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Making Way For The King

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7 Isaiah here is prophesying the coming of our savior, the coming of Jesus, and more importantly, the coming of the king. Question: What is the one gift that Jesus wants from us that only we can give? It’s our worship. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2: 1-2 We have come to worship him. God wants more than what just what we can give him materially. He wants more than what we can just give him with our time and and our offerings etc. What he wants really from us is our worship. He wants us to give Him worship and so the reason why the wise men brought those different gifts unto Jesus is because the root of it was that they’ve come to worship. Worship -Reverence shown to men and beings of superior rank -To the Jewish high priests -To God -To Christ -To heavenly beings -To demons To show reverence in in the in the literal sense, in the ritual sense it means to bow down. Gifts they bowed down and worship, and what they were showing is reverence to him. Why were they showing reverence to Jesus? Because to worship means to show reverence to men, not just because, but to people and to beings more specific. Why do we worship Jesus?  We worship Jesus for who He is. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[a] for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 1:21-23 God came down to us and that is Immanuel. God with us. So we worship Jesus for who he is. We worship Jesus for what He has done.  9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. Timothy 1:9-10 NLT He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the good news.  We worship Jesus for what He will do. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT He has started a good work in us and He is faithful to complete it. Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— Ephesians 3:20 AMPC This is infinitely beyond our highest praise, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams. God is able to do far more than what you can. Having said that, having looked at everything that Jesus does for us and who He is, in light of this, in light of this we bring Him a gift, because we are a gift. How? We give ourselves to Him. You see, Jesus wants your heart. And so when we say how do I make way for the king? You bring Jesus a gift. What is the gift? You are the gift. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 NKJV Under submission to him, it is to make way for the king. It’s to make way for Jesus in my heart and in my life and so today as we really celebrate the birth of Jesus, I want you to think about more than just what Jesus did for us.

The Gift – Part 1

Frankincense 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 NLT Frankincense symbolised priestly nature of Jesus as high priest. Setting him apart from a typical king. When the wise men gave the infant Jesus a gift of frankincense, it also symbolized the gift of our devotion to spiritual truth and to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Priests:  Made sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins Prayed prayers on behalf of the people to God If we don’t understand the holiness of God. We will always have a casual approach to sin. Two things that every human being absolutely must come to understand are the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. These topics are difficult for people to face. And they go together: if we understand who God is, and catch a glimpse of His majesty, purity, and holiness, then we are instantly aware of the extent of our own corruption. When that happens, we fly to grace—because we recognize that there’s no way that we could ever stand before God apart from grace. The sacrifice satisfies God’s justice and at the same time extends mercy. 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. 11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Hebrews 10:10-12 NLT | We are made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus. He is not just a distant saviour, Jesus feels sorry for us 14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:14-15 NLT Jesus is a high priest that understands and cares. In His role as high priest, Jesus delights in understanding us. He considers it a joy to carry our cares and understand our wounds. This isn’t a job to Him; it is His nature. It pleases Him to serve us in feeling our feelings and knowing our cares.2 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. Hebrews 4:16 AMPC

Choices – Part 3 

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deuteronomy 30:19 Making God honouring choices What does it mean to honour? It means placing a weight on something. Making it a premium. God desires that we all make decisions that honour Him and bring Him glory. And He waits for us to come to Him and ask Him for His wisdom. 4 Steps to making God honouring choices 2. Seek Godly counsel Wise counsel helps us navigate options, make decisions, take actions, and respond well in situations and relationships. Thankfully, God offers wise counsel through multiple means. The bible calls us to seek godly counsel. Nobody has monopoly on wisdom Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. 2 A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. Proverbs 18:1-2 Sources of Godly counsel Family and those around you People in Church that have wisdom in that area Pastors and spiritual leaders The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. Proverbs 12:15 Wisdom = listening more carefully when people in these spheres disagree with us 3. Do what you want What do you want to do? Isn’t it amazing that we get to ask this question? What do you want to do? What desires has God given you? What makes you happy? What brings you joy? What excites you? God will be with you every step of the way. You’ll be doing God’s will. In fact, you will have found God’s will. “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Every Godly decision requires faith. Psalm 37:4 4. Build your faith If you make decision without God’s input, it means we’re putting faith in ourselves. We can pursue wisdom and God may still lead us to the cross. A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 30 There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord. 31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord. Proverbs 21:30-31

Choices – Part 2

We need to ensure that God is central in our lives and integrate Him into all the parts of our lives. From the initial decision to become a believer, to a desire for a holy life, and including the big and small decisions of daily life, the Holy Spirit can be depended upon for guidance in our choices. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deuteronomy 30:19 You have two options everyday, life or death – choose life because that is good. Surely if given the option of life and blessings or death and curses, we would naturally and enthusiastically choose life! But the command: “Choose life” is more than a decision to keep on breathing How do we make God honouring choices? God lavishes grace and mercy on us in overwhelming, heaping amounts, and he does so freely for His children. We are going to have to make decisions in life. There’s just no getting around that. The problem with making God honouring choices is that we are spoilt for choice. The choice that we make today will affect what we walk in tomorrow.  What are the roadblocks to making God honouring decisions We get paralyzed because we think there’s a “Godliest” option We get paralyzed because we put too much pressure on ourselves We get paralyzed because were waiting for a sign from God Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 4 steps to making God honouring choices Believe God’s Word You cannot believe in God unless you trust what He says The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 3 threads of God’s Word God’s gospel: Jesus has secured all the benefits and blessings of God, not you. The things that are most true about you can never be taken away regardless of the decisions you make.  God’s sovereignty: He works all things according to the counsel of His will. In this new freedom, God is still sovereign over our wills. God’s mission Ask yourself if the decision you are about to make is going to make you fulfil the great commission.

Thursday 27 January

Prayer Point Day 4: Freedom and Liberty Breaking of every chain and stronghold that is holding us back from fulfilling God’s call upon our lives and our church. We will be a people that have answered Yes to God’s call,  people that walk worthy of the call of God upon our lives Activated for Purpose and Destiny Heb 12:1 | Col 3: 9-13 Worship Set List Battle Belongs | Phil Wickham Jireh & Worthy | Elevation Worship Make Use One | Catch The Fire Music  Too Good Not To Believe | Brandon Lake Remember to join us at 6am for prayer on Facebook Live, via our Facebook Page

Monday 24 January

Prayer Point Day 1: People after God’s Own Heart We will be a people after God’s own heart, filled with the fullness of God. A people that function from God’s presence.  Eph 1:16-23 Worship Set List Psalms 145 | Worship Mob I Need You More | Mark Barlow, Revere My Soul Follow | Mark Barlow & DOE Worthy Of It All | Cece Winans Remember to join us at 6am for prayer on Facebook Live, via our Facebook Page

Suit Up – Week 4

Need to know: Go (punch up with one hand) With the good news boots (pretend to put on boots) Bible story: The Great Commission Matthew 28:16-20 Praise and worship: Let’s celebrate being superheroes who are SUITED UP with some praise and worship. Instruction: We’re going to put on our Good News Boots and practice sharing the good news of God’s love with everyone in the world. When we SUIT UP with our Good News Boots, we can Go (punch up with one hand) and share the good news of God’s love with everyone we see! Prayer Father God, we come to you in the precious name of Jesus Christ. We thank you God for the day you have made, thank you God that we can celebrate in the day and be glad in it. God where you are there is JOY, there is PEACE and there is LOVE. Father, we thank you that we can come together in your presence and be in unity with you. Thank you, God, for loving us so much that you’ve sent your only son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Thank you, God, that your perfect love on the cross has cleansed us, and thank you that it took away our fear. Father, we thank you that we can rejoice with you knowing that we are in right standing with you and that all our sins are forgiven because of your precious LOVE towards us. God may our lesson today sink into our hearts today so that we can take it with us wherever we go and that we can share your GOOD NEWS with your people. Father God may we be reminded of your LOVE, the LOVE that will never LIE, the LOVE that is always there when we feel weak, the LOVE that always comforts, the LOVE that forgives us when we make mistakes, the LOVE that will never leave us nor forsake us, the LOVE that showers us with JOY and PEACE and LAUGHTER and the LOVE that we can never be separated from. God thank you for your unfailing LOVE towards us, for the excitement attitude towards sharing you GOOD NEWS with your people. Thank you that our hearts are filled and that you’ve poured into us your LOVE, your JOY and, your PEACE to share. God, we thank you for all that you are and forever will be, in the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Ice breaker: Share any of your GOOD NEWS that you have received for the past week. Then ask your kid/s to share their GOOD NEWS for the past week as well. Take notice of how exciting the kids get when they share the GOOD NEWS with you. Introduction: Sharing your good news with someone else makes us very excited, and it makes us want to share it with everyone we encounter. Today we are going to SUIT UP with our GOOD NEWS boots and tell everyone about God’s Love. God’s Love towards us is so great that we can share it with everyone around us, not only is God’s love great, but it makes us excited and creates a great amount of happiness and joy within our hearts that we cannot help but share His love for us! EVERYBODY NEEDS TO EXPERIENCE GOD’S GREAT LOVE FOR US! Lesson: God wanted to show us how much he loves us. This is good news! Knowing that we are loved by God and nothing can ever separate us from His great love is the BEST NEWS! God sent His one and only son Jesus Christ to take up our sins on the cross. He forgave our sins and He washes us clean from all our sins when we go to Him and ask for forgiveness. Now that is GOOD NEWS. Why is God’s love so great? Jesus Christ has dies on the cross for our sins. We are able to have a relationship with God and speak to Him daily because of Jesus dying on the cross. God’s love is so great that nothing can ever separate us from His love. His love will never ever ever ever fail us. God’s love is always with us, it protects us, listens to us, and answers our prayers (Psalm 91:14-16) Why should we tell everyone about God’s love? Well, we can’t keep the good news from anybody, so we have to tell others about God’s love for us so that they can experience it for themselves! When we share the good news about God’s love with someone, they will experience it and be able to tell someone else. That way many people will know about God’s love and will want to live with his love in their hearts. Repeat memory verse: Put on (Pretend to put on helmet) All of God’s Armor (Reach from head to toes) Then you (Point to others) Can remain strong (Show muscles) Ephesians 6:11 (Show six fingers. Then show both index fingers) Activity (Snowball fight): Bible content: Isaiah 1:18 You will need: Newspaper Masking tape A timer Play: Form two groups. Divide the area (living room/room) into two equal-sized areas with a masking tape line. Give each group an equal size amount of newspaper. On your signal, let kids make “snowballs” and quickly throw them back and forth at the opposing team for two minutes. The object is to get more snow on the opponent’s side when the time’s up. ENJOY! Insert Colouring in paper. Closing Prayer: Thank you, Father God, for your GOOD NEWS. It’s an honour to be in your presence Lord. Your presence is an open door God, please come fill us. Thank you that the seed of your LOVE that has been sowed in our hearts will grow and we can share it with everyone around us. In Jesus Mighty Name we pray. Amen.

Suit Up – Week 3

Need to know: Suit up with Godliness With the sword of the Spirit Bible story: Gideon (Judges 6:1-32) Praise and worship: Let’s celebrate being superheroes who are SUITED UP with some praise and worship. Prayer Open with prayer. Focus on entering into God’s presence. This frame work for effective prayer will help you with that. Ice breaker: Choose your weapon! Choose your weapons…what are some weapons that we might see or hear about? Display several pictures of modern or ancient weapons, like swords, guns, tanks, or bows and arrows. Do these seem like big and powerful weapons? Next, hold up for students a water pitcher, a flashlight, and a party horn or instrument. Do these seem like good weapons? Maybe not so much…but with God, anything is possible! Introduction: Start out by discussing things that might be scary. What are students afraid of? Why are these things nerve-wracking? Describe how the story they will hear today has to do with some scary-sounding elements. The Bible story covers a bit of length, so it might be best to paraphrase parts of it, or for younger students most of it. At this time of the Bible, the people of Israel were ruled by judges. Explain that a judge was sort of like a governor or special leader that could help people. Set the stage by explaining that the people of God often made mistakes and did not obey Him. When this happened, sometimes enemies came and took over their land. Lesson: Wow, did you catch that? God does not point out that Gideon is scared and without courage. God encourages him and speaks life into his situation. The Sword of the Spirit works the same way in our lives. Holy Spirit does not humiliate us. He corrects us by speaking life into our situation. With the Sword of the Spirit we can fight off the accusations of the enemy that tries to frighten us into hiding. The sword of the spirit gives us the courage to come out of hiding and to do what God has called us to do. And we fight off the lies that make usfeel too small, too ashamed to do what God wants us to do. Repeat memory verse: Put on (Pretend to put on helmet) All of God’s Armor (Reach from head to toes) Then you (Point to others) Can remain strong (Show muscles) Ephesians 6:11 (Show six fingers. Then show both index fingers) Activity (spending time): Reflect again on how God fulfills His promises and does amazing things through His people. Gideon might have been afraid and doubtful, but he knew He could trust God. And so can we! We might not think we are special or strong, but we don’t have to be. We just need to be willing to let God work through us. And we know He will give us what He promises, because He sent the savior Jesus, just like He said He would! Name one time when God came through for you when you had no hope. Identify an area of your life where you need to use the Sword of The Spirit Prayer: Close with prayer and thank God for His power in our lives. Ask for help in trusting Him to do great things and for help not to fear. .

Suit Up – Week 2

Need to know: Go (punch up with one hand) With the belt of truth (pretend to put on a belt) Bible story: The Fall(Genesis3) Praise and worship: Let’s celebrate being superheroes who are SUITED UP with some praise and worship. Prayer Father God, we come to you in the precious name of Jesus Christ. We thank you God for the day you have made, thank you God that we can celebrate in the day and be glad in it. God where you are there is JOY, there is PEACE and there is LOVE. Father, we thank you that we can come together in your presence and be in unity with you. Thank you, God, for loving us so much that you’ve sent your only son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Thank you, God, that your perfect love on the cross has cleansed us, and thank you that it took away our fear. Father, we thank you that we can rejoice with you knowing that we are in right standing with you and that all our sins are forgiven because of your precious LOVE towards us. Thank you, God, that as we seek you more and more you reveal yourself to us, God you show us the truth where we forget your TRUTH. You remind us of your True words because God you are not a man that you should LIE. Thank you, God, for keeping your promises. God, as we learn about your TRUTH today, may we be reminded of your LOVE, the LOVE that will never LIE, the LOVE that is always there when we feel weak, the LOVE that always comforts, the LOVE that forgives us when we make mistakes, the LOVE that will never leave us nor forsake us, the LOVE that showers us with JOY and PEACE and LAUGHTER and the LOVE that we can never be separated from. God, we thank you for all that you are and forever will be, in the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Ice breaker: God’s truth Read/Share your favourite story from the Bible. Tell us why it is your favourite story. Then share God’s TRUTH/TRUE WORDS in that story. E.g. Story When God created the earth He spoke everything into existence. Genesis 1:3 Then God said “Let there be light” TRUTH and there was light. Introduction: Today we are going to learn how to be Heroes and save the day by wearing a special piece of God’s Armor! It’s called the belt of TRUTH. In your favourite Bible story, God spoke His TRUE words and you remembered the TRUE things God said in the story! Lesson: In the Garden of Eden there were many trees bearing yummy fruit, but there was one tree God had told Adam and Eve not to eat from. The snake had tricked Eve and told her a lie so that she would forget what God had told her and do the wrong thing. Eve forgot that what God says is always TRUE, she decided to believe the LIE of the sneaky snake so she ate the fruit. Because they did not remember and obey the TRUE words of God, Adam and Eve had to leave God’s special garden. Adam and Eve did not have on their BELT OF TRUTH, if they would have been wearing this piece of God’s Armor, they would’ve known that the sneaky snake was not telling the TRUTH! Why should we wear the belt of Truth? The BELT OF TRUTH helps us remember the TRUE things God says in the Bible. When you suit up with the BELT OF TRUTH you have the power (show your muscles) to defeat any lies the enemy tries to tell you! Repeat memory verse: Put on (Pretend to put on helmet) All of God’s Armor (Reach from head to toes) Then you (Point to others) Can remain strong (Show muscles) Ephesians 6:11 (Show six fingers. Then show both index fingers) Activity (spending time): Ask the following questions and engage in a fun discussion (You can add questions) Do you think that it will be more fun to be able to fly high or run super-fast? If you had a superpower (relive a moment superpower) which day would you relive? Colour in Prayer: Thank you, God, that we could learn that whatever you speak is TRUE, thank you, Father God, that we have the belt of TRUTH to defeat any lie. Thank you, God, for giving us the Armor of God so that we can remain strong and suited up in our daily lives. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Suit Up – Week 1

Need to KnowSuit Up with God’s Armor Bible Story David and Goliath: 1 Samuel 17 Praise & Worship PrayerFather, we come to you in the name of Jesus. We thank you for your Grace and mercy in our lives.We thank you for the price that Jesus paid for us on the cross. We thank you that at the cross our fear was swapped for Your peace, our sickness for healing, our weakness for Your strength. We thank you that we are forgiven by You. We thank you that we can come to you and say that we are sorry for all the times that we forget about You and that we don’t listen to what you are telling us to do. We thank you that we can know that our sins have been thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. We thank you that as we will now explore your Word, that it will wash us clean and help us to understand where we need You to help us to submit to You and Your Word. We thank you that we are not just hearers of the Word but also doers of the Word. We praise you! Your lovingkindness is better than life. You are the author and finisher of our faith. You are our shield and our strength and we can hide in the secret place of the most high during our time of need. Lord open our ears and soften our hearts while today’s lesson is sown into our hearts. Transform us and change us. Let the fruit of Your Spirit be seen in us, as we are transformed by Your Word. In Jesus mighty name Amen. Ice BreakerWhen the do does not fitPUsing oversizes shoes give the kids one oversized shoe Per child. Let them have a race, If the shoe falls off you need to start over. See who gets to the other side the quickest. IntroductionWhy was it hard to run in those shoes? (Wait for kids to answer) Yes, because they did not fit. Did you know that David also had a problem with shoes that did not fit him? Let’s watch the story. LessonDavid could fight Goliath because he wore the full armour of God. But what should we do when sometimes it feels like armour does not fit As well? What can we learn from David about those times when we feel like we have Nothing to protect us from the things that can make us scared. Learn Humility: David’s victory is really God’s victory! Goliath fought with strength and dominated his enemies with his enormous size. David relied on what he had learned while he was a shepherd. He learned total dependence on God! David was alone out on the hillside. He learned humility. Shepherds were not respected! His brother’s mocked him. He learned to be skillful with his slingshot! Sheep are dumb animals and they needed protection. He learned to have a relationship with God! He played his harp and wrote songs (Psalms) David tried on Saul’s armor and it did not fit. Armor back in Bible times was made to fit the warrior exactly. Saul was a tall adult man while David was a young boy who hadn’t grown to full stature. Even though David’s older brothers mocked him and were too fearful to fight Goliath themselves, he was willing. I can see a funny picture of David with a huge helmet, heavy mail armor, and an oversized sword. David couldn’t even walk in the armor! The first thing when the armor doesn’t fit, is to be insignificant. To be humble. David had learned these lessons from God when he was alone and totally relying on God’s protection on the hills as a shepherd. He didn’t need the armor to provide him with protection when God had protected him without heavy armor! Your Own Strength Is TOO Heavy- Take it Off! Saul’s armor was extremely heavy and made it impossible for David to walk. Too often we try to walk in our own strength instead of walking with Jesus in faith. Our own strength is too heavy just like Saul’s armor. David tried to walk but couldn’t. He told Saul that he couldn’t wear it because he had not tried or ‘proved’ it. Saul had been living in his own strength and that was what made his reign as king so disastrous. David had tried walking by faith in the wilderness and it had proved to work. He wasn’t going to put on something that wasn’t going to work! Get Comfortable In Your Own SkinSaul’s armor was made to fit him not David. You must wear your own armor and not armor made for someone else! You have your own personality and God has created you to serve Him in a unique way. You weren’t designed by God to be me or another sister in Christ. You are you and God created you for a special purpose that only you can carry out. David did put on armor but it wasn’t physical armor like Saul’s cumbersome armor. He wore the invisible armor that God prepared just for him like in Ephesians 6:1-20 Activity – Colour In