Harvest COTN

Recorded live at our Church of the Nations LeaderShift Conference 2017 on Sunday 23 April, hosted at Victory Church in J-Bay. The Conference theme was Compelled by Love - Love God & God's People. For more info about our international Church family go to www.cotn.org

Psalm 42 1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? 3 Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” 4 My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the...

Galatians 5:16-17 16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your goo...

On the journey of life, God cautions, encourages, and enables us. But sometimes in life we need to first run aground before the victory comes. Don't give into the temptation to jump ship, stay the course, God has a plan to deliver you safely to a better place. God will use your shipwrecks for His Kingdom and your fruitfulness.

1. Reset your life reference. ‘Delight’ in the Word’. Psalm 1:1-6 | Proverbs 2:1-11 2. Reset your Focus on Jesus. Isaiah 9:6-7 3. Reset your imaging - Enjoy God’s creation. Genesis 1:27

1 Corinthians 4:1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Ephesians 4:11–16 NLT 11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring...

So how do I reach out? I reach out with who I am. With what do I reach out? I reach out with the Gospel of grace, not a list of laws to be followed. That’s the good news.

1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the d...

Matthew 5: 13-16 (NLT) “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone i...

“A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family”. We, as royals in the family of God, are building blocks for the spiritual temple which God is building as we reach more people for Him. 16 Your house and your kingdom will continue before me* for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’” 2 Samuel 7:16 NLT 4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. H...

Success in our ability to reach people for Christ and His Kingdom is greatly influenced by the flavour of our lives that is produced by the favour that God gives us by His Spirit. Genesis 39:2 NLT 2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Genesis 39:22-23 NLT 22 Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other pri...

God wants us to reproduce after our own kind. We are disciples and He wants us to make more disciples. There is a “GO” action required on our part. We go with authority. What happens after that is up to the miracle working power of GOD. People need to make a DECISION to follow Jesus. To make a decision they need to HEAR the Good News. We need to expose people to the Good News. Once the decision ha...

Sometimes the real miracle of God is the one that we cannot see, the surprising hidden miracles He does deep within us. Mark 2:1-12 ESV

As follower of Christ, as the church of Christ, as we stand in the entrance foyer of 2017, is the message of the love and grace of God through Jesus Christ still compelling enough for us to dedicate our lives to Him and to His kingdom? Are we still able to live such compelling lives that others are drawn in? What can we learn from the life of Peter and from the life of the early church that will e...

2017 is upon us and it's time to make your move. It's time to make some God inspired choices for 2017. He is giving us a New Year to make some new choices. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Jeremiah 29:11...

John 4:7–15 NLT 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. 9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.* She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” 10 Jesus repli...

Psalm 23:1-6 ESV The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in...

1 Samuel 4:1-11 (NIV) 1 Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “W...

20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21 Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22 So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?” And the Lord replied, “He i...

2 Timothy 2:15-26 NLT Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. They have left the path of truth, claiming that the re...

Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Acts 16:6-30 6 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the...