[Did you miss last Sunday’s services? They can still be found at Worship Archive – December 26th 2021.
Sunday Service from Connexion for January 2nd 2022:
Sunday Services from Hillside Circuit for January 2nd 2022:
Theme: Receive the Holy Spirit
Occasion: 2nd after Christmas
Psalm 29
Isaiah 43: 1-7
Acts 8: 14-17
Luke 3: 15-17
[Click or tap on a Bible reference above to jump down the page to the Bible reading to listen and/or read it for yourself and then click or tap on Back to top to come back here.]
Songs:
Here are the songs for Sunday morning service. Click or tap on a song to open it in YouTube, or go to the Songs for worship webpage to find them embedded.
Another year is dawning.
Sing a new song unto the Lord.
King of kings, Majesty.
As with gladness, men of old.
To the praise of His glorious grace.
God bless Africa.
Prayers:
You can listen and join in with prayers from the English Methodist Service Book. They can be found at the Prayers for worship webpage.
Children’s Address:
Sermons:
[Click or tap here to jump down the page to see the text version of the message for today in English, with Mr Misheck Mugiyo, so that you can read it for yourself.] Or you can watch it on Facebook Live.
Bible readings:
Psalm 29
1 All of you angels in heaven,
honour the glory and power of the LORD!
2 Honour the wonderful name of the LORD,
and worship the LORD most holy and glorious.
3 The voice of the LORD echoes over the oceans.
The glorious LORD God thunders
above the roar of the raging sea,
4 and his voice is mighty and marvellous.
5 The voice of the LORD destroys the cedar trees;
the LORD shatters cedars on Mount Lebanon.
6 God makes Mount Lebanon skip like a calf
and Mount Hermon jump like a wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD makes lightning flash
8 and the desert tremble.
And because of the LORD,
the desert near Kadesh shivers and shakes.
9 The voice of the LORD makes deer give birth
before their time.
Forests are stripped of leaves,
and the temple is filled with shouts of praise.
10 The LORD rules on his throne,
king of the flood forever.
11 Pray that our LORD will make us strong
and give us peace.
Isaiah 43
1 Descendants of Jacob, I, the LORD, created you
and formed your nation.
Israel, don’t be afraid. I have rescued you.
I have called you by name; now you belong to me.
2 When you cross deep rivers, I will be with you,
and you won’t drown.
When you walk through fire, you won’t be burned
or scorched by the flames.
3 I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel,
the God who saves you.
I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia, and the region of Sebab
in exchange for you.
4 To me, you are very dear, and I love you.
That’s why I gave up nations and people to rescue you.
5 Don’t be afraid! I am with you.
From both east and west I will bring you together.
6 I will say to the north and to the south,
“Free my sons and daughters!
Let them return from distant lands.
7 They are my people I created each of them
to bring honour to me.”
Acts 8
14 The apostles in Jerusalem heard that some people in Samaria had accepted God’s message, and they sent Peter and John. 15 When the two apostles arrived, they prayed that the people would be given the Holy Spirit. 16 Before this, the Holy Spirit had not been given to anyone in Samaria, though some of them had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Peter and John then placed their hands on everyone who had faith in the Lord, and they were given the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3
15 Everyone became excited and wondered, “Could John be the Messiah?”
16 John said, “I am just baptizing with water. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His threshing fork is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks. He will store the wheat in his barn and burn the husks with a fire that never goes out.”
Text version of the message for Hillside Circuit on January 2nd 2022 in English, with Mr Misheck Mugiyo:
The story is told of an elderly woman named Norena, who lived in Florida. When a hurricane hit that area, her home was one of the many that was severely damaged. Norena received an insurance settlement, and the repair work began However when the money ran out, so did the contractor, leaving an unfinished home with no electricity. Norena lived in her dark, unfinished home without power for fifteen years.
The hurricane that hit her area was called hurricane Andrew. When the winter chills settled over southern Florida, she had no air conditioning and could not even have a hot shower. With no power to get by Norena just got by with extension cords running into her house. Plugged into a tiny refrigerator and a cook top. She had a small lamp or two in front of the house.
Acting on a tip off the mayor of Miami heard about her story and got involved. A few hours of work by an electrical contractor named Kent Crook restored power to the house. Norena planned to let the water get really hot and take her first bubble bath in fifteen years.” it is hard to describe having the electricity come on she said, its overwhelming”.
That is the way a lot of Christians are living their faith, without the power of the Holy Spirit. The day they receive the Holy Spirit they will be amazed how they have lived a difficult life all along.
Sadly, they do it for so long and it becomes a norm.
They keep striving to live better and better but always fall short. Deep down they know that something is missing but they can’t put their finger to it.
For most people the missing ingredient is the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament reading, Israel is facing an uncertain future. Israel is in captivity. Isaiah encourages them to leave captivity and even tells them that they will face danger. Isaiah ensures the Israelites of God’s presence. Despite the dangers they will face God the Holy Spirit will be with them.
In our lives as Christians, we sometimes struggle as we go the journey God has called us to live. Sometimes the reason for the struggle is that we want to do things on our own or using our own means. Many of us have received Christ as our Lord and Saviour but some are still to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is the case with the group of new believers in Samaria. They believed in the Lord but had not yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit. The apostles Peter and John had to come from Jerusalem to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit.
When we first become Christians or are born again the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts and plays the role of convicting us when we have done wrong or think of doing wrong. He is that small still voice that speaks to our hearts.
God does not want us to end with the first experience of the Holy Spirit just dwelling in our hearts. He wants us to receive the Holy Spirit in another special where by the Holy Spirit comes upon us. This may be referred to as the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This is an empowering experience which equips and empowers me and you for witness and doing God’s work. By being filled with the Holy Spirit we are empowered to do the work that God has called us to do. The great preacher and writer Smith Wigglesworth said “when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we go forth to see things accomplished that we could never see otherwise”.
On our own we cannot do much but the Holy Spirit through us can do mighty miracles. When we see someone being healed or any situation being addressed it has nothing to do with the person who is praying for him or her, it is all the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through that person. This is the way God wants to use us. He wants to fill our lives with the Holy Spirit so that we can be witnesses of His love and power.
Conclusion
When you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, God will become much more active in your daily life and will start to supernaturally show himself to you in a wide variety of ways. The gift is a major door opener that will take you from the dugout and lead you into the real playing field where the real walk of the Lord is taking place. Is your heart open to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit today?
In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, amen.
Mishack Mugiyo
Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 
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