Welcome to City Hill Church Johannesburg

City Hill Update 9th April

Dear City Hill Church

Welcome to day 14 of lock down!! Well done for getting this far and working together for the good of our fellow man!

I was just thinking that while we are a people in lock down, we are not a people who are locked down. The message of the cross cannot be locked down. Our love for each other can’t be locked down. Our witness can’t be locked down. And the reason for this is that while, on Good Friday, Jesus was locked down in the grave, that grave couldn’t keep Him locked down. Jesus rose and conquered death. It’s in that reality that we live as Christ-followers today. This informs our life and worship!

This Sunday, as we worship together, we want to express this wonderful truth in multiple ways. 

1. We want to pray together

Our confidence in prayer comes because Jesus is alive! Obviously we know we can’t do this together physically at this time, but we can still do it together! If you have access to Zoom, please join us at 9:30 am as I lead us in a  time of prayer celebrating our Lord’s victory and we embrace our position and privilege as children of the living God. The details are https://us04web.zoom.us/j/730994773?pwd=YmtXMDlKUEJuYlpENWFBZG1MZ0QzZz09 Meeting ID: 730 994 773 Password: 029706. 

If you can’t be on Zoom, why not commit to pray with us at that time anyway!

2. We want to worship the Lord together

We are still meeting together although in an unconventional way. Our worship is real because Jesus is alive. The preaching is powerful because Jesus is alive. Let’s not underestimate what God can do through our online services!

This week we will be using a new, but simple, platform for streaming our service. This can be found at https://live.cityhillchurch.org.za/. We don’t anticipate any problems but if you do struggle in any way, you could simply click on the YouTube icon and you will be taken to our YouTube channel. Don’t forget, our service will start promptly at 10am as per normal.

Why not invite your friends to this time and don’t forget to let us know that you have joined us online by commenting on our channel! 

3. We want to do communion together

The reason we are confident in the finished work of Christ is because the grave is empty. The resurrection displayed the fact that what Jesus accomplished was in fact complete. So, in order for this to be a very special City Hill Church family moment, could we ask that you prepare for this so that we can share it together. Get some grape juice or wine, some bread, and then gather your family so we can do this together in remembrance of Jesus!

4. We want to share together

We want to share our lives, resources, experiences, joys, sorrows, hopes and dreams. This doesn’t stop because of lock down! We do this because God never intended for us to live in isolation from other believers. So at this time, may I encourage you to be even more deliberate at looking for ways of investing into the lives of others and encouraging them to live out their lives fully to the glory of God! If you haven’t been in a connect group, let us know so we can connect you with others who could walk with you and encourage you.

All these points mean that there is a very special Sunday coming up and I can’t wait to worship the risen Lord again with you! 

A prayer that I am praying for you all this weeks is from Philippians 1:9–11, “9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.”

Grace and peace be yours in abundance!

Bruce

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