LOVE

"But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person's life is love...'' ERV. The opposites of love : jealous, hatred, boastfulness, maliciousness, arrogance, resentment, rudeness, irritability, selfishness etc.
     If you truly love God you will do the following: love and obey His commandments, pray, study His Word, serve Him, make Him known, worship Him in Spirit and truth,and  support His servants who are in full time ministry.
    If you love other people as yourself and as God commands , you will: build them in the things of God, sacrifice to meet their needs, deal with them in sincerity and genuineness and love them equally and unconditionally.
   Love is the greatest thing we can have. Read 1Cor.13:13. So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

FEEDBACK.

Ever since we opened the first branch on 11/9/2011,  we have seen God working with us and in us. We tell of Jesus daily as we go about normal chores. We also go out on Saturdays from 4.00 pm to 6.00pm to witness to people either in their houses or on their workplace. Through this witnessing about 20 people have been saved. We are having discipling classes with three of them on Fridays from 4.00pm to 5.30pm. The others have not allowed us to start classes with them and have not started to come to church. We encourage them when we meet and sometimes on the phone. Some especially the youth fears that their parents will not like it if we visit at their homes. There are those who had churches where they were going before we met and they continue to go there, but now as new believers. Some are suffering a lot  from lack of food, clothing and lack of rent/shelter. When we tell them of the love of God they want a to see it by us providing those needs. Most of the time we are not able so they despise us and refuse to come to church. On Saturdays from 6.00pm to 7.30 pm we have a fellowship in my house. we invite neighbors and and share the word of God and testimonies. On Sundays we have had an attendance of ten people, at other times five, three and some Sundays we have fellowshiped only I and my wife. The challenges we are facing is that of finances. My wife is a casual worker at a certain company and they may stay a whole week without job. I am not employed outside the ministry and sometimes I am forced to go out with a weighing machine checking peoples weight at Ksh.5. I thank God because through this, though through much struggle, we are able to pay church hall rent, house rent, food, etc. The other equally big challenge is that I lack time to pray, study, reach out to people, research etc. I have been desiring to go to Bible School but this lack is hindering me.The third challenge is that we are not able to help materially or financially when faced with such a need - and many in our community and families are looking up on us for such help. Kindly thank God with us for what He has done, is doing and will do. Pray with us for the provisions of the above mentioned needs. Pray that many will come to Jesus and that God will accomplish through us and in us  His perfect plan and purpose. Thanks, God bless you and keep you. Yours in His Service: Pastor Elijah Mutua Kirima -- General Overseer of THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WILL OF GOD.

Don't Miss the intent of God's Message.

We should not allow anything or anybody to distract us from the Good News of Salvation in Jesus Christ, the main point of Scripture. Know Jesus, Know the Word. Apply it in your life and teach it to others.

CHILDREN'S RESPONSIBILITIES.

Children should respect their parents - Lev.19:3, Honour Father and mother. They should respect their property and that of others. They should help them in times of need.

Be Patient.

Believers too are hit by the evil, injustice and lack that is in the world. May be you are there and u have no food, shelter/rent, clothing etc, and you feel like giving up on your walk with God. Be patient because God knows that you are passing through all this. At the end of it all, it is clear that you will win. Some will overcome their challeges while in this life, others will experience their full victory after ressurrection.

SUPPORTING GOD'S WORK.

We are to support God's Work whole-heartedly and generously, by finance and prayer, as part of our worship of God. Part of money contributed goes to support God's servants. 1 Corinthians 9:4-14. A basic principle of supporting God's Work: Acts 20:35.

Lesson. 12. THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM AND THE STORY OF ISAAC. Gen. 25:1-18. Taught in church during Bible Study on 18/12/11.

Remember in verse 1 of Chapter 24, We are told that Abraham was now old and well advanced in years. Before he died, he had married another wife and had children with her. He also had children with his concubines. At last he died a blessed person. Gen.25:8. Isn't the God of Abraham worthy obeying and serving? In 25:21, Isaac pleaded with God for children. We too can plead for our most personal and important requests. After prayer, answers may delay, but if we are fully committed to God, this can: 1. Deepen our insight into what we really need. 2. Broaden our appreciation for his answers. 3. Allow us to mature so we can use his gifts more wisely. God blessed Isaac with two children - Jacob and Esau. As the children grew, verse 28, their parents developed a divided affection for them. This caused a major problem in the family. We should love and treat our children equally. In verse 31, Esau traded his birthright for a single meal. He lost all the benefits
of being a 1st born. While it is true that Jacob demanded too much from his brother and took advantage of him, a thing we should avoid, V32,33 shows that Esau's craving was to satisfy his immediate desire without pausing to consider the long-range consequences. We should always be careful because immediate pleasure often losses sight of the future. God bless you and take care! Don't endanger your life, salvation, business, family, friendships etc for a passing benefit. Not everything that is appealing is in accordance with the Word of God or Will of God.

Lesson. 11. ISAAC & REBEKAH. Taught in church during Bible Study on 11/12/11.

- In this story we learn something about the servant of Abraham. See if you can follow these tips in your own life, He: 1. Accepted the challenge. Gen.24:3,9. 2. Examined alternatives 24:5. 3. Promised to follow instructions.24:9. 4. Made a plan. 24:12-14. 5. Submitted the plan to God. 24:12-14. 6. Prayed for guidance 24:12-14. 7. Devised a strategy with room for God to operate. 24:12-14. 8. Waited 24:21. 9. Watched closely. 24:21. 10. Explained the situation to concerned parties. 24:34-49. 11. Refused unnecessary delay. 24:56. 12. Followed through with entire plan. 24:66. Other lessons from Gen.24. Verse.1. Abraham is an old man highly blessed in every way. Those who obey and follow God may face many challenges, but of this we can be sure, their story ends well. Verse 3,4. Abraham knew the power of influence. The daughters of the Canaanites worshiped idols and did other evils. Any one of them could lead Isaac from God. Verse 6. Isaac had to wait
patiently for what God had promised while in the land. If he had gone back to his relatives, may be, he would forget about the promise. We too need to continue in what God wants us to do even in hard times or when our wants are threatened. Verse.8. Isaac was to guard what God had promised, that was of greater importance than a wife. We should make up our minds once and for all to be on the side of God, no matter what. Verse.23. Even when there is a clear indication that we are in the plan of God; we should ask for wisdom to act in a way that will quicken the whole plan. Verse.26,27. We should be able to see the hand of God in every bit of success. Verse 49. When we are not sure that something is in the plan of God, there is always a way we can look for confirmation.

Lesson. 10. GOD GAVE ISAAC AND DELIVERED ISAAC FROM DEATH. Taught in church during Bible Study on 4/12/11

In this story we see Abraham's faith and the FAITHFUL God in whom he trusted. Gen.21:1-3. - Many years passed and Isaac grew to be a young man. - One day God asked Abraham to do a difficult thing. Gen.22:1,2. (To sacrifice Isaac). - God wanted to see if Abraham loved Isaac more than God. - Abraham believed that even if he did kill Isaac in obedience to God, God would raise Isaac from the dead. Heb.11:19. Gen.22:6-13. - The blessing of obedience to God is clear in Gen.22:14-19. When we are tested, we can complain, or we can see how God is trying to mold us to be what is best. - Obedience to God is not easy and does not come naturally, but it is possible if we fully surrender to God. - Abraham received abundant blessings because he obeyed God.

Lesson. 7. GOD DESTROYED SODOM & GOMORRAH. Taught in church during Bible Study on 27/11/11

Why on earth did God decide to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Gen.13:13. Gen.18:20,21; Ezek.16:49,50. These people were contnuausly very wicked. They did everything against God. It must be that God gave them time to change. They ignored God's mercy and grace. Gen.19:1-26. 2Pet.2:6. Lot is an example of them that will obey always. Lot's wife is an example of those who gets saved but allows the glittering things of this world to draw them back into the world - for their own destruction. Sodow is an example of those who keeps on sinning.

Firm Foundation. lesson 6: GOD JUDGED THE WORLD AND DELIVERED NOAH AND ALL IN THE ARK. Taught on 30/10/2011 in the church. during Bible study.

Some may say that God takes delight in killing people and destroying property. Nothing can be far from the truth. God's love for people and all creation is very great. His Word to us are guidelines to protect us from death. In Ezek. 18:32, God says: "I don't want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live! (NLT). In the time of Noah, many years had passed - as in Gen.5. By this time there was a large population living on the earth. Gen.6:5,11 states the kind of people they were: they went after what they decided for themselves was the best, they gave no thought as to how they should please and serve God. God saw and hated their sin, but He also loved them and wanted them to repent. Gen.6:3 shows that God tried all he could to help them. The 120 years could be the maximum time they were given before punishment. God shows his great patience with us as well. He is giving us time to quit living our way and begin living His way, the way He shows
us in His Word. We can confidently say of the people of Noah's time: their minds were focused on material things, they were proud, self centered, boastful, wanted what other people had, argued and fought, were cruel, murderers, tricked, lied, deceived one another, gossiped, said evil things about others behind their backs, ignored God's original plan for marriage etc. Now you are saying they really deserved God's punishment. You can now see why God will punish again in that day. Mankind is now worse than in the days of Noah. In Gen.6:12, we are told that God saw their sin. Nothing was hidden from God. He saw it all and always sees.. Their sin grieved God. But Noah found favour with God. Gen.6:8,9 shows why. He had faith in God, he obeyed God, he trusted God. Do like Noah and you too will be favoured by God. God lovingly revealed His plan to Noah. Gen.6:13-21. When the Ark was ready God commanded Noah to enter in. Gen.7:1-5. Punishment was poured to all
who didn't have faith in God, who didn't trust or obey Him.

Firm Foundation. lesson 5: GOD REJECTED CAIN BUT ACCEPTED ABEL. Taught on 23/10/2011 in the church. during Bible study.

Prov. 14:12 says: "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death". It seemed right for Eve and Adam to disobey God, later it seemed right for Cain to offer offerings to God his way, to hate his brother and later to kill him. The Bible clearly records the outcome of their choices. Gen.4:1-5, we are told of the birth of Cain and Abel and of how they gave offerings to God. The Bible does not say why God did not accept Cain's offering. May be God required that blood be shed. This is very possible because God started to reveal the plan of redemption to mankind immediately after the fall. Ex.12:3; 24:6-8. Lev. 17:11-14. Matt.26:28. Heb.9:22. Heb.10:1-4. Or perhaps Cain's attitude was improper , or he did not meet God's Standard. While we may not be sure, God's words in V7: "You will be accepted if you do what is right..." shows that Cain knew what was expected of him. In Gen.4:7,8, we see that Cain never heeded God's warning. He
went ahead to hate and later kill his brother. This action reveals that he was not rejected for nothing, how many other times could he have refused to obey God? God is interested in obedience and pureness of heart more than an offering. The dialogue in verses 9 and 10 was aimed at helping Cain confess and repent. He refused and thus attracted God's curse upon himself. God would use the line of Abel to bring the deliverer, satan tried to block that. Praise be to God! His plan cannot be stopped. As satan was cerebrating his victory, in verse 25, Seth was born!

Firm Foundation. lesson 4: God's Promise and Judgement . Taught on 16/10/2011 in the church during Bible study.

In the book of Proverbs 9:10, the Word says: " Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement. (NLT). God had created Adam and Eve in His own image. They were for His glory. They belonged to Him. He loved them. He had given them anything they could ever need. Out of love, He had warned them of the consequences of disobedience. In Gen.3:9 God is calling Adam wanting to know where they were. Because they didn't come to talk with God and were no longer interested to seek Him, He called out to seek them. God was giving them an opportunity to agree with Him that they were wrong in believing satan. Even now He calls out of love, through what we see, through the word, etc. The conversation in Gen. 3:10-11 was aimed at helping Adam and Eve repent. In Gen.3:12,13 we see that instead of repenting, they started the blame game. In v.14, God curses the serpent. In v.15, God promises a deliverer. In v.16-19,
curses/punishes Adam and Eve. They were chased out of the garden of eden. God Killed an animal and covered their nakedness. This was to symbolize the blood of the Saviour that would wash our sins and cover our guilt.

Firm Foundation lesson 3: Adam and Eve Disobeyed God. Taught on 9/10/2011 in the church during Bible study.

Psal. 119:160. Through the Word, we know that God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. He placed two important trees in that garden: The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam that he must not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He warned that disobedience would bring death. This meant immediate separation from God who is the source of life, that friendship with God would be broken, that physical death would start and an eternal separation (to those who will refuse God's reconcilliation plan) in the day that God will judge Satan and his demons. In Gen.3:1, we see disobedience that led to the fall of Adam and Eve and the entire human-race that would follow. Satan disguised himself as snake thus lying about his identity. He lied to Eve about the facts. No wonder in Jhn.8:44 Jesus calls him the father of lies. Even in our days satan uses whatever deception people will accept. He may
call fornication and adulterly, love and care. Prostitution, he may call an effective business venture. Lying may be called use of tactics etc. Anything that is rebellion against God is sin no matter how sweet the name tag it is given. So is anything that makes evil seem good or funny and anything that denies God or the truth of the Bible. Through the disobedience of Adam and Eve we see that sin is disobedience to God and that sin brings fear, shame and causes people to turn away from God. In conclusion, God always tells the truth. He always does exactly what He says. But satan is a liar and a murderer. He is the deceiver of our souls.

Firm Foundation lesson 2: God created the heavens and the earth. Preached on 2/10/2011 in the church during Bible Study.

Heb. 11:3; Gen. 1:1. The Word of God shows that God is the creator of heavens and earth, plants, animals and human beings etc. God created out of nothing. How possible is that? It's possible because nothing is too hard for Him. Jer. 32:17. In Gen. 1:1,2, it appears like God started to work with a formless and empty earth. Some theologians argue that there is a long period of time between verse 1 and 2. They argue that heaven and earth was perfect and beautifully made, but when Satan and his followers were thrown to earth, they desroyed it's form, and in verse 2 God is about to re-create. Others argue that v.2 is a step in the process. Why do some argue in favour favour of a world that evolved without a creator? Rebellion, desire for a great name and fame, money and a desire to control and guide the mind of many. God created us for a divine. Manufacturers produces manuals to explain purpose and use of a commodity. God's Word is His manual about us.