The Word this week

PREPARING FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP

PASTOR GEORGE CHERIAN

What does God desire from us as human beings?

God’s desire for us is to dwell with us according to Exodus 29:45 where God says that He will live among the people of Israel and be their God. This is an strange desire that God expresses, it is not that the people of Israel were perfect or very loving people. They were as carnal and selfish as we are today. It is amazing why God wants to dwell with us because we ourselves are not able to stand our own fellow beings. Again, and again in the Bible God expresses His desire to live among the people of the earth.

Even in the book of Ezekiel chapter 37 verse 27-28 God says “I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And when my Temple is among them forever, the nations will know that I am the Lord, who makes Israel holy.”

Even Jesus is called Immanuel which means God with us. God’s intention has always been to dwell with us, sinners.

In Exodus 19:5-6 God says “Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’

God’s mission for Israel was to become a Kingdom of Priest in a prodigal world. God wanted to make them His own special treasure, His own special people.

According to 1 Peter 2:5 “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

It is also written in 1 Corinthians 3:9 that “we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.”

Whenever we praise and worship God, we are building a throne for God.

Why do we need to worship God or celebrate God’s presence on Sunday mornings?

The first book of Peter chapter 2 verse 9-10 says “…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

The above verse is the very basis for each one of us to worship God every Sunday morning. We have a very beautiful and powerful reason that we are called by God, that we are chosen, that once we were not a people but now we are God’s possession.

God has done this for us though we were unworthy, so that we can declare His praises. Isn’t this the greatest reason to celebrate our lives?

David enjoyed God’s presence every day and going to the house of the Lord was the greatest excitement for him. (Psalm 122:1 where David says, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”) Again, in Psalm 84:10 David says that “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.” And in verse 4 he says that “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. He also wrote in Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;”

From all the above statements we can see that David was very much in love with God, so much grateful for his life that he wrote such beautiful poems for God.

The prophet Isaiah wrote in chapter 26 verse 9 that “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you”

Psalm 63:1 “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” Our lives in this world is like living in a dry and parched land hence by the time Sunday morning come our hearts reach a point where we are thirsty and longing for God’s living waters.

The heart of a Sunday service is the revelation of Jesus Christ because He wants to speak to us, minister to us and comfort us.

According to Hebrews 10:19-22 “we stand in the legal status that God has prepared for each one of us because Jesus’ flesh was torn for us to give us access to God.” God has made us the holy priesthood. Jesus has already entered giving us the confidence to enter the holy place but the challenge for us by God is to draw near to Him.

How does God want us to draw near to Him?

  1. Draw near to Godwith the fruit of your lips offering sacrifice of praise: According to Hebrews 13:15-17 “let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls”
  2. Draw near to Godin the Spirit: In the book of Revelation chapter 1 verse 10, John says “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day”. Similarly, we need to be in the Spirit when we come forSunday service. When John was in the spirit, he saw the Lord Jesus Christ. If we prepare our hearts to worship God in our spirits, we too will see God.
  3. Draw near to God afterreconcilingwith your brother or sister whom you have anything against: As written in the book of Matthew chapter 5 verse 23-24 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” Because if we come without reconciliation we defile the house of God. (Hebrews 12:14-15)
  4. Draw near to Godwith Care: As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So, let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2)
  5. Draw near to God byconsecrating yourselves: God wants us to sanctify ourselves to meet with God. (Exodus 19:9-10). Then as promised to Moses, God will come and speak to us.

The four elements of the Sunday service according to Acts 2:42 are the apostles teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, prayer. The first century believers did everything together with glad and sincere hearts. Giving is also one of the key element of the Sunday Service.

The Lord is longing to shower His blessing over us, if we prepare our hearts throughout the week.

Some of the practical ways in which we can prepare ourselves for Sunday morning worship are as follows;

  1. Seize the rest of the week: Practice family worship and secret worship throughout the week knowing that this will inform and encourage your experience in corporate worship.
  2. Be Boring: Go to bed earlyon Saturday night. Friday nights can be filled with late-night activity, but Saturday nights should routinely be safeguarded. Sleepy heads make for drowsy worshippers.
  3. Right Attitude: Cultivate a spirit of joy on Sundaya mornings in your home. If this is the highlight of our week, then lets act like it. Talk about how wonderful the day is going to be, wake the kids up with excitement, turn on good Christian music for the whole family to listen to, and put a smile on your face.
  4. Media Blackout: Refrain from turning on the television, watching Netflix, or catching up on Facebookon Sunday mornings. Our minds are so easily distracted. Safeguard your mental space.
  5. Plan ahead: Lay out yourSunday morning clothes on Saturday night, so you don’t have to change ten times on Sunday morning before finding an outfit that fits well, looks right, or is ironed.
  6. Don’t be surprised: We should seldom be surprised at the passage we hear preached. Working our way through a passage throughout the week provides more fertile soilon Sunday morning.
  7. Early bird: Rise earlyon Sunday morning and spend time reading the Word, praying and meditating to prepare your heart for worship.
  8. Talk and ride: On the car-ride to church talk about the passage that you meditated and what God spoke to you, sing a hymn together, and converse about the things of God.
  9. Timing it right: Give yourself enough timeon Sunday mornings. Rise early enough that the morning isn’t rushed. Leave home with plenty of time to spare. Try not to arrive at church late or even a few minutes before the service. Come early and prepare the place of worship, pray and prepare. Help the team to set up, wish the people and welcome them.
  10. Collect your thoughts: Sit down, meditate on the Scripture readings, and pray before the service begins.

PASTOR SUNIL

GRACE IS GREATER THAN OUR WEAKNESS

– The Bible says in Hebrews that see to it that no one misses the Grace of God, because if we miss the Grace of God then we miss the very base of our Faith and all is in vain.

– We are going to meditate from 2nd Corinthians chapter 11, where Paul is asking us not to celebrate our accomplishments, our achievements or our own ability, but to rejoice in our weakness. Because when we are weak that gives God the space to show up, to demonstrate his power, his strength and his work in our lives.

– Corinth was a very famous city. It was a major business hub. A place for cultural exchange. A place of commercial activity. We can compare Corinth to our modern-day Delhi or Mumbai or even Bangalore where trade is flourishing. People from across the world came for trading there. Wealthy or the rich elite class people lived there. It was a place for pleasure, exotic living and lovely buildings.

– During those times some false teachers had come into the Corinth church who were showing people their religious resume and telling people about their achievement, hence drawing people away from Christ and bringing them to themselves. Paul who was overseeing the Corinth church, also had an interesting religious resume, he had a vast experience, but he never desired to win people with his accomplishments or human wisdom.

– Here in this chapter Paul is exhorting the church to delight in weaknesses so that they can experience God’s power. He wanted to challenge them not to run away, or hide or disguise their weaknesses but instead to celebrate their weaknesses so that they could experience God’s grace abundantly.  Just like the Corinth church, we too live in a society, a culture where we give a lot of emphasis on our strengths, abilities, accomplishments, self-reliance, etc. That’s the reason we always celebrated the good things in life but here Paul is telling us to delight in our weaknesses not our strengths. It is in our weakness that there is room for God’s grace, for God to work in our lives.

– God’s power can be demonstrated only in our weakness. If he just says that he is weak like them and they should celebrate their weakness no one was going to listen to that, so he starts off by telling them about his strength first. Paul mentioned that he has lot of things to boast about. His experience compared to the false teachers of that time was much more greater. His resume is great, but he says that it does not make him any greater.

– About 14 years ago Paul was caught up in the third heaven, but He kept this experience in his heart for so many years. If we were in Paul’s place, we would have been all over the social media, but Paul just kept quiet. And even after 14 long years he only mentions the event in brief.In all his description about the heavenly experience, he is still putting the whole focus on God and not on himself.

– Even the way Paul introduces himself is really commending. He called himself a slave of Christ. Yes, a slave who do not have an impressive resume or I should say they don’t have a resume at all. They exist just to labour day and night. They are never mentioned by name, they don’t have their own identity or any kind of an achievement. Slaves are only known for one thing, and that is their Master and here Paul calls himself a slave of Christ and that’s all that he wants people to know about him though he acknowledges that he has a pretty good resume, that he is well educated and has all the right credentials. It would have been very easy for him to be proud and put his confidence in his strength, but he goes on to talk about a thorn in a flesh, that is a weakness in his life so that he can be totally dependent on God.

– The Bible says that Paul begged God 3 times, but I am very sure he spoke to God about it many more times, probably everyday about getting that thorn or weakness removed. I do not know what this thorn is for you. But if you have identified this thorn, this weakness, this thing that you begged God to change, that you’ve begged God to heal, that you’ve begged God to take it away and it hasn’t gone, then know that this is not from God but from the Satan. Also know that God can easily remove this thorn from our lives, but sometime God allows that thorn to be part of our life for a greater purpose.

– God answers Paul in verse 9 saying “My Grace is sufficient for you and my strength is make perfect in our weakness” He no longer asks God to take it away, because that thorn, that weakness is the place where he experiences God’s grace most powerfully.

– If God removes that thorn from our lives, we will never experience God’s power. We always celebrate the goodness in our lives but it’s very hard for us to celebrate our weakness. Many times, we try to do or experience life on our own strength, but we can encounter God only in our weakness. Whatever difficulty we are facing in our lives right now, be assured of this one fact that “God’s Grace is greater than every difficulty”. So, if we really want to see God’s strength in our lives we should not hide it, we should not run from it but we should embrace it, because that is where we are going  to enjoy God’s grace. 

– If we look at Acts 4 :13 it says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” People were astonished at their weaknesses God could work only in the weakness of the disciples. They were ordinary and unschooled men. They did not have the right resume, the right credentials, the abilities, yet we see these men have changed the whole world. God purposely choose people with weaknesses because He knows his strength works perfect in the weakness and not in the abilities of man.

– Let me end this with a true story of a Russian woman. There was an old woman lying on a small sofa, propped up by pillows.  Her body was bent and twisted almost beyond recognition by the dread disease of multiple sclerosis and only the index finger of her right hand could be moved.  Her aged husband spent all his time caring for her since she was unable to move off the sofa. Beside her couch was a vintage typewriter.  Each morning her faithful husband would rise, praising the Lord. After caring for his wife’s needs and feeding her a simple breakfast, he would prop her into a sitting position on the couch, placing pillows all around her so she would not topple over.  Then he would move that ancient black typewriter in front of her on a small table.  From an old cupboard he would remove a stack of cheap yellow paper.  Then, with that one blessed finger, she would begin to type. All day and far into the night she would type.  She has translated lot of Christian books into Russian, Latvian and other languages of her people.  Always using that one finger, she typed out the pages.  Portions of the Bible, the books of Billy Graham, Watchman Nee and Corrie Ten Boom.  All translated from that old typewriter. Anybody who saw her wasted form on the sofa, her head pulled down and her feet curled back under her body, they had just one cry in their heart” Oh Lord, why don’t you heal her?” But her husband would always say “God has a purpose in her sickness. Every other Christian in the city is being watched by the secret police. But because she has been sick so long, no one ever looks in on her.  They leave us alone and she is the only person in all the city who can type quietly, undetected by the police”.

– Many times, we miss out on the Grace of God because we are very proud to show our weakness or ask for help. The only hope Paul had was to stop relying on himself and to rely completely on God. It is then that God can do a miracle in our lives.

– Are you struggling with any weakness or difficulty in life? Does life seem too tough for you? Remember that God’s grace is greater than all our weaknesses and our difficulties. Remember that God can turn all our weaknesses into His miracles.

Pastor Allen Ramteke

Todays passage for meditation is from the book of Isaiah chapter 40 verses 28-31 which reads as below;

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 

– Here in this passage the Lord, God Almighty is speaking to the people through prophet Isaiah. God is giving a message of comfort for the people who were feeling abandoned. Many times, we too feel that God has abandoned us, especially when our prayers are not answered. But here God is giving a comforting assurance not only to the people in those times but today to each one of us that even if our prayers may not be answered, He has neither forgotten nor forsaken us. God is saying that He has never given upon any of us.

– The prophet is reminding the people that this God whom they feel has abandoned them is the one who has called them to be His children. He is never going to be faint or become weary of all the mistakes that we do. Sometimes the devil (also known as the father of lies) fools us in believing that we have been a very bad person. He compels us to believe his lie, fill our hearts with condemnation and hence stop praying. How much ever the devil tries to condemn us, God says it again and again that He is never tired of us. He still loves and cares for us and will always provide for us.

– We are all like the earthen vessels, completely fragile and imperfect, but we have a perfect God through whom we all have hope. In our weakness, He is there with us as our strength. His ways are always higher than our ways. – V29 – 31 says “He gives power to the faint and to those who don’t have might, he gives strength.”

– God is exhorting us to know that He is the Everlasting God with no beginning and no end. This everlasting God is our God. He has been God and He will always be God. No matter how many times we fall, He will always be our God and an ever-present help in times of troubles.

– God wants us to always depend upon Him. He doesn’t faint. Nothing that man can do will ever surprise God because God know each one of us through and through. In every situation God is telling us that “I am your daddy, I am going to lift you up from every messy situation.”

– Once upon a time, in the jungles of Africa, one man found a very big round object. He brought it home because he was curious to know what it is. The villagers told him that it is an egg. He was surprised to know it hence made his hen sit on the egg to hatch along with the other eggs of its own. Over a period, the small eggs hatched but the big egg was still intact. The man was persistent, so he again made the hen sit on that big egg alone for more days. After few days the egg hatched but the chick was completely different from others. It was an eaglet unlike the chicks though neither the eaglet, the chicks nor the hen knew, not even the man realized.

– The eaglet tried very hard to be like the other chicks, but it could never succeed. It always felt it was different than the others but never realized what the difference was. The other chicks used to make fun of it and always discouraged it to do anything different. Whenever it tried to spread its big wings, the chicks never approved of it. They always stopped the eaglet from doing anything because the chicks themselves couldn’t fly at all. But one day the eaglet made a choice and decided to be different, just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed Nego, who chose to be different, who chose not bow down to the idols like the other people, who chose to be an eaglet and not a chick. God wants us also to be different like the eaglet. He has chosen us and called us His own because He wants each one of us to be unique.

– One day the snake came to their coop and all the chicks ran away but the eaglet felt something very strong in its heart which make him run boldly after the snake, just like David ran after Goliath not because he was strong but because he chose to be different. Unfortunately, the eaglet never realized that it is not a chick but an eaglet. Many times, we also never realize the power of God working within us, so we too end up living a life of defeat like the others. Our life is not supposed to be like the hen/the chicks that runs away for life on the face of a trial, but God wants us to be like the eagle who is ever ready to face everything courageously.

– Another day a crow caught the eaglet in its claws mistaking it to be a chick and tried to tighten its claws as it flew high. But the eaglet spread its wings wide, freed itself from the claws and flew higher than the crow. That is when the eaglet realized that he is not one among the hens, but he is called to be different. God doesn’t want us to be like the clucking chicken always dwelling in our hurts and problems, complaining and murmuring about our difficulties but He wants us to understand God’s power in our lives and rise above every circumstance/storm and fly/soar higher and higher in the arms of the everlasting God, just like the eagle.

– There comes a mid-life crisis in every eagle’s life when it goes through painful shedding of feathers and losing of all its strength. At that phase of its life, the eagle has two options; one is to give up completely or other is to wait for all the feathers to be shed, hit and break the beak on the rock and wait, wait and just wait. It is easy and painless to give up, but the eagle always chooses the hard way and that is waiting. It must keep waiting and waiting and undergo the pain of losing everything nice until the new feathers appear. Samson was a very strong man in his country but when he lost his strength He was all alone in the stadium. People completely rejected him, tied up to the pillars and left all alone to die. That is when he prayed to God, waited upon Him and depended on Him to deliver from the humiliation. That day he killed more Philistines than he could when he was free, he had his strength and hands untied. Are you feeling lonely or left out? God is more than willing to help you and deliver you, but are you willing to depend on Him?

– God has called each one of us to be like the eagles, to fly like an eagle above every storm and to depend or wait on God until its strength is renewed. And His promise for each one of us is to fill us with His power and renew us in such a way that we will also soar high on wings like eagles. Do we depend upon God?

– The greatest eagle that flew on the face of the earth was Jesus. Jesus brought healing, breakthroughs, deliverances and made the presence of God real for the people around Him. Jesus came to fulfil the law and not to abolish it. The disciples told Jesus not to talk about his death just like the chicks discouraged the eaglet, but Jesus was like the eagle. He spoke boldly about His own death on the cross and could save the world because Jesus, though 100% God and 100% man, was totally depending on the Father and the Holy Spirit. Allow your hearts to completely depend and wait upon him. He wants to give us new vision, higher than anything and unseen from man.

Are you willing to depend and wait on God because God promises and gives us the assurance in verse 31 that “they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” 

Grace is Greater than Everything – Part 2

By PASTOR SUNIL

– Grace is not grace if it is not dispensed both ways. That means God’s grace become valuable or precious in our lives if we give away freely what we have received freely.

– Someone once said that “The reality check of the gospel in our life is to the extent with which we give grace and forgiveness to the person who has hurt us the most and deserves it the least.”

– When we give grace to someone who has hurt us, that is the moment we understand grace. It is that moment that makes grace come alive in our lives. Many a times we do not value grace if we only keep on receiving it. Hence, we should ask God and learn to give grace to others just as God has showered grace upon grace over us.

– In Matthew 18:21, Peter asks a mathematical question to Jesus. “Lord how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sin against me? Up to 7 times?” Early traditions stated that you should forgive anyone who sins against you 3 times and after that you don’t need to forgive. Forgiving is not an easy task. Peter was trying to impress Jesus by giving the number 7 because he felt forgiving a person 3 times itself is a very big thing. So, here actually Peter wanted to know when is our hurt greater than grace? When does the pain in our life becomes greater than grace?

– Jesus answers Peter’s question in the same chapter in verse 22, that not seven times but seventy times seven. So, here Jesus is trying to explain that grace is never less than anything, but always greater than our hurts. Even if we are at the receiving end who has been constantly hurt by someone, even if it does not seem to be fair, even if it does not seem to be true, the truth is that grace is always greater than everything.

 In our lives, we feel that grace always runs out when we are at the receiving end. Many a times it’s hard for us to forgive, hence Jesus gives us a parable to make us understand the importance of grace.

The Parable of the unforgiving Debtor as narrated by Jesus in Matthew 18:21-35 is as follows;

“For this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So, the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So, his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So, when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Let us understand what Jesus was trying to explain about forgiveness from the above passage.

– 10,000 talents is a huge amount. If we look it in terms of Indian currency assuming that the average salary per month is Rs. 20000, so in about 20 years, his salary would be worth one bag worth of talents or rather say  1 bag of talent would be around Rs. 48 Lakhs. So, to repaying it would almost take about 2,00,000 (2 Lakh) years’ worth of wages.

– This is an unbelieving number, because the servant can never repay back the master even if he works throughout his lifetime. But Jesus surely wants to make a point here. It’s a debt that the nobody can ever pay. In the olden times it was the norm to give severe punishment. They would be bashed up and sold into slavery and not just the man his wife and children as well.

– This parable here reflects each one of our standing with God, that all of us have sinned. And the sin has accumulated so much of a debt that we can never repay it. We have various ways of denying that we don’t have that much of a debt, by comparing ourselves to others. We feel we are not as bad as others. We trust in God, but trusting in God does not mean we do not have a debt to pay. We may try to work our way out of it by doing good deeds etc., but there is no amount of good deed, act or anything that can help us settle this huge amount of debt. The Bible says that we all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God, which means we all owe a debt which will always fall short of repayment. Bible also says that if we break one commandment we have broken all. He keeps track of all our sins, we cannot hide them. God knows it all. He knows the debt we are in.

– In the parable, we can see that there is no way this person could have ever paid back the debt, yet he pleads to the master. The Bible gives such a huge number to make the point that repayment is never an option. We simply cannot repay, no matter what we do. WE cannot REPAY.

– Verse 27 says that the master took pity on him and he cancelled the debt worth trillion of Rupees and he let him go. He does not lower the EMI, he does not say take more time to repay. Bible says that the master just cancels the debt completely and lets him go.

– Now this man who owed 10000 bags of Gold or trillion of Rupees, when he finds out that another person owes him only 20 silver coins or 160000 Rupees, he goes to that man asks for his debt of Rs. 1,60,000 to be repaid. He is the same man whose entire debt was completely forgiven. And verse 29 says his fellow servant fell to his knees and begged, “Be patient with me and I will pay it back.” This is exactly the same quote which this man had requested to the master just few moment ago. This man is asking for the same grace that he had received a little while before. If you had not heard the story before you would assume that this man would forgive Rs. 1,60,000 worth of debt. Of course, he should forgive because he just received forgiveness for about trillion of Rupees. He just was in a similar situation and he was expected to understand the importance of Grace.

– Verse 30 says “But he refused and instead had the man thrown into the prison until he could repay the debt.” Verse 31 is often over looked but it is an important verse in the story. “When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.” Jesus says that the fellow servants reported the incident to the master. The fellow servants saw how much grace this man had received a little while ago which he could not extend to the other man who needed it, they were outraged and complained it to the master who forgave.

– Verse 32 says “Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.” Could that servant really pay the huge amount? No, it was not possible to earn trillions of Rupees, and definitely not in the prison, which means this servant was going to spend the rest of his life in prison.

– Verse 35 says “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” This means that it’s really important to extend the grace and forgiveness to others. The grace that we have received, the grace which we do not deserve, the grace which we never qualified for.

– It is hard to extend the grace to someone who has always let us down, to someone who has constantly made us cry. It is hard to receive someone whole heartedly who had constantly been stabbing us. But remember that we will never be asked to give more than what we have received.

– So, to answer Peter’s question in technical terms, Jesus says that Trillion Rupees is always greater than 1,60,000 Rupees. Jesus is trying to say that you have been forgiven Trillions of Rupees and hence for you forgiving 1,60,000 Rupees should not be a big issue.

– What we have been forgiven of is much lesser than what we are asked/expected to forgive. The more we think about this equation, the more we understand the power of Grace. The more we stand in the holiness of God, the more you understand the power of grace and the easier it is for us to forgive.

– Grace is greater than repayment. Repayment means to settle out the accounts, or set the accounts correct. We have been brought up with the teaching that if we hurt someone we should say sorry and that should set the records right. When we make Grace dependent on the action of the other person then again that is not Grace.

–  Grace is greater than revenge. Many a times we want to take revenge before we forgive the person

– We always say that Grace is free but when we put a price when we have to give it to others.

– Grace is always greater than everything but this grace is equal to Jesus who is full of grace and always forgives us of all our sins. (John 1:14says “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”)

– God has freely given us this grace to us, but are we extending God given grace freely to people around us? Let us ask God and exercise grace in our lives.

 

FAITH- The work that never Perishes

By PASTOR ALWIN

Passage for meditation is from the book of John chapter 6 verses 26 to 29

“Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you have been searching for Me, not because you saw the signs (attesting miracles), but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures [and leads] to eternal life”

– Jesus makes the above statement immediately after feeding the 5000. He fed a multitude of people with perishable food but here He talks about the food that endures. What is this food that never perishes? Why does Jesus say this? And what is this eternal life that He is talking about? As Jesus said, these people were following Him because they ate the loaves (the perishable food). We need to ask this question to ourselves “Why are we following Christ?”

– The people over there wanted to make Jesus a King because they saw all the qualities of a king in Him like He provided food for all the needy, He proclaimed healing over the people, He performed great miracles displaying immense power, etc. People looked at Him as a powerful king, a Savior, a Messiah who could deliver them of every misery. In Jesus they found all that they needed for a good life that they were all waiting for. Yes, Jesus was all powerful to deliver them all from their pain and indeed the purpose for His life was to deliver the people but not in the worldly sense but there was a greater purpose in everything that Jesus did. Let’s see what is that greater purpose for the people of those day and for us today.

Here Jesus talks about two types of work

  1. Work for the food that perishes
  2. Work for the food that endures through eternal life

– In this world there is a group of people who have no hope for anything. For them, life is like now or never. They want everything right now. They don’t have any hope for the future.

– There is yet another group of people who have the hope. This group of people can again be divided into two groups: Those who know about the hope i.e. Christ Knowers, and those who follow the hope i.e. Christ Followers.

  1. Christ knowers

– These people know God but are not willing to be a follower.

– They very well know in their minds that they need to work for the food that endures to eternal life but they will never work towards it.

– They are always stuck between the world and the Christ followers

  1. Christ followers

– Their eyes are always on Christ.

– They work for the food that endures forever.

– They always do the work God has asked them to do E.g. William Carey, Sadhu Sunder Singh, Graham Staines and Gladys Staines.

– They are a crazy lot of people who are willing to go to every extreme, even to the extent of losing their own lives to do the work of God, to work for the food that never perishes.

What is this work that Jesus is talking about?

– The work of God is to believe in Him who God has sent, that is to believe in Jesus.

– We are in the new covenant where once and for all Jesus gave His life as a ransom for our sins.

– There will always be challenges in our lives, that is why Jesus says in the book of John chapter 16 verse 33 “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 6:33-35 says “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

– For the bread of God is Jesus who came down from heaven and those who partake from Him will never thirst or hunger again. That means that Jesus is more than sufficient for each one of our lives. He is more than enough for our present needs and for our eternity too.

– God provided for Abraham as Ram, for the widow as oil, for Daniel as protection, for David as power and for Jesus as Holy Spirit strengthening. In every instance, God’s provision came to them at the most perfect time, at a time when they needed it the most.

– In this life on earth, it is not our strength or capability that sustains us, but God and God alone.

– Faith in Jesus is the work of God that God has called us to do. Faith is the food that never perishes. It is not a onetime activity but a continuous process.

– Sometimes we get carried away by the things of the world. Many a times we r distracted by the works of the world. God tells us not to worry about this life but for the eternal. That is where our faith in God works for us and give us the peace.

– This is what the Bible says about the things of this world in the following passages;

– James 5:2-3 “Your wealth has rotted and is ruined and your [fine] clothes have become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure in the last days [when it will do you no good].”

– Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.”

– 1 Timothy 6:17-19 17 “As for the rich in this present world, instruct them not to be conceited and arrogant, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share [with others]. In this way storing up for themselves the enduring riches of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

– To conclude, I would just ask you all to consider the life of Noah, as to how he worked for the food that will never perish. Everybody in the were evil and doing wrong but nothing distracted Noah. He had his eyes firm of God and ears planted on God’s Word. He chose to sustain on God’s promise and continued building the ark in the midst of all mockery. It was Noah’s faith in God that enabled him to stand every test if time.

– Jesus is the bread of life, we just have to believe in Him and this faith is the work that never perishes.

Biblical Role Modelling – Key to Discipleship & Leadership

By PASTOR DR. GEORGE CHERIAN – 8th OCTOBER 2017

– Everyone of us are modelling every day in our lives

– A good example is always more valuable than a good advice.

– Somebody is always watching us and learning from us.

– 1 Thessalonians 1:6 -8 – You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a models to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.

– The people of Thessalonica were modelling an exemplary life of faith by becoming good imitators.

– God is calling each one of us to be an excellent model.

– In the first book of Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16 Paul says, “Therefore I exhort you, become imitators of me.” Paul had modelled a good life for Timothy to follow.

– Titus 2:7-8 says “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.” We’ve got to set an example. That is a call we have as a church.

– In the 2nd book of Timothy chapter 1 verse 5, Paul write “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” We can see that Grandmother Lois and mother Eunice set an example for the third generation Timothy. They modelled a life of faith and this faith has been carried to the next generations.

– A spiritual father sets an example for His children. As a spiritual parent to our children as well as to the young ones, we are all called to live out the scripture to them.

– Jesus said come follow me. 1 John 2:6 says “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” God wants each one of us to follow and imitate Jesus.

– Christ suffered for you leaving you an example to follow according to 1 Peter 2:21 which says “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”

– In the book of John chapter 13, Jesus modelled servant leadership to His disciples by washing their feet.

– The 3rd book of John chapter 1 verse 11 says “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”

– Let us all not be deceived because “Bad company corrupts good morals” That’s what is written in the book of Proverbs chapter 13 verse 20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” So be careful whom we are modelling

– In the 1st book of Peter chapter 5 verse 1-3, Peter exhorts the elders as follows; “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” God wants us to be role models and not boss over the people who are in our care. God wants us to set an example for other people to live.

– Leading by example – Matthew 5:13-16 says “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

– Hebrews 13:7-8 “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.

– It is not a parent’s responsibility to have godly children, it is a parent’s responsibility to make sure their children have godly parents.

– Parents are the ultimate role model for children. Every word, movement and every action matters in the upbringing of the child.

– Model the kind of marriage you want your kids to have. What you sow, you will reap.

– In future, the child will develop the same kind of relationships they say.

– Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.

– The Pharisees had been a role modelling failure. In the book of Matthew chapter 23 verses 1 to 5, Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others.”

– Are you a role model in your house, to your wife/husband, to your children,  to your neighbour, in your workplace, in your family or in your city?

– JC Ryle said, “Let your Christianity be so unmistakable and your walk so straightforward, that all who see you may have no doubt whose you are and whom you serve.”

– Your words may go to deaf ears but your action will never, so be a role model.

ALDRIN

PRAYER (UNANSWERED PRAYERS)

– What is prayer?

It’s not just asking God for our needs. It is a very powerful weapon which is also fundamental to our faith walk with Jesus.

– There is power in prayer but many times when we pray, we don’t get answers. What do we do at those times? Why doesn’t God give us what we ask for? Is it because there is some issue in our lives? How do we feel when God doesn’t answer our prayers? How do we respond to God? Let’s consider the lives of two people from the Bible whose prayers were also unanswered.

 

  1. Paul

 When we read from 2 Corinthians 12:2-18, we realise that Paul was going through some kind of pain.

–  Paul writes this chapter trying to explain to the church that boasting is not pleasing to God because everything they have is because of the God’s grace and mercy.

– He goes on to say that he doesn’t want to boast in anything, though he has been given surpassing revelations from God. Though Paul had an intimate walk with God, here we can see that there was some pain or a prayer in his life that was not answered. (“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”)

– Unanswered prayer doesn’t equate with sin. It doesn’t mean that we are sinners. Here in this passage Paul says that three times he pleaded with the Lord but He did not answer, yet we can see that Paul affirms his trust in God. Many times God doesn’t answer our prayers to build our character, to keep us rooted in His Word and love. God is more interested in our character than answering our prayers.

– Abraham was very obedient to God. He left everything for God and followed Him. When God promised for a child, He waiter for years. When he was old, Abraham and Sarah was blessed with a child after such a long wait. And when this precious child Isaac (for whom they waited for so many years), grew up, God asked Him to sacrifice their one and only son, because God was more interested in Abraham’s character. Through this unanswered prayer, God wanted to strengthen Abraham in his faith, which was credited to him as righteousness.

– God may not answer our prayers but be encouraged by the fact that He continues to love and guide us, just as He lead Paul because He continued praying without losing his hope and faith in God. So never get tired of unanswered prayers and never stop praying.

  1. Jesus

– Though Jesus was 100% God and 100% man, His prayer was unanswered at the garden of Gethsemane.

– In the book of Luke chapter 22 verse 32, we can see that Jesus specifically prayed for Peter (“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”) Jesus knew in His foreknowledge that Peter is going to turn away hence He prayed that Peter’s faith may not fail.

– In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus asked God to take away the pain but his prayer was unanswered. God did not answer Jesus prayer but strengthened Him to go through the suffering to the cross. In our lives too God may not answer our prayers but He will surely strengthen us.

– Matthew 26:53. Though Jesus’ prayer was not answered, here we can see that His faith in His God is still very strong where Jesus said “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”. Jesus is confident that God will surely answer His prayer for protection and is displaying an exemplary faith by complete surrender to God through pain and suffering. Always remember that even if our prayers are not answered, we will never lose your relationship with God. God values our relationship with Him than our efforts for Him. (Jesus said to Martha, what Mary has chosen is better)

– Just because your prayers are not answered the way we want, none of them are lost or go in vain because it is stored like incense in the presence of God. That’s what the Word of God says “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” (Revelation 5:8)

– Unanswered prayers makes us much more intimate with God and it will never take us away from Him. Prayer draws us closer to God. So be encouraged and continue praying without losing hope to the God who is the source of all hopes.

Grace – Pr. Sunil 

– Many times we take God’s grace very casually.
– Grace is something that very beautiful and amazing because that is what saves each one of us.
– When we talk about grace, we need to talk about sin also. We cannot have grace without sin.
– It is very important to acknowledge your sin to experience grace.
– Romans 3:23 says that “all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”
– Bible talks about sin as a disease, a sickness that spreads fast. 
– Many times we live in the denial of sin. 
– We need to acknowledge that we are sick in order to be healed.
– Similarly we cannot receive God’s grace if we do not acknowledge our sins.
– Grace is like a vaccination for sin, like an antidote for sin.
– The root disease in every human being is sin. 
– Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death”
– Tuberculosis was considered as a deadly disease until the medicines were discovered. It was like an end of a persons life coz they used to be isolated in order to protect others from getting infected. They were completely separated from their loved ones. 
– Similarly sin is a deadly disease. Adam was the host carrier of sin hence we all carry the same infection. We all have been diagnosed with the disease of sin and the magical antidote of this disease is GRACE.
– Romans 5:15 says “But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.”

– As the above verse says God’s grace is greater than man’s sin. 
– Grace is greater than anything – any of our life events, wrongdoings, etc
– Grace brings freedom in our lives.
– Grace covers all our sins and weaknesses 
– Romans 5:16 onwards – Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for all and Jesus’ one sacrifice brought life to all
– Religion will not save you because grace is greater than religion. 
– The key word for religion is DO but Grace says it is already DONE. 
– Religion is based on RULES but grace is based on RELATIONSHIP. 
– Religion brings fear n condemnation but GRACE BRINGS FREEDOM.
– People are trying to set their equations right with God through religion or good works but God has already set all His equations right with us by giving away His one and only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us.
– The saddest part about grace is that we can never explain it or make anybody understand it.
– We can try to understand grace by dissecting it but in the process we may kill the essence of it. 
– Jesus never spoke about grace but he tried to present it to people through stories or his life e.g.: the adulterous woman was shown grace by Jesus. 
– Jesus is full of Grace. When everybody left the adulterous woman to die, it was Jesus who showed grace to her, accepted her as she was, forgave all her sins and filled her life with Grace. Grace covered all her past sins and mistakes.
– Jesus is willing to receive you as you are because His grace is above everything and He is able to restore your life from brokenness to wholeness. His invitation is open to you today. You just have to believe that Jesus died for your sins and invite Him into your heart and lives to be restored forever to eternal life.

WHAT DO WE DO WHEN MIRACLES HAPPEN? – Pastor Sunil

The passage for meditation is Mark 6: 42 – 50
– The above passage speaks of a very beautiful miracle – feeding the 5000 men with just 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. 
– Our miracles start with humble beginnings eg: Jesus humbled himself in a very dirty place like a manger, but this is the place where the miracles began. Though born in the lineage of kings, Jesus chose to be born in a manger. 
– Jesus never does things in a normal way, He always works in ways we can neither see nor comprehend. Feeding the 5000 is one such event.
– Jesus started his Ministry with a very low profile
– Feeding the 5000 was a big miracle, ie it influenced or changed the lives of people on a huge scale.
– If we study the passage more closely we realised that on the day of miracle people were patiently listening to Jesus. They chose the Word of God above the food.
– Jesus took the 5 loaves and 2 fish from the boy who was not even counted in the 5000 men. God often uses the people whom people may not even count like the little boy who wasn’t counted in the 5000.
– Jesus asked the disciples to make the people sit in groups. Many times we need to ask God to structure our lives in order to receive the blessings.
– Miracles are not based on the quantity but on the quality of our faith. On that day, God blessed something (5 loaves and 2 fish) that was not at all enough, but He could do it because of the faith displayed by the little boy. 
– After performing such an awesome miracle, Jesus went to the mountainside to pray though he was tired after a big hectic day. On the other hand, the disciples were sleeping in the boat. Are we like Jesus who went to spend time with God after the miracle or are we like the disciples who were sleeping in the boat. 
– Mark 6: 52 says “for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Let us contemplate on all the miracles God has done in our lives. Do we take insight from those miracles and soften our hearts or do we harden our hearts?

WARNING!!!  by PASTOR DR. GEORGE CHERIAN

Passage for meditation: Romans 12:2 which says “Do not conform to the patterns of the world”

– We will never be able to influence the world by trying to be just like the world.

– If we leave our heart unattended then surely it will decay into something very rotten, hence the Bible warns us not to conform to the patterns of this world.

– God has not called any of us to fit in according to 1 Peter 2:9 which says “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

– Now let us see what are the patterns of this world? The Bible says that they are instant gratification, lying, hatred, stealing, competition, lust, rebellion, evil, pleasure seeking, etc

– Who sets the pattern of the world? – The Bible says that it is satan who is the god of this world which means that we are actually living in the enemy territory.

–  What is the solution to save ourselves? Be transformed, that what the Word of God says. Renew your mind according to Ephesians 4:23

– Daily renewing our mind in Christ brings about a total and lasting transformation

– Renewing our mind has different aspects- what do I see, think, hear, say or do?

– Think about the things – whatever is true, honourable, just, pure, love, commendable, of any excellence, anything worthy of praise according to Phil 4:8

– Set our minds in things above, not on the things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)

– Let us fix our eyes on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:3)

– Joshua 1:8 “this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth……” Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. If we build our lives on the Word of God, we can be transformed forever.

–  Speak the truth in love – Ephesians 4:15

–  Be doers of the Word and not just hearers – James 2:11

– Be renewed in the spirit of your mind – Ephesians 4:24

– Our citizenship is in heaven – Phil 3:17-21. The Bible says that as long as we are on earth, we are like strangers in a foreign land. There are enemies in this world to be conquered before we return home. This world is not our home; our citizenship is in heavens. Billy Graham

– According to 1 Peter 2:11 we are the immigrants and strangers in the world.

– It is written to “Be Holy for I am holy” in 1 Peter 1:16. God wants each one of us to be holy.

– What is Holiness? It means separation / consecration

– 2 Cor 7:11 says “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

– We can learn from Jesus as to how He renewed His mind, transformed himself and strove towards living a life of holiness. The temptation of Jesus was a challenge for Him to conform to the patterns of the world but Jesus chose to fight it out with the sword of the Word of God. Jesus refuted every temptation with the Word of God.

– There are 3 things in our lives that we need to die daily to

  1. Lust of the flesh – desire to have all that the world offers
  2. Lust of the eyes – desire to do what the world does
  3. Pride of Life – desire to get the approval from the world

– 1 John 2:16 says that all the above three is not from the Father but are from the world (For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.)

We cannot do this on our own. That is why God has given us His powerful Word and His Holy Spirit who helps us stand against all the viles of the evil. Let us replace all the lies of the satan with the truth from the Word of God and be transformed.

Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:1-2

PASTOR SUNIL

Today’s passage for meditation is Psalm 51

When we look at the background of this Psalm we understand that it was written by David after he committed the sin of adultery with Bathsheba followed by the sin of murder by killing her husband Uriah. David wrote this Psalm of repentance when he realised his mistake through the prophet Nathan.

David was a rapist and a murderer. 2 Samuel 11:27 says that God was displeased with David but the very next chapter ie in 2 Samuel 12:13, we can see that the very same displeased God forgives David.

Let’s learn from the life of David as to how we can respond to our sins?

  1. David realises that he has committed a grave sin. Realisation of sin is the first step towards repentance and forgiveness. He realised the seriousness of his sin hence he asked God for mercy. He believed and knew in his heart that only God can forgive his sins.
  2. David is asking God to cleanse his heart. David is not reducing the intensity of his sin or trying to justify himself. Are we going to God with an honest heart? Do we truly repent of our sins? Do we come to God with all our sins or do we try to justify our sins to God or do we try to hide or run away from God?
  3. He is owning up his own actions (He says that he is a born sinner). David desires truth in his inner parts (verse 6)
  4. In verse 11 – he asks God not to cast him away from God’s presence and take His Holy Spirit away from Him. We can lose our anointing if we commit a sin. Turning back to God in repentance can only restore us back.
  5. In verse 13, David asks God to restore him the joy of salvation and grant him a willing spirit. When we are filled with joy, our lips will always praise God just as David is willing to share about God’s forgiveness to people (Evangelism)
  6. God is not interested in the externals but in our hearts. A broken and contrite heart is pleasing to God.
  7. Even though God has paid the price, we still need to seek His forgiveness because God is faithful in forgiving our sins and restoring us back to life.

David was called as the man after God’s own heart because he had the courage to confess his sins and repent for his wrong doing. David knew that no sin is worth losing the love of God.

Are you struggling today with anything that is not right in the eyes of God? In the Bible in the book of 1 John chapter 1 verse 9 we have the assurance that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Please don’t let anything stop you from enjoying the love of God today.

WHAT DOES GOD REJECT? – PASTOR AMIT SINGH WINGET

Passage for meditation – 1 Samuel 15: 10-23

We can learn the following from the above passage;

–  God’s heart was grieved that He made Saul king, because he turned back from following God and failed to carry out His commands. 

–  Our identity is that we are the bride of Christ. Obedience is the reflection of being the bride of Christ. Obeying and honouring the Word of God is the perfect will of God for each one of us. Obedience is better than sacrifice. (verse 22)

–  Is God listening to our voice like a sweet sound or like bleating of the sheep? (verse 14). God can’t accept things from us if it is not from our heart. God rejects our outward obedience. Here God had told Saul to destroy everything but Saul kept the flock/sheep. He picked from what God asked him to destroy. This act of disobedience from Saul broke the heart of God.

–  God rejects the political positioning. Saul wanted outward political influences. Here in verse 14, Saul wanted to please men rather than obey God.

–  God rejects the twisty tale of people. He hates it when people try to justify their mistakes, just as in verse 20-21 Saul was trying to explain or justify his own wrong doing.

–  God rejects the blame game. Saul was trying to blame the people instead of owning up responsibility.

–  God rejects an unrepentant heart. Though Saul asked for forgiveness, his heart was not right with God hence God rejected his plea for mercy.

–  God rejects rebellion. Rebellion is like idolatry for God.

–  God rejects people who reject the Word of God. (verse 23) God rejected Saul as the king of Israel because He rejected the Word of God.

What does God expect from us?

–  Obedience as for God obedience in better than sacrifice. God wants us to take His Word, accept it as it is and bring it down to applying it in our lives.

–  God wants us to be the doers of the Word of God.

– 

Are we able to please the heart of God? Are we in the blame game? Are we listening God’s Word and obeying Him or are we rejecting His Word? Obeying and honouring the Word of God is the key to please the heart of God.

PASTOR SUNIL

Passage for meditation: Mark 2:1-12

– Many people were eager to gather to hear from Jesus. Are we excited when we go to church? Are we expecting anything great from God? Are we going to the church for miracles or is our life a miracle?

– Jesus turns up in our lives to remove the obstacles and make new paths for us. Jesus turns up in our lives to change our lives just as He did for the paralytic man and his four friends.

– The four people who brought the paralytic man were different from the crowd. They were ready to face any humiliation from the people around. They overcame every obstacle to take their paralytic friend to Jesus, like carrying him to the roof of the house. They were determined to take their friend to Jesus as they knew that only Jesus could change their situation.

– We should be willing to pay a prize because faith is also as important as prayer. The higher the cost paid in our lives, the higher the difference in our lives.

– Jesus is concerned about forgiving and healing us from our sins ie spiritual healing more than the physical healing. When we hurt a person, we are hurting God because he/she is also God’s wonderful creation.

– What we know about God sets the foundation for God’s work in our lives. E.g. Do we believe that God can heal us, then He can surely heal us. We can receive only what we believe.

– Jesus made the paralytic man’s weakness into his strength ie the mat on which he was lying for years had today become the symbol of his strength in just fraction of seconds. God can change our weakness into His strength.

– When God turns up, we will have peace. The paralytic man and his friends found peace when Jesus showed up in their lives. When Jesus shows up, we will see miracles just as the paralytic man was completely healed.

– We need to make one confession every day and in our every situation “Yes Lord, I trust You” which affirms our strong faith in God.

– When we submit our situations to God, He will surely turn it into a blessing and a powerful testimony for people around us.

– God can make us walk with honour through the same crowd which didn’t let us in just as He brought honour to both the paralytic man as well as his four friends.

– Jesus is able to do the impossible if we allow Him to work into our lives. God can change our weakness into His strength. God can turn our shame into His glory. God can make us walk with honour among the very people who put us down. Are you willing to follow this Jesus who can change you life forever?

PASTOR ALWIN

THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP

Passage for meditation — John 10:1-18

Background

Here, Jesus is speaking to the group of Pharisees and His disciples near the temple. The people of that time or at least the Pharisees and teachers of the law are aware of this figure of speech about God being the shepherd and Israel being the sheep. This analogy has been used many times in the Old Testament. Jesus reveals Himself as the Good Shepherd and we as the sheep.

What does the Shepherd do?

  1. i) He goes into the sheepfold through the door i.e. He is authorised. He may be the owner of the sheep or a person employed to tend the sheep. God is our shepherd and we are His own.
  2. ii) He calls his sheep by name.  Isa 43:1 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Jesus is our great shepherd and He calls each one of us by name.

iii) He leads them out. God leads us in all the ways of our lives.

  1. iv) He goes before them and protects them. Jesus always goes before us, so if we are going through any difficulty, remember that our God has already been through it. (v-4)

What does the Good Shepherd do?

  1. i) He lays down his life for the sheep, just as Jesus laid down His life for each one of us. (v-11)
  2. ii) He brings the other sheep also into His fold as written in Ezekiel 34:16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed.

– Jesus is the door of salvation for anyone who believes.

– The sheep can go in and out and find pasture. There is always afety and nourishment in Jesus.

– Sheepfold is a secure place. The gathering of saints is called the church. Church represents God’s Sheepfold, where Jesus Himself is the door to salvation. (v-9)

– The good shepherd reaches out to the sheep who are not in the fold.

Who is a Thief and a robber?

– Any person who comes through another way. Anybody who is not from God is a thief and a robber.  

– Church we need to be aware of the different ways for thieves and robbers come.

– A person who does not have Jesus has his way, he may be a sweet talker, a good orator, a good musician, a singer. He could be a thief or a robber, who will take you away from sheepfold and distract you from the shepherd himself.

– Be aware of all these positive thinkers, yogis. Listen carefully to what they are teaching.

Their intention is to steal, kill and destroy.

  1. i) Steal us away from the safety of the sheepfold.
  2. ii) Kill the joy, peace that we have

iii) Destroy the unity and the love we have among us.

Who is the Sheep?

– We are the sheep.  

– We might have several voices around us but the ultimate voice for the sheep/us should be the voice of our shepherd.

We as a sheep need to

–          “Know the voice of your shepherd”.

–          “Listen to the voice of your shepherd”.

–          “follow the shepherd”.

–          “Flee from the stranger”.

– Our God is a good shepherd. He wants everyone to have His salvation or the comfort of His Sheepfold.

As God declares in Ezekiel 34:16 “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice”,  Jesus is our Good Shepherd who left everything and came to seek and save lost sheep like us.

PRAYER (INTIMACY WITH GOD) – PASTOR ANN GEORGE (POOJA)

What is a prayer?
– Prayer is a place where we battle it out for others – the war room but prayer is also developing an intimacy with God 

Why do we need to pray?
– Prayer is for us: for us to get to know and experience GodWhen we read the portion Ephesians 3: 12-20 from The Bible, we can learn the following things;

  1. God wants us to know that we can fearlessly come to God without any guilt.
  2. God wants us to approach Him with freedom and confidence.
  3. God wants us to enter in His presence with an assurance of His goodness and joy.
  4. God wants us to become more and more intimate with Him just as a man and a wife are with each other. There is no barrier in that relationship.
  5. God wants to strengthen our inner being.
  6. God wants us to be rooted and established in the soil of His marvellous love which is needed for a human spirit to grow.
  7. God wants us to feel, understand and grow in God’s love.
  8. God promises us a helper (comforter, advocate, intercessor, counsellor, strengthened, standby) in John 15:26
  9. God wants to teach us and help us remember all His promises.
  10. Jesus went up to the mountain alone when it was evening. We too need that time alone with God.
  11. God wants us to develop an intentional intimacy with Him.
  12. The Lord is intentionally training us to be in His presence.
  13. We can get healing from all our past hurts when we develop that intimacy with God.
  14. God can give us the wisdom to share His love with others.
  15. God wants us to be present, be open and be willing to be worked upon by Him.
  16. God desires to develop an intimacy with us to root us in His love so that we can love others unconditionally.
  17. As written in Hebrew 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Faith is to believe that God exists and to understand that God cares and this will come only out of our own intimate times with God. When we grow in our faith, God gives us the burden to intercede for others, which in turn makes our prayers powerful.

    Prayer is also developing an intimacy with God…only a spouses can tell the correct things about each other because they spend time together, love together, know together etc and similarly God wants us to develop that kind of an intimacy with God.

Take intentional measures to spend time with God. Develop your intimacy with God