TOKONAKI NOVEMA 30, 2024

GOD HEARS OUR CRIES

‘OKU ONGONA ‘E HE ‘OTUA ‘ETAU TO‘EE

EXODUS 2:23-24

"The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. ... And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant." 

EKISOTO 2:23-24

23 Pea fuoloa fuoloa pea pekia ‘a e Tu‘i ‘Isipite: pea na‘e to‘e ‘a ha‘a ‘Isileli koe‘uhi ko e fatongia, pea na‘a nau tautapa; pea na‘e a‘u hake kia ‘Elohimi ‘enau tangi tokoni koe‘uhi ko e fatongia. 24 Pea na‘e ongo‘i ‘e he ‘Otua ‘enau to‘e, pea ne manatu ki he‘ene fuakava mo ‘Epalahame mo ‘Aisake mo Sēkope.

The promise of food had encouraged Jacob and his family to leave their famine-stricken land and relocate to Egypt with Joseph. For a time, everything was terrific. But their experience took a turn for the worse when a new king came to power. He didn't like the idea of Israel's people growing in stature and number, so he put them to work, ruthlessly enslaving them. Their lives were filled with tears and bitterness.

The people of God still had His promises, but those promises seemed empty. It had been easy to trust God when they were free and well-fed. It was far less easy when they were enslaved. In the long, long years of oppression, some must have said to themselves, I think that God has forgotten His promise. I am not at all sure that He is really going to do what He said. Yet despite this, they called out to God, desperately seeking rescue.

God had not forgotten. and His answer came. God heard their cry; He heard their groaning, and in response He implemented a rescue operation. God would not leave them in their misery. He was going to fulfill His purposes for His people and set them free from slavery. He “remembered his covenant" - which is not to say that His promises to Abraham had slipped His mind but that now, at exactly the right moment (though no doubt not as soon as His people would have chosen), He moved to keep His covenant to His people.

This is what God's people need to be reminded of now, just as they did then: God hears  our groaning, God knows our circumstances, and He will act. Not one of His promises will fail. Indeed, when we are at a loss for words in our distress, we discover that the Holy Spirit even intercedes for us through our prayerful groanings (Romans 8:26-27). That's the level of God's concern for each of us and the depth of His determination to do eternal good for His people.

When your soul's cries seem to go unheard - when you begin to wonder if anyone truly cares - recall who God has revealed Himself to be, in Egypt and supremely in His Son:

Why should I feel discouraged,

Why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely

And long for heav'n and hame,

When Jesus is my portion?

My constant friend is He

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

[Civilla D. Martin, "His Eye Is an the Sparrow" (1905).]

Keep crying out for deliverance. God hears, He cares, and He works on your behalf.

MARK 5:21-43

Bible Through The Year: 2 Chronicles 23-24; Luke 9:18-36

 FALAITE NOVEMA 29, 2024

WORSHIP IN UNITY

HU/LOTU ‘I HE LOTO TAHA

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." 

1 KOLINITO 1:10

Ka ‘oku te kole atu, kāinga, ‘i he huafa ‘o hotau ‘Eiki ko Sīsū Kalaisi, ke mou lea taha pē kotoa pē, pea ke ‘oua te mou fakafa‘afa‘ahi: kaekehe, ke mou ma‘opo‘opo, ‘o loto taha mo fakakaukau taha.

A church united in the gospel will be a healthy church. And nothing corrodes a church as fast as division. 

It has always been like this for God's people. In their greatest moments, we see great unity. For instance, after returning from exile in Babylon, we're told in Nehemiah 8, the Israelites gathered expectantly, "as one man," to hear the public preaching of Ezra the priest from the Book of the Law (Nehemiah 8:1). In that moment, nearly 5,000 men and women went to the public square before the Water Gate in a spirit of unity and mutual commitment to worship. Their focus was not simply "What am I receiving from this teaching?" but "What am I contributing to my brothers and sisters who have gathered with me?"

This is the way God's people must always come to worship if there is to be unity among us.

When we are truly walking with Christ, we will long to worship corporately with the people who love Christ. Though our motivation may sometimes run dry, with the help of the Holy Spirit it is possible to share the psalmist's spirit of worship: "I was glad when they told to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord!" (Psalm 122:1), Gathered church worship is for more than an event for you to attend or endure; it is a declaration of shared loyalty to our King and a powerful reminder of the deep unity God's people enjoy.

Within our congregations, we don't and won't always agree. We all have individual preferences and convictions. But at the very center of membership in God's family there is to be unanimity regarding core issues of our faith issues like the authority of the Bible, the centrality and preeminence of Jesus, the necessity of evangelism, and the priority of prayer and worship in our daily lives. These shared convictions allow God's people to gather together in unity. Therefore, while humor from the pulpit, beautiful music, and meaningful programs for families may be gifts from the Lord, they should not be our priority. Instead, we ought to be in prayer for our fellow saints as we seek to worship together in unity, asking that revival may come from our own desire to hear God's word preached in truth. For when a congregation is prayerfully expectant, God will surely do what He has pledged to do through His word. It is easy to have a "me-first" approach to church and to be quick to criticize - easy, but corrosive. Be sure next Sunday that you are not there only for yourself but for others, and that you are quick to build up and undergird your shared unity in how you sing and speak.

NEHEMIAH 8:1-2

Bible Through The Year: 2 Chronicles 21-22; Luka 9:1:17

 TU‘APULELULU NOVEMA 28, 2024

THE PATHWAY TO HAPPINESS

KO E HALA FONONGA KI HE FIEFIA

PSALM 32:1

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." 

SAAME 32:1

MONŪ‘IA Ā ka ko e toko taha. Kuo fakamolemole ‘ene talangata‘a, Kuo ‘ufi‘ufi ‘ene faihala.

Several years ago, the BBC conducted a survey of some 65 countries in the world and reported on which were the most and least happy. When individuals were asked what contributed to their joy, there was no clear consensus. The path to happiness was elusive.

In the ESV, Psalm 32 begins with the word "blessed." but "happy" may be the more evocative and more fitting translation. Indeed, the same Hebrew word that is used here is often translated into the Greek word for "happy" elsewhere, both in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) and in the New Testament. The word is used at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus began to speak to His followers by telling them, "Blessed [that is, happy) are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3).

Many of us would like to be happier than we are. But how? Some think that if they could travel more, they would be content. Some think in more grandiose terms: for instance, that by establishing justice in their part of the world, they would be happier. Others reason there is joy to be found in appreciating the beauty of creation or exploring spirituality. Yet we are continually confronted by the fact that something spoils our ventures and settles like dust uроп all our dreams. Happiness derived from these things is always brittle; it is easily broken and it cannot last. The chase after happiness or the attempt to hold on to happiness becomes a burden.

Our search for lasting happiness remains futile as long as we fail to look where the psalmist says it is fundamentally to be found: in a relationship with our Creator God, which begins with forgiveness. We might not think to look there, because it seems like an oxymoron that we would find happiness by first considering the seriousness of our transgressions and our need for forgiveness. But the Hebrew word for "forgiven" actually means "lifted" or "removed." The happiness and peace we desire comes only when the burden of sin is taken away. And then we are free to enjoy all that life offers, without asking created things or people to bear the weight of being the source of our ultimate joy.

This truth was Augustine's experience. He spent the first part of his life in an untrammeled commitment to indulgence. Then, after reading the Bible and meeting God in His word, he emerged from his haze, later writing, "O God, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You." Do you believe what Augustine believed? The basis for his statement is found in the opening verse of this psalm. You do not need to walk through life encumbered by sin and sorrow, because God has offered you forgiveness and a relationship with Him through Jesus. You do not need to chase after happiness the way the world does. When your burdens are lifted and you know that God knows the worst of you and loves you anyway, you experience phenomenal, lasting happiness.

PSALM 32

Bible Through The Year: 2 Chronicles 19-20; Luke 8:26-56

 PULELULU NOVEMA 27, 2024

THROUGH HIS MERCY

FOU ‘I HE ‘ALO‘OFA (MEESI)

ROMANS 9:16

"It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."

LOMA 9:16

‘Āua; pea tā ‘oku ‘ikai tu‘unga ki he‘ete loto ki ai, pe ki he‘ete lele ki ai, ka ki he fai ‘alo‘ofa ‘a e ‘Otua.

God is not tied to man-made customs, and He is under no obligation to fit in with our expectations.

Perhaps this is nowhere better seen than in the lives of Esau and Jacob. Esau was the firstborn of Isaac, whose father, Abraham, had been chosen by God to be the bearer of His promises to make Himself a people and bring blessing to His world (Genesis 12:1-3). As the customary heir, Esau typically would have received Isaac's blessing and inheritance, just as Isaac had inherited these from his father, Abraham.

Instead. God chose Esau's brother, the younger twin, Jacob, to receive both.

Not only was Jacob younger, but he was also an unpleasant character whose name essentially means "he cheats." It seems unbelievable that he would be chosen - yet the line of promise was to flow through Jacob, and his descendants became Israel, the people of God.

I sometimes struggle with this concept, wondering why God would select Jacob. It seems unfair! Yet the Bible tells us that although Jacob was an unlikely choice, God determined in advance to fulfill His promises through Jacob instead of Esau: "... though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad - in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls" (Romans 9:11). In choosing Jacob, God was fulfilling His purposes from all of eternity. He was also teaching this principle: God does not choose on the basis of merit. None of us deserve to belong to Him.

This is where we sometimes get things turned upside down. We look at Jacob and wonder why he was chosen, when we should really look at God and wonder at His graciousness. He: says, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion" (Romans 9:15). And God mercifully calls us, too, though we are undeserving.

When we fully realize our predicament before we became children of God - our rebellion, which is deserving of condemnation, wrath, and death - we can begin to understand the greatness of God's love and mercy for us. We stop asking why God does not show mercy to some; we start wondering why God does show mercy to any. It becomes a matter of deep gratitude that He has made us His heirs, children of God.

You didn't do a single thing to earn the King's favor. You made absolutely no restitution for your rebellion. There is only one basis on which you have been adopted into His family: His mercy, freely given and never deserved. In the words of the hymn writer, "Jesus paid it all." - Elvina M. Hall. "Jesus Paid It All" (1865).This truth will keep you humble when days are good, and hopeful when you see your sin; salvation is never about your merit but always and only about His mercy.

ROMANS 9:1-18

Bible Through The Year: 2 Chronicles 17-18; Luke 8:1-25

 TUSITE NOVEMA 26, 2024

WHY GIVE?

KO E HA ‘OKU TAU FOAKI AI?

2 CORINTHIANS 9:11

"You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us 

will produce thanksgiving to Gnd." 

2 KOLINITO 9:11

kae alaisia alaikolonga homou fakakoloa‘ia, koe‘uhi ke alaisia alaikolonga ho‘omou foaki, ‘a ia ko e me‘a fakatupu fakafeta‘i ki he ‘Otua, ‘i he‘emau tufaki.

God is not a cosmic killjoy. He doesn't ask us to bear with some disappointing existence in which we sit around and fake happiness. Instead, He richly provides for us. We don't have to apologize for what He gives us; but we do have to share it.

The reason why God gives us all that we need (and oftentimes more!) is so that we can in turn give to others. When we are "enriched in every way," Paul tells us, it is in order "to every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God." What we have received as a gift from God we are to give as a gift from God. James picks up this idea in challenging form when he asks, "What good is it if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" (James 2:14). The answer is clear: it's no good at all! In fulfilling our responsibility to help those in need, we not only prompt praise for God, but we give evidence of the reality of our faith in God.

God supplies us not only with resources but also with the grace we need to be truly generous - to go without ourselves so that others may be blessed (2 Corinthians 8:1-3). He is the one who "is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" (9:8).

A generous heart protects us from selfishness and the desire to amass significant wealth for ourselves. The joy of God's blessing isn't found in laying up a firm financial foundation so that we can retire to somewhere fantastic, pass on a greater monetary inheritance, or find comfort in a savings account. Rather, we are called to share the wealth He gives us now so that as others enter into its enjoyment, they'll find true satisfaction in God the Provider.

If we're honest, the very reason we often hold back from sharing generously is that we think God might just leave us high and dry after we give stuff away. Yet Scripture assures us that the same God who cared for us in our infancy will provide for us in our old age (see Isaiah 46:4).

Joy is to be found in unshackling yourself from enslavement to what you own. It is your privilege and your responsibility to be rich in deeds and eager to share, whether you've been given much or only a little. Ask God for the grace to cheerfully give without reluctance, and remember this: you cannot outgive God.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-15

Bible Through The Year: 2 Chronicles 15-16; Luke 7:24-50

 MONITE NOVEMA 25, 2024

LIVING THE TRUTH

MO‘UI ‘I HE MO‘ONI

JOHN 13:17

"If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

SIONE 13:17

Kapau ‘oku mou ‘ilo ‘a e ngaahi me‘a ko ia, pea ko e toki kakai monū‘ia kimoutolu, ‘o kapau te mou fai ia.

Can you recall a time when a stranger approached you out of the blue and asked what you believe about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith? I imagine that you have had very few, if any experiences like that. We ought to be prepared for such encounters, to be sure the apostle Peter tells us to be ready to give a reason for the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15). But opportunities to explain what we believe most often result not from random encounters with strangers but from the way we live day in and day out before those who know us well.

How we live and what we believe ought to reflect our attachment to Christ. This is one reason why Peter says Christians are "a people for [God's] own possession" (1 Peter 2:9). Our connection to Jesus as those who are in Him and belong to Him is comprehensive. That means we are not at liberty to believe whatever we want, we are not free to form our own views of marriage, of sexuality, of finance, or of anything else. Our view is now to reflect that of our Messiah and Teacher, Jesus. But He is not content with His disciples simply knowing the truth. They also need to be living the truth: "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." Believing must lead to doing. We are not free to behave in any way we like either, then. Our conduct is to reflect that of our sacrificial Savior, Jesus.

Many contemporary religions and secular creeds require nothing of your lifestyle; they leave you free to live as you please. (In fact, many make that their guiding principle: that you do what seems right to you.) But the call to Christian discipleship is utterly different, for at its heart is a call to follow a King who is not you. The call to the Christian life is not merely to believe the gospel but to "let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27).

We all fall short. Do you have someone helping you, and whom you can help, in identifying areas of behavior that are not yet worthy of the gospel? Lock arms with a brother or sister in Christ, shine the light of God's word on one another, and seek to bring the truth to life!

The church is God's primary appointed means of reaching His world. You are part of

that. But do not expect those around you to ask about the gospel - still less to repent and believe the gospel - if you are not living out that gospel:

You are writing a gospel.

A chapter each day.

By deeds that you do,

By words that you say

Men read what you write,

Whether faithless or true,

Say! What is the gospel

According to you? (Commonly attributed to Paul Gilbert)

JOHN 13:31-35

Bible Through The Year: 2 Chronicles 13-14; Luke 7:1-23

 SAPATE NOVEMA 24, 2024

COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE

HA‘U ‘A E KAU LOTO FAKAFETA‘I

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18, 23-24

"Give thanks in all circumstances…May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

1 TESALONAIKA 5:18, 23-24

18 Fakafeta‘i ‘i he me‘a kotoa pē, he ko e tu‘utu‘uni ia ‘a e ‘Otua ma‘amoutolu ‘ia Kalaisi Sīsū.

23 Pea ko e ‘Afio ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘a ia ‘oku ‘a‘ana ‘a e nonga, ‘ofa ke ne fakamā‘oni‘oni‘i faka‘āufuli ‘a kimoutolu! ‘Io, ‘i he hoko mai ‘a hotau ‘Eiki ko Sīsū Kalaisi, ‘ofa kuo haofaki homou laumālie, mo e loto, mo e sino, ‘o kakato mo ta‘emele! 24 Ko ia ‘oku ne ui kimoutolu ki ai, ko e Toko Taha ia ‘oku fai ki he‘ene lea, pea te ne fai foki ‘a e me‘a ni.

Thanksgiving is not always easy, even when, as a nation, the US sets aside a holiday for the express purpose of doing so. During this holiday, many of us become keenly aware of life circumstances that don't stir up feelings of thankfulness. Some of us may be facing our loneliest days, while others are overwhelmed by the crushing burden of a loved one wandering from the gospel. Still others enter this season greatly disappointed as a result of various failures - a lost job, a broken relationship, another missed promotion. We sometimes find ourselves absolutely stuck, unable to pull ourselves out of despondency and feeling as far from gratitude as the east is from the west.

When we're facing such situations and we read "Give thanks in all circumstances," we often wonder how we're supposed to respond. Yet the Bible never offers exhortations without also offering aid.

The answer for how we can show constant gratitude lies in God's sanctifying work in us. The word "sanctify" means "to set apart for God." When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to rule and reign in our lives, the Holy Spirit enters us in order to produce the ongoing cleansing necessary for spiritual growth. It is the work of God that enables us to be what Jesus desires for us to be, "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). When we abide in Christ, "rooted and built- up in him" (Colossians 2:7) - studying our Bibles, learning to pray, fellowshipping with God's people, telling others about Him - we are reminded of all that He is for us and all that He has done for us and in us. We learn to sing with the psalmist, "We give thanks to you, O God: we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds" (Psalm 75:1). Whatever our own regrets and disappointments, we are able to overflow with thankfulness as we remember His wondrous deeds - His cross, His resurrection, His ascension, and His work in us by His Spirit to bring us to faith and keep us in faith.

Our trials may be tough and gloomy. We may not feel thankful in every moment. That's ok, because that's not the point. God enables us to be grateful regardless. He provides the strength for us to fulfill Paul's instruction.

If you are experiencing an absence of thankfulness in your life right now, then you need to turn your attention away from your circumstances, at least for a moment, and reflect on God's gift of love for you. As you abide in Christ and allow God's Spirit to continue His sanctifying work, He will quicken you from within, so that even through tears, pain, and disappointment, you'll be able to respond when He bids us, "Come, ye thankful people, come."

PSALM 149

Bible Through The Year: 2 Chronicles 10-12; Luke 6:27-49