​​Welcome  to    Joy By Surprise

Millions of professed Christians only attend a church gatherings at baptisms, weddings and funerals. "We only see them," as one minister put it, "when they're hatched, matched or dispatched." In other words, when someone is christened, married or buried. The public's view on the other hand is, "There's no point in going to church each weekend just to meet a bunch of hypocrites and listen to a boring sermon." Good reasoning and very often true: but not good enough in view of what you are about to read.

Millions believe that it is not necessary to meet with others on YaHuWaH 's Shabbats. They are dangerously mistaken: and could harm themselves and, where applicable, their growing families. The fact is, church services involve (or should involve) far more than meeting other people or listening to sermons. The Scriptures abound with references to "holy convocations." Remember that a "holy convocation" is a commanded religious assembly. In modern terminology, this means an official church service. Attendance is not a matter of likes and dislikes, of meeting with hypocrites or saints, of listening to good or bad sermons. It is meeting and worshiping YaHuWaH. If two or more believers live in an area, they are summoned by the Almighty to meet together with Him on His weekly and annual Shabbats. This is His command and His Spirit will be present if they obey that command. Only illness and isolation are grounds for not meeting with fellow believers each weekend. Let me quote Scripture to make this point.

Convoke means a 'formal calling of people to a meeting: a summons to assemble.' A summons as most people know, is an authoritative call to attend a meeting; a call to appear before a judge or magistrate. In other words, a "holy convocation" is a divine summons, an authoritative call by the Almighty YaHuWaH to His followers to meet Him. To ignore this divine summons borders on insult: not to mention the enormous benefits that are lost in the process of staying away.

YAHUSHUA the Messiah made an amazing promise concerning believers who meet together in His name. He said this:

Very often a believer will find himself in an area where there are no Shabbat services. What, then, should he do? Who is he to meet with? The answer is: he should seriously think of organizing a meeting.

1. Welcome all who attend.
2. Begin with choruses / hymns. Let those present have a choice. Musical accompaniment on piano or keyboard, guitar, mandolin, violin etc. are also very useful. Remain seated during this initial session of singing.
3. Opening hymn. Stand for this hymn.
4. Opening Prayer. Invite YaHuWaH 's Spirit into your midst.
5. Scripture Reading. Preferably by someone in the audience. Give him advance warning.
6. Announcements. Tell them your plans and hopes about a regular Sabbath meeting. The true believers who attend will co-operate. Have no fear.
7. Children's story if children are present.
8. Second Hymn.
9. SERMON: You will find many Articles on this page to get you started.
10. Closing Hymn. If possible with words linked to the sermon just preached.
11. Closing Prayer.
12. Refreshments. Not always possible in a rented hall, but always possible at home.

Music and song are extremely important in religious services. But keep clear of the up-beat music of the world. Bear in mind that this is a holy convocation, not a jazz session or let-your-hair-down party. Special items, solos, duets, musical items, poems, testimonies etc should be encouraged. Encourage the children to take part. Broadly speaking spiritual songs may be divided into three groups.

1. Prayers to YaHuWaH and His Son: These are the highest form of hymns. We sing them to Elohim.
2. Testimonies
3. Evangelistic Hymns

Allocate about a third of the time for singing. Make sure your choice includes the first type of hymn. Remember a Sabbath service is a worship session: not an entertainment trip.

Make sure that at least one chapter of the Bible is read at every meeting. The person taking the sermon should also include several passages of Scripture. The Bible is the 'Bread of Life.' If it is neglected your meetings will spiritually degenerate. Also, do not neglect the 'Old Testament'. Make sure it is read: especially the first five books. They contain the Torah of YaHuWaH : which is vital if sin is to be identified. Notice how Ezra the priest read large portions of YaHuWaH 's Torah to the people of Israel. He read from morning till midday! You do not have to repeat his performance: but it does prove how important is the reading of the Scriptures.

The sermon is also a vital part of a religious meeting; though by no means the most important. Scripture reading, prayer and singing are equally essential. Usually one elder preaches the sermon, which lasts about 40-45 minutes. But often two younger men will preach; each delivering a 20-25 minute sermon. Our policy is that every man in the congregation should be allowed the opportunity to either read the Scriptures or preach a sermon.

The men lead out at all holy convocations, religious meetings. According to the Scriptures, women have not been given the authority to preach or teach at the official gatherings of the church. This does not mean that women have no place in YaHuWaH 's work: or that they are inferior to men. Oh no; they have an important part to play in the work of the Most High; and in many areas of human endeavor they are superior to men. It simply means that they do not have the right, the divine authority, to take the pulpit and preach or teach in the holy convocations of the church. It's not a matter of choice, fashion or ability: it's a matter of divine authority.

As you can see, to organize a Shabbat meeting in your area is not very difficult. With YaHuWaH 's assistance, it is easy. But, if He is not with you, then you will be wasting your time; however well meaning or qualified you may imagine yourself to be. Important questions that need answering before you even attempt to start are:

• Does YaHuWaH really want me to organize a Shabbat meeting in my area?
• Or am I looking for an excuse to stay away from an existing Shabbat meeting?

You will need to do a lot of praying before the answers to those two questions become clear. Meanwhile, keep reading the files at this site. Who knows, you may be just the person the Almighty is looking for to take the Everlasting Gospel to the people in your area. "May He guide you" is my sincere prayer for His Name's sake.