"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:6-8

I love this passage of scripture. If you can imagine the disciples on this day – they had gone through a roller coaster ride of emotions over the past 50 days. They had seen their Lord crucified. And then had gone into hiding... until they discovered in amazement, He was alive! Just over 7 weeks had transpired and they were now watching Jesus departing Earth and returning to His Father. The disciples were understandably unsure what was next, and so they asked a very reasonable question – "Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" Notice that Jesus did not answer the question directly or give them the details they were expecting. He merely said, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons...." But then He set His own precedent and called them to be Holy Spirit empowered witnesses for Him and His Kingdom! Brothers & Sisters, we don’t know the exact timing of His return and the coming of His Kingdom either, but just as those disciples were, we also are called to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses. We must seek the fullness of His Spirit, become empowered, and eagerly participate in this great end time mission, a harvest that likely will dwarf all that has gone before, and be part of a rich welcome for our glorious and awesome God! RECEIVE POWER!

"Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed."Joshua 23:14

As Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land it seemed that God had given them an impossible assignment -- to conquer a foreign and hostile land with fortified cities and armies greater than their own. They had to go forth only on the basis of God's promise. They had to walk by faith and not by sight! How did Joshua lead them to walk by faith? He reminded them that God has never failed them. And he encouraged them to them focus on the promises of God! Brothers & Sisters, you too can rely on God's faithfulness! Are you in the midst of a crisis? Are high mountains facing you? If so, we want to remind you of all the miraculous ways God has worked in your life in the past! Though we often forget our promises to Him, He will never forget His promises to us! Let's spend the weekend recounting God's victories and determine to exercise faith for the trials we face! RECOUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!

"Walk in wisdom toward them that are outside, redeeming the time."Colossians 4:5

Life can get so hectic sometimes -- we often try to do too many things at once. But when our schedule gets that hectic, we need to start investing in some quality time with the Lord. The operating word here is "investing". Did you know that God is the best broker in town? When we invest our time in worship, prayer and the reading of His word, He takes that time and multiplies it many times over! When we give the Lord our time, He gets our minds focused and can even give us new ideas for how we can get things done better and more efficiently! I’ve heard testimony after testimony about this and seen God at work in my own life in this area. It really works! Brothers & Sisters, I heard it said once that “proof of love is the investment of time”. Do we have something to prove today? Let’s start by spending some time with the Lord. Spending time in His presence is the greatest investment we could ever make! MULTIPLY YOUR TIME!

"But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12

If you were to visit Paris, you could see the statues of two men, both named Louis. The first is of Louis XIV, France's absolute monarch. He represents one of the supreme achievements of greatness through power. His philosophy of life was that the whole nation and the world, should serve him. A few blocks away is another statue. There is no uniform on this figure carved in stone, no badge of office, no sword, no crown. It is a memorial to Louis Pasteur, a man whose life was unselfishly devoted to the research of immunization and disease prevention. The statue of the monarch, Louis XIV, is nothing more than a piece of sculpture--who even remembers what he did? But the statue of Louis Pasteur has become a place where pilgrims throughout all the world pay grateful homage for his great work; and every time we drink a glass of milk, we remember his name. That milk we're drinking has more than likely gone through a process called pasteurization, named after Pasteur's research. It is the uncrowned servant of mankind who wears the real crown of men's love and honor. Brothers & Sisters, let's ask the Lord to help us become more humble and available to serve to both Him and others. It is then that we will wear the true crown of glory! BE A SERVANT TO ALL!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."Romans 8:28

Nearly 2000 years ago, the disciples witnessed a catastrophe -- the crucifixion of our Lord. But the Lord used this tragedy to redeem all mankind. This great catastrophe was turned to ultimate beauty. Each of us has experienced tragedy in our lives. Inevitably the question arises -- Why? Let’s be encouraged by one of God’s most beautiful masterpieces. The Lord can turn our great catastrophes into great beauty -- into great victory! Brothers & Sisters, let’s turn to the Lord with our catastrophes. He can turn the most difficult tragedy into an incredible work of art! HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED CATASTROPHE?

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"Psalms 46:10

A philosopher named Leonardo da Vinci said a wise thing: "Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment...Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen." Have you found this to be the truth? We have! Any time we step back from a situation or project and take some time away, we undoubtedly gain new perspective and insight about it. Now, I know not all of us can take a week-long vacation at a luxurious resort to take time away from our difficulties, but we can, and must take a retreat with the Lord (which by the way, can be much more restful)! The Word says He makes me to lie down and green pastures -- It doesn't say He'd like us to, if we could try to take some time from our busy schedules -- it says He makes us! Brothers & Sisters, it's time to take a rest from all the things that make us weary today -- ministry work included. Let's take some time out with the Lord and get quiet before Him. He has so many things He wants to reveal, if we would only give Him a chance to show us! He's has so many ways He wants to refresh us and refill our empty places, if we would only be obedient to His call! TAKE A BREAK!

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."Romans 12:1,2

A woman once asked Pastor what he would do if he knew that he would die at midnight the next day. "Why, Madam," he replied, "just as I intend to spend it now. I would preach this evening at Chitungwiza, and again at five tomorrow morning, after that I would ride to Harare, preach in the afternoon, and meet the societies in the evening. I would then go to Kudakwashe's house...talk and pray with the family as usual, retire myself to my room at 10 o'clock, commend myself to my Heavenly Father, lie down to rest, and wake up in glory." So many people wonder what God's will is for their lives. The Pastor seemed to be quite confident that He was already walking in it! We all need to work on offering our bodies as Living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God and no longer conforming to the pattern of this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. THIS, before anything else, is God's will for our lives! THEN, the Word says, we WILL be able to test and approve what His good pleasing and perfect will is! Brothers & Sisters, let's offer our bodies, minds and hearts again to the Lord today and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to His perfect plan for our lives. There is so much work to be done!let's ask the Lord to help us to be wise stewards of all God's gifts to us, that we might not end up being rich on earth and poor with God. WHAT IS GOD'S WILL?