EBCC, Dwarka
New Delhi
March 17, 2013
Theme: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33)
The service began with mass prayer and the singing of hymns: ‘My Jesus, my saviour’ , ‘Zing ninou hongsuah chiang’ and ‘Zing in vasa te’n Toupa apak uh’. The offertory prayer was made by Upa Khamkhanpau.
The Pastor conducted the Child dedication ceremony of Daisy Khumrouliani d/o Mr & Mrs Thangkhanlal and Doubiaksang Khooptong s/o Mr & Mrs Thangminlian and read out Matthew 19: 13-15 ‘Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them and pray: and the disciples rebuke them. But Jesus said, ‘Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven… “
Munirka Prayer cell 1 presented a special no. praising God with the song ‘Simlei ah zaw khualzin kahi’
The Pastor began his sermon on the theme ‘Rise up and build’. The sermon was a continuation of his previous Sunday’s sermon based on the verses of Luke 12: 32-35; ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.’ The verse is a primary guideline on how one must conduct one’s affair regarding wealth. Money represents value, it is a currency of social mobility. Yet, the Bible clearly says, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”, which means that to be wealthy does not necessarily indicate that one is rich, nor does knowledge indicate wisdom.
In Proverbs 3:9 the Bible says, “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” God’s purpose in blessing us is that his blessings should honour him. In I Corinthians 10:31, it is said “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” To truly worship God is to put Him above all things in one’s life, above possessions and one’s life itself. In Luke 12:22-23 Jesus instructs his disciples on how one should not be anxious about tomorrow if one puts trust in God; “…therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the more than is more than raiment.”Therefore, if we truly believe in God’s grace then we must trust him to take care of our needs. Just as God has taken care of the Israelites whom he referred to as his ‘little flock’ he reiterates his promise to us. The Israelites were not favoured because of their merit but to fulfill God’s promise to their ancestors. Likewise God is ready to bestow his blessings on us so that we may honour him with those blessings.
God has given us many reason to be strong and not afraid; in the fact that God is our Shepherd, our Father, our King and one who finds pleasure in giving. These points are referred to in the Book of Psalms 23 and Luke 12:32. As God finds pleasure in giving to us he only asks us to give one-tenth back as tithe. He commands us to have a charitable spirit and never equate Life with wealth. One example of a man who has truly understood the value of money is Zaccheus, who is willing to give up all his wealth, giving half to charity and the other half to those he had wrongfully cheated. Using our wealth according to God’s desire is to hoard riches in Heaven instead of here on earth where it can decay or be stolen. To use one’s wealth to honour God is an investment and ensures that our heart is always turned towards God for the Bible points out, “…where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.” It is our choice to make, which master we serve.
The service ends with the closing song ‘Toupa hoih hi, Toupa lian hi’ and benediction by Upa Chinsum.
