Next week we are launching into the third challenge of the Vaya con Dios series, namely Work as Mission. We’ll be visiting workplaces around Welkom to bring words of encouragement, prayer and the gospel to workers.

I discovered this beautiful Scripture from Titus 2:10 which says : “Teach slaves (that’s the ancient equivalent of employees) to be subject to their masters … so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive.”

What a challenge! Does my work – in its standard, quality, attitude, etc. – make Jesus my Lord more attractive to others?

Something worth thinking about methinks!

At last night’s Annual Society Meeting Miguel da Costa and Catherine Bradfield were elected to serve with the leadership team as Society Stewards from 2010-2012. They are the youngest 2 stewards ever elected at St. Luke’s (they are both 20) and we believe this is a very exciting development for the future of the Church. Please pray for them as well as for the existing stewards (Zelda Corns; Gail Gent; Rob Doyle and Cliff Clarke).

St. Luke’s is privileged to be sending a Mission Team to India in November. The team consists of 10 people, led by Clifford Clarke. Please pray for them as they prepare to share the love of Jesus with not only our brothers and sisters in Christ in India, but also with those who have never heard the good news thhat God loves them SO very much that He sent His only Son to die in their place.

It is such an unspeakable privilege to be a child of God through faith in Jesus and there are so many who have never had the opportunity to receive Jesus. Please pray that the Team will be powerful and effective in every endeavour to spread this good news.

St. Luke’s is a Spirit-filled Methodist Church in Welkom, South Africa.

We are unashamedly pursuing Life in the Holy Spirit.

Our services on Sunday are at 8:30am, 9:45am and 6pm. The 8:30 service is a traditional Methodist service and the other two are contemporary.

Children’s Ministry happens every Sunday at 9:45am.

Teen Church (Surrender) also happens on Sundays at 9:45am and Youth Revolution happens on Friday nights from 7:30pm.

There are Cell Groups meeting throughout the week (both mornings and evenings).

On Tuesday nights we have worship at 6pm and Bible Study from 6:45pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend any of the above.

Our 2 ministers, Dave and Rowan, regularly post their sermon and teaching notes on the pages of this site. Please feel free to read them by following the links above.

We hope you will join us some time soon.

Ephesians 6:5-9

Please remember that our focus this year is Life in the Spirit. The last few times I’ve preached I’ve been searching through Ephesians for practical teaching on the Spirit-filled life. Last week, in a very general way we covered Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God” and we considered living a life of GRACE; and prior to that we have looked at being a Spirit-filled spouse, and at being a Spirit-filled father, and a Spirit-filled child.

 Today we are going to look at being a Spirit-filled worker. See, the passage we read speaks about slaves and masters … but in the days in which this verse was written almost all the work was done by slaves. Slaves were not only manual labourers, they were also doctors, teachers, lawyers, and even advisors to the political leaders. So as we apply the Scripture today we must apply it to our situation as workers. I say workers rather than employees because I believe the Scripture is applicable way beyond just an employer-employee relationship. We can apply most of the principles in it to any situation of work – be it school-work, Christian ministry, housework, or business.

 So the question today is: How can I be a Spirit-filled worker?

1. Obey those who are over you

This is the first, and for some the most uncomfortable principle of being a Spirit-filled worker. God has created an ordered Universe and a natural order where some are in positions of leadership and others in positions of following, and where those in “followership” positions do not always like or agree with the decisions of those in leadership.

 So all around the world in different nations, cultures and people groups there is a universal problem: Employees grumble against their bosses … those in ministry grumble against those who are over them in the Lord … those working for themselves will grumble about the clients who make demands, etc.

 Why is that? I guess it’s because we somehow want to be the master of our own destiny … we don’t want to be told what to do or how to do it … we want to be in control … and having to follow someone else robs us of that control of our own destiny. So this question of being a Spirit-filled worker can be a tricky situation.

 The Lord’s instruction is, however, that if we want to be Spirit-filled workers we are to “obey our earthly masters with respect and fear.” The two original Greek words used in this command are “phobos” and “tromos”. “Phobos” means quite literally “fear” while “tromos” means “quaking with fear”. So a better translation would be the one presented by the NKJV: “obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling”. The NIV is a bit too polite.

 But now we have a problem of interpretation, don’t we? The Bible clearly tells us that the fear of man is a snare. It also tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear … but of power, love and a sound mind. So how can it then turn around and tell us to tremble with fear before our earthly masters? Answer: It doesn’t. It says obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling … not obey him out of fear and trembling.

 Your boss may be a tyrant, an ogre, an unjust person, or even a total incompetent … but no Christian is commanded to be a spineless wimp toward the boss. We are commanded to be obedient to his instructions because we fear … not him … but because we fear the Lord! Remember the Word says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Christians are to fear no-one but God.

 God has placed us where we are as a scholar under teachers … as teachers under a headmaster … as headmasters under a Governing Body. God has placed us where we are as workers under a manager … as managers under directors or a CEO  … as CEO’s under a Board. God has placed us where we are as members of a Church under leaders … as leaders under pastors and ministers … as pastors and ministers under bishops … as bishops under Archbishops / Presiding Bishops. We have prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread” and God has answered us and is using that person who is over us as part of the structure that is providing for us. And God has told us to allow those people who are over us to lead us … therefore … we obey those who are over us because we fear the Lord … not them.

 Now I heard a great explanation of that concept of fearing the Lord this week … I think it’s correct. When we fear the Lord we are not living afraid of the God who loves us … but we are afraid of displeasing Him … we are afraid of losing His presence … of losing His favour. In order to please God we live in submission to our earthly masters … we treat them with respect and honour because God has somehow deemed fit to allow us to be working under their leadership … and so we trust God’s judgment and we obey the person over us.

2. Be Sincere

The second aspect of being a Spirit-filled worker is that we are called to be sincere … to serve with sincerity of heart.

 Sincerity is a very interesting word in English. It is formed from two Latin words: “sine”, which means “without” and “cera” which means “wax”. So we are to serve without wax. What on earth does that mean?

 The word comes from the ancient pottery trade where dishonest potters would sometimes cover up the cracks or flaws in their clay pots by filling them up with wax. Normally this would go undetected, but if you held the pot up to strong light the wax showed up a lighter colour. Quality pottery was therefore stamped with the words “sine cera”, or “without wax” as proof of good quality.

 When you add this understanding to the original Greek phrase, which was “huplotes humon kardia” – meaning “singleness of heart” or “generosity of heart” … we realise that we are being commanded to put our heart into our work. We are to work honestly and in a totally committed way. We are not to do the bare minimum to avoid being fired. As the letter says later in v.7, “serve whole-heartedly.” No matter what we think of our boss or leader, we are to give our all and do our very best. We’re not to be working in such a way as to just cover up the cracks in our armour … but in such a way as to SHINE for the Lord.

 Sincerity also implies that our actions must be above reproach and that we must build a reputation for honesty and integrity at work. Those who deal with us must feel confident that we will not do them in or cheat them or take advantage of them. We must be the kind of people who have a reputation for going the extra mile for people.

 And we must never be two-faced … acting in certain ways around people and differently behind their backs. If we behave like that then we are people “with wax!”  And a Spirit-filled worker is not like that.

3. Work to please Christ

 And that brings me to the third aspect of being a Spirit-filled worker. Our attitude needs to be that we are doing this job for Jesus and Jesus only.

 If we ever find that we work more diligently when the boss is around than when he’s not … or if we slack off when no-one is watching … or if we choose not to go the extra mile unless someone is going to notice … then we are falling short of the attitude required of us. Verse 6 says clearly, “Do not only obey your master when his eyes are on you but, like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.” The parallel passage in Colossians adds: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men.”

 We are to do our work to the absolute best of our ability even if no-one else is going to notice because JESUS always notices. So we are not to have the attitude of the employees whose boss put a notice up on the notice-board: “In case of fire, flee with the same reckless abandon you do each day at quitting time.” Rather we are to have the attitude that sees all our work as being for the Lord.

 About 300 years ago Sir Christopher Wren was the architect building St. Paul’s Cathedral. He took a walk among the workers one day (most of whom had no idea who he was). He asked a few men, “What are you doing?”

One replied, “Anyone can see I’m cutting stone.”

Another replied, “I’m earning five shillings a day.”

The third replied, “I am helping Sir Christopher Wren build a great cathedral to the glory of God.”

A very significant way we can bring honour to God, which we all too often overlook, is by working hard at everything we do. Martin Luther expressed this when he said: “The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays – not because she may sing a hymn as she sweeps, but because God loves clean floors. The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God loves good craftsmanship.”

 As William Bennet said in his Book of Virtues: “There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.

Our attitude to our work must be to do our absolute best. Not like the employee of whom it was said: “This man is depriving some village somewhere of its idiot!” … or the one of whom it was reported: “She sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to meet them.”

But in addition to having the attitude of doing our best in order to please God we must also remember that to be a Spirit-filled worker implies working in a way that exhibits the fruit of the Spirit. They are pleasant workers to have around. A Spirit-filled worker is not grumpy, moody, and irritable. A Spirit-filled worker does not blow their top every now and then … does not cause fights among the co-workers … a Spirit-filled worker is kind to their co-workers and clients … is faithful and loyal to the team they are working in and to those who are over and under them … they deal gently with others.

A Spirit-filled worker is different to all the others around them – they stand out by their attitudes and their actions.

The story is told of a few wealthy men who were watching a group of African slaves shuffle along an American dock just before the Civil War. All the slaves were shuffling along with their heads wearily bowed. But one stood out above them, walking tall with his head raised as if he were the conqueror of his world. One of the rich men asked, “Who is that fellow? Is he the boss boy or the owner of the slaves?”

“Neither,” his companion answered, “that fellow just cannot get it out of his head that he is the son of a king.”

That slave had been captured as a small child … but he had already been taught that he was not like everyone else … he was the son of a king. And even after a life-time of hardship and abuse he was still the son of a king. That is who we are in Christ … let us also show the world around us our true identity by the way we work.

The Firestarters Team has recently returned from their mission to Swaziland and Mozambique.

It was a very tough time for them all –  physically, spiritually and in the team dynamics. But we believe that the Lord used them powerfully in many different ways. They will be sharing in Church this coming Sunday at all 3 services and I hope to be able to post some photos soon too.

The following pictures give you a glimpse of the Global Day of Prayer Event in Welkom. You’ll see some fervent praise and worship, some deep prayer happening in small groups and a section of the crowd on the grandstand. The organisers estimate that there were about 1000 people all in all. I know that there will be much fruit as a result of our prayers. PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR GOD’S KINGDOM TO COME TO WELKOM.

From Thursday 21 May, through to Sunday 31 May, the Church around the world is standing together in prayer – crying out to the Lord for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. St. Luke’s is privileged to have been responsible for the first 24 hours of this prayer watch in Welkom. After us other local churches have taken over the baton.
Of course we will continue to pray throughout the Ten days. There is an official prayer guide for the ten days at www.globaldayofprayer.com but I am including below our in-house prayer guide for those who might have missed it in Church on Sunday.

Then Sunday 31 May we have the big prayer event for Welkom at Dagbreek Primary on the rugby field. It starts at 2pm and includes worship, prayer and celebration. It should finish by 3:30pm. Please make every effort to be a part of this wonderful prayer event.

TEN DAYS OF GLOBAL PRAYER: THURSDAY 21 MAY

“Our Father who is in heaven”

Entering His Presence (10 minutes)

Spend time worshipping the Lord: Sing a hymn or a song of worship and tell the Lord how wonderful He is.

Spend time confessing your sins: Examine your life and let your conscience show you any unconfessed sin for which you need to ask the Lord’s forgiveness. Ask for and receive the cleansing forgiveness that Jesus bought for you on the Cross.

Praying for the World outside your Window (20 minutes)

1. Pray for your family and friends. Pray for their salvation, and that God will bless them (spiritually, socially, emotionally), and pray for their needs.
2. Pray for St. Luke’s and for all the churches of Welkom (think of a few and pray for them by name). Pray:

• Pray for congregations to be restored as houses of prayer for all nations (Isa.56:7; Matt.21:13).
• Pray for congregations to fulfil the Great Commission (Matt.28:18-20).
• Pray for congregations to fulfil the Great Commandment (Matt.22:37-40).
• Pray for spiritual revival in the church (Eph.3:17-23).
• Pray for a church that will be faithful to the Word and relevant in addressing the needs of the people (2 Tim.3:1-17).
• Pray for the Churches to unite as one family under God.

1. Pray for the City of Welkom for God’s blessing and provision. Please pray specifically for:

• Those affected by the recent retrenchments and the crisis at Pomodzi;
• New investment and development in Welkom;
• Freedom from corruption at the Local Government level;
• Breakthroughs in the fight against crime.

Praying for the World at Large (20 minutes)

Please select a nation of the world other than South Africa and pray for it:

• For revival
• For the salvation of the unreached and unsaved
• For mature and God-fearing leaders
• For the multiplication of dedicated followers of Jesus
• For an awakening of a vision for missions in local congregations
• Pray that the nations will see that Christ Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life(Joh.14:6).
• Pray that the unreached peoples of the earth will be reached with the gospel (Luk.24:46-48).
• Pray for the coming of God’s peace and glory to countries and nations (Zech.9:10).
• Pray that kings and governments will submit to the Lordship of Jesus as the King of kings (Isa.49:7).
• Pray that God will bless the nations (Jer.4:1-2).

Blessing the Lord (10 minutes)

Take 10 minutes to thank God for all His blessings in your life and to praise Him for hearing and answering your prayers.

Encounter Fest is an AWESOME EVENT coming up in Welkom involving some of the best Christian bands in South Africa. If you’re here at St. Luke’s you will have seen their radical poster in the notice-board. Yes, it’s radical … it has a skull on it. I suppose when God told Moses to put a serpent on a stick in the desert we might have thought that was a bit radical … maybe even satanic … but when the people looked at it with faith they were healed. And years later Jesus even used the serpent on the stick in the desert to explain why He was going to be crucified (John 3:14).

Yes, some people have criticised the poster and drawn terrible conclusions from it but, see symbols don’t only have a single meaning or use. So when the Fest Organisers chose a skull to symbolise the death out of which the Holy Spirit will raise us to new life, they were not being satanic. And when the skull on the picture happens to have a crack in it (as most skulls do when they’re dead), that crack is not thus automatically a lightning bolt (the symbol of satan’s fall) … it is really just a crack.

I have posted immediately below this my response and Mark’s response to a letter we have received criticising the Fest. We do not wish to attack those who see things differently to us … we greatly respect and love them with the Lord’s love … but we do feel we need to stand up for the young men who are stepping out in faith to extend the Kingdom of God in Welkom. So please feel free to read and make up your own mind.

Dear Mr …..

Thank your for your concern for the “boys and young people” involved in CEO. I remind you that I am not in any way involved in the organization of this event, however I would like to respond to your email as someone who knows some of the young men involved. I can assure you that I am equally concerned for their spiritual well-being, especially those who belong to the Church under my pastoral care. I can also assure you that they have made every effort to be informed, have done a lot of homework and have been decidedly prayerful about every aspect of this event. That is not to say that they are incapable of making mistakes, but just to reassure you that they are not foolishly rushing in to something. They have taken a big step of faith and they are learning to take their trust in the Lord to new levels as they go along. In response to your attacks on the bands they have invited, may I encourage you to direct your criticism of their outward appearance to the band themselves and / or their publishers. This is surely not something that CEO has any control over. May I also encourage you to remember 1 Samuel 16:7 which says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I am certainly not claiming to be an expert on any of these bands, nor am I wanting to defend their cause, but the lyrics for their songs which I have been able to find on the Internet have not given me any cause for concern.

In response to your attacks on the poster, over which CEO obviously has control, your conclusion that the crack in the skull is in the shape of a lightning bolt is not one which I share. Personally their explanation of the symbolism of the poster convinces me. It is a symbolic representation of the movement from death to life (the Cross). The Cross is not a broken cross, it is cross formed from the dust out of which the dead are rising by the power (the Spirit) of God. So, as you can see, from my perspective these are young believers, responding to God’s calling by faith, doing a lot of hard work to organize a Christian rock festival for Welkom, using bands that are recognized as Christian bands, and making every effort to be a blessing to the youth of Welkom. They have only one aim, and it is not to make money, but rather to help lost people come to faith in Jesus Christ… They are in fact organising a real Christian event for real people. I praise God for CEO and for their willingness to organise a REAL Christian event for a segment of the population who will be able to relate and to listen to the gospel in their own ‘language’ – rock music.

Yours in Christ our Lord

Rev. Dave Howard (St. Luke’s Methodist Church)

P.S. I attach below a response from our Youth pastor who has been more involved than I.  

Dear sir,

C.E.O. are a group of young people who are on fire for God and want to make a difference for Him. These young people are all involved in different churches in and around the city of Welkom. I have been involved and provided input and guidance as these young men and women have stepped out of the boat and taken on this massive project to bring glory to Jesus. I have been in awe of God as He has come through for them to make this event a possibility. I can testify to hours of prayer that have gone into planning and how God has provided guidance at each step of the planning process. I do think it is sad that bands that are clearly existing to honour God are being attacked. Especially when those bands have outstanding reputations and are clearly living for God’s glory. Instead of going on Google and finding one or two snapshots I would encourage people to find out the full story before reserving judgement. The bands that are being singled out have C.D’s available in most Christian bookstores and I would encourage anyone in doubt to go and read through the C.D. covers and to go listen to the bands (Gospel Direct stocks both Straatligkinders and New Altum and you can listen to them there). If you have the facilities please go online and check these bands websites and read what you can about them, I’m sure that you will be encouraged. Furthermore Straatilgkinders has performed in a church event in Welkom before and I’m sure that if you contact the Lighuis they will provide a glowing review. I can certainly attest to the positive influence that these bands have had in the lives of the young people I work with. The goal of this event is to Glorify Jesus and to create a space where young people who would never ordinarily set foot in a church would hear about God’s amazing love and be given an opportunity to start a relationship with Jesus. This is a generation who is willing to love the unloved, to do things that would make others quake in their boots, let’s not get in their way. So they dress funny, put skulls on their posters and listen to music where people are screaming the praises of God (weird I know) but they love Jesus and are passionate about Him I am fully prepared in my capacity as Youth Pastor at Saint Luke’s to support what they are trying to do and recognize the calling of God on their lives to host this event. If anyone has any queries regarding this event please feel free to contact me at our church office during office hours.

Love and Blessing

Pastor Mark Jackson Youth Pastor, Saint Luke’s Methodist Church 057 352 7615

Tmorrow 21 April is Election Day in SA.

Teams from St. Luke’s will be going out to the various polling stations in Welkom to pray for a free and fair election and to petition the Lord to allow His will to be done and His Kingdom to come in South Africa. We believe whole-heartedly in the power of prayer and the importance of voting as a spiritual statement of where we stand in relation to the Kingdom of God. Does God decide our vote, or does expediency?

Please join us in prayer for the Kingdom to come.