“Our VISION is to be part of the end-time glorious church by the coming together of the Word & Spirit in the presence of the Father’s love.“
meeting at:
Sunningdale Park
Larch Avenue,
Sunningdale [map]
Sundays, 10:30am
Welcome to Morning Star Christian Fellowship. I hope this site is informative. The site has been loaded with resources to give an up-to-date picture on what’s going on and what we are about. If you are visiting or new to the Sunningdale area, I invite you to stop by and visit us here at the Fellowship. If you live in the area, come out and join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30am. You are always welcome…
In Ephesians 1:3 Paul says that God has given us “every spiritual blessing.” One of the greatest of these is peace. When our tour was in Israel this spring I preached a message to the Jewish believers in Tiberias from 2 Peter 3:14: “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”
In these days of shaking, especially for the Jewish believers in the north of Israel, within range of the Hezbollah rockets, this is quite a challenge. However, I believe peace in our hearts and minds is one of the spiritual blessings that is our inheritance. We need to believe God and trust Him in these days. This is God’s heart for His sons and daughters. He has given ample provision.
There is another aspect of this we see in Isaiah 48:17-18. Isaiah was a prophet to Israel as she was rebellious and under military threat from Assyria. He warned that Babylon would also be a threat if things didn’t change. All this is not unlike the times Israel lives in today. Let’s see what Isaiah 48:17-18 had to say to them: “Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord you God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.’”
There is much here for us too. God’s desire is that we should profit and have peace like a river. The key? Obey His commandments. Today, in your trial He is speaking to you. In this challenging season of economic shaking and uncertainty, He is speaking to you. You need to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit for your personal life and obey.
Once again our Christian walk can be boiled down to this: TRUST and OBEY.
In the paper today we see an article about plans for a huge new Big Ben-like clock tower in Mecca. It will be the second tallest building in the world when the final spire with a crescent is put on the top. It will be emblazoned with the words “In the name of Allah.” It is called the Royal Mecca Clock Tower. This clock will call Muslim worshipers to prayer five times a day. But the goal of Islamic scholars, however, goes far beyond this. As stated in the newspaper article, their desire is to make Mecca the true centre of the earth. For the past 125 years, the international community has accepted that the start of each day should be measured from the prime meridian, representing 0 degrees longitude, which passes through the Greenwich Observatory in London. The goal of this new project is to replace Greenwich as the point by which all clocks around the world are set. (Mecca time is three hours ahead of GMT.) If successful this would mean all clocks in the world would be set using a new standard – perhaps called MMT (Mecca mean time.) Here is the link to the Telegraph article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/7937123/Giant-Mecca-clock-seeks-to-call-time-on-Greenwich.html
This has huge prophetic significance. In Daniel 7 we are told of the 4th beast in Daniel’s vision, the Anti-Christ of Revelation 13. In verses 23-25 we are told some of the things the Anti-Christ will do in the Great Tribulation. Let me quote vs. 25 in the NKJV: “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.”
Could this passage be speaking about this new attempt to change the basis of the world’s time and Sharia law? There is more and more information coming out that is leading to the conclusion that Islam could be the anti-Christ system so long thought to be a revived Roman empire. Stay tuned and keep watching and preparing.
Sunday we looked at two of Jesus miracles that were very interesting. In Luke 5:1-11 we see Jesus tell Peter to launch out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. Peter meekly protested, telling Jesus they had fished all night (when the fishing should have been the best) and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at Jesus word they obeyed. The result? A huge catch with nets breaking. Jesus went on to say that from now on they will become fishers of men.
Then in John 21:1-14 we see a similar episode. The boys are out fishing, catching nothing. From the shore Jesus tells them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. How ridiculous. Nonsense from an experienced fisherman’s viewpoint. (What can a carpenter tell a fisherman about fishing!) Again a huge catch.
I see something special here; something crucial for us to see today. Both these miracles Jesus initiated to demonstrate something to the disciples. They were both instrumental in the calling of the disciples. The first at the outset of their calling by the Lord and the latter at the end after His resurrection. He was showing them Kingdom principles.
Jesus chose fishermen (primarily) to be His world changers. Today I suppose we would go to the seminaries and ask to interview the top people, the smartest, the academics. We might go to the top churches and interview the really successful ones; the ones who know how to grow large churches and run effective programs. We would look for men with great gifts and successful track records. How different Jesus is. He took common fishermen and converted them into world changers. How?
He showed them that the advancement of the Kingdom of God rests not on their power, gifts, or acumen but on the power of God! On the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit. These men knew they couldn’t do it themselves. They need the miraculous power of God. They were just vessels. 1 Cor. 4:20 says “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” That says it all. That is the first principle Jesus is telling his men.
We need to seek God, for Him to invade earth with Heavenly power. We need to believe for, pray for and expect this kind of miraculous in our midst. Where is our faith? Is our God too small? He is wanting us to ask Him for this. It blesses Him for us to ask this. This is the way He designed it from the beginning — fishermen who were available, who sacrificed all to follow Him, and believed and obeyed.
As many of you may know, I broke my hand a few weeks ago. More specifically, I broke the top knuckle on the little finger of my left hand. All my kids were here for a family reunion and in throwing the football the accident happened.
Before I get to the spiritual lessons of this matter let me sing the praises of the NHS. I have had wonderful treatment by excellent staff. My surgeon at Wexham Park is amazing. I was ushered through the red tape and queues and given red carpet treatment. Maybe the Lord had something to do with that along with the prayers of so many.
This accident has provided a great object lesson for 1 Corinthians 12:14-27. You know the passage. It speaks of the Body of Christ being like our body – each member being very important. Verse 22 says “No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.” Is that ever true. What seems less important than the little finger on our left hand (being right handed)? I can tell you, that when the little finger is hurting, taken out of commission, everything changes. My body does not work well at all. I cannot do the things I should be doing. It effects my whole body. It seems to cause pain everywhere.
After the surgery and after the huge pins and wires were removed (felt like pulling a nail out of a 4X2!) they made a hard plastic splint for my hand. This pretty much immobilized the four fingers on my left hand. After a week I was told to take it off and begin to exercise it. But, with only one week of immobilisation, the fingers were so stiff I could hardly use them.
The spiritual conclusion is inescapable. Every Christian is important to the Body. You may think you are insignificant, like the little finger, but without you things don’t work as they should. YOU ARE IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE. Secondly, you, as a member of the Body, need to be moving — working, doing, exercising your faith, using your gifts, or you will become sluggish, stiff, unhealthy. USE IT OR LOSE IT! Don’t sit on the sidelines. For the Kingdom to advance everyone is needed.
Sunday is Father’s Day. In preparing my message for Sunday I have been overwhelmed with two things.
First is the wonder, the need, yes even the beauty of masculinity. It is so much of God. After all, the ultimate revelation of God is “Father.” The love of a mother is wonderful but it is not all that is needed. It is not enough. The love of a dad, brings strength, security, value, importance, self-worth. How beautiful a family can be when both Mom and Dad are fulfilling their roles with gusto.
The second is the fatherlessness of the nation. The nation is bedeviled by broken families and hurting people. The statistics are almost overwhelming. When you look at the statistics of the men in prison, the young people in trouble, the societal breakdown one cannot escape from the fact that we are a nation without strong men and fathers. We can all speculate as to why but the consequences are there for all to see. There is a huge wound in the heart of our country, an empty hole that can be filled with the love of God as seen visibly through the love of fathers.
If only men would be men. If only there would be a restoration of manliness. If only men would be proactive in their families, love, lead, be involved we could bring a major transformation to our nation, our families, our churches.
May God move on us men. Our hope lies in Malachi 4:6 “And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Suddenly, but not surprisingly, Israel is being vilified in the media and by virtually every nation for stopping the flotilla of ships from Turkey. I won’t restate all the details as anyone watching the news has heard all the accusations against Israel.
But have the reports been the truth, the whole truth? Proverbs 18:17 is instructive: “The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him.”
This is especially true when it comes to Israel and the world. Be careful what you believe. A statement by the PM of Israel said “Israel is guilty until proven guilty.” And so it is. Use discernment. Know the issues. Know the agenda of Israel’s enemies.
Israel’s legitimacy rests not in the opinion of the world but in the Word of God.
You can read the interview with the commander of the Israeli team here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2527573/posts
Seek the truth. Know the Word of God, especially regarding the subject of Israel and the Jewish people.
I became a Christian during my university days. Being on the university golf team afforded me an opportunity that changed my life. I was invited to a Christian meeting by two friends — one on the university basketball team and the other a varsity diver. They both belonged to an organisation called Fellowship of Christian Athletes. This is a wonderful organisation in the US whose mission is to reach university campus athletes with the gospel. Sports and the gospel make a great combination.
I have always loved sports, especially the Olympics. With London hosting the 2012 Olympics I am already sensing the excitement many will feel in a couple years.
London will be the centre of world attention during the Olympics. This will become an amazing opportunity for the Christian community to touch the lives of thousands. In many ways the sports world is a world unto its own. Especially in the US there have always been strong Christians standing up and witnessing to their fellow athletes. May that happen more here in the UK.
For all these reasons I was excited when my daughter was employeed to lead a project called “Time for God 2012.” (www.timeforgod.org) This project is to bring churches together to reach out in community projects leading up to the Olympics. There is also a national organisation called “More Than Gold” (www.morethangold.org.uk) that is mobilising the Body of Christ nationwide to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the Olympics.
I am wondering if those in our church (or other churches) want to get involved? I will be coordinating a meeting in a couple weeks of area leaders to discuss the opportunities. Would you like to host an Olympic family in your home? Perhaps there are other sports related events we could get involved in.
We have just returned from a wonderful tour of Israel. This was my fifth trip to Israel. All five trips have been special and each different but this may have been my most satisfying.
This is the first time we (my wife and I) have stepped out to lead a tour group. Accepting this responsibility changes a tour from being a holiday to being work but the rewards were worth it. We loved being able to facilitate others in all the benefits of their first tour of Israel. It was great to see their excitement as the bible comes alive. We walked in the footsteps of Jesus, visited with believers in the Galilee, and saw modern Israel up close.
As others have said, the geography of the land of the bible is like a fifth gospel. As Bargil Pixmer says in the introduction of his book With Jesus through Galilee according to the Fifth Gospel “… Five gospels record the life of Jesus. Four you will find in books and one you will find in the land they call holy. Read the fifth gospel and the world of the four will open to you.”
Thousands of pictures were taken, many sights were seen, but best of all was to see how hearts were touched and lives changed. One said to me “my life will never be the same.”
Here’s hoping the Lord will allow us to take a group again next year.
We have been planning for months to host a meeting this Friday evening at our church here in Sunningdale where an eminent geologist will speak on the scientific evidence that supports a worldwide flood, as seen in Genesis. If you don’t know about it please join us Friday evening 8:00 – 10:00 pm and hear Dr. Emil Silvestru. There will also be a time set aside for questions and answers. The venue is the National School of Government at Sunningdale Park, Larch Avenue, Sunningdale.
Leading up to this I have been noticing more and more that replica’s of the Ark are being built around the world. You may know of the half-size ark built a couple years ago in Holland. The builder is now working on a full-size ark that he hopes will be finished in time to sail to the London Olympics in 2012! I learned of one being built in Canada. Additionally a full-size ark was just completed in Hong Kong.
Are these coincidences? I began to see that this might be a move of God to raise up a significant “sign” in these days to warn the nations and give a picture of Christ as saviour. It is just like God to speak loud and clear to the nations about the judgment to come and His rescue plan.
Then suddenly, this week, there has been an announcement of a discovery on Mt. Ararat of what may be Noah’s Ark. There have been discoveries and claims in the past that turned out not to be the Ark, so one must wait and see. But evidently this discovery has many of the hallmarks of the real thing. Suddenly, this subject of Noah’s Ark is in the media. This gives us an opportunity to talk about it and share our faith. Imagine the implications of finding the real Noah’s Ark — the truth of the scriptures, the truth about God and His plan of salvation, the implication on the interpretation of geologic evidence and even the ripple effect in the evolutionary community. GO GOD!
One newspaper quotes a British archaeologist saying there is no evidence of this flood around the world! Really? If you want to hear the case for the flood from an eminent geologist, come tomorrow night. This sudden interest in Noah’s Ark is an amazing opportunity I believe God is giving us in this hour.
You, like me, are probably inundated with emails of nice saying, pictures, and the latest things “from God.” They ask you to circulate it to everyone you know. I seldom do. But once in a while something comes across that is really worth reading and taking on-board. I just received one — don’t know the original author — that I want to share with you. It is for all of us as we are all called to be ministers of the Lord to others as He gives opportunity. It is called Talent or Anointing? Let us all pray and seek God for His anointing.
When someone sings and you are caught up with the beauty of the singer’s voice, that is talent; when someone sings and you are caught up with the beauty of the Lord, that is anointing.
When someone teaches and challenges your mind, that is talent; when someone teaches and challenges your spirit, that is anointing.
When someone writes and stirs your imagination, that is talent; when someone writes and stirs your heart, that is anointing.
When someone speaks and gets you to follow him, that is talent; when someone speaks and gets you to follow Jesus, that is anointing.
When someone counsels you and builds your confidence, that is talent; when someone counsels you and builds your faith, that is anointing.
When someone motivates you to take up a noble cause, that is talent; when someone motivates you to take up your cross, that is anointing.
When you are filled with self-confidence and achieve your goals, that is talent; when you are filled with the Holy Spirit and do the will of God, that is anointing.
When you work hard and receive the applause of men, that is talent; when you remain faithful and receive the approval of God, that is anointing.
