Have we graduated?

Why is it that the Scriptures do not elaborate on the methodology of prophecy or healing or the like? We want to study more on these things and we find that the Scripture does not offer us very much. We would very much like to get an advanced lesson from Paul as to how to be an effective evangelist but all that we hear him tell Timothy is to do the work of an evangelist!

When we study the N.T letters which is our main guide to new testament living, what we mostly find is truths regarding the work of Jesus and the nature of our salvation. Almost every epistle of Paul talks about how to put off the old man and putting on the new. Surely we need something more. Where are our advanced lessons? Maybe there are epistles that are missing in the Bible and we need to hunt for them! Believers are desperately searching for more.

What we fail to realize is that when we build our foundations clear and strong, the rest will follow. If we have learned to deny self, surely we would see the fruit of that activity. God need not teach us how to pluck the fruit and eat. The Bible takes pains to teach us that the seed should fall on good ground. Our fundamentals are being emphasized. We make the tragic mistake of thinking we have graduated. We think we do not need the teachings as much as before. Let us understand that we are always called to relive the truth of the Scriptures. We are always to feed from the Lord's Table. The rest will surely come.It may take longer than expected but it will be fruit that will last.

The Wonder of the Incarnation

Have you ever thought in detail about the Birth of Jesus? Why did God take such pains so that Mary had to carry divinity in her womb just like any other woman? The wonder of the incarnation is that God did not just decide to appear on earth just like Adam did and claim to be a human. He literally took shape from the womb of Mary. He was not putting on a show for man. He had to become like us in every way. God did not just cover His divinity with humanity but He emptied Himself so that divinity did not hinder His humanity in any way. It should never cease to amaze us that God decided to become one of us in every way so that He could save us. The circumstances that surround His birth shows us that we are not called to be sheltered from the storms and troubles of life. Mary had to literally run for her life and the life of her Child. Indeed, great is the mystery of godliness (1Tim 3:16)

A heart for the lost

For a long time, my view on evangelism was that we had to find and receive that burden from the Lord before we could effectively do so. God had definite plans on saving people and we had to find out his agenda and carry out his proposals for the lost. However it dawned on me that God's heart is different from ours. He could be constantly grieved over the hardness of people's hearts and yet be working to bring His people to salvation. He is always longing for the lost to return to Him and yet He can be fully justified in condemning the rebellious. Just because He could save all does not mean that he has decided to save all. That is where I differ from Him because if I could save all, I would. It seems like I am more merciful than God but it just shows that He is Holy and I am not. He is full of mercy and yet absolutely righteous. I do not have much of both. Remember that the root meaning of 'holy' is - not like any other. 

So what is my conclusion? Just because God's ways are past finding out, I do not have to wait. Because I see my people being lost and I can stand on their side. I do not have to know God's mind regarding individual people because He is always wishing that all return to Him. I do not know whether God would finally touch him or her, but I can plead with them to turn to God. My burden need be only that God would have mercy. I am crying out that the wayward would return to the One who gave them a chance to live.

If any man wishes

'If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me' made me ponder on the word 'wishes'. The sovereign God of heaven and earth is waiting for me to choose. There is a lot of importance that God gives to whether I have decided what to do with my life. The invitation is always open. If we really desire something, we should be willing to do whatever we can to get it. I can delay my salvation by failing to deny myself. I can make excuses for my distractions and find myself walking in circles. We, believers are always waiting for the power of God to fall and change the circumstances of our life. Can we not do something about changing it? Can we not decide that we want to be more involved with God's purposes and therefore stay away from the things that can drag us under? Shouldn't we be more eager about doing the will of God? Let us begin to realise that God will not withhold anything from His side. Everything is ready and available to those who are eagerly asking for it. He will not delay for a moment longer than necessary. He is waiting at the door of our hearts. Instead of crying out for Him to do something, let us do something from our side. We will be surprised beyond a doubt. The reward will surely come.

An ode to suffering

I never properly understood

Of God sympathising in our suffering

I always thought God wants to help

To help us come out of suffering

Why should God remain silent

what good is there in our suffering

I then began to meditate on Jesus

Wasn't His whole life one of suffering

He suffered rejection and pain

He learned to be patient in suffering

And in that supreme act for us

He did not want relief from suffering

He suffered death for our sakes

There was a joy in that suffering

Why does God remain quiet, at times

When we go through our suffering

Why does He want us to go through it

Why at times only comfort in our suffering

Because in a fallen world

There is always bound to be suffering

What matters is only one thing

Am I willing to share in His suffering

Do I want only relief for my sorrows

Or am I willing to see through my suffering

And find out like Jesus did

That God brings redemption through suffering

Are apostles and prophets on top?

There is a fundamental flaw in the minds of many regarding the role of apostles and prophets. Please understand that these are ministry gifts and so we could have immature apostles and prophets as much as immature teachers and pastors. 

Let us understand the function of an apostle clearly. First of all, apostles are those who have a specific commission and have been set apart for that particular task. Paul and Barnabas was ministering in the church when they they specifically commissioned by Holy Spirit. I believe this is a vital point and is mostly overlooked. Today we have apostles who are as surprised as we are when someone lays hands on them and tells them they are apostles! They may not even know what to do next. 

Secondly apostles are not independent of churches but they are accountable and have to report back to the churches that sent them. Inside the church where they came from, it is not the apostle that takes authority over the elders but is one among them (John and Peter call themselves elders) and so the plurality of leadership in the church is not violated. An apostolic ministry can be as varied as we see in Epaphroditus (Paul calls him an apostle in Phil 2:25) and if they are called to establish churches, they should be willing to relinquish authority as soon as elders are appointed. 

Thirdly, just because someone has a healing and deliverance ministry does not qualify him as an apostle. He may be an anointed evangelist as in the case of Philip. The verse in 2 Cor 12:12 is widely misunderstood. Paul is not saying that the signs of a true apostle are signs and wonders and miracles alone. Paul himself says in 1 Thess 2:9 that Satan will come with signs and false wonders. Paul's emphasis in 2 Cor is that the apostle was indeed one because he manifested the quality of perseverance. The context of that verse is patient endurance through hardships, difficulties and persecutions which is the hallmark of a true apostle. TNIV brings out that verse aptly.  

Giving glory to God the Spirit

What Jesus purchased for us and how the Spirit actualizes it for us should be clear in the minds of believers. We either fail to accept the truth of what Jesus did for us or we fail to understand the sanctifying process of Holy Spirit in bringing it into reality in our lives. We should be clear on the fact that God is at work right from the beginning of our sanctification journey and the Holy Spirit has taken the initiative to reveal the Son in our lives. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,  (1Co 2:12). There are far too many believers who give glory to the Son for the Cross  and fail to give due glory to the Spirit for the outworking of the Cross in our lives. They tend to take it upon themselves to produce the fruit of sanctification and fail to understand why they constantly struggle to manifest the victory of Jesus. 
Now, does that mean that we just wait for God the Holy Spirit to do something in our lives? Of course not. We have already been made new creatures in Christ and therefore the seeds of change and desire for growth are already implanted in us. We long for more of Him because we already have Him in our hearts.  We fight because we are created to fight. Since we have been made His children, we have decided to become slaves of righteousness. Our duty is to keep the fire burning at any cost. Deep calls out to deep. All glory to God at every step.

The Psalmist

The Psalmist is not a rare unique person who spews out poetry wherever he goes. He is someone who has seen more of God than we do. He has seen more of God at work in the situations of life.He has seen more of the nature of God. He is a person whose spirit is in tune with God and His Spirit.

The Psalms are not just chapters of how the Psalmist received comfort from God in His times of trouble. The  main theme ringing throughout the Psalms is about the mighty works of God. When the Psalmist talks about his enemies, he does not stop with God passing judgement on his enemies. He continues to mention how God is righteous and just and how He is going to judge wickedness everywhere.  He cannot be satisfied with God destroying his enemies but he exults that God's righteous reign is over all. The Psalmist is not just praising God for His righteousness and justice but he is also a person who has tasted of the joy of living in righteousness and justice himself.

The Presence of God

The presence of God is being taught and sought after nowadays as the place where God can manifest His glory and remove every problem from His people. They see it as a magic place or more like a cloud which can envelope them and bring dramatic changes no matter what kind of life they are living until then. People are waiting for His presence to fall upon them and think that nothing else really matters. So they sit there doing nothing but going to meeting after meeting, longing for the breakthrough 'experience from heaven'. The problem is that they have unknowingly embraced a gospel of passivity which is the hallmark of deceptive spirits. 

Now the presence of God can come upon us in visible manner but that is God's prerogative. We are called to go to His presence and not just wait for His presence to be manifest on us. We go in faith and not in feeling. We go not for the visible experience of it but for the invisible sanctification that takes place there when a saint prepares himself for the presence of God to benefit him. The right question is not whether we are enjoying God's presence, but rather - are we gaining from it?

The three types of trees in Eden

The three types of trees in the garden of Eden denote three different aspects of man's created nature. The different trees which was good for food meant that man was created a sensual being so that he could enjoy the blessings of God through his five senses. The tree of life meant that man was created an eternal being and that he could live for ever enjoying God even though he had a natural body. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil meant that he was created a moral being and that tree was there to help him know it, to warn him that there is something good and there is also something evil - something that goes against the way he was created to live. By not eating it, he was supposed to learn about morality, God's way. Something is right and something is wrong. He could know about evil without entering into evil. By eating of it, he learned about morality his way. He was now helpless to keep himself from evil. He learned about evil by entering into it headlong.

The Vision of the Church

The vision of the church is always the vision of Jesus for the church. We cannot make it less. We cannot make it more. The vision of the church is not evangelism. It is not bible teaching. It is not serving the poor. IT IS ALL OF THESE AND MORE. Now it is possible for us to say that the church leaders have received a vision. We personally can receive a vision. Paul personally received a vision. I can say things like - my vision for the church is that we become a powerhouse for prayer. But please understand that it is not the complete vision for the church. My vision is just part of the larger picture. Sometimes we need to combine all our visions together. I do not need to throw away my vision to fulfil yours. God's purposes are much bigger than what any one of us could do by ourselves. We are the body of Christ. If only we would realize that the different churches in a local place are not competing each other but complementing each other. The only line I can draw is when a church does not glorify Jesus and leads its people into the bondage of self-glory instead of the glorious freedom that comes from exalting the grace of God. A church cannot be truly called a church if it does not lift up Jesus.

Prophecies regarding Israel

It is clear as we meditate on the Old Testament prophecies concerning the end times that there is a double fulfillment in many of them. The apostles used many of these prophecies to talk about its spiritual fulfillment when the church came into being from the day of Pentecost e.g. Peter in Acts 2:16, James in Acts 15:13. It is however equally clear that there has to be a second physical fulfillment of these prophecies at the end times when Christ returns to establish his physical kingdom here on earth. What disturbs me however is that many believers knowingly or unknowingly claim a third fulfillment which is taking place in Israel before the return of Christ. Many prophecies are being used by them to describe the return of Israel back to their land and how they are being blessed already. This triple (or more accurately the second of three) fulfillment is the cause of most of the confusion regarding Israel and the nations today. 

Now the crux of the matter and it is very important, is this - Has Israel already started receiving favor from God even before they repented or will God's blessing fall on them only after they cry out for the Messiah? Can this return of the Jews happening now be understood as the prophesied 'return'? Has the remnant been manifested already or will the remnant be uncovered only at the coming of Jesus? Is Israel going to tilt towards the Messiah Jesus even now so that the prophecies are coming true one by one or do we have to wait till they cry out en masse while going through the most terrible tribulation (much worse than the Holocaust) that could be thought of? Are these things important for us to know or what? May God grant us all discernment and understanding.

The Old and the New

The Old Testament saint had to worship God through the Law of Moses. A true worshiper in the Old Testament could have fellowship with God but he had to observe the Law as well. It was a combination of the spiritual and the physical. Spiritual service to God did not do away with the physical obligations of the Law. The problem with most of Israel was that they had no contact with God spiritually but tried to please God just by performing the Law. The physical aspect of the Law could not bring them into the presence of God. The priest could perform his duties but he had no entry into the Holy of Holies. The physical aspect of the Law was meant to reveal the holiness and the majesty of God.

A New Testament believer has to worship God through Jesus Christ. He has fellowship with God and because Jesus has fulfilled the Law in its physical aspects, it becomes a wholly spiritual thing for us. However, we cannot ignore what has been done on our behalf. Our worship has to focus on the virtues of Christ. We cannot walk in God’s grace and mercy if we are not bringing our mind to dwell on the holiness and righteousness of God. We do not minimize these because we are no longer under the Law. Mercy and grace are given to us so that we can be brought into and boast in the holiness and righteousness of God our Savior.

Filled vs Full of the Holy Spirit

I can't tell you about the number of people who confuse between being filled with the Holy Spirit and someone having the fullness of the Holy Spirit. 

If we look at Scriptures very carefully, we find out that filling of the Spirit is given to new believers as an initial experience, it can be repeated over and over again and it is meant to anoint us to function in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Corinth church is a classic example of people who were fleshly and yet filled with the Holy Spirit without lacking any spiritual gift. When will the church realise that giftings and fillings are given even to immature believers? Even when Paul in Ephesians exhorts us to be repeatedly filled with the Holy Spirit, he talks about it manifesting as songs of praise and shouts of joy. 

The fullness of the Holy Spirit is a different thing altogether. Only Jesus, Stephen and Barnabas are given as examples as those who are full of the Holy Spirit and it is more a level of being than a level of doing. A person who is full of the Holy Spirit has cultivated a lifestyle of being totally yielded to Holy Spirit and therefore contains a fullness that is not ordinarily seen. Other virtues like being full of faith and full of wisdom are mentioned along with this fullness. He has a life that can be directed by Holy Spirit in a way that few can have. His life has been molded and broken to such a degree that Holy Spirit has full reign and can reveal Jesus without flesh standing in the way. They are extraordinary people and these are the people the church needs the most today.

FAITH vs HOPE

FAITH IS EXPECTATION
HOPE IS ANTICIPATION

Faith is something that we are called to move into

Hope is something that moves into us as we believe

FAITH CHANGES THINGS FOR ME

HOPE CHANGES ME FOR THE THINGS OF GOD

Faith works through my circumstances and situations

Hope pierces through my circumstances and situations

THROUGH FAITH I RECEIVE THE THINGS OF GOD

THROUGH HOPE I LOOK FORWARD TO THE THINGS OF GOD

Our faith rests on what God has said

Our hope rests in the God who said

FAITH IS A STEP OF OBEDIENCE

HOPE IS AS A RESULT OF OBEDIENCE

Rule and being ruled

When we read regarding the creation of man in Genesis, the most obvious thing about man being made in the image of God is that he was created to rule. "Let us make man in our image and let him rule..." Most of our complexities of life is because of this inborn tendency inside man. We would all like to be totally carefree and without any complications in our relationships. We don't want others to rule over us and we do not like ruling over someone else too. At least that is what we think. Our biggest complaint is this - what right do you have to interfere in my affairs? And we conveniently forget that we are always meddling into others' affairs. If only our relationships could be without this aspect of authority and submission, we think the world would be heaven on earth.  But that is the way we have been created and the sooner we accept this, the better for us. There is so much beauty in order and heaven is the best example. If God who is on top of everything can become lower than the angels for a time, how much more we should be excited about ruling and being ruled. Love is not the only virtue found in heaven. Authority is also present. Where there is no order, there can be only chaos.

Our war has to be offensive

One of the things that concerns me most is that the church is satisfied in maintaining a defensive posture. Everywhere we hear testimonies of how people came out of debt or got delivered from some disease or distress. Now it is true that these acts of deliverance alone can prepare us because we have to know our God to do exploits for Him. But what if we are continually being trained and yet never enter the battlefield? We boast in our weapons and we thank God for our weapons but we do not know where the real war is going on. We encourage each other with our testimonies and we bless the Lord for His goodness and His mercies but why are we so ill equipped for war? I believe the answer is very simple. We are not willing to pay the cost. We are not willing to step out of our comfort zone. We are not willing to lose all so that we can gain all. Even among the few who are willing to take that extra step, humility and perseverance can alone bring them to places where few have tread. God has to build character first. Our battles may not be what we expect. Our idea of warfare is different from His. May His burden be on us even as our burdens are given over to Him.

Tongues as a sign

The Bible talks of tongues as an evidence and a gift. But it also talks of tongues as a sign. When Paul addresses the Corinthian church, he chides them for focusing too much on tongues. He then goes on to say that tongues are not merely to edify. It should be seen as a sign too (1Cor 14:22). A sign of displeasure from God. A sign to unbelievers that they are going to be judged. A sign not of redemption but of destruction. Just like the resurrection of Jesus was also a sign that God has fixed a day in which He will judge the whole world (Acts 17:31), similarly tongues was also a sign that in spite of strange happenings and phenomena, people just refuse to turn to God by themselves. There is enough evidence of God in the natural sphere. God is even drawing their attention through supernatural means. Yet they have hardened their hearts. There is no one who seeks God, not even one. God has to chose. God has to call. He has to justify. He has to draw some to Himself. If not, everyone is doomed. He has to do a double work. Not just to provide a solution for sin. But to soften people's hearts to respond to that solution. His mercy is great.

The curse of languages

It is not usual to see it this way but isn't it true that different languages are actually a curse upon mankind? Sometimes we are enchanted by various languages but what a terrible thing it is that human beings cannot unite together beyond a limit. What a sad thing that we cannot reach out to many people just because they do not understand what we are saying. When we study about the tower of Babel, we see man uniting with a common purpose to defeat God's authority over their lives. What a tragedy that man can unite to stand in opposition to God. The only reason why God scattered them throughout the face of the earth was not actually the wrath of God. He was showing mercy. He was pulling down their pride in one way or the other. He was destroying their vainglory because they were always prone to swelling up in self-glorification. He wanted them to be fearful, to be unsure, to know what they are really made of, if perhaps they would reach out for Him and find Him (Acts 17:27). O God, have mercy on us so that man can bow the knee and give you the glory that you alone can receive.

Intensely envious Spirit (NIV84)

The intensity of the New Testament life that is expected in a believer never ceases to amaze me. Just imagine Paul saying in a casual way -'It is good for a man not to touch a woman'. In the world today, almost every problem in man is because of the lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh! Was Paul alone such a extreme radical or are expected to be radical too? Don't misunderstand me. I'm not against marriage and neither is Paul. I am talking about radical lifestyle. Prayer was supposed to be coupled with fasting most of the time but nowadays we barely have time to pray. Even when we fast, it is divorced from prayer and we think fasting has virtue in itself. Everything we do is with difficulty and seems arduous.

Now the question that I want to bring to the fore is this - Is there any difference in the activity of the Holy Spirit between now and at those times? Isn't He the same Spirit who jealously yearns inside us (James 4:5)? The Spirit is intense and therefore we have to be intense. Half-heartedness just means we are not entering Spirit realities. A different lifestyle should become normal lifestyle to us. The world should be amazed at how different we are. We should build intense relationships with each other. You may say - easier said than done. Well, we have to start somewhere. Our God is an intense God and we are not children of a lesser God.

Acts 2:44

The New Testament church from what we see in the book of Acts seemed to have lived a lifestyle far beyond what we could do today and any one who preaches on Acts 2:44 seems to digging a hole in our hearts. It seems like they had no possessions and did not own any houses. But a careful study reveals it a bit differently. They did not sell their houses but the verse says that they sold their property and possessions. They must have given away most of their unnecessary property and belongings which they accumulated before they got saved. The Bible is clear in the next few verses that they met from house to house meaning they still had their own houses to live in and did not share houses too! I'm sure God does not want us to live like gypsies.
Another thing to note is that there are times of revival in the church where people do things that are quite amazing. The beginnings of the church was one of those periods for sure. They were meeting daily at the temple!  But soon everything changed. What we should realize that that times of revival and refreshing are preparing us for difficult and seemingly dry periods of life which is also ordained by God to build up faith and endurance. Sometimes we may find no one with us which Paul acutely experienced in 2Tim 4:16.

Believe that you have received them...

I have been studying and teaching quite a bit on prayer (and praying too!) and the incident of the fig tree always intrigues me. We do not find Jesus doing any kind of praying before he curses the fig tree. And yet the lesson He gives is a lesson on prayer. And it is too big a lesson for us to just pass it by. Mar 11:24  "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Most of us read this verse and come to the conclusion that in all our petitions, if only we can gather more faith, we could always get what we prayed for. The emphasis is we trying hard to produce enough faith for it. I see it a bit differently. When we petition God, some of our petitions begin to have a touch from God. We find out that we are able to gain more confidence even when we are praying. There is a holy boldness we are receiving from God. Suddenly our petition becomes more than believable. It becomes a necessity and is affirmed. And we find that we are birthing it out even before we see the substance. There is victory in the heavenlies before it is released on earth. Finally, there is no need to pray any longer. It is done. It will soon become a reality. 

Here, the emphasis is the working of God inside our petitions. All thing for which you 'pray and ask', not 'ask and pray'. The difference is significant. Our prayers need His touch more than we realize. The Holy Spirit has to help us even in finding out what to pray for. Romans 8:26

Different means to the same end

It is interesting to realise that there are two camps among believers who view salvation a bit differently. One group begins by being much involved in serving God’s people and for them, knowing God or receiving a greater revelation of God is slow in appearing in their lives. They tend to label the other camp as mystics who are too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. Now people in this camp are sooner or later brought to a temporary standstill in their activities because they have to learn that it is equally important to know the God whom they serve. People in the other camp begin their christian lives with revelations of God and His Word and they would rather be in the church worshipping or fellowshipping with God’s people. Now this group needs to realise that God gives to them so that they become channels instead of containers and sooner or later, they will find themselves either stagnant or learning to gain practice in serving others. The sad thing is that both groups can sometimes be found attacking each other instead of realising that the end result is the same even though the means to reach that end may be different.

God desires all to be saved

In the N.T we find that with regards to salvation, God desires that all men be saved (1Tim 2:4). Note that Paul does not mention that God desires to save all men. The difference in wording may seem insignificant but it is not so. In the 2nd sentence, the conjecture could be that God's will is somehow being thwarted. Yes, God desires that all men comes to repentance (2Peter 3:9). EVEN MORE SO, God commands that all men everywhere should repent (Acts 17:30). This is the heart of God all throughout.  As the God of the Israelites, He says - 'All day long I stretched my hands out to a disobedient people' and yet only a remnant among them will finally be saved (Rom 9:27). God is very clear that He finally acts and that too for His Name's sake.(Eze 36:22) Even now, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. It is the church, the body of Christ.

 In his prayers, Paul prays for the salvation of Israel (Rom 10:1). He urges that prayers be made on behalf of all men (I Tim 2:1). This gives us an indication as to how our prayers should be. When we pray for the salvation of people, we are not claiming souls through 'the prayer of faith', unless we are specifically lead to do so. We are beseeching the Lord of the harvest, if it so be that we could add up to the prayers of the saints, for the salvation of men. We are pleading for mercy, if perhaps repentance would be granted for life.

Does God overlook sin?

Many times I feel that believers misunderstand grace to mean that I do not have to obey the laws of God. For them, I am free from the Law means that I am free from any law or least a feeling that God is not so strict as He used to be! Does God punish sin in a believer's life at all? How should we understand grace and the work of the blood? How long does grace postpone the punishment? If the sin remains unconfessed, when do the wheels of chastisement begin to move? Well, God does not overlook sin in the New Testament period and we have enough and more saints going through suffering to prove otherwise.What we also see is that most of the time the discipline comes indirectly. For most believers the conviction of sin happens immediately but the delay in repenting causes the Holy Spirit to address the issue in a myriad of ways that is open to Him. The blood of Jesus gives Him the freedom to work out our discipline in ways that would be merciful but much advantageously as well.

Free to be a slave

We were once held bondage to sin and were taken captive by the devil to do his will. The bible says that we have been set free from the clutches of sin and death. We are now free. And then we are told that we are now slaves to Jesus. So then in what way are we free? Well, let's look at this clearly. Even though we have been brought into the kingdom of Jesus, it is a kingdom based on love and not fear. Therefore we can receive the benefits of the kingdom only by deciding to become a slave to Jesus. We were once slaves by compulsion. Now we are free to become a slave out of love. That's when a 'believer' becomes a disciple. Yes, Jesus is Lord of all. But He wants to be your personal Lord too, and that happens only when you receive and walk under that Lordship. There is no sense in God forcing us to bow the knee. Let's bow the knee in humble adoration.

Losing our personal battles

I am seeing many believers fall by the way side and there is nothing wrong with my theology. What they have lost is not their salvation of their souls because they are born from above (if they truly are and God does not make mistakes). What they have lost is a chance to glorify Jesus fully here on earth. Our theology has to make room for the fact that just like in a war, many are losing their personal battles even though their country would finally win. We may finally see ourselves standing on the sidewalk and cheering those who are still running because we have given up our race. We should have been running with them but we neglected so great a salvation.  In that case, what we are now doing is trying to find comfort for our avoidable wounds and justifying our distressing situation instead of soaring high like the eagle. We have not lost our God. We have only lost our victories.

Depravity of man

When we study the Scriptures especially the Gospels, the heart of God to bless, heal and deliver is very evident and we think it is a straightforward case of God blessing man and man responding in kind. Only a closer look will make us realize that many of the miracles also revealed the heart of man and how he failed to respond to God in a way pleasing to Him. The more we meditate on the glory of God, the more we realize the depravity of man. Unless we include the depravity of man in our thinking, we would never be able to fully comprehend the grace of God. Man's sinfulness has very less place in our practical thinking even though it is there in our theology. Too many of us are quick to find fault with the glorious doctrines of God but it only reveals how less they really know themselves. The most important reason why He cannot increase in our lives is because we do not know how to decrease. Only in His light, we can see light.

Can't have it both ways

If God predestines men to salvation, what is the necessity of evangelism? ....Well, God has decided to save people through the preaching of the gospel. Let’s see it as a privilege instead of a burden. However, God also saves people through dreams and visions without human agency. We are not indispensable but co-partners with Christ.

Isn’t it unfair to say that God saves some and does not save others? … Well, so let’s say that God has decided to save all but man initiates his own salvation. When we share the gospel to someone, what do we then pray beforehand? If we pray – Lord help him to decide for you, then we are saying that God has to work before he responds. If we are saying to ourselves that God cannot intervene because man has to decide, then we should never pray. Instead our entire duty is to plead with man since God has done everything on His part. Either God is helpless or He initiates. We cannot have it both ways.

Work towards your Healing

It is surprising that many believers are not able to see that it is possible and necessary for us to work for our healing rather than just expect someone to lay hands on us for our healing to happen. Why do we not see that God uses healing as a miracle to draw unbelievers to Himself whereas He wants us to see our healing as our inheritance which we can claim through faith? We would rather go to someone for our healing than receive our birthright which was purchased for us. In the book of James which alone speaks about healing for the believer, even though we are exhorted to seek help from the elders of the church, there is clear instruction regarding how to claim our promise and what are the things that can stand in the way of our healing. I really wish we could produce 'schools' of healing where we would be taught these things and work with believers who are struggling in this area of claiming their healing in Jesus Name!

The Living Word

Jesus is the expression of God. He is the language of God. He is the living Word. It is this Living Word that should open out the written word to us. Some of us see it the other way around. But the written word cannot reveal the Living Word to us. God has to open up the Scriptures to us. Doing a deeper or scholarly search cannot finally open locked doors. Only God by His Spirit can. We can make the mistake of thinking that our hard work with the Bible or our intelligence does the trick for us. But no it is the Spirit who quickens. Jesus quickens.

People use confusing terms like 'rhema' word and 'logos' word which can give us the false idea that certain portions are less important than others. We tend to glorify the written word.  But the written word is just that - the written word. It has no life in itself. We are not to glorify the written word whether it is 'logos' or 'rhema'. We are to glorify the Living Word. 

Cleansing and Perfecting

Do we realize that we have been cleansed from all our sins? We were washed. We were forgiven. The blood did not do a half work. Even the disciples had to be told about this in clear terms by Jesus in John 15. Now the fact that we were washed did not mean we were perfected. The church is confused about being cleansed and being perfected. We have many hidden faults. But our slate needs to be clean. Whatever is exposed needs to be wiped away. We need to work with our sins which is external and with our flesh which is internal.

However we have attitudes inside that would never be exposed unless we are abiding in Jesus. Our holiness needs to be perfected. That is why we are exhorted to be cleansed from defilement of flesh AND SPIRIT (2Cor 7:1)

P.S. Sorry for the gap. Was away in Orissa to be with the persecuted brethren. 

YAHWEH

God revealed Himself to Moses and to Israel as Yahweh which He did not do with Abraham. Now it was not a revelation about the covenant keeping God because he already did that with Abraham. The awesomeness about the name Yahweh was that He was uniting Himself with His people like never before. He was going to redeem them with great judgments. There was a price that He was going to pay for. The redemption for Israel through the Passover meant that He had foreordained His Son. God Himself was to bear the judgment. Judging the Egyptians was not the only point of the Passover. He was judging Israel too. And a new era was to begin. God was looking ahead at the Passover Lamb. He was binding Himself to Israel through His own death. A new relationship had begun. A stripping away of Himself. A stooping down for our sakes. A suffering for our redemption.
No wonder the walls of new Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb has twelve gates denoting the twelve tribes of Israel and twelve foundation stones on the walls for the twelve apostles of the Lamb. God in the midst of His people. It is a blood relationship, Praise be to His Holy Name.

Test or Tempt

It is clear from the book of James that God does not tempt anyone. The interesting part is that in the Greek, it is the same word for 'tempt' and 'test'. Yes, God doesn't tempt us but He tests us and our faith. Now it is left to us to decide whether the test becomes a temptation or not. Every test can used as a stepping stone to take us higher. Or we can see in it a reason to complain and so it becomes a temptation which finally drags us under. The test can become a training for us or the test can become a temptation for us. Our attitude determines which one it is going to be.

A dirge

I cried out to the Lord saying, Stop!
Do not let your waves wash us away.
And heaven was strangely silent
As death and fear ravaged the land
Then I heard an angel speak
"The waves rose but left
The hand of the Lord was stayed
if perhaps the rest might repent
and turn from their rebellious ways.
A time is coming when destruction
would fall beyond measure
and the wrath of God  unleashed.
There would be no holding back
because there would be no one to repent"
I cried out No, no, no!
And the angel wept along with me,
 "Tell your people
the time is near
God is not like you
But terrible in His holiness.
He has waited long enough
His wrath has to be satisfied
So that He can start anew".

The gospel of repentance

Repentance is an ongoing process that begins with conversion but continues on throughout life. It is evidenced by fruits of repentance. God's call to repentance in the Old Testament is not diluted in the New. The only difference is that the Holy Spirit is actively at work helping people to repent and turn to God. We as preachers of the gospel should look for signs of repentance in a person's life and should not classify someone as born again just because they say they believe in Jesus. When Jesus told Paul that he was chosen to go to the Gentiles so that God could open their eyes, Paul responded by declaring to all that they should repent and perform deeds appropriate to repentance. (Acts 26:16-20). The line that was drawn between believers and non-believers is getting blurred. Let's look for signs of repentance and change.

Lessons in sonship

In my walk with God, I have noticed something interesting. There is a difference between a blessing that God wants to give to us in His goodness and a blessing that we try to obtain out of Him. Many times we have desired many things and have tried to make it happen in our lives knowing that God is a good God who longs to bless His children. However, we notice that God giving us a blessing is one thing. We trying to wrest it out of Him is another. We finally get blessed anyway. But God gives us enough hints (sometimes subtle) to see that we have the rose but we have also scratched ourselves somewhat in the process. He wants us to see that it is more wise for Him to decide how to bless us rather than we ourselves deciding how the blessing should be.

Wisdom from God

It is important to distinguish between wisdom from God and

guidance from Him. Think of it for a moment. When we face certain

situations in life, it is not just guidance we need. Why do God give

such emphasis on wisdom? Why are we called to cry out for it and

search for it? Sometimes we act as if all that we need is guidance.

We love to hear someone say - Holy Spirit told me to go this way, to

do this thing or that thing. Now one of the key difference is this - guidance is a sign of closeness with God whereas wisdom is a sign of growth in God.

Beholding the glory of God

The Scriptures can be unlocked only to those who are willing. Those who have a readiness to do the things of God. No method can help us in this unlocking. The only thing that methods can do is to prevent us from coming to false conclusions. But it is not enough to come to right conclusions. We have to understand that Scripture has two objectives. One is to give us instructions regarding how to prepare oneself to meet with God. We read and understand how to maintain a right conduct. But the bigger purpose is to meet with the living God Himself. He comes to us in His Word. This is totally dependent on Holy Spirit who speaks to the heart of men.  It is a heart to heart communication. Only one word can be rightfully used to describe this -REVELATION. An unlocking. An unveiling. An unfolding. A comprehension that goes beyond the natural. A beholding of the glory of God. It lifts us up from the earthly. We meet Him face and face. And we are being transformed.

Lessons from Marah

There is much truth to glean out of the episode at Marah. The name itself denotes something unhealthy. The water was bitter and could not be drunk. It would cause disease and distress. Bitterness leading to unhealthiness.

The Israelites grumbled at the lack of water and God performed a miracle. We would have thought that God wanted the miracles to continue in greater levels. But He then offers them a regulation through which the miracle need not be present visibly. I am the Lord your Healer. I want you to live in health. I do not want to see you suffer any of the diseases of the Egyptians. If you pay attention to My voice and follow my commands, I will do the greater miracle of keeping you in sound health. More than performing the miracle, I want you to live out of me. I want you to walk in fullness of life. This is the lesson that God is teaching us through Marah. Isn’t it amazing?

Consider it all joy

When we are exhorted to consider it all joy when we face various trials, let's realize that it is not just a shift in our thinking that James is talking about. He wants to make us find out what God is doing through the trial so that we can finally rejoice. Trials are never joyous situations and will never become one by forcing ourselves to think it so. We so need to find out what this particular test of our faith is achieving so that we can truly thankful.

              James says we also learn endurance and even that is a tough word to understand. Endurance is not just sticking on somehow. Endurance is a positive word and has many benefits. It causes us to move further than before because we are building our spiritual muscles. It gives us confidence for greater challenges. And most of all, it removes the haziness and causes us to set our sights clearly. Our goal is ever clearer before us. We can fix our eyes on Jesus, our perfecter.

Church is essential

The church is the canvas on which God paints his pictures. The church is our thermometer where we can find out how hot or how cold we are. Now there are many believers who have all kinds of issues about their own church or about churches in general. They may have valid reasons for being upset. But please understand that God doesn’t paint his pictures elsewhere. The question is not how God is changing you or not. The question is more specific – how is God using the church to change you? Or to be even more specific – how  is God using people in the church to change you? You may not like it one bit. You would rather that God changes you in the privacy of your home. But whether we like it or not – God uses the church to change you. You can grumble. You can murmur. You can even change church. But you cannot quit church. You cannot keep away from church. The sooner you accept this, the better for you. God has no other means to work on you other than his own people. That is why we say to new believers (and to old of course) – you need to pray, read the word, grow in fellowship and serve in the world. None are optional.

Dealing with our sinful nature-2

What does 'going to the cross' mean to us on a practical level? For many of us, it may mean that we need to humble ourselves. This statement is true but what we should see is that we need to humble ourselves to the point of death. In practical terms, it means we have to decide against our own flesh. Our flesh may demand something or it may refuse to do something. However we are making a choice. To go to the cross actually means that we are denying ourselves. We are denying our flesh the pleasure of having its own way. We are making decisions. Costly decisions. Decisions to walk the way of the cross. Decisions to take up our own cross. Now the important thing to see is that we need the help of the Holy Spirit. It is prayer that can enable us to go, enable us to decide. Jesus said - Pray...The spirit is willing but it is prayer that can make our flesh to yield to a higher power. When Jesus said that the flesh is weak, we have to see it in two ways. One is that our flesh i.e our body is too weak to accept the terms of discipleship. Secondly our fleshly nature is what is making us weak. We need strength to obey.