The Easter Story - Part 3

The Easter Story - Part 2

The Easter Story for Children

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6)

The message of Jesus dying on the cross to save us, and then raising from the dead is very important.

This would be a great time to explain to the children that Easter is the day to celebrate the victory of the cross, thus granting us salvation and authority over all the powers of the devil.

He triumphed over sin and death, and He has the power to take us to be with Him when we die. A key passage referring to the Resurrection can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:12-58 for further understanding.

When instructing young children the most important factors, is the language we use. Remember, they are not miniature adults. Therefore, we cannot talk with them using the same vocabulary and type of reasoning used in dialogue with adults. Besides not understanding, they can get confused.

Here I am posting the Easter Story; is a cartoon based on the stories from the bible when 3 kids go back through time.

I believe your children will understand better what Easter is all about and thought the movies (for their divided in three) we will catch their attention.

God bless you!!!

Good Friday

At the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, we believe, no matter the problems, troubles or anything else, Jesus Christ overcame for us to overcome.

God bless you,

Pr. Alexandre Teixeira

"...we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37

THE CREATOR'S DREAM

He looked around and all that glory and beauty of heaven just wasn’t fulfilling. Angels at His service and perfect harmony wherever He went, but God still wanted more. His dream had always been to have children of His Own and not just creatures. Children just like His Son, ready to serve Him out of joy and not of obligation. He then worked hard for this dream to come true.

He thought of every detail in order to change the appearance of this place called earth. Like a mother prepares the room for her new baby and thinks of the color of the room, the clothes, the bedding, and all the decoration so that even though this baby cannot understand what is going on, she can give him the best welcome possible. God did that with all heavens, the seas and rivers, the sun, the moon, the trees, and all the animals. Everything was perfect… each animal knew exactly what role to play, the sun and the moon were given a strict schedule to follow, and moreover, nature had an agenda to work for His Children.

At last everything was ready and the best part was to take place. The Child. He decided that this one wouldn’t be done by Words, so He came down and made this perfect child with His Own Hands. He gave this child everything he needed in order to be just like Him – Perfect. Soon after that, He noticed that this child, like Him, needed a companion. He immediately took care of that and made another child, but this time, a complete different one. He made the woman and she would have everything that the first child didn’t have. She would be more emotional and weaker in some ways, but she would have everything needed to fulfil His first child's needs.

Now His dream seemed to have become a reality and so He was happy and could finally rest. Everyday He would come and walk with His Children, the harmony in heaven extended down here to Earth! His Children had everything and which Father isn't completely satisfied and honored by such a sight? God was fulfilled.

Nevertheless, this harmony did not last as He expected. His Children decided to look beyond that perfect life and to see what else there was for them. They decided to sin. It wasn’t unintentional at all, it was deliberate - they knew exactly what they were doing at the time so much that they did it when God wasn’t around. Why is it that we always miss the big picture? Can we easily exchange great blessings in our lives for a minute of the unknown? Husbands trade their families for a minute of pleasure with a lover… Girls trade their purity for a minute of pleasure with their boyfriends…

Anyhow, God’s dream seemed to be at its end by now. As much as it hurt Him, He could no longer allow His Children to benefit from all that harmony in Paradise, because if He did, it would have even taken away His harmony in heaven because sin just brings more sin! He had no choice but to send them away… He knew now that the only way to see His dream come true was through sacrifice… all He had left was His firstborn Son who had always been there with Him… what a sacrifice… He tried everything else – a nation of His Own, the commandments, and the prophets but nothing was going to do what the sacrifice would and so He gave His Only Son… and here we are – part of His dream come true!

In faith,

Cristiane Cardoso

But Darkness has covered

"I will give you the treasures of darkness; And hidden riches of secret places; That you may know that I,the LORD, who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel"(Isaiah 45:2-3).

What is it that darkness has covered that you want it to be revealed? Maybe you have tried many things to find your place, but darkness has covered. But God promises to give us what is hidden from us by darkess. It is true that the lives of many people are being withheld by this darkness with no hope of coming out of it.

My dear friend, with God all things are possible, but first we need to show our faith in Him. How can we show our faith? To show our faith in God it is when we put our lives between life and death. i.e. If I die, let me die, but God has promised to be with me everywhere I go. Using His words always is the key to your conquest, of course if you are being honest.

Well, what we have to know is that, faith goes hand in hand with faithfulness and in this way faith will bring results. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were saved by their faith and their faithfulness in God. They believed that God will save them because they were faithful to God even to the point of death.

Look how darkness usually covers people's lives, "Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their garments, and were cast into the midst of the fiery furnace"(Daniel 3:21).

These men were doing all they could to walk in faithfulness or in light but darkness was trying to cover them up. Everyone in these world will face this darkness, but the only way to overcome it is through faith and faithfulness in sight of the Livin God.

If you are always faithful to God your Creator, you will always come out of darkness in victorious.

Be faithful with your deeds, so that the darkness may not cover you so that you may receive your hidden treasures, and you master darkness. Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego mastered darkness through their faith in God and their faithfulness;"And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace; Then king Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counsellors,'Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?' They answered and said to the king,'True, o king'; 'Look!' he answered,'I see four men loose, walking in thd midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the four is like the Son oe God'"(Daniel 3:24-25).

These three men fell down bound, but came out of the fire loose and being loose they were no longer three but four. Look what darkeness or satan tried to do, he tried to kill but God went to fire with them and saved them.

The bible says that they did not even smell the smoke of the fire, because God saw their faith in Him.

Do you want God to do the same to you too?

Do what these three men did, depend on God, not on your friend. To His faithful one's He goes by Himself to save them.

BY LERE TSELE

HE DIDN’T SUCCEED FOR YOU TO FAIL

A very basic rule of life is: you get what you pay for. Whenever anyone tries to rip us off or take what is rightfully ours, we can get pretty upset. We want justice and whenever anyone tries to block us from receiving it, we react.

If you went to a car dealer and paid $70,000 for a brand new car, you wouldn’t be happy if the salesman drove out a 10 year old car with dents in the side and smoke coming out the back and handed you the keys. You’d demand your money back or wait till he brought out a car that you thought was worth the price you paid, or even call your attorney. But you wouldn’t accept that old car.

And yet, every March or April, Good Friday and Easter roll around when close to one third of the world’s population, 2 billion people, celebrate the death and of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you ask these people they’ll tell you that Jesus died for them, that He overcame and won a great victory over sin, sickness, curses and everything else. But the all-important question is: How are the lives of those two billion people? How is their belief in God benefiting their lives, if at all?

Jesus said: “I overcame…” John 16.33. So if we believe in Him and follow His teachings shouldn’t we be abale to say the same thing? He went through all that He went through and overcame, and here we are failing in life even though we believe in Him… How does that make sense? But a strange thing about human nature is that we know how to reason when it comes to the physical things of life like buying a car or demanding our rights at the customer service counter, but fail to apply the same principles to our faith.

This Easter season we’re challenging people to change this state of affairs and start to have a life that makes sense.

If you are tired of failure, tired of songs and sermons but no results, and want to become an overcomer like the God you believe in, join us this Good Friday and Easter Sunday at UCKG - Kijabe Street Former Globe Cinema. Nairobi - Kenya

Be an overcomer this Easter season.

He will return!

Not everyone believes. Even among those who believe, only few await Him. But He will return. The latest events that have taken place around the world are evident signs of this. Tsunamis, earthquakes, heavy rains, epidemics and famine have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Not to mention drugs, violence and accidents. Everything seems to be pointing to the end.

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:10,11)

“Nation against nation” refers to wars among countries. “Kingdom against kingdom” refers to religious conflicts. And a religious conflict is worse than a war between countries. For this reason, Jesus said, “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death” (Matthew 10:21).

This atmosphere of terror and death already exists. And it tends to get worse. He is coming back soon. But it’s not the end yet.

In the past, the end of times was a subject only talked about in the church. Today, scientists are so sure of the end of times that they talk about it openly. One of the most important TV channels in the world is always showing reports about the subject. The worldwide catastrophes seem to be announcing the end. But, before it happens, there will be the Great Tribulation—when the Antichrist will rule for a period of 7 years.

At the moment, we are living in the period of light affliction. And when it finishes, the Lord Jesus will take His faithful followers. They will not experience the Great Tribulation. The false, “pirate” Christians, on the other hand, will be harmed by the fury of the Great Tribulation.

Those who live will see it…

The UCKG church in Chile

A Pastor speaks about the moment the earthquake struck Chile

From the first day I arrived in Chile, about 2 month ago, we have prayed for the people of Chile. At all UCKGs in the country, pastors, assistants and evangelists would pray on fridays at 11pm. We even placed the message ' The People in Chile need Prayers', on the Universal Ark Community.

On the 27th of February, my wife and children arrived home with me, after one of those prayer sessions. Physically tired, I went to bed around 1 o'clock in the morning, and about 3:30 am I heard a fire engine's sirens. I woke up and felt the ground shaking... it became stronger in seconds. My wife, Erica, also wake up. Suddenly it seemed that everything was going to fall. There was a lot of noise of shattering of windows and people screaming. I however felt peaceful. A voice inside me said: 'It shall pass'.

There was no electricity but I found my cellphone and used its light to get down nine floors of stairs with my two children, aged four, my wife and her helper. That night, we slept in the car, and when the sun rose we returned to our apartment. Most of the building in the CBD in Santiago are earthquake-proof, but you still feel you're inside a jelly. Everyone feared the aftershocks, which are known to be replicas of the earthquake only with a lower intensity. Because the building were affected with the earthquake, it was not safe to stay indoors, so we spend a second night inside our car. Now, more than ever, we are certain that Chile will bow before God.

At the church on Sunday, many testified how they were protected and escaped death during the earthquake. Here in Chile all of us - pastors, wives, children and assistants - saw the hand of God.

None of our members in among the wounded. Of the 35 UCKG temples, only three in the worst-hit cities of Concepcion, Talca and Talcahuano still await approval from the government to re-open their doors.

Pastor Lucio Monteiro, responsible for the evangelistic work of the UCKG in Chile

In the Beginning

God created everything perfect. The skies, the seas, the land, the animals, the birds, the fish, the stars... and you. But you were different, He didn't get that creative about you... He wanted you to be special, to be unique, like nothing else in the whole world. You were created in His Likeness!

God looked in the mirror and made a copy of Himself and called it 'men'.

Think about that.

We're not like animals (like some ridiculous theory made up by a very weird guy says). We're not like nature. We're like God. Isn't that wonderful? All the nature and all the animals were created for us, as if God had decorated the place before our arrival.

Then as a Good Parent, He gave Adam responsibilities. Starting with the naming of all the animals. That must have been fun! Meanwhile, He'd walk side by side with him, telling him of all the unimaginable things he could still do... that was when He realised, Adam was still missing something in his life... something that He Himself included in the making of man... a desire to have a family of his own.

He gently put him to sleep and decided to create the woman from man. Still in God's likeness, just a little more different... a touch of mixed emotions. It was Adam's first gift and he loved it!

Now tell me, why dismiss all that for a mere miserable moment of sin?

We can still get that kind of relationship with God back, the question is, do we want to stay away from sin? Do we want to walk with God hand and hand? Do we see Him?

Mrs Cristiane Cardoso

The big Difference

Only God knows the true intention of our heart. He knows when we have the desire to please Him and if we are being sincere or not. But it is only through our actions that we can show God and those who are around us our true intentions.
It is always more difficult to show our intentions with attitudes, because there is a great difference between talking and doing.
Many of us often say many things or try to do many things physically with our the work of our hands, such as: cleaning, evangelism, house cleaning, taking care of the bible school, etc. and of course this is all of supreme importance, because when we are born of God, we seek to do the best for Him. But, we should always remember the story about Marta and Mary, meanwhile one was sitting at the foot of Jesus, the other was busy with a lot of other physical things to do. In other words, one was seeking the spiritual food and the other was more worried about the physical food.
Now, at this moment, both of them were serving Jesus, but which one do you think was more important to do?
It is always more important and fundamental to be of God and seek to practice His word without interest. If we are born of God, we should serve with love and only then will we be a true offering to God. When we give a good testimony everywhere we go.

When we show love to those who are suffering outside in this world because they do not know about God, is to practice our first love. When we show love the love of God to a soul that maybe work’s with us or with someone close, we are showing a true unconditional love and also we are sharing the wonderful scent of the perfume of Jesus.

Even a child is known by his deeds,whether what he does is pure and right.
(Proverbs 20:11)

UCKG KENYA - PHOTOS

UCKG KENYA

KIJABE STREET - FORMER GLOBE CINEMA - NAIROBI - KENYA

The Three Weapons

Everyone has problems. They are part of life. Some are inevitable; some are caused by bad choices; some are part of the process of conquering our dreams.

A common mistake among Christians is thinking that they shouldn’t have any problems now that their lives are in God’s hands. However, God never promised that.

Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

At the same time that He was preparing us for the challenges to come, He also reassured us that we shouldn’t worry – if He defeated death, with Him on our side we will overcome.

God has given us three weapons to deal with our daily problems:

1. His Word
2. His Name
3. His Spirit

When combined with faith, these weapons make us more than capable of handling the toughest problems around.

Paul said it best:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (…) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35,37-39)

Are you tired of your problems? Use the weapons God gave you and fight. If you have been feeling down, discouraged or weak change your attitude towards your problems and believe. Instead of complaining about our life, let’s do something to change it.

As we prepare for Easter – the day the world remembers Jesus’ victory over death – every Sunday at the UCKG we will be uniting in faith to fight for our victory. You don’t need to do it alone. Let’s fight together, one God, one heart, and one faith.

Whether your problem is a debt, unemployment, poverty, an addiction, an illness, family issues, stress, depression, sin/temptation, temper or something else, Jesus is saying, ‘Look at me, I did it! And you can do it too, if you believe.’

God bless