The church is in a mess!

The church is in a mess! Or more accurately, messy. Actually it is bound to be. It is a stage where real life battles evolve. There is lot of gory flesh (not merely natural) scenes and fierce struggles. Light falls on the darkness and the darkness reacts violently. We hear lot of heart cries and see people in the throes of death (again not talking about death in the natural realm). Well, the church may not be in the pink of health at any point of time but the thing that concerns me is whether we are much worse than we think we are. Maybe as the time nears, we are endorsing things within a church setting that we would have refused to accept in a previous generation. Do we have any role models (other than those in the Bible) who can chart a path across this stiff resistance that the world is placing before us? The Bible says that which is born of the flesh is flesh but it seems like today's flesh is largely concealed within the garb of freedom in the Spirit. Power is the in-word in the church but it is a one-sided kind of power that ignores humility and dependency on God. It is a free for all in the name of Holy Spirit anointing. Everyone has much to say and yet nothing much is being said. One pastor declared boldly - if we want to have fellowship in today's church, we have to backslide and join the many because there are too few up in front. We need to arise even if it costs our everything! We may lose the little friends that we have but the battle is too big for us to hold back what we have. Let's give the 'flesh' a fair fight. It deserves it! 

He was not an alien!

It seems like we need to reflect on the humanity of Jesus more than we usually do. The aspect of a mediator who was like us in every way is not easily digestible because we do not just accept what the Bible says, plain as it is. Somehow, in the back of our mind, we have a feeling that Christ operate in some other realm. We know he was hungry and could get tired just like us on a physical level but we feel that in His mind, He operated on a different plane. Now we do not have to delve into the complexities of the mind of Jesus, but there is one thing we have to just believe and accept and that is this - Jesus became a man just like us; with all its frailties and limitations. Unless we accept this completely, we would never see Him as a perfect example. And if we do not see Him as a perfect example, we will never really aim to become like Jesus here on earth. We voice out this desire in our prayers all the time, but it is mostly hypocritical. We never sincerely work towards that prayer becoming a reality. Can you see how important it is to believe what the Bible says and get our minds cleared up about the glorious truths of God. Nothing is more important than sound theology. Right understanding alone leads to right living.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus - but only on holidays!

Sorry guys but I was away for a couple of weeks and couldn't find time to pen anything. I was thinking recently about what perspective the saints have with regards their job or vocation. There are many believers who are very faithful in their job and try to excel in it to the glory of God. They want to please God in serving their masters well and rightfully so. However, it is good to ponder regarding how and when our job can become an hindrance to serving God instead of a means to serve God. If we are so focused in our job that we do not reflect on God frequently during the day, then something is wrong somewhere. Are we meant to fix our eyes on Jesus only on a Sunday or on holidays? If we are very hard working, but always forget about the prayer meetings, then we better check our moorings. How often do our minds go back to Him throughout the day? Am I serving my company for God or am I serving God through my company? There is an important difference between the two. 
I believe that there is a false dichotomy that we have in our minds regarding 'secular' and 'spiritual' work. If we work in a secular institution, then it seems like we lack something. Not true. Think of Daniel and Joseph. However, I also believe that if given a chance to work in a setting that may provide less benefits, but we could be useful for people in a more direct way and which can give us more opportunity to turn to God, I would say - grab a hold of it. If it is more in line with our passion and our giftings, I would ask - why hesitate? I did it myself and do not regret it one bit.