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How to be sure of the King’s return?

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The return of the King – how do you know it is true at all?

How can we be sure that there is a King who will return to establish his reign of justice and peace on earth? Do we have reliable indications of his coming? Actually we seem to see the opposite: in increasing violence in the world, in pain and suffering, and widespread evil. We seem to be far from a just and peaceful world. Isn’t it better to work hard in our study, career and family, to make a better world?

Product of the human mind

That is one of the reasons why many scientific researchers and philosophers argue that religion, also Christian religion, is a cleverly invented product of the human mind. They say that religion is:

‘A psychological or social framework to handle the uncertainties of life.’
‘The belief in a supreme being as a psychological projection against the screen of heaven.’
‘A way to fill the empty space, produced by human unfulfilled desires.’
‘An enemy of sound rational thinking and a danger for the human species.’ Etc.

Reasons for faith

The apostle Peter writes about it in his letter (2 Peter 1:16): ‘We didn’t follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.‘ But he doesn’t overrule us. He gives room to deal with questions about the certainty of faith and existential doubts.

It is honest to realize and investigate our intellectual and emotional doubts. How can we believe what many people seem to reject as foolishness? The apostle however gives clear reasons for faith. It is not just an intellectual conclusion, but a deep, surprising and undeserved relationship between a sinful person and the high and holy God.

The Spirit of God affirming a heartfelt truth

Above all: it is the Spirit of God who affirms the truth of the living God in our hearts. The Gospel is about what God has done above all human thinking and expectation. It is completely different from all kinds of religions that try to satisfy counterfeit gods that are products of human mind, or human society on their turn.

Therefore hear more about this question: how to be sure of the Kings’ return in the coming church service of ICF Delft.

I look forward to seeing you there!  Pastor Niek Tramper

The King returns, prepare yourself!

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The King returns, prepare yourself!

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (2 Peter 1, 10-11).

The King returns, prepare yourself!

The four weeks before Christmas, the Christian church dedicates time to prepare the return of Jesus Christ. He promised to come, but He did not announce the date. That’s why we do well to live every day so that He finds us well prepared. What does that mean? Discover this coming Sunday, December 3, in our church service.

ICF Delft Potluck Lunch

After the Service we want to invite you to stay for a Potluck lunch.
Everyone just brings some food to church, either savoury or sweet, enough for a couple of people. Just have in mind, that there are only limited warming options in the kitchen. Also feel free to bring homemade or shop-bought food. Everything is welcome!

Also invite your friends to join us after the service if they want to! We look forward to meet everyone and have fellowship with You!

 

Bible Study

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Bible Study on Thursday

Join our Bible Study again this Thursday, December 23, from 20:00-22:00! As usual, we meet in the Old Church (Heilige Geestkerkhof 25, 2611 HP, Delft).

Bob Landon will continue with us the study on the book of Jonah. This week will be the second last time we will look at Jonah. The next and last one will be on December 7. Be sure not to miss this! 😉 We are excited to dig into God’s word with you and find out what he wants to say to us.

 

 

Death and After

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Death and After

People have always wondered what happens after death. But the honest Christian answer is: we don’t know. Death is a mystery to us. This Sunday, November 26, we will therefore look at the Old Testament. There we find the story about Joseph’s death in Genesis 50, 22-26: a brief, down-to-earth story that tells us what we need to know about life, death and beyond.

Discover more in our service coming Sunday, 26 November at 12:15pm.

 

Sunday School – Change of location!

Due to a special occasion, the Sunday School this Sunday will take place in the chapel of the Old Church (Heilige Geestkerkhof 25, 2611 HP, Delft).

We kindly ask, that you would bring your children to the Old Church at 12.05pm. Then you will have time to go to the Service and we will begin with the class by 12:15pm. We will have the full length of the Sunday School service in the Old Church, so please be sure to give any updated contact information and a phone number where we can reach you in case needed during Sunday School.

After the Service in the Génestet Church is over, please come right after to pick up your children again from the Old Church.

StudentLife Activities at TU Delft

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StudentLife activities at TU Delft

During November there are several StudentLife activities at TU Delft where we invite you to join and take part in!

What is it all about? We as Christian students in Delft, from different student groups, want to go out and talk to others about God and the meaning of life. We want to try out different ways to talk to people and have some “conversation tools” that we will use.
After talking to other students we will meet shortly and share our experiences. And we will also meet to have training on how to use the “conversation tools” and how to have a follow up meeting. Christian students who would like to participate are very welcome to join!

When: every Thursday, some are on Tuesday.
Time: 12:45 till 13:45 during lunch time in the Aula.

If you would like to know more, or if you want to participate, please contact Solomon Dimitriadis and send an email to Solomon@studentlife.nl or contact him on his mobile: 0617192035. He will add you to the StudentLife WhatsApp group.

See below the schedule for the activities planned:

Evil in God’s plan?

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Evil in God’s plan?

How can you combine the existence of a God who is almighty and merciful with the reality of evil in this world? It’s an old question and not just a theoretical problem. When people who love God come across sin and suffering – and they often do! – how can they continue to trust God and to hope for the new world that He promised?

We face this question when we read the last chapter of the book of Genesis (50). Joseph meets his brothers after the death of their father Jacob. The brothers are afraid. ‘Now Joseph will take revenge on us for all evil we have done to him.’ But Joseph’s answer is the opposite of what they expect: ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good: the saving of many lives.’

Joseph says that God is able to use evil in His plan, although He doesn’t want it. How is that possible? What, if you face evil (problems, set backs, mistakes and suffering)? Can this have a meaning in your life?

Discover more about how God deals with evil and how we should deal with it! You are most welcome to the ICF Delft church service on Sunday, November 19, at 12:15pm.

We are looking forward to seeing you there! Pastor Niek Tramper

God’s truth about our lives

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Life is full of judgements
Most of us have passed assessments and exams in their life. It means that other people judge the results of our efforts and our capacities. It happens when we go for a swim diploma or a driver’s license, when we apply for a scholarship or a job, when we defend our master or doctoral thesis. In day-to-day life numerous little evaluations and judgments occur. Sometimes they bring us an inconvenient truth, criticizing or rejecting us secretly or even openly. Sometimes we question the authority and capability of the ones who judge us.

Paternal blessing of judgment and promise
What to say about a final judgment of our life? And who actually has authority to do this? Important to know what is the solid ground to pass this final life exam!

When Jacob, the old father of Joseph, is going to die, he speaks his last words for everybody of his sons, including Joseph. We find these words in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, chapter 49. It is nothing less than a prophetic voice speaking God’s truth about their lives. A paternal blessing that includes both judgment and promise.

The two cities
Imagine that we had been there. Imagine that we heard the truth of the eternal God about our life. Should it disclose an inconvenient truth? What actually is a solid reason to expect a hopeful future?

Jacob’s last words reveal the truth of two cities, representing two kingdoms. The one obvious, the other difficult to find. The one brilliant and appealing, the other humble and less attractive at first sight, the one disappearing, the other lasting. The two cities direct the main road in all our lives. God’s truth makes us discern which city harbours a real hopeful future.

Join us in the coming church service, November 12, in ICF Delft, 12:15 pm , Génestet Church, Oude Delft 102.

Taste and see that God is good
In the service we read part of the Bible (this Sunday Genesis 49), and we also celebrate the Holy Communion. The Holy Communion is a special celebration of what Jesus did for us. In HC we receive a piece of bread and a little bit of wine as signs of his broken body and shed blood. All who confess Him as their Saviour and Lord are very welcome to partake. If you are still unsure or searches to know God, you may come for a blessing, and we warmly invite you

Bible Study – Book of Jonah

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You are warmly invited to join our Bible study series on the Book of Jonah.
When: This week, Thursday 09 November, 20.00 – 22.00

Continuing on:
23 November
07 December

Where: The Old Church, Heilige Geestkerkhof 25, 2611 HP, Delft.  We use the side entrance. 
(Please note, this is not the church where we meet on Sundays).

What: We are studying the book of Jonah, one of most well-loved books of the Bible. Many people are familiar with the character of Jonah, his extraordinary experience with a big fish, and the surprising results of his prophetic visit to the city of Nineveh. On the surface, the story is simple and can be easily told to children, yet there is a depth to the story that is nothing short of awesome!

Who: Bob Landon is leading. He has introduced us to the art of “inductive Bible study”. This is a simple step by step method which simply involves asking four questions:  What do we see in the text? How do we understand it? What is the eternal truth of text?  How do we respond to that truth?

He has also been briefly explaining some of the basic elements of Bible narratives (stories). Everyone understands stories, but we are taking a closer look at some parts of Bible stories that will help us see more in the text.

Jonah also includes a short poem. The wonderful thing about Hebrew poetry is that the most important qualities of the poetry can be translated into other languages without hardly losing any of the beauty and meaning. We are learning how to read and appreciate more fully the poetry of the Old Testament in translation.

This is an interactive study, in which everyone has opportunity to discuss what they see in the text and how they understand it. Together we are working toward responding to the truths that are in the Bible.

The study is suitable for a wide variety of people, whether you are new to the faith or are exploring the beliefs of Christianity, or whether you have been a Christian for decades. Indeed, if you have read the story of Jonah countless times and have listened to many sermons from Jonah you might be surprised to find treasures in the text that you had not seen before.

We hope you can join us.

If your family is in trouble…

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Bible text: Genesis 42

If your family is in trouble… it has great impact on your life: disagreement between brothers or sisters, tensions between children and parents. In the Bible we read about the tensions in the family of Jacob. One of his sons is sold by his own brothers as a slave! What went wrong? What does God has to do with it?

Come, listen to the sermon coming Sunday at ICF Delft!

 

God is unstoppable

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So nothing should stop the church from preaching the gospel to the world

In this bible chapter we see how difficulties in Christian life (persecution of the church) can work for the greater good of distributing the gospel. Is Christian faith really that important for your personal life? Can it truly give meaning to your life? Balance your work or study, following the wise lessons of God’s sacred word.

Join us at Sunday July 2 and ask all questions you have to student pastor Solomon Dimitriadis, during the free lunch following our service.