better off for it! PRAYER: Dear Father in Heaven, your word has been reliable through all the endless ages. Please help me not only to admire the beauty of the word, but to apply the teachings of the word, that I might become enabled to stand and withstand the challenges of this life, and to have a good account to give at the end. Thank you for hearing me, in Jesus’ glorious Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!