Topic — Bethel: Heaven’s Gate [Sunday 10, December 2017]

Memorise: “And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.” – Genesis 35:15

Read: Genesis 35:1-7

1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

Bible In One Year: Ephesians 4-6. Hymn: Sing Hymn 10: When The Trumpet Of The Lord Shall Sound

MESSAGE:

Bethel is the house of God, a place where God dwells with His people. Over time, the Bible redefined the true place of worship to be the heart of man. Today therefore, Bethel could be said to represent the house of God, the true place or worship, or the dwelling place of God. The Samaritan woman by the well asked a million-dollar question from Jesus about the location of the heavenly approved place of worship. Jesus answered by saying that the time has come when the location is not of utmost importance to God anymore.

The realization that man is the dwelling place of God should be taken seriously by every Christian. Several passages in the Bible confirm this truth most importantly 1 Corinthians 6:19. Children of God should avoid doing anything that can defile them. In addition to the things mentioned above, engaging in any form of cosmetic reconstruction of the body in order to change or improve one’s complexion, sexual orientation, or appearance, is a defilement of God’s temple.

Prayer Point: Father, please let Your fire wake me up to my responsibilities in Christ.

1. When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Chorus:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

2. On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Chorus:

3. Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Chorus.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional for Teen’s guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.

Topic: Honor Your Parents [Sunday December 10, 2017]

John 19:26 “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!”

Children are to honor their parents, even after they become adults. However, the command to obey is temporary (Gal. 4:1-2). Honor naturally leads to obedience if nothing is asked contrary to God’s laws, but honor and obedience are not synonymous. The scriptures teach that when a child marries he is to leave his father and mother and cleave unto his mate (Gen. 2:24). Parental dominance that extends into marriage is the source of many divorces and much marital strife. Yet, a child is to honor his parents for all their life.

The definition of the word “honor” means “to esteem, respect”, and the Greek word from which “honor” is translated means “to prize, i.e. to fix a valuation upon” (Strong). There are many applications of children honoring their parents. Certainly, one of the violations of this commandment today, is children esteeming and respecting the opinions of their peers above those of their parents. The idea that parents are out of date and therefore out of touch, is a devaluation of parents. Children should value the experience and wisdom of their parents more than their peers.

It says in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16 that honoring your father and mother is the first commandment with a promise. This command is the first one of the Ten Commandments that gives a promise of blessing to those who obey it. The promised blessing is long life and things going well.

John is the only gospel writer to give us this account of Jesus’ last ministry to His mother. Even in the face of His own extreme suffering, Jesus thought of His mother and honored her by making sure that she would be taken care of after His departure.

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).

Topic: Steadfast Love [Sunday December 10, 2017]

Your steadfast love, O Lord, is as great as all the heavens . . . — Psalm 36:5 (TLB)

Young people talk a lot about love. Most of their songs are about love. . . . “The supreme happiness of life,” Victor Hugo said long ago, “is the conviction that we are loved.” “Love is the first requirement for mental health,” declared Sigmund Freud. The Bible teaches that “God is love” and that God loves you. To realize that is of paramount importance. Nothing else matters so much. And loving you, God has a wonderful plan for your life. Who else could plan and guide your life so well?

Prayer for the day: In knowing I am loved by You, almighty God, my heart trusts You to guide me.

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.

Topic: Seek God First [Sunday December 10, 2017]

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. – Matthew 6:33

Whenever Ken and I talk about living by faith, I know there are some people who think, Oh, that’s easy for you. You’re preachers. You have it made! And, in some ways, we do. We have it made because our calling demands that we give God our attention, and giving God your attention always brings success.

But we haven’t always lived that way. In fact, the first time I ever saw Kenneth Copeland, he was about as far from a preacher as I figured you could get. He flew planes and sang in nightclubs. As for me, I was a college girl who said she would never marry a preacher and who had never even heard about the new birth.

Right after we got married, Ken went into a business enterprise that we thought was going to make us rich. So I quit my job and went to work for this new company. Two weeks later it folded.

We ended up sleeping on a rented rollaway bed that sagged in the middle. We had a wrought-iron coffee table Ken made in high school and a black and white TV. Nothing else. No refrigerator. No stove. I cooked in my coffee pot and an electric skillet and used a cardboard box on the porch to keep our food cold.

We were flat broke. Unemployed. Deeply in debt. I had nowhere to go. No furniture. No nothing.

Then one day I picked up the Bible Ken’s mother had given him for his birthday. In the front she’d written this verse, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” I turned and read Matthew 6. It said God cared for the birds. For the first time in my life it got into my heart that God cared where I was and what I was doing. I figured if He cared for birds, He cared for me! I knelt in that bare room and told Jesus that if He could do anything with my life, He could certainly have it. That’s all I remember saying.

I had no idea I had just been born again. Two weeks later Ken found a new job. We moved to a new furnished apartment and bought a better car. In the midst of it all, something else happened—Ken got born again.

Don’t worry if you don’t “have it made.” We certainly didn’t when all this started. Just stick with God and let Him make you. He is a good God who is good to all (Psalms 145:9).

Make a decision in your heart to seek Him first. Then all the other things will be added.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 128

This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.