E L D E R S D E A C O N S Y O U T H L E A D E R Fred Bergh Chris Gerber Hennie Mulder Sean Bowes Henk T aljaard Marcel Bergh Alan Page AmbassadorAshlea Gardens Church of Christ180 Club Avenue Ashlea Gardens Tel: 012 997 1983 5 June 2011 When God looked down on His people He did not see what He wanted to see, according to the prophet Hosea’s mes- sage to the northern kingdom oIsrael (Hos 4:1, 5:1, 6:1-6, 7:6-8, 11:8). This kingdom was constantly under attack by the Assyrians, but the people oIsrael had brought most othis trou- ble on themselves. Because they had chosen not to subscribe to God’s will they did not experience peace. At frst God did not want to pun- ish them and showed them mercy, but still the people reused to heed Hosea’s warnings and continued to turn their back on God. Consequently, they ended up in exile. T oday, when people are taught the Gospel God looks directly into their hearts to see their response, as revealed in the interpretation othe parable othe sower (Matt 17). Some hear the Word but do not grasp it ully and the devil easily snatches away the seed othe kingdom sown in their hearts with his lies. Sometimes the seed is sown in stony places, where the hearts are hard, and because the seed cannot develop deep roots it only lasts a short time. At the frst sign otrouble the hard-heart- ed person alls away . The seed sown in thorny places is just as unruitul. Even though this person appears to be serving God obe- diently, spiritually they are dead. They have gained the world but lost their soul because their heart is flled with the cares and pleasures othe world. The seed sown in good ground – a receptive heart – bears ruit and con- sistently experiences spiritual growth. The good soul is thoughtul and serious and yearns or the deliverance othe world by God. God takes pleasure in this and holds these souls in the palm oHis hand. God elevates them because they have humbled themselves. To approach our heavenly Father or blessing holds incredible opportunities or us, but it comes with responsibilities as well. What stops us rom serving God in the way that He wants us to serve him so that He can look down on us and see what He wants to see? Iwe bear ruit or God “He guards the paths othe just and protects those who are aithul to him” (Prov 2:8). Seen through the eyes of God By Fred Bergh Viewed through our own eyes our lives probably seem pretty good, especially if we consider ourselves Christians. But how does God see us? What does He wish to see in us? What grieves Him, and what brings Him joy?
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Fred Bergh Chris Gerber Hennie Mulder Sean Bowes Henk Taljaard Marcel Bergh Alan Page
A mbassador Ashlea Gardens
Church of Christ 180 Club AvenueAshlea Gardens
Tel: 012 997 19835 June 2011
When God looked down on His peopleHe did not see what He wanted to see,
according to the prophet Hosea’s mes-
sage to the northern kingdom o Israel
(Hos 4:1, 5:1, 6:1-6, 7:6-8, 11:8).
This kingdom was constantly under
attack by the Assyrians, but the people
o Israel had brought most o this trou-
ble on themselves. Because they had
chosen not to subscribe to God’s will
they did not experience peace.
At frst God did not want to pun-
ish them and showed them mercy, butstill the people reused to heed Hosea’s
warnings and continued to turn their
back on God. Consequently, they ended
up in exile.
Today, when people are taught the
Gospel God looks directly into their
hearts to see their response, as revealed
in the interpretation o the parable o
the sower (Matt 17).
Some hear the Word but do not
grasp it ully and the devil easily
snatches away the seed o the kingdom
sown in their hearts with his lies.Sometimes the seed is sown in
stony places, where the hearts are hard,
and because the seed cannot develop
deep roots it only lasts a short time. At
the frst sign o trouble the hard-heart-
ed person alls away.
The seed sown in thorny places
is just as unruitul. Even though this
person appears to be serving God obe-
diently, spiritually they are dead. They
have gained the world but lost their
soul because their heart is flled with
the cares and pleasures o the world. The seed sown in good ground – a
receptive heart – bears ruit and con-
sistently experiences spiritual growth.
The good soul is thoughtul and
serious and yearns or the deliverance
o the world by God. God takes pleasure
in this and holds these souls in the palm
o His hand. God elevates them because
they have humbled themselves.
To approach our heavenly Father or
blessing holds incredible opportunities
or us, but it comes with responsibilities
as well.What stops us rom serving God in
the way that He wants us to serve him
so that He can look down on us and see
what He wants to see?
I we bear ruit or God “He guards
the paths o the just and protects those
who are aithul to him” (Prov 2:8).
Seen through the eyes of GodBy Fred Bergh
Viewed through our own eyes our lives probably seem pretty good, especially if we consider ourselves Christians. But how does God see us? What does He wish to see in us?
About fve weeks ago some o AshleaGardens’ university and college studentsbegan hosting a weekly Bible study at Tukkies, with lessons presented by Marcel.Initially, attendees were mostly riends o the students, but recently these beganbringing their own riends along and theclass has grown to more than 20 people.
Indeed, a bigger venue is now needed toaccommodate everyone.
According to Daniel Verwey, universitystudents are earnestly seeking good Chris-tian ellowship and are eager to build theirrelationship with God.
Please pray or this incredible minis-try and encourage any students you mayknow to attend. Contact Daniel or Marcelor more inormation.