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...