Sunday March 13, 2016

Some notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Jean)

Dr. Barclay: 

Theme: There truly is a great gulf between Heaven in Hell, make a decision for Christ before it is too late.

²⁶  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.

Luke 16:19-31

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰ But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ²¹ desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell^[a] from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
²⁷ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
We can learn a great deal from Jesus teaching on the wealthy man in Hell and the poor beggar in Abraham's bosom.
Man has changed the gospel, to suit his own needs many times throughout history. It is clear, very few people want to remain faithful.
There is a big difference between belief and faith. Very often people have the mind to believe but we do not have the faith to go with it and act upon our belief.
Many religions and denominations have tried to build their own bridge across the gulf. Yet the Bible has always been very clear, only by acknowledging Christ as Lord and his death on the cross is the only way to Heaven.



Buhle Dlamini: Theme: "Praise You In This Storm"

-Look up and pray
-Look back and remember
-Look forward and hope
-Look again and praise

God wants us to be excited about him everyday not just on Sunday. 
Sometimes we pray and it feels like God is very far away. What do we as Christians do when we are going through trials and fierce storms. What we need to do is keep praising God in the middle of our crisis. We need to recognize and acknowledge God's power and holiness.
Psalm 77 clearly teaches us how our response should be in hard times.

1 I cried out to God with my voice—
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.
² In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.
³ I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah

⁴ You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
⁵ I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
⁶ I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit makes diligent search.

⁷ Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
⁸ Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His promise failed forevermore?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

¹⁰ And I said, “This is my anguish;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
¹¹ I will remember the works of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
¹² I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
¹⁵ You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶ The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled.
¹⁷ The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
¹⁸ The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
²⁰ You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Many Christians are feeling down and discouraged, carrying burdens they were not meant to carry. We need to praise God in the midst and through the storm. There is a purpose in our pain. God will let us go through things, so he can he can get through to us. There will always be problems in our lives that money cannot solve, only God can. God is waiting for us to ask for his help. When we are going through a storm we need to immediately look up and pray. The God we serve is able to do much more than what we are worrying about. Sometimes we have to go through storms to learn spiritual lessons.
Thank God for the blessing he is going to give you as if it has already been delivered. The problem is not that God cannot hear us when we pray, the problem is we do not have faith that the answer will come when we pray.

Matthew 15:21-28

²¹ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

²³ But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

²⁷ And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

This woman truly believed with sincere faith and her daughter was delivered from demon possession.
We need to run to the Lord and pound on the door of heaven.

Sunday March 6, 2016

Here's some notes from Sunday's service.  (Thanks, Heather)

Master's Hand is now on Facebook. Follow us at:
https://www.facebook.com/Masters-Hand-Ministry-199166430446284/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Happy Wednesday! Another day in Nova Scotia where Mother Nature was having fun with us :D

I missed the first part of Something to Think About, but I did grasp something to think about!

    

• Without faith it's impossible to please God
• Crucifixion... Do you believe it actually happened? Do you have faith in it?!
• There is a difference!

Had Communion

The Message ~ Pastor Caroline

• 'On Strike'
• Are you tired of your job? Do you wish you were retired? Or have a different job?
• We all go through those thoughts at one time or another.
• Thank you Lord for never uttering those words!! How we need you!
• Have you ever asked someone in a store a question and they said that wasn't their department?! Instead of helping to find someone in that department, this could be the customer's last visit
• When we give, we receive
• Maybe someone asked for a drive to an appointment/groceries, and you've said 'No, that's not my job'
• What if going on strike/finding another job doesn't change the situation?!
• (Sorry I could find the words to the poem Pastor Caroline... about if God went on strike)
• John 19: Jesus was stripped, whipped, mocked, and nailed Him to the cross... And not for one moment did her think of going on strike.
• He KNEW what was coming; he knew what He had to face, but he never quit.
• Mark 14:35 (Jesus prayed 'not what I want, but what you want')
• He loved us soooo much that He gave up His life.
• He gave up His life while asking forgiveness for those crucifying Him cause they 'knew not what they were doing'.
• He asks us to live holy, perfect lives, however he knew we will stumble... Thus giving us His forgiveness and help. Even giving us eternal life!
• Don't quit, don't give up on your faith... Come to Jesus, and He will give you rest.
• When you throw up your hands and just want to quit, Jesus wants to give you His peace.
• He wants to supply all your needs!!
• Thank you Lord for never going on strike!!
• He wants you to know He's called you, has equipped you, and has a plan for your life!!

Cheers

Sunday February 28, 2016

There are no notes from Sunday's service.

Please go to Master's Hand YouTube channel to see Pastor Caroline's message and Dr. Barclay's Something to Think About.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrUaNS-N8LPEpsbWiJDYloQ

Sunday February 21, 2016

Some notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Heather)

Hey all :)

Forgive me. I only got the tail end of Spencer's message. Just means that you'll have to check out our blog for the live version! 

Something to Think About

~ Kids bond with their parents from birth; they spend lots of time with their parents.

~ We are not connected with God because we don't really believe His word.

~ The more time we spend with Him, the more we will be connected!

~ To have a true relationship with God one needs to be in the book, then we'll understand the true love that he's given to all.

The Message ~ Nader Soliman

~ Nader is an ambassador of 'Power to Change'. For the next year, he'll be helping in the Atlantic Provinces for the next year.

~ Hosea 14: 'Repentance to Bring Blessing'

~ God used Hosea and his wife to symbolize his love towards Israel; God called Hosea to take a prostitute as his wife. After she committed adultery, God asked Hosea to take her back as a symbol of the love and forgiveness Christ had towards Israel.

~ (vs 1) God calls us to return to him

~ (vs 2, 3) How do we return to him?... there is power in words!

~ What's your idols? What do you depend on to save you? (work, spouse, kids, money, vacations, Facebook/social media...)  These can help, but they can't save us.

~ (vs 4-9)  Tells about his character and what he wants for us.

~ Grow deep roots, become unmovable through spending more time with Christ.

~ He WILL help us/ heal us when we come back to Him.

~ When we follow/obey Him we become wise, wise in righteousness.

~ John 15:5 (Jesus is the vine, we are the branches...)

~ 1 Peter 2:7, 8 (Jesus was the stone the people rejected...)

~ So come, repent, Jesus wants to bless you!

Cheers

Sunday February 14, 2016

Some notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Jean)

Sunday Night Service

Dr. Barclay

Theme: Love

Christ told us to love one another. The greatest love, one can 

show is what Christ did for us by laying down his life.

Neither Buddha or Mohammed laded down their life for 

mankind. Thus the message of the gospel is different and 

unique from all other religions.

Christ wants us to be:

1) Submissive

Deuteronomy 4:1-2

4 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. If we love God we will keep his commandments. We must do what he asks us to do. 2) Worship triumphantly Brag up God's attributes. Revelation 7:9-12 9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” 3) Witness Urgently Show we appreciate what God has given us. Luke 12:8 8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 4) Work fervently By faith we are saved, by works we are judged. Revelation 22:12 12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 5) We are to watch with anticipation for Christ's return. When we follow through with these things we will have Christ for our Valentine. Jacquie Ross Theme: Putting our spiritual gifts to work through love. There is nothing fake about God's love and it is not short term. Lent is a time of refocus and examining our lives. Through the scriptures God reveals himself and straightens us out. 1 Corinthians 12: 1-2 12 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Psalm 36:5-9 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,     your faithfulness to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,     your justice like the great deep.     You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. 7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!     People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house;     you give them drink from your river of delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life;     in your light we see light There is a Greek word for love Agape which means general affection for mankind. Unconditional self-sacrificing love. We have to use the gifts God has given us because the body of Christ will be healthier and grow. God will reward us. There is wonderful joy in using our spiritual gifts, we need to us them and make an impact in our corner of the world. Those who the world calls trash. Jesus calls treasures. David was a man after God's own heart. Scripture tells us he repented before God and was truly contrite. Palm 51:10-17 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Lent is a time to reflect, if we are not using our spiritual gifts we should start now. Philippians 4:6 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. When we are fully trusting God there is no place for worry in our lives.

Sunday February 7, 2016

Hi Folks!

Well I hope you kept yourself dry and warm yesterday! Good thing the groundhog predicts an early Spring :D :D

There was no 'Something to Think About' or Message Sunday past... WELL, there was a message, in the form of 'WAR ROOM' (movie). We had a fantastic turnout, with some new faces. If you haven't seen this movie, please put it on your bucket list!! A movie about the power of prayer :)

Cheers

Heather

See the trailer here:

War Room - Trailer

Sunday January 31, 2016

Here are some notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Heather)

Something to Think About

• The Bible is not all that complicated: LOVE and CHOICES
• Man had a direct line with God, walked with Him in the garden, THEN man made a choice.
• In essence, man made himself as God, making their own decisions
• God could have walked away! BUT God made a choice to redeem his creation... Coming to earth as a man! Hebrews 1:13
• In doing this, he gave the choice back to us.
• Other religions talk about a violent God.
• Rev 20. Those who believe in Him will one day again live in a paradise and reign with him on earth.
• If you believe that, then the trials on earth are that much more insignificant.
• Believe Christ's birth, death, and resurrection 
• Not to just believe, but to LIVE it
• Simple choice, based on love.

Jeanie reminded us of 'Love Thy Neighbor' month, and how people receive love in 5 ways known as the 5 Love Languages: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. There were heart shaped cookies with bible verses written on them for us to take home with us to 'love our neighbour', OR as Pastor Caroline said 'and if you need a little loving, put on some tea and have a cookie'.

The Message - Pastor Caroline

• The War Room
• 1 Thessalonians ???  : be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful...
• Take a circumstance in your life and then give the answer to your prayer
• Finances, protection of a loved one, healing, provision, renewal in your mind, hardship, employment, for love, new place to live, opportunity for further education, 
• HE knew exactly how to bring you through.
• Of the Billions of people in the world, he's the ONE God who hears it all... Hears the cry of all of our hearts.
• Before you get off your knees, thank and praise God!!

• SUE
• Prayer for freedom of worship. 
• Thankful for getting up each morning and able to walk.
• Thankful for reconciled relationships
• AMY
• Jeremiah 29:11
• Thankful for family: additions, healed homes, organ donors
• LYNETTE
• Thankful for God's protection
• She shared a verse found on a little card (which I've attached)
• JOHN
• John shared that one time in church there was a man wrestling with God telling him to do push-ups in the middle of the aisle. Being obedient, he 'let go and let God'... there was a man in the audience making a deal with God that if someone did push-ups in the aisle he would give his life to Christ.
• Prayer for open worship
• You have to have faith to believe God's going to answer your prayer... And thank him for it!!

• Each one of you can lay a brick on someone else's behalf by saying a prayer for them.
• You matter to GOD!!
• Lamentations: trusting God and hope for the future.
• Lam 3:22-33 titles 'It's a good thing to hope for help from God'
• You may ask if God see your situations. Yes He does... Look at Job!!
• One thing Job didn't do... He didn't give up!!
• He knew God knew what was good for him. He ended up being blessed beyond!!
• If you're at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!
• If you're in a Job situation, this too will pass!!
• God is sending someone to help you in your time of need... You need to let people know your needs so they are prayer over them. 
• Ask, give praise, give thanksgiving to Christ.

• Congregation:

• Thankful God speaks in the most unlikely situations
• Thankful for healings within families
• Thankful for the Lord's provision
• Thankful for God's covering
• GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME... And ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!! 

Song: He gives strength to me as I worship him, and my heart is filled with praise...

Cheers

______________________________________________________

This Sunday, Feb.7th, we at Master's Hand Ministry invite everyone to join us as we share the movie, War Room, a wonderful message about the incredible power of prayer. Come along and invite a friend. Bring your children, families welcome.
See the preview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s28nvgHqu18