Update on Parousia Baptist Church
Many will know that we as the Chatsworth Baptist Church are now assisting in reviving the work at Parousia Baptist Church. Thank God for the men that started this work, it was indeed through hard work and dedication and all we want to do is continue from where they left off. Our first visit to the site was on Sunday 11/11/2013 with a few of our members. We were amazed at the condition of the surrounding as you could see from the pictures but never the less we are committed to the work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I believe that we will work with joy in our hearts to help this work continue and all praise glory and honour will be lifted to our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ for he makes all things possible.
Thank you all for your prayerful support thus far, praise our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ that the ministry is up and running again. The first meeting was held on the 5th October 2014 at 09H00. There is much more work to be done, please continue in prayer and trust Christ for his provision in completing the building
God Bless you all as we partner in service to our Saviour and Master Jesus Christ to accomplish His plan and purpose.
Elder Clyde Silas
Endure Hardships
2 TIMOTHY 2:3
Verse:3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of the Lord.
We are involved in a battle for the hearts and minds of people. Our enemy, the devil, has forces arrayed against us. But our Lord Jesus has defeated the devil and stripped him of all authority. The Lord is our Helper and He has promised to never leave us. But Jesus never promised that we would never face opposition or persecution, tribulations, trials, torture and rejection. In fact, He told us we would.
JOHN 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
2 TIMOTHY 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
God is our Father and He is good. Therefore we can always expect good to come from Him.
But Scripture also alerts us to the fact that on earth we are in the midst of a struggle involving evil. While the ultimate victory of Love is assured, people are still making decisions which are not the best for all concerned. This can at times result in us facing persecution, trouble, or hardship.
So there will be times, in order to help others that we will need to endure things that are not pleasant for us.
God promises us ultimate victory (and even rewards for our service for Him), so we need to always remain steadfast in our faith, never wavering in our conviction that God is good and He is working on our behalf — no matter what we may be facing presently in life.
God loves all people, even those who are causing us distress. But God is pleased when we, just like Jesus, willingly “endure” without striking back when people do us wrong. Why? Because it may be the only way for these people to see there is a reality to God’s love — when they see it in you.
2 CORINTHIANS 3:3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
…… In response to God’s great love, YES I am willing to endure hardness as a good soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to help others….
This is the word of God…..
Give Thanks To The Lord Always
Everyone has reason to give thanks. Everyone has something for which they should give thanks. We have much for which we should say, “Thank you, God” many times a day. I don’t think God ever gets tired of hearing us say, “Thank you.”
Thank you Jesus Amen
“Fishers of Men “
The phrase “fishers of men” was spoken by Jesus when He was calling two
of His disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew, to follow Him. “As Jesus walked
beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net
into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I
will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:16–18; see also Matthew 4:19).
The idea behind fishing is to know the fish you are looking for and attract it
so you can make the catch. To catch a fish we must know what equipment to use,
the habitat and depth of the water we are fishing in, as well as the kind of
bait the fish will go after. After we understand everything we need for real
fishing, then how do we relate that to being fishers of men?
God asks us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). Just as we need equipment to
be fishermen, we need equipment to be fishers of men. Putting on the armour of
God is one way to be ready at all times with everything we need (Ephesians 6:10–18). Especially important are the
shield of faith with which we ward off the opposition from demonic forces who
don’t want to see men saved by the gospel of Christ (v. 16) and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God (v. 17). Without these two pieces of
spiritual equipment, we will find fishing for men’s souls impossible.
Not only must we have the armour of God as our equipment, but we must also know
the fish we are trying to attract. Knowing the lost condition of the people
around us will help us to understand that, no matter how good we are at fishing;
we will never “catch” the fish on our own. No reasoned argument will convert
the soul of a darkened mind, because “the god of this age has blinded the minds
of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). But God can and frequently
does penetrate the darkness with the glorious gospel, and He uses us to do it.
He knows which “fish” are His; therefore, we are to seek His wisdom and His
guidance on all our fishing expeditions. Prayer is essential.
Lastly we must offer the only effective bait—the gospel of Jesus Christ. To
those who are perishing, the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us, it
is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). The gospel message has the
power to change lives, shine light into darkness, and deliver evil men from
hell. There is power in no other message and no other “bait” can catch the fish
of God. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). This was Jesus’ message to Peter
and Andrew—follow Me, learn of Me, know and understand My mission and My
message. Only then will you be able to be fishers of men.
Father we pray that there will always be abundance of fish in your Kingdom. Amen