Thanksgiving

"Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters,  but God who gives the harvest" (1 Cor 3:7) God in His sovereign grace and wisdom is using para-Church organisations, so called, all over the world to further His cause. But they are an eyesore to many a pastor and Church leader. The Scriptural validity of these organisations is repeatedly questioned. Dialogues between both sides have helped to improve mutual understanding, but tensions do exist. I believe that we have the seedbed for missionary societies in Acts 13. The Holy Spirit actually called Barnabas and Paul "out of" a local Church for a wider ministry. After their first missionary journey, they returned to the Church, which released them, to report the works of God (Acts 14:26,27). But thereafter we don't see Paul and his associates tied up to any one particular local Church. Their style of functioning became that of a missionary society. Para-church organisations are essentially trans...

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone"  (Mt 21:42) As a building engineer I have heard this statement made in various forms and occasions by masons. Looking for an ideally shaped stone they would keep rejecting one after the other. Finally they would settle for the best among the rejected ones! Jesus saw Himself as a rejected stone. Prophet Isaiah portrayed Him as "a Man of sorrows ... despised and rejected by men" (Isa 53:3). None of us who truly follow the crucified Saviour can escape the cross of rejection. No man is fully accepted until he is totally rejected. Joseph was rejected but finally crowned. David was despised but finally enthroned. Jesus was rejected and despised by relatives and religionists. The world still hates Him. He has forewarned us, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you" (Jn 15:18). Apostle John repeated this warning, "Do not marvel, my brothers, if the...

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord that He counted me faithful,  appointing me to His service" (1 Tim 1:12) Nothing in life can take the place of faithfulness and dependability. Brilliance, genius and competence are all subservient to the quality of faithfulness. God's basic desire is that we stay faithful wherever He has called us to whatever responsibility. Moses was faithful to God "as a servant;" Jesus was faithful to Him "as a Son" (Heb 3:5,6). The five-talented servant earned another five. The two-talented servant earned another two. Both of them were called "faithful" and rewarded equally, because each of them was 100% faithful with what they were entrusted with (Mt 25:19-23). Faithfulness at the beginning of a work or a course is not difficult. When the initial excitement and the early enthusiasm wane, it is not easy to maintain faithfulness unless we are patient and committed to consistency. God complained to Ephraim, "You...

"Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined?" (Heb 12:7) More than any other time the truth of the fatherhood of God is appreciated when we pass through periods of suffering. The Father God has one Son without sin but none without scars! In Hebrews 12, the Chapter on Chastisement, God is called the " Father  of spirits" (v9). That means, He knows everything about everyone. "He knows our frame and He remembers that we are dust. As a  father  pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. He will not always chide us" (Psa 103:14,13,9). As God takes us through trials and tribulation, let's stay submitted under Him with the confidence that he is the " Father  of mercies" (2 Cor 1:3). As children of the  Father  and joint-heirs with Christ His Son in the Father's house, if we share in Christ's suffering today we shall also share in His glory tomorrow (Rom 8:16-18). The Lord Jesus cheers us up today saying, ...

This is an awesome animation on the Lost sheep parable Devil lures us saying we are unnecessarily kept within limits, we have much more interesting things outside etc but its better to stay within the fence with God. Our God is faithful no matter how many times we go away from him and get into issues He brings us back and Celebrates the Home coming

"God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship  in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:24) We have no problem in understanding the first of the Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods before Me." Why do we stumble over the second: "You shall not make for yourself any carved image?" (Ex 20:2-6). Three things God has forbidden here concerning images: Don't "make" them or "bow" before them or "serve" them! If we are careless at the first step, we are sure to end up in idolatry. The primary lesson we need to learn about God is that He is "Spirit" (Jn 4:24). Moses stressed this point to the people, "The Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice... Take careful heed to yourselves... lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure" (Dt 4:12-19). God has given us statutes, not...

"O Lord, open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your Law" (Psa 119:18) The Old Testament and the New Testament are the two lips of God to speak to us. The New is concealed in the Old and the Old is revealed in the New. We cannot understand one without the other. But the difference between the Testaments must be clearly understood. We have the shadow in the OT but the substance in the NT (Heb 10:1). The New Covenant, unlike the Old, is not of the letter but of the Spirit (2 Cor 3:6 Rom 7:6). In the OT the Law was written in tablets of stone, but now God writes it in our hearts of flesh (Jer 31:31-33; Heb 8:8-10; 2 Cor 3:3). The ceremonial part of the Law takes a spiritual meaning in the New Testament. For example, the Sabbath speaks of the rest Christ gives to His people here and then in eternity (Mt 11:28; Heb 4:4-10). Similarly God told Peter to eat even the "forbidden" food of the OT to explain to him a spiritual truth, that is, how God can save...

"Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us? ...  Here I am, send me!" (Isa 6:8) Today is the birth anniversary of William Carey (1761-1834) who is called the Father of Modern Missions. He was a shoemaker and he became a Bible translator. All through the Bible, we see God's call given to individuals in various circumstances and how they responded. Moses was a soldier and God called him to lead His people out of Egypt! David was a shepherd and God called him to rule His people! Amos was a shepherd too and God called him to be a prophet! Jesus was a carpenter and He was called to fulltime ministry at the age of thirty! Peter was a fisherman and Jesus called him to leave the nets and follow Him! Matthew was a tax-collector and Jesus called him to leave his office to serve Him fulltime! Paul was a tentmaker and God called him for a global service demanding all his time! Luke was a medical doctor and he joined Paul in the missionary tours! Whatever may be your profession,...

"Submit yourselves under the mighty hand of God  so He may exalt you in due time" (1 Pet 5:6) The Feast of Tabernacles was near. Jesus' own brothers urged Him to go to the Feast and work miracles publicly. They said, "No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret!" (Jn 7:4). Look at His answer: "The right time for Me has not yet come; for you any time is right" (v6). Eventhough it was His own brothers who suggested the promotional programme to Jesus, He politely turned it down. He knew that a natural man could not understand the things of God, and the carnal mind was enmity against God (1 Cor 2:14). So many preachers have missed the perfect will of God because of strained comparison and ill advice. How many ministries are corrupted and commercialised because of the lust for limelight! Show-off is totally alien to the Spirit of Christ. What a lesson the seraphim teach us in that they "covered" their faces and their feet...

"Don't get involved in foolish and ignorant arguments  that only start fights" (2 Tim 2:23) We have so far looked at three means God has given us to discern the spirits. We will conclude this study today, looking at the fourth means of discernment. More often than we think, common sense is a surer safeguard than many others. Someone wisely said, "When common sense makes sense, don't look for any other sense!" Sometimes we are told, "Don't rationalize. Don't try to understand these things through human intellect. These are supernatural things," and so on. But this argument is absurd. Because, God has given us a spirit of "sound mind" (2 Tim 1:7). In Christian dedication we are not called to "remove" our mind but to "renew" it (Rom 12:1,2). Mature believers are defined as those "who by reason of practice have their senses  exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb 5:14). The thinking facul...

"Speak the things which are for sound doctrine" (Tit 2:1) The next help for discerning the spirits comes from fellow-saints and servants of God. No Christian is complete in himself. No congregation is complete in itself. We need one another. When we become sick, the entire body fights against the germs. In the same way, we need the help of the local Body of Christ and His universal Body in withstanding the "winds and waves" of the evil one. Various ministers are gifted to the Church by the resurrected Lord for its edification and growth "that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Eph 4:11-16). We come across a classic example of this exercise in the Jerusalem Council which was convened to discuss the circumcision issue for the non-Jewish believers. Apostle Peter "reported" that he witnessed God pouring out His Holy Spirit on them also without any distinction (Acts 15:6-9). Thi...

"When the Spirit of Truth comes,  He will guide you into all truth" (Jn 16:13a) Let us meditate today on the second means of discernment of the spirits, namely the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Guide. As the "Spirit of Truth," He will guide us into all truth (Jn 16:13). The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and He infills the thirsty. There will be an uncomfortable feeling within when the teaching we hear or the manifestation we see is not from God. This was stated so clearly by apostle John: "These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him" (1 Jn 2:26,27). This passage does not refer to the teaching ministry in the Church fo...

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psa 119:105) Yesterday I pointed out the absolute necessity of discerning the spirits. Today we will look at the first God-given means of discernment, namely the Word of God. The Day of Pentecost on which the Holy Spirit descended was an unusual happening in the Jewish history. The onlookers of the Upper Room event were quite confused. Concerning the strange things they witnessed, they started asking questions like "How is it?...Whatever could this mean?" (Acts 2:8,12). Apostle Peter was able to instantly defend the new experience of the disciples with the words, "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel" (v16). The written Scripture was the final authority that gave full endorsement to what was "seen and heard" that day. Not only in this incident, but throughout their life and ministry the apostles referred to "what is written" and checked their preaching and practic...

"They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  But you keep your head in all situations" (2 Tim 4:4,5)  I am an ardent fan of John the Baptist. There is no harm in admiring him because all who started as John's fans became Jesus' followers. A comparison of John with many Christian ministers of today makes me hang down my head in shame and sorrow. John was filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb (Lk 1:15); but the modern prophets communicate with the spirits of men who have gone to the tomb. The Word of God came to him (Lk 3:2); but many of their revelations contradict the written Word of God. He was a desert-dweller, dead to the lust for popularity (Mt 3:1); but they are city-lovers, hunting for recognition and lusting limelight. John was a voice from God (Jn 1 :23); but the modern preachers are an echo of someone of similar brand.  He did not seek pulpits but people sought him and so his message was ...

"Do not believe every spirit  but test the spirits whether they are of God" (1 Jn 4:1) Church history has witnessed many "strange fires" during periods of revival. The early apostles had wanted the Church at every age to be forewarned against these fires. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. For this reason they warned the people of God against "another Jesus" and "a different gospel" and "a different Spirit" (2 Cor 11:4). It appears that false prophets and false teachers outnumber the true ministers of God. Note the term "many" in these references: 1 Jn 2:18; 4:1; Mt 7:15,22; 24:5; 2 Cor 2:17; Phil 3:18. Yes, the enemy usually comes in "like a flood" (Is 59:19). Jesus spoke about "rain," "floods" and "winds" in the context of false ministries (Mt 7:15,25). Paul spoke of "winds" of doctrine and tossing "waves" (Eph 4:14). The different spirits can operate th...

"He who has pity on the poor, lends to the Lord;  He will pay him back what he has given" (Prov 19:17) Here's a prayer to make our hands a blessing to others— "Heavenly Father, open my hands! "Your hands are always open. Hands of welcome and blessing. You manifested it perfectly when Your Son died with His hands open on the Cross. "Open my hands, Lord, to give liberally. How can I give a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over if my fists are closed? (Lk 6:38). Help me always remember the words of the Lord Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). You have given us Your own Son and Your eternal Spirit. You have not withheld any good thing from us (Rom 8:32). Let my hands be swift to give and slow to grab. Let my savings be in Heaven! (Mt 6:19,20). "Lord, open my hands to support those who are weak. Let me be like Hur and Aaron in supporting the weak and feeble brothers (Ex 17:l...

"When times are good, be happy. When times are bad, consider:  God has made one as well as the other,  so a man cannot discover anything about his future" (Eccl 7:14) Sometime ago it was thought the deeper the poverty the greater the spirituality. Now the pendulum has swung to the other side! Radio, television, magazines and pulpits are filled with the prosperity message. Some prosperity preachers have gone to the extent to say, "If you are saved you must compulsory have health and wealth!" Well, both the extremes are wrong. God balances the life of His children with times of prosperity as well as adversity. No man of God in the Scripture experienced otherwise. Paul said, "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" (Phil 4:12,13). Men of God learnt to praise God with conte...

"I have heard your prayers; I have seen your tears" (Isa 38:5) For Esther and her friends, fasting was a preparation for intercession before the King. Imagine a "queen" and her maids fasting for three days! The Lord granted her an unusual courage. She declared, "If I perish, I perish!" (Esth 4:l6). Days of mourning gave birth to days of merrymaking. The King granted her request. So the Jews had "light and gladness, joy and honour" (8:16). How can we have laughing without ever weeping, dancing without ever mourning? (Eccl 3:4). Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Mt 5:4). The King of Niniveh commanded men as well as beasts to fast and cry to God for mercy. God was pleased with what they did and He withdrew His judgment (Jon 3:7-10). The Sword of Damocles is hanging over our cities and towns. Sin is rampant and judgment imminent. Humbling in repentance and prayer alone can avert the disaster. ...