Apostolic Grace Church

Sinful Nature

2023-01-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

Do Christians have a Sinful Nature?

Ever heard the one about how you have two natures wrestling inside you and the one that dominates is the one you feed the most?

It’s not true.

Christian, you do not have a sinful nature. One with the Lord, you have a new heart and a new mind with new desires (1 Cor. 2:16). As a new creation, you get to share in the divine nature of Christ (2 Pet. 1:4).

You don’t have a sinful nature, but the devil would love for you to think that you do.He will tell you that you are wicked and inclined to sin. The devil wants you resisting yourself because then you won’t resist him.

“Die to yourself daily.” Heard that one? It’s one of the devil’s best lines. So many churchgoers are trying to die daily because they don’t what happened to them at the cross:

Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him… (Romans 6:6)

Your old self is gone. The person you used to be died with Christ (Col. 2:20). The moment you came to the Lord you were baptized by the Spirit into his death and resurrection (Rom. 6:6–10). Your old self was nailed to the cross and no longer lives.

You don’t need to die daily. Once was enough.

The difference between your old self and the person you are now is found in three words: Christ in you.

Formerly you were inclined to follow the flesh down the well-worn path of self-destruction. But now the indwelling Spirit of God helps you to live whole and righteously.

Formerly, you were corrupted by the sinful choices you made. But now the incorruptible seed of the living Word is bearing good fruit in your life.

Why do I still sin?

Although Christians don’t have a sinful nature, we can be tempted to sin just as Adam and Eve were tempted. When we give into that temptation, perhaps because we have forgotten who we are or because we are not resting in Christ, the result is sin (Jas. 1:14–15)

But unlike Adam and Eve we are not alone in our struggle against temptation. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit. It’s us and Him versus the Tempter. It’s a totally unfair fight against an already-defeated enemy.

With God on your side, how can you lose?

From time to time we all make mistakes. But when you stumble, the Lord is right there to pick you up and speak in your defense (1 John 2:1).

How do I stop sinning?

When we come to Jesus we are set free from sin, but we may need to unlearn some sinful habits. The Bible calls this laying aside the old self and being renewed in the spirit of our minds (Eph. 4:22–23).

If in your former life you were a judgmental bully, by the grace of God you can become kind and compassionate.

If you were bitter and unforgiving, you can learn to forgive others as Christ forgave you.

You were not born bitter and judgmental; you learned these bad habits. And since you learned them, by the grace of God you can unlearn them.

It may seem that sin has a strong grip on your life, but God’s grace is stronger still. Where sin abounds, his grace super-abounds.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)

Christians do many things in response to sin; we confess our sins, we hold ourselves accountable for our sins, we discuss our sins. We pray against sin, preach against sin, and warn against sin.

But when it comes to sin, there is one thing we must do above all, and that is reckon ourselves dead to it.

When sin comes knocking, don’t open the door.

When sin calls, don’t answer.

A dead person cannot react and cannot be tempted by sin.

Alive to God

That is the first part of the verse, here is the second: reckon yourself alive to God in Christ Jesus. Once upon a time, we were disconnected from the life that is in Christ (Col. 1:21). But now we enjoy fellowship and intimacy with the One who knows us better than we know ourselves.

In Christ, the deepest longings of our heart are fulfilled.Every one of us wants to feel truly alive, to be full of life, energy, and purpose. Not merely existing but connecting, thriving, and being everything God made us to be.

This is the life we have in union with the Lord.

To be “alive to God” is knowing and being known, and it’s loving and being loved. It is seeing the touch of God in everything you do and in everyone you meet.

This new life begins with a revelation of God your Father and yourself as his dearly-loved child.

God delights in you. He rejoices over you with singing. You are the apple of his eye. When you know Who is for you, it changes everything (Rom. 8:31).

No one who abides in him sins. (1 John 3:6a)

Those who abide or make their home in the sinless Son drop their sinful habits like rotten garments.

No one who is born of God practices sin, because his seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9)

One with the Lord, you are a sinner no more. John is not saying you will never sin (see 1 John 2:1). He is saying it is not in your new nature to sin. Sinning has lost its appeal. Having been set free from your old way of life, you no longer want to sin.

And why would you, when you have found something better by far.

Spiritual warfare

2019-05-05T05:00:00.002-07:00

Spiritual warfare

The different between deliverance and spiritual warfare:

The difference between deliverance and spiritual warfare is that deliverance is dealing with demonic bondages, and getting a person set free, whereas spiritual warfare is resisting, overcoming and defeating the enemy's lies (in the form of deception, temptations and accusations) that he sends our way. Deliverance involves the breaking up of legal grounds, the tearing down of strongholds , and the casting out of demons. Spiritual warfare on the other hand, is dealing with three key things the enemy sends at us: temptations, deception and accusations.

Offensive vs. defensive warfare

Spiritual warfare comes in two ways: offensive and defensive. Offensive warfare is tearing down the strongholds the enemy has formed in your mind through deception and accusations, and defensive warfare is guarding yourself against the tactics or schemes of the devil.

The enemy's three primary weapons

There are three things that we can expect from the devil. The Bible tells us that we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against demonic forces. Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The three primary things we struggle against include:

1. Deception: To deceive somebody means to make another person believe a lie or something that is not true. When the enemy sends deception your way, it is an attempt to deceive you into believing something that is not true, so you will fall into error. Strongholds are built through deception. A stronghold is formed when deception takes hold in a person's mind. A stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern that stems from believing something that is not true.

From the very beginning, Satan deceived Eve into believing that God's Word was not true. In Genesis 3:4, the devil told her that she will not surely die as God said she would in Genesis 2:17.

2. Temptation: Temptation often follows deception. First the enemy tells us, "You won't surely die!", then he makes the fruit on the forbidden tree look good to us. Since Eve accepted Satan's deception (his lie), now the tree that she was not supposed to touch looked good to her. She was tempted (enticed) to sin, because she allowed herself to first be deceived. Temptation is when we are enticed or encouraged to sin in one way or another.

In Matthew 4, Jesus was led out in the desert to be tempted by the devil. The devil tried to convince Jesus that it would be harmless to jump off a building. Jesus saw through Satan's deception, and resisted the temptation by speaking God's Word. King David said in Psalms 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

When the enemy tempts you, he's showing you the worm... but behind that worm is a hook. The Word of God helps you see the hook behind the worm.

3. Accusations: The devil is known as the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). He is known to take a believer who has done an embarrassing or gross sin in their past, and continue to rub it in their faces and beat them down with guilt and condemnation over their past.

Dealing with deception

We have two weapons to deal with deceptions: the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14) and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) which is the Word of God. Both are truth, which is found in God's Word, so why are they given two different names (a sword and a belt)? Because one is meant to be defensive (the belt), while the other is meant to be offensive (the sword). This means that the Word of God is both an offensive and a defensive weapon. A belt is something you wear to guard against an attack, while a sword is used to slaughter the enemy.

You use the belt of truth (God's Word) to guard against the enemy's deception (lies) he sends your way, while you use the sword of the Spirit (also God's Word) to tear down existing strongholds (deception that took hold) in your mind.

In Romans 12:2, we are told to "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." How do we renew our minds? By getting in God's Word! In Ephesians 5:26, this process is referred to as washing of water by the Word: "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word."

Dealing with temptation

In James 4:7, we are told to resist the devil and he will flee from us. But it's not that simple; in the same verse, we are also told to draw near to God. Dealing with temptation is a two fold process of resisting the devil and drawing near to God. The closer you get to God and the more you become aware of His love, the less power temptation will have over you.

James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (The context of those verse is clearly speaking of temptation).

Dealing with accusations

The fiery darts of the enemy in Ephesians 6:16 are accusations sent our way. For example, when the devil tries to accuse us of our past sins, we are to have faith in the work of the cross and know that they are forgiven and not to look back. Faith is what we use to put out the fiery darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16). We are not to meditate about our pasts, because they have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), and our sins have been forgotten (Hebrews 10:17).

Ephesians 6:14, "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth (knowing your sins have been forgiven through your faith in the work on the cross), and having on the breastplate of righteousness (not our righteousness obviously, but the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus);"

Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), but because of the work of the cross, we can receive the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22, Galatians 3:6). Therefore when the enemy tries to remind you of your past, tell him it's been washed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), your sins have been forgotten (Hebrews 10:17) and you have the righteousness of God (Romans 3:22)!

The tearing down of strongholds

A stronghold is deception that's taken hold in a person's mind. It's an incorrect thinking pattern based on a believed lie. People can get incorrect perceptions of God by listening to Satan as he tells them how God doesn't love them, etc. People can feel like dirty old sinners when they believe Satan's accusations as he continually reminds them of their past (which has been washed away!). Strongholds are based on lies from the devil. They can come in the form of deception or accusations. Accusations always lead to guilt and the feeling of unworthiness, which weighs you down and tears you apart spiritually.

Since strongholds are built upon lies that we have been fed, the way we tear down strongholds is by feeding on the truth (in God's Word), which is the opposite of what the enemy has been feeding us. If the enemy has been feeding us a lie, we need to stop eating the lie and start feeding ourselves the truth. The weapon we use to tear down strongholds is found in Ephesians 6:17, "...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." A sword is an offensive weapon and is meant to tear down and kill the enemy's troops. Strongholds are the devil's assets in war, and he uses them against us. Take up the sword of the Spirit (God's Word) today, and start slaughtering the enemy's assets that he's been using against you!

Gospel of Grace!

2018-07-27T21:33:00.002-07:00

Gospel of Grace!

Introduction:

There is relations between grace and faith. Grace--given everything; faith--taking everything. If nothing is given, we can't take anything.

{E.g..God has given everything through heavenly relam or spiritual world, we should take it through our Faith, it's working like a bridge to connect spiritual world and physical world}

This teaching is related to faith. We need deep revelation about grace of God. Many doesn't know about grace, they always problem with receiving because they thought their works only giving everything, they confused with grace with deeds and finally they concluded everything we will receive according to our works-good works! If we approach God according to our good works, there is no room for faith!

At the same time Grace and worthiness can't dwell each..E.g.. Ismael and Isaac (Gal 4)

Paul was a good writer, he starts with problem of sin, fall of man and how he became sinner, finally he concluded "no one is righteous in the world" after that in 3 chapter he gave the solution in verse 24.

Problem of man: Man has fallen into sin and he became sinner, he can't stand before God and he can't relationship with Him. God will not look sin, He can't fellowship with sinner, He expect a holy and righteous man like Him but it's impossible because no one is righteous in the world. Law underlined all this truth and God gave ten commandments it's called higher commandments, if we fulfill all commandments we can stand before Him, the problem is man can't fulfill all commandments even he fulfilled 9 commandments its not fulfilled in the sight of God, 90% is failed mark in sight of God(James.2:10)

He designed like that, deliberately he gave ten commandments, man should know and realize that he can't able and has no remedy for problem of sin!

God demands a man like Him holy, perfect and righteous. Whole humanity needs this qualification but the problem is no one is righteous and holy!

How can get this qualifications, where can get this qualifications, through Gospel of grace we get all answers. Here only we see the different between religion and Christianity, in all religion problem is same, they talks about sin but they used to tell "if you do this you will get salvation" the list goes on...they adopt this method to find God but Christianity states that problem was big and God has to tell the solution because no man has solution, if even he has solution but can't fulfill. God has to come and give solution this is teaching of Gospel! So God sent His son, He died behalf on whole humanity and redeemed from all sins on the cross! If we believe redemption work of God on the cross, the righteous of son of God will be giving like a garment, Jesus' perfect moral character(holy and righteous) will be given like garment those who believe Lord Jesus! This is the Gospel we can't understand in our narrow mind, it has done according to God's wisdom. Now our defects will not shown outside because we are clothed by His holiness and righteousness like garment, we didn't do anything but God has done everything, religion is demands big list "what should do, shouldn't do" but Gospel is revealed what God has done! God never thinks man is lazy he can't do anything but God only can do remedy for the sins of the world, no man can't do remedy for sin even he give his life. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, all the sacrifice in old testament speaks about Him only! We can't add anything to God's redemption work on the cross, simply we receive and accept plainly by faith!

By Grace...In Greek "Charis" which means "charity" a man gives as much as possible to a unworthy man, same way God also gives everything to a unworthy sinner!

Romans.3:24--four things…

1.Justification 2.Freely

3.By grace 4.Through redemption

Today many people feel hard to get anything from the Lord because they feel their unworthiness but the doesn't know grace of God, he has given everything to humanity no place for qualifications. We should come out past things and understand revelation about amazing grace then only we have clear mind to draw near God by faith!

1.Justification: First we should understand verse Rom.3:23..it says all are sinned against God no one righteous to get anything from Lord but verse 24 says good news that we have eternal life by grace.

"Fallen short of glory of God"...if we run a race up to one mile but we stopped in the middle and condemned because we didn't complete, same way God expects something from us but we are unable to complete the task and became condemned according to law, now we are like criminal before God can't escape from His wrath so God justified this type of wretched sinner!

What is justification?

It's not all sins are forgiven, forgiveness is another subject.

"God has to certify that we are righteous and qualified to fulfill all His demands and came to standards which God expects"

E.g...a criminal in the jail--judge has to tell he is innocent according to law.

Only forgiveness is not solve problem of sin, God is going beyond forgiveness and He sees and declared us no guilty! or He sees us innocent and never sin against God through the perfection of His son Jesus Christ!

2.Freely: why He justified us? What is the motive? Is God made righteous us according to our goodness? No..never!! Actually there is no reason behind His redemption work, it's purely His love because God is love!

3.By Grace: John.3:16-- God loved "this much"...God gave His best Son to the wretched humanity even He can't give more than Jesus!

a.Grace is sovereign (Rom.9)

God may bless and exalt anyone, we can't ask any question.

b.Grace is unconditional..God never demand or any condition for Blessing. The world may see something in us but God never see any goodness in us still He loves us. Angeles are eagerly looking this amazing grace. If a man goes to hell, people will not surprise because wages of sin is death but if a man enter into heaven, it's difficult to understand that how can a sinful man entered in heaven, that's the grace of God!

d.Grace is exhaustive...The grace gives not only eternal life, but it gives power to over sin, enable to access all blessings in the world which God has kept for us!

e.Grace is costly...grace is free gift but its not cheap, why God wants to give freely because we can't buy even we sold everything, it's so expensive!

What's that price...Jesus' life and blood without blemish because of this price we got great salvation!

4.Through Redemption...In Greek commonly used a word "agarso" which means buy a slave in the market.

What is redemption: God has paid price freely and bought us and made His own people but in Rom.3:24 the word redemption is used different meaning..God has bought and release all our bondages and He accept "His beloved in Christ" in the God's family..."You are free to stay with me" (E.g. prodigal son-Luke.15) so, redemption is not only justified it's also accepted in God's family and enjoy all blessings, what a Amazing grace!!

If we add any qualification to this Gospel it's called to be another Gospel!

1 How does the concept of grace make Christianity different from other world religions?
When grace happens, we receive not a nice compliment from God but a new heart. Give your heart to Christ, and he returns the favor. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you"(Ezek.36:26).. let's see these prepositions: Christ for me, with me, ahead of me. And I knew I was working beside Christ, under Christ, with Christ. But I never imagined that Christ was in me. No other religion or philosophy makes such a claim. No other movement implies the living presence of its founder in his followers. Muhammad does not indwell Muslims. Buddha does not inhabit Buddhists. The Christian is a person in whom Christ is happening.

2. How grace as aggressively moving toward us.
Rather than tell us to change, he creates the change. Do we clean up so he can accept us? No, he accepts us and begins cleaning us up. Grace is God as heart surgeon, cracking open your chest, removing your heart—poisoned as it is with pride and pain—and replacing it with his own. His dream isn't just to get you into heaven but to get heaven into you.

3. What's the difference between grace and mercy?
Grace goes beyond mercy. Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance. Grace threw him a party. Mercy prompted the Samaritan to bandage the wounds of the victim. Grace prompted him to leave his credit card as payment for the victim's care. Mercy forgave the thief on the cross. Grace escorted him into paradise. Mercy pardons us. Grace woos and weds us.

4. The concept of saving grace is familiar to many people. What about sustaining grace?
Saving grace saves us from our sins. Sustaining grace meets us at our point of need and equips us with courage, wisdom, and strength. It surprises us in the middle of our difficulties with ample resources of faith. Sustaining grace does not promise the absence of struggle but the presence of God. And according to Paul, God has sufficient sustaining grace to meet every single challenge of our lives.

Can a believer be demon-possessed?

2018-07-22T23:39:00.001-07:00

Can a believer be demon-possessed?
On the face of the following plain and positive promises of God, it is inconceivable how a child of God can be demon-possessed—

"There is no sorcery against Jacob, nor is there any divination against Israel" (Num 23:23).

"I give you authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Lk 10:18,19).

"My sheep hear My voice... My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand" (Jn 10:27-29).

"He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 Jn 4:4).

A believer may be afflicted or even controlled by demons in certain areas of his being, but he can never be owned as an unbeliever can be. We may be deceived, oppressed and obsessed but never possessed (Mt 24:24; 1 Pet 5:8,9). Demons may influence our thoughts, emotions and actions when we fail to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Peter was once thoroughly influenced by Satan (Mt 16:23). A post-Pentecost example can be Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:3,9). But none of these was possession.

Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and evil spirits can never coexit (2 Cor 6:15,16). The Holy Spirit can be resisted, grieved and quenched. But He does not quit us when we sin. Even under the Old Covenant, David after his sin did not pray to get back the Holy Spirit. Rather he pleaded with God not to take away the Spirit from him (Psa 51:11).

Jesus was zealous for the Temple (Mt 21:12,13). So also the Holy Spirit is possessive of our bodies. He will not vacate a body that is purchased with the precious blood of Jesus, and leave it to the archenemy of God (1 Pet 1:18,19; Eph 4:30). Vacating even a tenant is difficult these days! Is it possible for a lesser power to vacate the Divine Owner? "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a flag against him" (Isa 59:19).

Passages like Ephesians 6:10-18 stress the need for believers to be fully armed and be on constant alert to counterattack the enemy. The fullness of the Spirit and of the Scriptures is the insurance against demon-possession. When believers backslide, break fellowship with other believers, become involved in sinful and occult practices, and turn a deaf ear to the repeated warnings of the Scriptures and the Spirit, they are voluntarily walking into the danger zone.

Certain cases of believers possessed with evil spirits are reported these days. There are too many factors involved in it to give a simplistic explanation. In the absence of any clearcut Biblical example after the commencement of the New Covenant, we cannot establish a truth based on uncommon instances.

Biblical view of Perfection!

2018-07-20T18:06:00.001-07:00

Biblical view of Perfection
Perfection is understood in the New Testament as growth and maturity. Apostle Paul speaks of personal perfection as well as corporate perfection as an ongoing process. "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on" (Phil 3:12-15). "Till we all come... to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ... may grow up in all things" (Eph 4:13-15).

The New Testament speaks about the "standing" as well as the "state" of God's children. Our standing is our position in Christ; our state refers to our practice. Here are a few examples: By standing "all" believers are saints before God (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:1; etc). At the same time, we are called to be holy and walk holy (1 Pet 1:15,16). According to our standing, we are already complete in Christ (Col 2:10; but we are to "be made complete" in our state (2 Cor 13:9).

Our life in Christ can be divided into three experiences. The first one is Justification or Salvation or Rebirth, which is a crisis experience. Next is Sanctification, which is an ongoing process. Finally, there is Glorification, which will again be a crisis experience. Now we are between the crisis experiences, one past and the other future. We can further understand sanctification by looking at its three aspects. First, positional sanctification (1 Cor 1:30); second, progressive sanctification (2 Cor 3:18; Phil 1:6); third, prospective sanctification (1 Thess 5:23). Thus our sanctification will be complete at the Second Coming of Christ. At that time, our standing and state will perfectly agree. They will become one.

We do not reach a state of sinless perfection now. The saintly Apostle John wrote, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn 1:8). As God's children with His seed in us, we will not practice sin, though at times we may yield to temptations (1 Jn 2:29; 3:5-10). We are to at once confess our sin to God, be cleansed and walk in victory claiming the promises and power of God (1 Jn 1:9; 1 Pet 2:3,4; Rom 6:14).

In the light of the New Testament, the perfect Christian is just a growing and mature Christian. Some of his marks are—

Love for the unlovables (Mt 5:43-45)
Detachment from materialism (Mt 19:20,21)
Control of the tongue (Js 3:2)
Patience in suffering (Heb 2:10)
Spiritual discernment (1 Cor 2:6; 13-15)
Oneness with believers (Eph 4:11-13)
Christlikeness in character (Lk 6:40)

Perfection means growing from holiness to holiness, righteousness to righteousness, and victory to victory, by looking to Jesus (Rev 22:11b). When we finally meet Him, "we shall be like Him!"

Can I know I am saved?

2018-07-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

Can I know I am saved?

Yes, salvation is both a present reality and a future prospect. Apostle John writes, "We KNOW that we have passed from death to life" and "We KNOW that we are of God" (1 Jn 3:14; 5:19).

When you receive Christ and believe on Him you are given the right to become a child of God (Jn 1:12). You are saved (Acts 16:31). Your sins are forgiven and you are washed by the blood of Jesus (Rev 1:5). This assurance is yours by the Holy Spirit. He bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God (Rom 8:16). For this purpose He primarily employs the written Word of God (Jn 20:31).

There will be certain positive indications when a person is saved. The guilt is gone and there is the joy of Salvation. A new love for God and His Word is born. Prayer becomes a delight. A desire to live holy is manifest. The very outlook on life is changed. Fellowship with the children of God is pleasant. A burden for the salvation of others is usually felt. These things may not manifest to the full measure, but as a newborn child you will start growing in these things.

Salvation actually belongs to three tenses. Salvation past is deliverance from the penalty of sin (Rom 6:23). Salvation present is deliverance from the power of sin (Rom 6:14). And salvation future is deliverance from the very presence of sin (Rev 21:27). Salvation today is not absence of temptations. Therefore don't be alarmed at the increasing measure of temptations. Temptation is not sin, only yielding to temptation is.

The devil is a liar (Jn 8:44). Turn a deaf ear to him. Suppose you fall in a temptation he will immediately whisper that you are no more a child of God (Rom 8:33,34). But remember you don't lose your sonship if you sin. Only the fellowship with God is affected. Confess the sin and be cleansed at once (1 Jn 1:7-9). You are safe and secure in the hands of God. No one can snatch you away (Jn 10:28,29). Rejoice!

What Bible says about Deliverance ministry?

2018-07-16T18:46:00.002-07:00

What Bible says about Deliverance ministry?

If you are a soulwinning Christian you are already doing deliverance ministry, because salvation from sin is the greatest deliverance Jesus came to bring for mankind (Mt 1:21). It is erroneously thought that only those who are involved in the ministry of praying for the sick and casting out demons are in the deliverance ministry. This is only a part of the wholistic deliverance the Bible speaks about. A Biblical ministry of deliverance includes atleast seven aspects—

a) Deliverance from the bondage of the Law

Even though Christ has delivered us from the bondage of the Old Testament Law, numerous Christians do not enjoy the liberty in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2,3; Gal 5:18). They live under the yoke of legalism which says, "Touch not, Taste not, Handle not!" (Col 2:20-22; Gal 5:1). This is due to a lack of understanding of the difference between Law and Grace (Jn 1:17). They never bubble with the joy of salvation. A spirit of gloominess and heaviness will surround them. They can be delivered from this state only through a practical exposition of Apostle Paul's Epistles like Romans, Galatians and Colossians.

b) Deliverance from the power of sin

Deliverance from the penalty of sin is instant at rebirth, but deliverance from the power of sin is a moment-by-moment exercise. This is otherwise called walking in the Spirit to overcome the works of the flesh (Gal 5:16-25). By "standing" we are already perfect and complete in Christ (Col 2:10); but by "state" we are growing into perfection (Col 1:28). Our sinful nature is not "eradicated" from us in this earthly life, but we can be "emancipated" from its power by the indwelling Christ and His Spirit. Without the knowledge of this liberating truth, Christians live miserably under guilt and condemnation (Rom8:1,33,34).

c) Deliverance from the curse of sickness

Though all sickness is not the direct result of sin in an individual's life, there was no sickness or death before our first parents sinned. Jesus commanded His disciples to heal the sick when He sent them to preach the gospel (Mt 10:7,8; Lk 9:2). Even though all may not be bestowed with the "gifts of healings," any Christian believer can "lay hands on the sick" and offer the "prayer of faith" (1 Cor 12:30; Mk 16:18; Js 5:15,16). Medical work done in the spirit and compassion of Christ is not inferior to miracle healing. God is the Healer in any case.

d) Deliverance from the oppressions of the devil

The devil plays havoc in the lives of people who know not God. Christ came to "destroy the works of the devil" (1 Jn 3:8b). Some Christians are exceptionally used by God in exorcism, but every Christian has the "authority" over the "power" of the enemy (Lk 10:19). Demons obeyed the seventy disciples of Christ even when they had least expected it (v17). He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 Jn 4:4). Stay full of the Holy Spirit and deliver people from demonic oppression and demon possession (Acts 10:38). Learn from mature Christians and be a part of a team as you set out to deliver people.

e) Deliverance from social bondage

The prophets of old invariably called God's people to fight for justice on behalf of the poor, the fatherless and the widows and deliver them from the oppressors (Isa 1:17; Am 5:15,24). Patriarch Job testified, "I broke the fangs of the wicked and plucked the victim from his teeth" (Job 29:17,12-16). Missionary William Carey (1761-1834) alongwith Rajaram Mohan Roy crusaded against the "sati" system and persuaded the Government of India to ban it. Missionary Amy Carmichael (1861-1951) fought against temple prostitution. It is for such daring acts that the Lord has "anointed" us (Isa 61:1). Do whatever you can to enlighten the minds of people to be delivered from superstitious fears (Isa 42:6,7). There are more and bigger thieves outside the prison than inside. Ministry to prisoners is Christly (Lk 4:18; Heb 13:3).

f) Deliverance from bad habits

Even after a genuine experience of rebirth lots of individuals are unable to come out of certain addictive habits like smoking and drinking. The cry of these people is, "Don't tell me why; show me how!" If you desire to help them, you need lot of patience and compassion. Never condemn them and add guilt to their burden. Meditation and memorisation of the Scriptures, fullness of the Holy Spirit, close fellowship with believers, kind shepherding, good reading and busy occupations are the rehabilitation helps to be offered. All deliverance may not be instant. Give a helping hand to voluntary organisations which are committed to help such victims. There's nothing unspiritual about such partnership.

g) Deliverance from doctrinal deceptions

Doctrinal deception is a killing captivity. Paul says that one can escape this "snare of the devil" only if he comes back to his senses (2 Tim 2:24-26). Too many Christians are unaware that they hear only "doctrines of demons" from several pulpiteers who speak under the anointing of "deceiving spirits" (1 Tim 4:1). Bold Bible teachers are wanted to confront these agents of Lucifer and deliver people from their craftiness so they may not be "destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos 4:6). There is too much of preaching and too little teaching these days. Though not from a pulpit to large gatherings, give yourself to share sound doctrinal truths with individuals and small groups. This is the deliverance ministry desperately needed in the Church today.

2018-07-16T03:27:00.001-07:00

How to overcome distractions in Prayer?

Prayer is the underlying power to effectively wield any weapon of the whole armour of God (Eph 6:13-18). Therefore the devil does all that's possible to weaken our knees or divert our mind. Here's how you can defeat his mind-oriented strategy.

Apart from maintaining a spirit of prayer "always" and "without ceasing," choose that hour for prayer when you are really fresh. Prayer involves mind, spirit, soul and all. Jesus often chose the early hours of the day for His secret communion with the Father (Mk 1:35). Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), the pioneer missionary to China, spent several hours in private devotion each morning before the sun rose. When we are physically and mentally exhausted, concentration in prayer is rather difficult.

Prayer means going to the Throne of Grace. We have access to the same by the blood of Christ. A conscious acknowledgement of the power and the merits of the Blood gives us a strong footing against the enemy. Satan trembles when we appropriate the blessings of Christ's blood and make positive confessions (Heb 4:14-16; Rev 12:11).

Our prayers must be wrapped up in praise and thanksgiving. God inhabits the praises of His people (Psa 22:3). When the presence of God becomes more and more real, we get absorbed in the spirit of prayer, and distraction is overcome (Phil 4:6). I have found switching over to praying or praising in tongues with the Spirit's enablement quite helpful, because I thus byepass the mind (1 Cor 14:14).

When there is no focus in prayer, your mind will begin to wander. Be definite and specific about your requests. Keeping a prayer list and praying over the items one by one is effective.

There is no command in the Bible to close our eyes in prayer! Dr. Oswald J. Smith (1889-1986), a great missionary statesman of Canada, used to walk up and down in his prayer closet with his eyes open and praying aloud. He testified that he had walked several miles inside his prayer room! As far as possible one must choose a place where there is least disturbance and noise from the outside world. Jesus has taught us to shut the door of our room before we begin to pray! (Mt 6:6). If you cannot afford to have a room in your house for prayer, choose a corner! In any case, don't forget to disengage the telephone and switch off your mobile!

Prayer is a conversation. I have found praying with an open Bible extremely helpful. Reading and praying and reading and praying... (Dan 9:1-3).

In spite of following all these guidelines, you still may have the problem of distraction in prayer. Yes, prayer is a battle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers of the demonic kingdom. The moment you get a distracting thought, arrest it at once. Give no time to meditate it. Keep resisting the devil and he will flee from you (Js 4:7). In-the-Name-of-Jesus is not a phrase to begin or end a prayer. It is our very authority and foundation for prayer (Jn 14:13). Pray with this consciousness throughout.

While Christ is up there in Heaven by the right hand of the Father to pray for us, we have the Holy Spirit within us helping us and interceding for us (Rom 8:26,34). We are to be sincere and persistent and God will take care of the rest. Pray when you feel like praying; pray when you don't feel like praying; pray until you feel like praying!

Prepare to meet your God!

2018-07-15T08:57:00.003-07:00

Prepare to meet your God!

This message is a comprehensive presentation of what the Bible teaches about the Second Coming of Christ and how you can become ready to meet Him. God loves you and longs to have you with Him in Heaven and enjoy eternal bliss forever and ever. He does not desire that you spend your eternity in hell. Dear friend, I plead with you to read carefully whatever is written here. It takes only thirty minutes. There are about 250 Bible references in this write-up. You don’t need to necessarily turn to all the references in the first reading. You may open your Bible and look at the verses in the subsequent readings. You will be thrilled to find out that things are so. This is a matter of “life or death,” “Heaven or Hell.” You cannot afford to take risks here. I pray that God would open your eyes of understanding as you read through these pages.

The Holy Bible is the Word of God. It contains about 30,000 verses. Over 8000 of these verses contain predictive prophecy. This means, approximately 25% of the Bible foretells future events. That’s why the Bible is also called the “Word of Prophecy” (2 Pet 1:19-21).

The main theme of prophecy in the Bible is Jesus Christ. The last of the 66 Books in the Bible states, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit (= substance, essence) of prophecy” (Rev 19:10). Some prophecies are about the First Coming of Christ, whereas the others are about His Second Coming. The prophecies concerning His First Coming were fulfilled exactly in His Birth, Life, Ministry, Death, Resurrection and Ascension. Here are some examples: His place of birth (Mic 5:2; Lk 2:4,5,7); His virgin birth (Isa 7:14; Lk 1:26,27,30,31); His forerunner (Mal 3:1; Lk 7:24,27); His region of ministry (Isa 9:1,2; Mt 4:13-16); His teaching thro’ parables (Psa 78:2-4; Mt 13:34,35); Rejection by His own people (Isa 53:3; Jn 1:11); Betrayal by His disciple (Psa 41:9; Lk 22:47); False witnesses against Him (Psa 35:11; Mk 14:57); Crucified with two thieves (Isa 53:12; Mk 15:27); Buried with the rich (Isa 53:9; Mt 27:57-60); His Resurrection (Psa 16:10; Mk 16:6,7); and His Ascension (Psa 68:18; Eph 4:8).

Just as the prophecies concerning Christ’s First Coming were fulfilled to the minutest detail, the prophecies about His Second Coming will also be exactly and literally fulfilled. Here are some of these prophecies: (a) As foretold by Christ Himself (Mt 24:30; Mk 13:24-26; Lk 17:23,24; Jn 14:2,3);

(b) As foretold by Angels (Acts 1:10,11); (c) As foretold by Christ’s disciples (Phil 1:6; Col 3:4; 1 Thess 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:16; 5:23; 2 Thess 2:8; Tit 2:13; Heb 9:27,28; Js 5:7,8; 2 Pet 3:9-12; 1 Jn 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14,15; the entire Book of Revelation).

It’s understood from these prophetic passages that there would be several major events associated with the Second Coming of Christ. They are His Secret Coming and the Rapture of the Church (1 Cor 15:51,52; 1 Thess 4:16-18);

Rise of Antichrist (2 Thess 2:1,7,8); Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor 3:13-15; 2 Cor 5:4,10; 1 Pet 5:4); Great Tribulation (Dan 12:1; Mt 24:4-26); Public Return of Christ (Dan 7:9-14; Mt 24:27-30; Rev 19:11-16); His one thousand year Reign on Earth (Isa 11:4-10; Rev 20:4-10); Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-14); Destruction of the Earth by fire (2 Pet 3:5-13; Rev 20:11; 21:1); and the Emerging of New Heaven and New Earth (Isa 60:19-22; 65:17; 66:22; Rev 21:1-22:5).

The Bible Teachers and Christians differ widely in their understanding of the chronology (order) as well as the character (nature) of these events. That’s immaterial. What’s of utmost importance is our PREPARATION for the Second Coming. It’s up to God to take care of these events as to WHEN and HOW and WHERE (Acts 1:6-8). Our part is to be READY for these next major events in God’s prophetic Calendar. The early disciples lived with the every-moment-expectation of the Return of their Lord. So much so, it is said, the word of greeting they exchanged between each other was “Maranatha,” an Aramaic word meaning, “The Lord comes!” Here are 10 vital areas where we must prepare ourselves —

1. Personal Repentance & Second Coming

John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, preached, “Repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Mt 3:2). When Jesus came, His message also was, “Repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Mt 4:17). He has taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come” (Mt 6:10). Referring to various events that would precede His Return, Jesus said, “When you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near” (Lk 21:31).

Dear friend, repent of your sins right now. Confess them to God. He will forgive you totally. The blood of His Son will thoroughly cleanse you (1 Jn 1:7-9). Believe and confess that Christ died for you and rose again. Be baptized in water. You will be saved (Rom 10:9,10; Mk 16:16; 1 Pet 3:21,22). You will receive an inner assurance that you are a child of God (Jn 1:12; Rom 8:16). This is what the Bible calls as Rebirth or New Birth. Jesus said, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3-5). Only when you repent of your sins and be converted, you are ready to meet God (Acts 3:19,20). Throw away your rags of self-righteousness and be clothed with the Robe of Right-eousness of Christ (Isa 64:6; Lk 15:22; Phil 3:4-9). Only then you can join the banquet of the King (Mt 22:11-13).

Forget about the past. God will overlook the “times of ignorance.” But now He commands everyone to repent because judgment is near (Acts 17:30,31). Don’t mistake the delay in the Return of Christ. God is patiently giving you more time to repent (2 Pet 3:9). Do not delay any further (Prov 29:1). Tomorrow may be too late (Prov 27:1; 2 Cor 6:2). Get your name registered right today in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev 21:27; Heb 12:23). When the Books would be opened before God, sitting on the White Throne, if your name is not there, what would you do then? (Rev 20:11,12). Anyone not found in the Book of Life would be cast into the lake of fire (v15).

2. Bible Meditation & Second Coming

While foretelling His disciples the signs of His Coming, Jesus emphatically said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Mt 24:35; Lk 21:33). Everything we see today is temporal, but with one

exception. That’s the Bible! As we are approaching the end of endtime, “floods” of false doctrines will dash against us. Only if our lives are founded on the solid rock of God’s Word, we can escape the disaster (Mt 7:24-27). False teachers and false prophets will outnumber the genuine Bible teachers in the last days (Mt 24:11; 2 Tim 4:1-4).

Saturate yourself with the Scriptures. Spend enough time unhurriedly with the meditation of the Bible. Consult trustworthy Bible teachers to buy reliable Bible study aids. Memorize as many Bible verses as possible. These are “evil days” (Eph 6:13). Satan and all his demonic powers are warring against the children of God (v12). The only weapon of offence that God has placed in our hands is the “Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (v17). Beware of extra-Biblical revelations and experiences (1 Cor 4:6). The Bible is not only supreme but also sufficient (2 Tim 3:14-17). Do not go after visions, dreams, signs, wonders and such spectacular things. They must not be lifted above the written Word (Jer 23:28,29; 2 Thess 2:9-12; Lk 17:20,21).

Christ is the “Bright and Morning Star” (Rev 22:16). Until He reappears, we are to walk in the “light” of God’s Word in this world of “darkness” (2 Pet 1:19-21). We can experience a daily cleansing through the daily meditation of God’s Word. This is how Christ would present us holy and blameless at His Coming (Eph 5:25-27). One of His names in Heaven would be “The Word of God” (Rev 19:13).

3. Holy Life & Second Coming

“Without holiness, no one can see the Lord” (Heb 12:14; Mt 5:8). This earth will be utterly destroyed by fire when “the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Pet 3:10).

After foretelling this global holocaust, Apostle Peter challenges us, “Since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons you must be in holy conduct and godliness!” (v11). Peter further admonishes us to be “diligent to be found before Him without spot or blame” (v14).

Keep your conscience clear before God and man because of the would-be “resurrection of the dead,” the believers for “everlasting life,” and the unbelievers for “everlasting contempt” (Acts 24:15,16; Dan 12:2). When we meet the Lord, we shall be changed into His very likeness. Everyone who has this hope in Him must purify himself, just as He is pure (1 Jn 3:2,3). Nothing unclean can by any means enter Heaven (Rev 21:27; 1 Cor 6:9,10; Gal 5:19-21). Everything in Heaven will be called holy: “Holy angels” (Rev 14:10), “Holy apostles” (18:20), “Holy prophets” (18:20; 22:6), “Holy City” (21:10). The nonstop chorus in Heaven would be, “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Rev 4:8).

Dear friend, never ever become slack in loving goodness and hating evil. The devil can tempt you, but he cannot defeat you without your cooperation. Keep saying no to the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” so you may abide forever in the eternal bliss (1 Jn 2:16,17). Subject yourself to frequent self-examination in the presence of God on your knees. Never be satisfied with your level of holiness. The world will become more and more sinful and wicked. But the call in the last pages of the Bible is, “He who is holy, let him be holy still ... Behold, I am coming quickly” (Rev 22:11,12). Jesus has predicted that the majority would choose the broad way to Hell; only a few would strive to enter the narrow gate to Heaven (Mt 7:13,14). “Abstain from every form of evil ... the God of peace Himself will sanctify you completely ... at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5:22,23). Be absolutely confident that “God who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the Day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).

4. Watchful Prayer & Second Coming

Being watchful in prayer is basic to the preparation for Christ’s Second Coming. After mentioning the difficult days which would precede His Return, He concluded, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Lk 21:36). He has warned us against the things of the world which can crowd out prayer from our lives (v34).

Watchfulness in prayer means taking time to stay in the presence of God and not rushing through this exercise. An hour of prayer each day is only a minimum. The early hours of the day are the best (Psa 63:1; Mk 1:35). The kneeling posture helps better concentration. Kneeling is mentioned all through the Bible as a mark of reverence before the Almighty God (Psa 95:6). People in the Old Testament times knelt down and prayed (2 Chr 6:13; Dan 6:10). Jesus knelt down and prayed (Lk 22:41). His disciples knelt down and prayed (Acts 9:40; 20:36; 21:5). Finally, at the Return of Christ, “every knee shall bow” before Him (Phil 2:10). Kneeling is never outdated.

Adoration, praise and thanksgiving help us maintain a spirit of prayer with vigilance (Col 4:2). Heaven will be a place of non-stop worship (Rev 4:8; 7:11,12; 11:16,17; 15:3,4).

Watchfulness in prayer also means practising the presence of God by a conscious realisation that “Christ is in us, and we are in Him” (Acts 2:25,26; Jn 17:21-23). We just don’t know when Christ would return. It may be in the “morning” or “evening” or “midnight.” So we must always stay watchful (Mk 13:35-37). Many are losing heart in prayer (Lk 18:1); that’s why Jesus lamented, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (v8). Whether our prayers are answered or not, enjoying the sweet fellowship with God is the supreme purpose of prayer (Lk 6:12; 21:37). The “prayers of the saints” are the incense offered before the Throne in Heaven (Rev 5:8; 8:3,4).

5. Relationships & Second Coming

While listing out the signs of His Coming and the end of the age, Jesus foretold, “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Mt 24:12). Apostle Paul added, “In the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves ... unloving, unforgiving, ...” (2 Tim 3:1-5). This is very much true today. God’s people cannot imbibe this spirit.

Jesus said, “This is My Commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). We are to “pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14). “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand” (Phil 4:5). “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” (Js 5:9). “Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes” (1 Cor 4:5). Jesus has warned us that if we abuse anyone verbally, we shall be in danger of judgment and hellfire (Mt 5:22). Beware of backbiting, talebearing, whispering, gossip and the like! The Lord has warned us that for “every” idle word we speak, we must give account in the Day of Judgment (Mt 12:36). Uncontrolled tongue is hellfire (Js 3:6).

Reconcile with the wronged (Mt 5:23,24). Restitute matters (Ezek 33:15). Root out all bitterness from your heart. Forgive freely as God in Christ has forgiven us (Eph 4:32). Die to casteism and regionalism. In Heaven we all will be “like angels” with no distinction whatsoever (Mk 12:25). We will be a single “family” of people from “all nations, tribes, people, and languages ... clothed with white robes” (Eph 3:15; Rev 7:9). Let’s learn coexistence here itself!

Family peace is top priority in relationships because family is the basic unit in the Church or the society (Lk 10:5). Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the Church; and wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord (Eph 5:22-28; Col 3:18,19). God will judge un-faithfulness in marriage (Heb 13:4). Children are to obey their parents; and parents are not to provoke the children (Eph 6:1-4; Col 3:20,21). Pray with tears for your children, because their days would be much more difficult than yours (Lk 23:28,29). As the Forerunner for the Second Coming of Christ, one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers,” before the “great and dreadful Day of the Lord” (Mal 4:5,6). This is in order to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Lk 1:17).

6. Church Fellowship & Second Coming

The Church is the Body of Christ. All those who are born again are its members (1 Cor 12:27). There should be no distinctions, racial or social, within the Church (1 Cor 12:13). The greatest burden of Jesus was the unity of the Church (Jn 17:20,21). That’s why all the New Testament Epistles emphasize unity. The “one-another” passages are simply too many in these Epistles (Rom 12:10; 1 Cor 11:33; Gal 6:2; Eph 4:2; 5:21; Col 3:13; 1 Thess 5:11; Heb 3:13; Js 5:16; 1 Pet 4:10; 1 Jn 3:23). There will be no deno-minational differences in Heaven! Whether you are an Anglican, a Baptist, a Lutheran, a Methodist, a Pentecostal or whatever, all the blood-washed children of God together will be the Bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:6-8). On the face of these glorious things to come, what an awesome responsibility is on us to live in peace with one another!

Of the seven Churches in the Book of Revelation, some Churches were on fire for God, some were lukewarm, and some were about to die (Rev 2 & 3). But Christ did not give up on any Church. Beloved, there are genuine believers in every Church (Rev 3:4). Let’s embrace them all. Gather with God’s people as often as you can. We are warned against “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” in view of the fact that “the Day is approaching” (Heb 10:24,25). Such gatherings should not only be for “worship” but also for “fellowship,” for mutual edification (Acts 2:46,47). Christ is not returning for any individual or an organisation but for the Church.

If you are called to be a Pastor, feed the flock faithfully and don’t feed on them (Ezek 34:2). Be a servant-leader. Do everything cheerfully to your congregation, and not out of compulsion. Spend and be spent for their wellbeing and growth (2 Cor 12:14,15). Be an example to your people. Labour day and night to present every member of your congregation perfect in Christ Jesus (Col 1:28,29). Train and equip them for the ministry (Eph 4:11-13). “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the Crown of Glory” (1 Pet 5:1-4). Don’t sink too much of money in buildings. Mega-structures are not God’s perfect will for the endtime (Mt 24:1,2; Lk 21:5,6). If the congregation grows big, divide

it into smaller and manageable units so several new leaders would emerge. This will also help avoid undesirable vertical splits led by secondliners. Be satisfied with simple functional structures. Let your time and treasure be invested directly on “living stones” (1 Pet 2:4,5). The Heroes of Faith of the past, who were waiting for the “Heavenly City,” moved from “towers to tents,” but we are going from “tents to towers!” (Heb 11:8-10). Is this faith?

7. Stewardship & Second Coming

God has blessed us with time, talents and treasure. We are not owners of these endowments but simply users. At the Second Coming of Christ we will be rewarded according to how we have used these blessings. This is best illustrated by Christ in the Parable of Talents (Mt 25:14-30). There’s no child of God without a talent (v15). We must be “faithful” in using whatever talents God has given us (vv 21,23). Otherwise we will be thrown into “outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v30). The responsibility is even more for those called to leadership (Mt 24:44-51).

Learn to be faithful in “small things.” Be “faithful” at home, in your neighbourhood, in your workspot, in the Church and in your family life. May be you are working in the field or in the kitchen. That makes no difference. The faithful will be taken up when Christ comes, but the unfaithful left out (Mt 24:40,41). Do not overdifferentiate between the spiritual and the secular. Work hard. Be diligent.

The Bible also warns us against overuse of even legitimate blessings, in view of the fact that the world is about to come to an end: 1 Cor 7:29-31, “The time is short, so that

from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. Because, the form of this world is passing away.” This was the lifestyle of the Heroes of Faith of old. They knew that their citizenship was in Heaven, a “Better country,” and their stay here in this world was just a transit (Heb 11:9,10,13-16; Phil 3:20). If we don’t use the earthly riches as God desires, how would He permit us into Heaven to enjoy His heavenly riches? (Lk 16:11). Avoid extravagance in all areas of life. Heaven is for the simple people (Mt 5:3). Christendom is plagued today with a modern teaching which is preoccupied with physical and material blessings (Phil 3:17-19). This is a “different gospel.” The Bible warns us that if we have faith in Christ only for this earthly life, “we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Cor 15:19).

8. Charity & Second Coming

When Jesus returns as a King, He would divide people as “sheep” and “goats.” He would send the sheep to His “right side,” and the goats to His “left.” To those on His right He would say, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: because, I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; ... I was naked and you clothed Me ... Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry ... or thirsty ... or naked?’ The King will answer, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.” But He would send those on His left to “everlasting punishment and fire” because they cared the less for the poor (Mt 25:31-46). Dear friend, can the message be clearer?

In another instance Jesus said, “When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Lk 14:12-14). Heaven will be populated with the have-nots (1 Cor 1:26-29). None of us is too poor to help the poor. If God has given you more than what you need, it is in order that you may pass it on to those in need. You cannot take money with you to Heaven, but you can send it ahead! Saving “treasures in Heaven” is through spending it today for the poor in this world (Mt 6:19-21). The words of Jesus to a rich young man of His time must be shouted aloud in the ears of our modern youngsters who go crazy after fat salaries: “Sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and then come and follow Me” (Mt 19:16-22). Don’t forget the stories of the two rich men we read about in Luke’s Gospel (Lk 12:16-21; 16:19-31). Have you opened an account in the Bank of Heaven? How much is the savings?

9. Sufferings & Second Coming

The last Sermon of Jesus is recorded for us in John 14,15 and 16. This Sermon contains some of His most comforting words for us in this world of suffering and sorrow. Jn 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled ... In My Father’s house are many mansions ... I go to prepare a place for you ... I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also!” Jn 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!” How encouraging that these are respectively the opening and closing words of this Sermon!

There’s no one without suffering in this world. It’s even more for God’s people. By His death on the Cross, Christ has redeemed us from the “curse of the Law” (Gal 3:13). But we are not totally delivered yet from the “curse of the fall,” which includes physical sicknesses, pain and death (Gen 3:16-19). This deliverance will be ours only when Christ returns. About this, see what Apostle Paul writes: “We know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together until now. And not only they, but we also, even though we have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Rom 8:22,23). And he adds, “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (v18). Not now, but only when we would reach the New Heaven and the New Earth, “God would wipe away every tear from our eyes” (Rev 21:1-4). Until then, God’s “grace” is sufficient for us, because His “strength” will be made perfect in weakness, whatever be the “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7-10).

We also may suffer for the sake of godly living and proclaiming the Gospel (Acts 14:22; 2 Tim 3:12; Mt 10:16-22). But if we patiently “endure” all these sufferings, “we shall reign with Christ” (2 Tim 2:11,12). The martyrs would be honoured with the “Crown of Life” (Rev 2:10) and a “white robe” (6:9-11).

Death is the worst enemy of mankind. May be you have lost a dear one. Sorrowing is natural. But we must not sorrow “like those who have no hope” (1 Thess 4:13). We look forward to a day when “the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the

air.” And thus united with our dear ones, “we shall always be with the Lord.” Let’s comfort ourselves and others with these words (vv 16-18).

10. Soulwinning & Second Coming

The basic calling of every Christian is to bring others to Christ (Mt 4:19). We are converted to convert others. We are comforted to comfort others. We are blessed to bless others. There’s no greater service a Christian can render to his fellowmen than to show them the Way to Heaven! We are talking about the Second Coming of Christ; but there are millions who have not heard even about His First Coming. Who is responsible, dear Christian friend? If not you, who?

Christ is the “Saviour” today (1 Tim 1:15). Tomorrow He will come as the “Judge” (2 Tim 4:1). Introduce Christ to the folks now. The Bible says, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly for their ungodly deeds, ungodly way and ungodly words against Him” (Jude 14,15). Let’s plunge into action to “pull them out of this fire” of judgment (vv 22,23). People without Christ are lost, lost forever. Christ is the only Way to Heaven (Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12).

How many years have you been a Christian? How many non-Christians have you brought to Christ so far? Atleast one per year? Go wherever you can to share the Gospel with people — in your neighbourhood, in marketplaces, villages, hospitals and prisons. Join the teams of youth organisations to reach out to young people who are destroying themselves with drugs, illicit sex and porno-graphy. Christ alone can deliver them from these clutches (Jn 8:34,36). Contribute liberally to Missionary agencies which work among the unreached, unchurched, uncivilized, neglected and downtrodden people groups. How shall the Missionaries go to these people unless we send them there? (Rom 10:13-15). Pray for the millions of shepherdless sheep to be brought into the fold (Mt 9:36-38; Jn 10:16).

Come out of your apprehensions to share the Gospel. Don’t be ashamed of Christ and His words (Rom 1:16). He has said, “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mk 8:38). Jesus promised, “If anyone serves Me, My Father will honour him” (Jn 12:26). The disciples of Christ were cowards before the Day of Pentecost. But when the Holy Spirit came on them, they received power to proclaim the Gospel boldly (Acts 1:8; 4:31). Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13). Pray with those who are filled with the Spirit. With the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit you will become an effective soulwinner. When Christ returns, you will receive the Soulwinners’ “Crown!” (1 Thess 2:19). Here’s a glorious promise in Daniel 12:3, “Those who turn many to righteousness shall shine like the stars forever and ever!”

To summarise —

Repent of your sins truly.

Meditate on the Bible regularly.

Grow in holiness uncompromisingly.

Pray fervently and watchfully.

Relate to one another lovingly.

Fellowship with God’s people freely.

Use God-given talents faithfully.

Help the poor liberally.

Endure sufferings patiently.

Witness for Christ boldly.

The Second Coming of Christ is so precious in God’s sight that He would give the “Crown of Righteousness” even to those who just “love His appearing” (2 Tim 4:8). “Loving” His appearing is what motivates us to “prepare” for it! The Bible ends with a Promise and a Prayer: Rev 22:20, “Surely I am coming quickly!” “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

(This article written by R. Stanley)

Can we lose our Salvation?

2018-07-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Can we lose our salvation?

Among the Bible-believing Christians there are two groups which hold views totally opposed to each other concerning salvation. One group claims, "Once saved, always safe!" The other group asserts, "Only those who endure till the end will be saved!" This issue has been responsible to throw believers to opposite camps resulting in bitter fights. What does the Bible say concerning this matter?

There are Scripture texts to support each view, if they are taken in isolation. Here are a few sample texts in support of "eternal security." Philippians 1:6, "God who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." John 10:27-29, "I give My sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." John 17:12, "Father, those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition." Romans 8:30, "Whom God predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

Some of the favourite texts of the other group are these: Mt 24:13, "He who endures to the end shall be saved." 1 Cor 10:5,12, "With most of our fathers God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness ... Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." Heb 10:38, "Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

These are the two theological streams in Spiritual world. The first view was advocated by John Calvin (1509-1564), a French Reformer. He said, "Salvation is not gained by our merit; so it cannot be lost by our demerit." His favourite text was Ephesians 2:8,9. In other words, Calvin emphasized God's part in our salvation. As a reaction to Calvinism, Jacob Arminius (1560-1609), a Dutch Theologian, emphasized man's part in salvation. Among his favourite texts was Philippians 2:12, "Work out your own salvation." Calvinism overemphasizes God's sovereignty and Arminianism man's responsibility. The fact is these are simply two sides of the same coin. Because Truth is always two sides! The Bible is neither Calvinistic not Arminian! It beautifully balances both these views as the following passages confirm—

Phil 2:12,13, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

Jer 32:40, "I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me."

Hos 10:12, "We are to "sow" righteousness, and God will "shower" righteousness on us.

We are not saved by "works" (Eph 2:8,9), but we must "strive" to enter through the narrow gate (Lk 13:23,24).

No condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, but they must walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom 8:1).

Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, but we must be patient and consistent runners (Heb 12:1,2).

Some more references to show how God's sovereignty and man's responsibility must be balanced: Lev 20:7,8; Rom 6:11-14; Col 3:9,10,5,8; 1 Pet 2:9-11; 2 Cor 6:18 & 7:1; 1 Jn 3:2,3; 1 Jn 5:18; 1 Thess 5:22,23; etc.

Now coming to our question: "Can we lose our salvation?" The wholesome teaching of the Bible does not give the answer as "yes" or "no." On the other hand, the Bible teaches that having been saved through grace, we must deny all ungodliness and walk in obedience to God's Word and stay prepared always for the Return of Christ (Tit 2:11-13). Any hairsplitting of this issue will only destroy the unity of the Body of Christ and damage our spiritual well being.

Without God I cannot; without me He will not!

Greatness of the Bible!

2018-07-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

Greatness of the Bible!

Our Daily Bread
The first recorded reference to the Scriptures by Christ is Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God." It
is actually a quotation from the Old Testament (Dt 8:3).
In these words Moses explained to the people that just
like the daily manna, the Word of God was a must for living.

One who embraced this truth and experienced it in his life was Job. He expressed, "I have treasured the words
of God’s mouth more than my necessary food" (Job23:12). For Job it was a necessity, but for us it is just a
nicety! Do we ever forget to eat? But how many days we forget to feed on the Word! Most backsliding is
because of a lack of Bible reading. Unless our inner man is strengthened daily, we will become susceptible
to spiritual ills.

Highway of Holiness
The main burden of Jesus for His disciples was their sanctification. He knew the tool was God’s Word.
Therefore He prayed to the Father, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (Jn 17:17). He declared
them clean because of His words they had received (Jn15:3).
The Word of God is pure like silver purified seven times (Psa 12:6). It stands for whatever is true, noble, just,
lovely, good, virtuous and praiseworthy. But it strikes against malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking
(1 Pet 2:1,2). It is an antidote for "errors... secret faults... presumptuous sins... and great transgression" (Psa 19:7-13). The Holy Bible makes a holy people.

Sword of the Lord
The devil was after Jesus to defile and deviate Him. But he was defeated. The secret was the "It-is-written"
sword Jesus swished (Mt 4:4,7,10). He did not depend on His own strength or wisdom. The discipline of continuous obedience to the Word strengthens our muscles to cast down all anti-God
arguments, and capture every ungodly thought (2 Cor10: 4-6). God’s Word in our mouth counteracts the enemy’s floodlight invasion (Isa 59:19,21). Let’s submit to the Word and speak it against the wicked one. The victory is ours.

Unshakable Foundation
In the conclusion of His sermon on the mount Jesus spoke about two foundations, one sure and the other
sinking. The sure foundation is the Word of God. He said, "Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and obeys
them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; the rain descended, the floods came, and
the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, because it was founded on the rock" (Mt 7:24-27).

Textbook on Prayer
No one ever prayed like Jesus. His prayers were aromatic to God since He always prayed according to
the Scriptures. Jesus taught, "If you abide in Me and My words abide in
you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (Jn 15:7). Prayerless study will be dry, but
studyless prayer is dangerous. Saturation with the Scriptures is a must for acceptable praying. Submission to the Scriptures is a condition for answered prayers. Prayer otherwise is abominable (Prov 28:9).

Principles of character
Without the Bible we will be groping in the dark. Because, "the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light" (Prov 6:23). Jesus summarised all the law into
just two commandments: Love God; Love man! (Mt22:35-40). He also added, "There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mk 12:31).

We must not conclude any study or meditation of the Bible without asking these two questions: What must I
do to God? What must I do for man? The world’s regard for the Bible will still go high when we live it out. The
Bible lovers must be Bible-livers also!

Blueprint of God's kingdom

The Scriptures were the blueprint and the plumbline for Jesus in building God’s Kingdom. By reading Isaiah
61:1-3, He knew that His ministry was to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to deliver
the captives, to recover sight to the blind and to liberate the downtrodden (Lk 4:16-21). His every step was
punctuated by God’s Word. When great crowds followed Him, He warned them not to make Him
popular (Mt 12:15-21). This He did in order to fulfill Isaiah 42:1-4.
The Bible is our guidebook for whatever type of ministry we are involved in. None of our practices should violate
the principles laid therein. How we build is more important than what we build (1 Cor 3:12-15). Noah built the ark according to God’s plan (Gen 6:22). Moses built the tabernacle according to God's pattern (Ex39:42,43). No athlete wins a medal if he does not compete according to the rules (2 Tim 2:5)

You will weep no more!

2018-07-11T16:39:00.002-07:00

You will weep no more!

"You will weep no more, how gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you" (Isaiah 30:19)

Our God is God of promise! He has created and sustained whole universe by His word. Bible says,
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind, does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Num 23:19
God is good and His love is immeasurable (Eph 3:18-19) we can't understand God's love through our narrow mind, His love is unconditional!
Israel people were oppressed and treated as slaves, one day they cried out to God and God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob..so God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them (Ex 2:24,25) not only that, He delivered them from the clutch of the Egypt.
Dear friends, are you weeping for your problem? Are you in the critical situation or you might be asking..Is there a God to see my tears? Yes! Lord Jesus is there for you and He died on the cross and raised from the dead, today He is living!
Bible says, when you cry for help..he will answer you and wipe out all your tears, you will weep no more!
Don't give up, there is end for everything in this world, so God going to stop your tears. We have Great high priest who is sympathize with our weakness and he has been tempted in every way, just as we are! (Heb 4:15) So, He understand your tears, you will weep no more!
God bless you!

Right understanding of Spiritual Warfare!

2018-07-10T17:04:00.003-07:00

Right understanding of Spiritual Warfare!

Spiritual warfare

The different between deliverance and spiritual warfare:

The difference between deliverance and spiritual warfare is that deliverance is dealing with demonic bondages, and getting a person set free, whereas spiritual warfare is resisting, overcoming and defeating the enemy's lies (in the form of deception, temptations and accusations) that he sends our way. Deliverance involves the breaking up of legal grounds, the tearing down of strongholds , and the casting out of demons. Spiritual warfare on the other hand, is dealing with three key things the enemy sends at us: temptations, deception and accusations.

Offensive vs. defensive warfare

Spiritual warfare comes in two ways: offensive and defensive. Offensive warfare is tearing down the strongholds the enemy has formed in your mind through deception and accusations, and defensive warfare is guarding yourself against the tactics or schemes of the devil.

The enemy's three primary weapons

There are three things that we can expect from the devil. The Bible tells us that we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against demonic forces. Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The three primary things we struggle against include:

1. Deception: To deceive somebody means to make another person believe a lie or something that is not true. When the enemy sends deception your way, it is an attempt to deceive you into believing something that is not true, so you will fall into error. Strongholds are built through deception. A stronghold is formed when deception takes hold in a person's mind. A stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern that stems from believing something that is not true.

From the very beginning, Satan deceived Eve into believing that God's Word was not true. In Genesis 3:4, the devil told her that she will not surely die as God said she would in Genesis 2:17.

2. Temptation: Temptation often follows deception. First the enemy tells us, "You won't surely die!", then he makes the fruit on the forbidden tree look good to us. Since Eve accepted Satan's deception (his lie), now the tree that she was not supposed to touch looked good to her. She was tempted (enticed) to sin, because she allowed herself to first be deceived. Temptation is when we are enticed or encouraged to sin in one way or another.

In Matthew 4, Jesus was led out in the desert to be tempted by the devil. The devil tried to convince Jesus that it would be harmless to jump off a building. Often people will be so drawn to sex with their boyfriend/girlfriend when the enemy tries to convince them that it is all harmless and fun, when it's not harmless at all, but an open door to the devil. Jesus saw through Satan's deception, and resisted the temptation by speaking God's Word. King David said in Psalms 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

When the enemy tempts you, he's showing you the worm... but behind that worm is a hook. The Word of God helps you see the hook behind the worm.

3. Accusations: The devil is known as the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). He is known to take a believer who has done an embarrassing or gross sin in their past, and continue to rub it in their faces and beat them down with guilt and condemnation over their past.

Dealing with deception

We have two weapons to deal with deceptions: the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14) and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) which is the Word of God. Both are truth, which is found in God's Word, so why are they given two different names (a sword and a belt)? Because one is meant to be defensive (the belt), while the other is meant to be offensive (the sword). This means that the Word of God is both an offensive and a defensive weapon. A belt is something you wear to guard against an attack, while a sword is used to slaughter the enemy.

You use the belt of truth (God's Word) to guard against the enemy's deception (lies) he sends your way, while you use the sword of the Spirit (also God's Word) to tear down existing strongholds (deception that took hold) in your mind.

In Romans 12:2, we are told to "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." How do we renew our minds? By getting in God's Word! In Ephesians 5:26, this process is referred to as washing of water by the Word: "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word."

Dealing with temptation

In James 4:7, we are told to resist the devil and he will flee from us. But it's not that simple; in the same verse, we are also told to draw near to God. Dealing with temptation is a two fold process of resisting the devil and drawing near to God. The closer you get to God and the more you become aware of His love, the less power temptation will have over you.

James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (The context of those verse is clearly speaking of temptation).

Dealing with accusations

The fiery darts of the enemy in Ephesians 6:16 are accusations sent our way. For example, when the devil tries to accuse us of our past sins, we are to have faith in the work of the cross and know that they are forgiven and not to look back. Faith is what we use to put out the fiery darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16). We are not to meditate about our pasts, because they have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), and our sins have been forgotten (Hebrews 10:17).

Ephesians 6:14, "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth (knowing your sins have been forgiven through your faith in the work on the cross), and having on the breastplate of righteousness (not our righteousness obviously, but the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus);"

Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), but because of the work of the cross, we can receive the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22, Galatians 3:6). Therefore when the enemy tries to remind you of your past, tell him it's been washed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), your sins have been forgotten (Hebrews 10:17) and you have the righteousness of God (Romans 3:22)!

The tearing down of strongholds

A stronghold is deception that's taken hold in a person's mind. It's an incorrect thinking pattern based on a believed lie. People can get incorrect perceptions of God by listening to Satan as he tells them how God doesn't love them, etc. People can feel like dirty old sinners when they believe Satan's accusations as he continually reminds them of their past (which has been washed away!). Strongholds are based on lies from the devil. They can come in the form of deception or accusations. Accusations always lead to guilt and the feeling of unworthiness, which weighs you down and tears you apart spiritually.

Since strongholds are built upon lies that we have been fed, the way we tear down strongholds is by feeding on the truth (in God's Word), which is the opposite of what the enemy has been feeding us. If the enemy has been feeding us a lie, we need to stop eating the lie and start feeding ourselves the truth. The weapon we use to tear down strongholds is found in Ephesians 6:17, "...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." A sword is an offensive weapon and is meant to tear down and kill the enemy's troops. Strongholds are the devil's assets in war, and he uses them against us. Take up the sword of the Spirit (God's Word) today, and start slaughtering the enemy's assets that he's been using against you!

Biblical view of Prosperity! (Part 3)

2018-07-09T18:36:00.001-07:00

Biblical view of Prosperity! Part 3

The silver and gold here on earth
Some religious folks think that God doesn't have anything good for us here on earth, but that's not what the Bible tells us. God wants to bless us right here on earth, and then in heaven too!

Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed [rewarded] in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner. Proverbs 11:31

Then Jesus pointed out that we shall can be blessed or rewarded for our deeds right here on earth!
Luke 18:29-30
Do we think that God deposited all the gold, silver, and wealth of this earth for? do you think God wanted to enjoy the riches that He's blessed His people, Was it for sinners and the heathen? Or was it for His children, who seek first His kingdom, and are obedient to His Word?

Jesus' poverty to our benefit!
We all know that the forgiveness of our sins is included in the work that Christ has done for us, and you probably already know that healing and deliverance are also benefits that God has purchased for us. But did you know that Jesus also redeemed us from the financial curse that Adam brought upon himself? The Bible tells us that Christ redeemed us from the CURSE of the law.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
Galatians 3:13

In Deuteronomy 28, we find that financial abundance is considered a blessing, and financial lack is considered a CURSE!
Now let's get to the point: as Jesus redeemed us from the CURSE of the law, He also redeemed us from financial LACK. Does the Bible stop there? No, it actually comes right out and tells us that Jesus was made poor and lived a life of poverty, so that we could be RICH!

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Let us ask this: was this poorness a mental poorness? As in, He was humble so that we could be prideful? Was this a spiritual poorness? Not when we see Him raising the dead, casting out demons, and healing the sick! So what kind of poorness is this speaking of? Material poverty is the only thing left. Now if we look up that word 'rich' in the NT Greek, we find the Greek word plouteo, which LITERALLY means:

"To be (or become) wealthy (literally or figuratively): - be increased with goods, (be made, wax) rich."

I LOVE the prosperity gospel (when it is Biblically based), just like I LOVE health and healing, and I LOVE deliverance and freedom. I LOVE to receive the good things that my Savior has so lovingly purchased for me!

How to be blessed
How do I enter into these blessings? The first we have to realize that it is the blessing of the Lord, not money, that makes us rich.

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Proverbs 10:22

How do we receive this blessing that makes us rich?

1. We start by fearing the Lord, and seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness Matthew 6:31-33

2. Another key to financial blessing is hidden in the concept of sowing and reaping. When we fail to give unto the Lord, it proves that we don't trust Him when His Word tells us that it will be given unto us running over. Jesus taught that when you give, it will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto you. Giving to the Lord through tithes and offerings is a foundation to financial blessing.
Luke 6:38

3. God's Word also tells us that those who give to the poor shall not lack. God cares very much about those who are poor financially, and He's made it a key to prosperity when we give to those in need.
Proverbs 28:25-27

4. Another key is through honoring God's ministers through our tithes. When we honor God's messengers, we honor God, and He will in turn honor us. 1 Timothy 5:17-18 Galatians 6:6

5. How do we eat of the good of the land? For one thing, we must be willing (our heart attitude) and obedient (our actions). This is key to eating the good of the land. Not only is obedience to what God's commands is vital to your prosperity, but also your heart attitude while you're walking in His ways.

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Isaiah 1:19
God's Word tells us that those who delight in the law of the Lord (His commands, and His ways) shall prosper in whatever he does. Now that is a blessing if I've ever heard one of! Ps 1:1-3

6. Another key, I believe, is doing all we can to get out of debt and live within our means. God's Word tells us to owe no man anything, but love.
Romans 13:7-8

7. We have to do work for prosperity because God said “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth..” Deuteronomy 8:13,18 so, we should avoid laziness.

Biblical view of Prosperity! (Part 2)

2018-07-09T18:22:00.002-07:00

Biblical view of Prosperity! Part 2
False Theology

Myth: God gives us our needs, not our wants

This is so much the false theology, which believes that we are to live on poverty, miserable and struggling throughout life. God's Word tells us quite the opposite; He desires to give us the desires of our hearts!

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:3-4

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17

What is the context in the above verse? They use the words 'uncertain riches'... which is obviously referring to material wealth or money, right? So then it goes on to tell us not to trust in those things, but in the living God who freely gives us all things (could financial blessing or material goods be included in ALL things?) to enjoy.

God's Word even goes on to tell us that we shall enjoy the wealth and riches of the sinners, for they are laid up for us to inherit right here on earth! (Isaiah 61:6, Isaiah 60:16)

So if God doesn't want us to go into debt (see Romans 13:7, Proverbs 22:7 and Deuteronomy 28:12), and He wants us to give generously, then apparently He's relying on us having an abundance! How can we give generously to the poor, if we don't have an abundance to give from? We can't!

A lot of people who preach against prosperity, do so in a condemnation tone. Their arguments lay guilt and condemnation on those who desire the goodness and blessings of God. The Bible warns us about people who speak lies in condemnation (hypocrisy) 1 Timothy 4:1-4
With that said, we need to be careful not to preach things which are contrary to God's Word, saying that it's wrong to enjoy the good things that God has given the sons of men to enjoy (marriage, financial blessings, meats, etc.)

The wealth of the gentiles
Now this might sound absurd to some of you, but did you know that the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous?
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. Proverbs 13:22

The wealth and riches of the sinners are stored up for us? Are those riches that we'll enjoy someday up in heaven? That's impossible! These are things that are for us to enjoy right here on earth.

E.g In the days of Abraham in Egypt Gen 12 chapter

Israel people Gen 15:14, Exo 12:36

It's an honor to be rich!
So many run around today preaching against prosperity gospel, claiming that God wants us poor and humble, but God's Word tells us that riches are stored up for the righteous and those who fear the Lord. It is an honor to be wealthy as a result of God's blessings! Consider some of these passages, concerning God's desire to bless them who walk in His ways (Proverbs 8:17-18,21, Psalms 112:1-3, Proverbs 22:4, Psalms 35:27, 3 John 1:2, Rom 8:32)

A lot of people claim that the righteous "shall not want" anything, as in we shouldn't desire anything. While we aren't to covet the riches of this world, I believe that Psalms tells us that because of God's provision for the Godly, there won't be anything lacking to those who walk uprightly. Psalms 34:10

God's desire is to prosper His people and make them an example before the world of His goodness and provision. Jeremiah 33:9

The blessing of Abraham is ours through Christ!
The blessing of Abraham is available to all those who are in Christ? That's right! Galatians 3:14

Do you also know that one of the obvious ways that Abraham was blessed, was in financial abundance?
Genesis 12:3,13:2

Conclusion:
God may says.. "Abraham is my model man, representing the blessings that I have for my children” Does not God's Word tell us that no good thing will be withheld from them who walk uprightly, and that the blessing of the Lord makes us rich? God wants to abundantly provide and bless those who fear His name, and are willing and obedient to walk in His ways.

Biblical view of Prosperity! (Part 1)

2018-07-09T18:15:00.002-07:00

Biblical view of Prosperity! Part 1

Introduction:

Let's take a close look at scriptures concerning God's will for us to be blessed, and see what it really says about God's desire to bless us!

To say that God wants us poor, when His Word says otherwise, is a serious sin in the eyes of God. Why is it so serious? Because it gives Him a terrible name that He does not deserve among men. It paints an ugly picture of Him being a cruel distant taskmaster, as opposed to a loving Father who desires to heal, bless and restore us. No earthly father would want his children poor and miserable, so why do we paint such an ugly picture of our Heavenly Father, who takes pleasure in giving us good things?

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:9-11

Perhaps one of the greatest lies that Satan has fed the church, is that God is not a good God, and that our lives here on earth are just going to be poor, miserable, sick, and defeated.

Money itself is not evil; the love of money is evil.
The first misunderstanding is that money is the root of all evil. The Bible does not say that! If we look carefully, it is the LOVE of money is the root of all evil; not the money itself.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10

Money is not evil in itself, or God wouldn't have blessed His people over and over again with it. Abraham, who is our father through faith, was filthy rich. To say that money is evil, is to say that God gave Abraham much evil. The streets in heaven are lined with gold; so if gold was evil, then heaven's streets are lined with an evil substance!

If we look in Deuteronomy 28, the famous blessing and curses chapter, we learn that having an abundance of money is considered a BLESSING or a GOOD THING! It is in no way evil for a child of God to be financially blessed.

E.g..Mark 10:21-25

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Let's get our priorities straight. If we want the blessings of God upon our lives, then we need to seek first His kingdom, and put His priorities above our own.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33

One of the keys to putting the kingdom of God first, is in our heart's attitudes and our obedience to what God commands of us. If God said to love those who hate you, and you hold bitterness in your heart, then you can forget about it. God's Word tells us that we need to be willing and obedient if we would like to eat of the good of the land:

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Isaiah 1:19

Notice that in the above verse, both of those things are required. It's not enough to be obedient, but we must also be willing. Being willing pertains to our heart condition and attitude, and obedience pertains to our actions.

False humility versus true humility
The Bible tells us to be humble. Many believe that being humble means eating low quality food being in poor. They think that because they don't eat of the good of the land, that they are more spiritual than those who do. Poverty is poverty, and has nothing to do with humility! Some in the body of Christ are even proud of their poorness, and that is nothing more than religious pride. That is the exact opposite of true humility! Let's think, how they would treat Abraham if he lived in this day and age? Perhaps Job, who was extremely wealthy? Or Solomon? Or Lot, who was told to leave the country because of his great wealth?

True humility is not being poor, but being thankful. You can be wealthy and thankful to God for those blessings, and that is true humility.

Deut 8:13,14

God loves blessing His people

God's Word tells us clearly that the wealth of this earth belongs to those who fear the Lord!
He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children. Psalms 115:13-16

Did you know that God's Word tells us that it is Him who gives us the power to obtain WEALTH? God's Word actually speaks of making His people wealthy by multiplying their silver, gold and everything they had!

And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied... But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:13,18

Don't tell that they received spiritual wealth only, when it's speaking of silver, gold, flocks (their finances through their businesses) and everything they had. They are undeniable material and financial blessings that are talked about here. God gave His people the power to obtain financial wealth!

Conclusion:

Some think that God no longer wants to have His children be abundantly provided for. Why not? Is not Jesus the same yesterday, today, and forever? Is not the new covenant based on BETTER promises? Since when did the new covenant do away with the idea that God wanted His children blessed? This is just the fruit of today's religious mindset and the teachings and doctrines of men.
Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine.
Genesis 27:28

How to overcome temptation

2018-07-04T21:18:00.001-07:00

How to overcome temptation!

Satan attacks the individual Christian mostly through temptation and he focuses this in two aspects, one is the Desires of the world and the second is desires of flesh. In the first attack, he make to tempt a believer to fall in the love of money and he make them think this is the centre of life and seeking popularity and position of this world. In the second aspects usually he attacks in the moral life of a Christian.

Bible says..”When tempted, no one should say “God is tempting me" For God can't be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone” (James 1:13) because God is good, He never tempt in evil!

Here I outlined seven keys to overcome temptation:

1. Know The Victory is already won!

Bible says in Colossians 2:14,15

“He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross”

Based on the foundation of this victory won for us by Christ. Now the Christian can defeat any attack from the enemy. We should not be ignorance about this vital truth. If we know the complete work of the Cross and Resurrection, we can face any weapon from the enemy and easily we can conquer and overcome his temptation!

2. Walk in the Spirit!

When we saved, a new power placed in every believer’s life, that is the power of Holy spirit. We should be sensitive to inner prompting of voice of Holy spirit, then the Holy spirit will help us to overcome temptation leads to victorious Christian life. Apostle. Paul says in Galatians 5:16 “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” so let's walk by the Spirit in every step of our spiritual life!

3. Know The Truth about temptation!

As a Christian we must know “Temptation is not a sin; yielding to temptation is sin” (James 1:15)

Satan can't push into pit of sin until we cooperate with him. We can't avoid evil thoughts in our mind but we should not be live in that!

4. To know every temptation has a Emergency Exit to escape from the temptation!

Bible says..”No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Are you afraid about temptation, fear not there is a way, there is a emergency exit to escape from the fiery enemies schemes!

5. Keep right focus in Christian life!

Apostle. Paul says in Col. 3:1,2

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Let's fix our mind and focus on things above, give priority to spiritual blessings, don't keep your mind on earthly things. Let's say with Paul “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

6. Keep away from obvious areas of temptation!

Devils know our weakness and he always attacks in our weak area of our life. So be careful and sound mind, be prepared to submit to God and resist the devil, no temptation put you down!

7. Be aware of Satan’s schemes!

It's important for us to know tactics and cunning of devil. We can understand how Satan is crafty fellow in the garden of Eden, He has long period experience of craftiness. Bible says..he is liar, deceiver, tempter and roaring lion.

God has promised to deliver in every temptation. Bible says..”For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin.”(Hebrews 4:15) and He is able to help those who are being tempted (Heb 2:18)

Beautiful quotes of Prayer

2018-07-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

Beautiful quotes of Prayer!

“One Who Prays is in the List The Champions”

“The Joy of the Prayers Will Break the Millionaire.”

“The Praying people are walking with God”

“The Lord will reveal the Secret To Those Who Pray”

“Prayer warriors possess blessings of Heaven and Earth”

“The Angels will be Waiting for Those who Pray”

“God will fight for praying people”

“Blessing will Turn Fully from Empty-Handed One Who Prays”

“Prayer of tears will bring the immediate answer”

“Fasting Prayer will Change the World”

“The Prayer of the Holy One will Shake the Heaven”

“The Prayer of Humility will exalt a man"

“The Prayer of Dedication will doing great things For God”

“Early morning Prayers will See the Lord's Face"

“Praying for others will solve our own problems”

“Private Prayer will make intimate relationship with God"

Why Failure?

2017-04-10T05:38:00.001-07:00

Why Failure?

Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ" (2 Cor 2:14).
"In all (these) things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Rom 8:37).
A casual reading of texts like these would make an average Christian believe that he would never have any failure in his life. Though it is not the will of God that His children live in defeat, He does allow failures in their lives for their own good. The biographies and autobiographies of God's men and women sketched in the Scriptures prove substantially that no one escaped the "discipline of failure." Abraham the father of all those who believe, Peter the prominent leader among the twelve apostles, Paul the foremost teacher of Church truths, and name anyone for that matter, all had their share of failures. In my personal life and ministry victories have been too many and failures too few. But I can honestly testify that in my 50 years of walk with God (AD 2013) I have learnt more from my failures than from victories. An analysis gives me atleast five reasons why God allows failures in our lives—

To make us humbler
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov 16:18). It is natural for us to be puffed up with pride when everything goes alright and successful with us. The grace of God is opposed to the pride of man (1 Pet 5:5b). God is too gracious to withhold His grace from us. If failure is the only way to make us bend and walk humbly before Him, He hesitates not to permit it in our lives. It's better to fail and rise again than to forfeit the grace of God.

To make us wiser
When our lives are free from any kind of defeat or failure, we tend to ascribe our successfulness to our brilliance and wisdom in doing things. The Bible asks, "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (Prov 26:12). And it admonishes us, "Do not be wise in your own opinion" (Rom 12:16). Failures and defeats lead us to review our course and make us know that what we know is far less than what we know not.

To make us kinder
God severely deals with those who are hard on others but lenient towards themselves. The Scripture admonishes, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted" (Gal 6:1). It was in a sense the failure of Peter which qualified him to minister to his brothers (Lk 22:32). The Almighty is the God of all "comfort" and the Father of "mercies." He treats us gently in our trials and tribulations. When we taste His kindness we know how to treat our fellow-strugglers (2 Cor 1:3,4). Jesus "sympathizes" with our weaknesses compassionately because He Himself was tempted like us in everything (Heb 4:15).

To make us holier
"Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again" (Prov 24:16a). Being a righteous man, he analyses everytime why he fell and avoids the causes. This way he becomes more and more righteous in practical living. Genuine and godly sorrow produces in us "earnestness... eagerness... indignation... alarm... longing... concern... and readiness" to see ourselves purified (2 Cor 7:10,11). Lessons we learn from failures help us stay vigilant against the enemy's attacks.
To make us interdependent

We never realize that we cannot do it alone but we need each other until we fail miserably. No member in the Body of Christ is self-sufficient. Every member needs the support of others (Eph 4:15,16). Jesus sought the company of His disciples in the hour of trial. But Peter boasted that he would follow Jesus even if all would forsake Him. We know who went thro' the trial and testing triumphantly.
Friend, let not any failure in life lead you to condemnation (Rom 8:1). Failure is not final. Failure can become a weight or it can give you wings. In the words of Henry Ford, "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently!"

God's plan

2017-04-09T03:03:00.002-07:00

No one can stop God's plan!

"I know that you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted"
(Job 42:2)

Job was a rich man, he lived upright and honest. God himself testify about his character (Job 1:8) then God gave permission to Satan to tempted him. after that, we can't imagine within one day he lost everything and he became poor and his life was miserable.
   In the beginning, Job can't understand what is happening in his life because God is hiding Himself but even though he can't understand everything he confessed positive words from his mouth (Job 1:21) and he spoke about God is Right and good (Job 42:8)
    Beloved friends, you may think, God is hiding himself and He is silent. He is not silent, he is working for you behind the screen, just say God is good and He never make mistakes!
Let's see the final chapter of Job's life, when God spoke to him (Job 38:1) the very moment he understood God and he came to know God is almighty and He can do all things and no man stop His plan!
Yes friends God can do all things, He can do a miracle in your life nothing is impossible with God. Just think about God's words, if God can divide red sea, surely He will show a way in a wilderness, if God can raise a dead, definitely He will restore everything what you lost. Don't give up! Stay tuned in God's words and trust Him!
   God has plan for Job; don't see the first chapter of Job's life, see last chapter of Job's life, you will come to know God's marvelous work. Job received double portion of blessing. Even God has plan for you, He is thinking about you, His thoughts and ways are higher! (Is 55:   He wants to bless you and no man stop His plan and no power stop His work!
God bless you!

Signs of deception!

2016-04-27T23:32:00.001-07:00

Signs of Deception

How do you know a person is deceived?

1. Deceived person begin to thinks, he is unique and feels he is received revelation no one else got!

2. Deceived person more and more interested in spoken word rather than written word, he embrace extra Biblical revelation as a new thing from God, he crosses the Biblical boundaries and he shows unusual interest in personal prophecy!

3. He is over excited about dreams, visions, voices and spectacular physical manifestation, he keep hunting for novelty!

4. He stress one doctrine of experience at the cost of the rest!

5. He doesn't counsel from matured Leaders, he thinks, he gets everything directly from Heaven!

6. He is hard on others and soft on himself!

7. He is develop unusual interest in hidden and secrets things rather showing interest in searching Scriptures deeply!

8. Practical interest in mission and evangelism is slowly dies up!

9. He doesn't accept criticism objectively!

10. Deceived man doesn't know, he is deceived, he doesn't realize that he is deceived! he blinded by success, answering his prayers and he usually says “ If I am wrong, how God will bless me” he doesn't realize that we have GENEROUS GOD!

{Written by R. Stanley BYM}

Does God give us a blueprint for life?

2016-04-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Does God give us a blueprint for life?

The restoration of the operation of the gifts of revelation, namely Prophesying, Word of Wisdom and Word of Knowledge, has refreshingly reassured us that God does speak today. But one of the misuses of these gifts is evident when preachers who claim to have these gifts promise believers a blueprint for their lives. Though such a promise may be exciting, it is definitely not in line with the teaching of theBible.

God does not give us a blueprint but a map and a compass. If there's a blueprint there's no room for choices. We will be simply dictated by the details of the blueprint rather than directed by the Spirit of the Lord. Life will become dimensionless. It's the element of uncertainty that adds excitement to life and strengthens faith. Of Abraham, the father of those who believe, it is said, "He went out, not knowing where he was going" (Heb 11:8). This is walking by faith. We don't need to know "what" the future holds for us. It's enough if we are assured "who" holds the future for us.

When Paul at the hour of his conversion asked God, "Lord, what do You want me to do?," he was not given a blueprint for the rest of his life. Rather, God answered him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (Acts 9:6). This must have been very humbling for an intellect like Paul. But this best illustrates how God leads us by one step at a time. John Henry Newman (1801-1890)sang,

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom;
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead Thou me on;
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene;
One step enough for me.

Getting influenced by the so-called "prophetic blueprints" from preachers is highly risky and it may ruin your life completely. Don't go from preacher to preacher asking for predictions. Direct and simple leading of the Holy Spirit is the birthright of every child of God (Rom 8:14). There's a fourfold discipline which guarantees God's direction for your life—

Be regular in daily prayer and Bible meditation. Prayer tunes us up to the mind of God. The Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psa 119:105).

Be active in your work. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might" (Eccl 9:10a). God does not waste His guidance on lazy people.

Be enthusiastic in serving God. Those who serve God wholeheartedly do not normally miss His will. A commitment to do maximum for the Kingdom of God delights His heart.

Be joyful in the company of God's people. Learning from one another gives you fresh insights. It keeps your heart from getting hardened (Eph 5:17,19; Heb 3:13).

People go for blueprints because they are afraid of making mistakes. No child learns walking without falling. Trying to be cocksure about everything actually paralyses us. Keeping the general Biblical principles in mind, walk according to whatever light you have. If you deviate, God will correct you by a voice "from behind" (Is 30:21). Even if you make a mistake, you don't need to be unnerved. We learn from mistakes. When our heart is steadfast towards God, He will turn everything into good. God did not tell the apostles in the first instance itself to go to Macedonia. When they went to Asia the Holy Spirit forbade them to preach there. They tried to go to Bithynia and they were stopped by the Spirit there also. It was at Bithynia, the Lord gave them a call to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10).

God does allow periods of darkness in our lives. We must simply trust in Him and stay put (Isa 50:10). "Bread of adversity and water of affliction" must not scare us (Isa 30:20). Running here and there will get us nowhere (vv15,16,18). Alongwith David we can sing, "God is my strength and power; He makes my way perfect" (2 Sam 22:33).

We understand the ways of God better and better only when we grow and mature. No father will tell a child what only an adult can understand. Jesus did not tell everything to His disciples in their three year training period. He once said to them, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now" (Jn 16:12). It is against God's own wisdom and kindness if He gives us a complete picture of our future at the beginning or any stage of our walk with Him.
{Article written by R. Stanley}

When temptation comes, Fix your eyes on Jesus!

2016-04-24T23:51:00.001-07:00

When temptation comes, Fix your eyes on Jesus!

Look to Jesus. The answer is in Him. He was tempted like us "in all points" but He overcame (Heb 4:15). "He is able to aid those who are tempted" (Heb 2:18).

On our part we are to first surrender the organs of our body as a living sacrifice on God's altar (Rom 12:1). We are no more ours. We are bought with a price. We belong to God. Make a covenant with your eyes that you will no more look at someone lustfully (Job 31:1). Present your hands to God so it may not touch the forbidden. And your legs not to go where Christ Himself would not go. And so on (Rom 6:13). Remind yourself of this commitment each morning.

The power to say no to sin is yours by the indwelling Christ. You are dead, buried, raised and seated with Christ (Rom 6:3,4; Eph 2:4-6). Meditate on this fact of identification with Christ as often as possible.

To receive a fresh supply of strength to resist temptation Christ has taught us to pray. Our body of flesh and blood is weak. Our desire to overcome temptation becomes effective only when we "watch and pray" (Mt 26:41).

When Christ was tempted He wielded the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, against Satan (Mt 4:4,7,10; Eph 6:17). Be regular in Bible meditation. David hid God's Word in his heart that he might not sin against Him (Psa 119:11). Saturate yourself with the Scriptures. Memorize as many verses as you can. At the hour of temptation the Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance the right text (Jn 6:14-26).

Don't be a loner. You need the fellowship of God's children. "If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble" (Eccl 4:9-12).

Everytime you overcome temptation the battle will only be intensified. The "roaring lion" will be after you (1 Pet 5:8). But "He who is in you is greater that he who is in the world" (1 Jn 4:4). Take refuge under the blood of Jesus. Depend on His grace. "Sin shall not have dominion over you!" (Rom 6:14).

Don't go after titles like Rev, Dr, Bishop!

2016-04-24T01:55:00.001-07:00

Don't go after titles like Rev, Dr, Bishop!

In the Old Testament there was a distinction between the members of the congregation and the ministers. Only the prophets, priests and kings were anointed. But under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit comes on "all flesh"— that is, all the people of God— "sons, daughters, young men, old men, menservants, maidservants" (Acts 2:16-18). All believers in Christ are kings and priests to God now and in eternity (1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:4-6). There are no two groups called clergy and laity. All of God's people are clergy. Each believer is a minister to God and people with varying responsibilities and various gifts.

Even before the New Covenant was actually established, Jesus spoke against the Jewish synagogue practice of using special titles and wearing special dresses (Mt 23:1-10). His twofold argument was: "One is your Father who is in heaven... You are all brothers." In any matter, the words of Christ are final and we dare not modify it.

The apostles followed Christ's teaching closely in the Church. We don't read of Rev. Paul or Rt. Rev. Peter or Father John in Acts or the Epistles. Peter addressed Paul simply as "Brother Paul" (2 Pet 3:15). One of the outstanding Indian apostles, Bakht Singh (1903-2000), never let anyone call him Rev. Bakht Singh. Pastor G. Sundaram of Chennai (1908-1989), one of the godly pastors of India, had his name printed anywhere as Brother G.Sundaram only. Once upon a time the Pentecostal pastors were making fun of the ministers of the mainline Churches for using clerical titles. But now they themselves are hunting for the same. What a shame! If we change anything it must be to get closer to the Scriptures and not another manmade tradition. Even the angel, who brought the Revelation to John, introduced himself as a "brother" (Rev 19:10; 22:9).

The introduction of clerical titles was made in latter years when the Church went drifting away from the simple New Testament Church pattern to hierarchial systems. The great Protestant Reformation was not a total restoration of the New Testament Christianity. In fact the reformation is not complete yet. Every step of restoration is both costly and painful. But that is the call of the Head of the Church: "Remember from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else..." (Rev 2:5).

The act of ordination is only for appointing a person for a specific function and not for awarding any "title" (Acts 13:2,3; Tit 1:5). For example, Paul and Barnabas, who were "prophets and teachers" in the local Church at Antioch, came to be known as "apostles" after they were ordained and released for a translocal ministry (Acts 13:1; 14:14). We can say Apostle Paul, Evangelist Philip or Pastor Timothy, because these are ministerial or functional titles with Biblical approval. But not Reverend or Father. "Holy and Reverend is HIS Name!" (Psa 111:9).

The present craze among Indian preachers is for honorary Doctorates. Titles don't make one great. Some of these doctorates are two a penny these days. I thank the Hindustan Bible Institute, Chennai, for honouring me in 2000 with a Doctorate in Divinity as an acknowledgement of my contribution to the Body of Christ. Some people now call me as Dr. Stanley but I prefer to ever be addressed as Brother Stanley.

One may argue that there were many great men mightily used of God in Church history who had used clerical titles. This is no reason for continuing the practices of the "times of ignorance." God's tolerance does not mean His sanction. The earlier we discard the old wineskins, the more we can enjoy the new wine!