As we enter into the Kingdomtide Season, we continue to journey with the Gospel of Luke sermon series. These past weeks, we were looking into Jesus' last phase of His earthly ministry. Whilst the crowd began with welcoming Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah or the Anointed One as He entered Jerusalem but the Religious Leaders were outrightly rejecting His Messianic identity and authority.
No wonder many of our members and youth, if not all, find our worship mundane, and they are afraid they will be bored to tears in heaven. There is so much more in worship & it's happening when we worship in spirit & truth. We desire God's Presence to be with us.
Jonah was called of God to go to the great city of Nineveh to deliver a simple message: Repent or you will die in 40 days! Jonah refused and ran away from God. He hated the people of Nineveh and he didn't want his enemies to repent and be forgiven.
We are reminded of ICF calling - to be a house of blessings to all nations by building strong biblical disciples and reaching out in Christian love and deeds. As a House of Blessings, we are aware that we are also an Oasis that seeks to better the lives of the needy residents in this city. Why? Because we want to heed the call of the Prophet Jeremiah (29:7)
Often, when we read about or hear of a Christian having a "heart-warming" experience, we tend to associate such an experience with a dramatic event, probably at an evangelistic meeting or a special gathering of Christians. It usually features a rousing preacher, a well-practised band, and a gifted song-leader.
Last weekend was a fantastic weekend. At ICF we remembered Christ's sufferings and death on the Cross for us on Good Friday evening and then celebrated Resurrection Sunday with a loud proclamation that we are so loved by our Maker.