LORD LORD..."I NEVER KNEW YOU"

Scripture reading: 

Matthew 7:22 KJV[22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Sometimes our heart raises a question that who are these people who say Lord Lord but still unknown to Him. They seem to exercise all the gifts and perform wonders yet couldn't get themselves a recognition from the Lord. Some try to call these people lairs and walk away from this poignant question. On the contrast, apparently, answer might be what Jesus said outright, "their lawlessness". 

Many of us walk and live around people who are in ministry and are known as ministers of God, sometimes, including believers. Thus we happened to know some of them much more closely than others. Consequently, their imperfections sometimes becomes visible to us but not to people at large. 

We, as humans, are quite quick to judge fellow humans. The moment we find someone in err, we react to it either by commenting before them, only if we have ample courage or by backbiting behind them as cowards. Most end up selecting second option.

And we go as far as possible in our thoughts and even to say, that "How can God use someone like him/her?"

Let's admit this here that NO man is perfect BUT GOD. And this goes same even after your salvafic experience and after receiving gifts of Spirit. 

Imperfections are not gonna go away or be cleansed unless and until this body of sin is transformed/glorified. 

After having said that every individual is imperfect, we should also grip the fact that this imperfection vary from person to person, depending in their maturity/commitment in Christ as believers. 

And when I'm saying believers, I don't exempt ministers from this category, they are also humans, yet to be transformed. 

They possess the potential of erring. 

And if someone denies and says " I don't" Bible says, such man is but a Lier. 

Now due to the imperfections some do mistakes unintended and some do blunders uncontrolled. Church at Corinth was such. 

Let's dissect them into three categories; 

1. Here are the ones that got saved and preserve their salvation by walking a holy life in the guidance of the Holy Spirit daily. Highly dedicated towards the voice of God. Highly sensitive towards an iota of sin. Highly mature and aware of every intended or unintended self-committed err to repent immediately. They examine their lives every moment. They give no/less room to sin. They resist temptation. 
2. Here are the people who are lukewarm. 50-50 kinda people. They are believers but doesn't take sin seriously. For them idea of perseverance doesn't matter. They deliberately and frequently commit sin and repent as well. They participate in the church and the world simultaneously. They are compromising folks. They don't take doctrine of sanctification seriously. Neither are they sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Of course, they too repent and examine their lives once in a while but that lasts till they are outside of the church compound. They resist sin sometimes but not always. They are Christians but not serious. Yet controlled in some sense as to going as far as third category which is coming shortly. 
3. Here are the people, known as believers and ministers, who are belligerent and stubborn. They may have lived a good Christian lives initially but are far away from God now. For them the doctrine of sanctification and holiness in life are of no use and seems impractical. They have quenched the Holy Spirit and are away from God's call. They are, of course, found in church as believers and ministry as shepherds but are wolves disguised in sheep skin. They live for Money, power and pleasures. They never repent and stay far from purity. 

All of these groups of people are in your church and may be in your family now and are called together as believers. 

Bible says the gifts of God are irrevocable. God doesn't take His gifts back that He has once given. These people equally exercise their gifts in ministry and benefit and fascinated onlookers. God works through them but may not in them. Such people never change just as a vessel which could be used to measure, mould, hold or transit gold doesn't turn into gold. Or as a vessel used to cater delicious food doesn't turn into the food it's serving. 

In short, God does use the imperfect or impure vessels to get His plan done but it doesn't necessitate the vessels (person) would be preserved or saved unless they get serious about their own lives first. 

So next time you hear about such believer or minister don't fret or begin to negatively criticize them. 

Often times it could be seen that believers murmur when they see a pastor or a speaker that is mightily used in the public but they know such minister personally as someone who is not faithful to God in some way or involved in some grave sins. 

Relatively, some develop resistance or a kind hatred towards the gifts of the Holy Spirit just because they saw some believers or pastors who have either offended them in some way or not perfect themselves but are using those gifts powerfully. 

And there are others who think if they listen preachings or get prayed from such imperfect ministers they won't get benefited. 

It's completely wrong assumption. 

God from the beginning works through human agency. He uses imperfect people to help you and me. 

Bible is rich with examples of such men. Who were gravely imperfect but were dynamically used by God, however, whether they are saved or not we better leave that in God's part. 

Let's not forget that God used Samson till his last breath yet we don't know about his end fate.

Let's leave every matter of judgment and negative criticism at God's hand and start looking forward to concentrate more on our own lives to make it more purer and cleaner than the past moment, thus preparing ourselves for Lord's return to find HIS recognition. 

God bless!!!!

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Serving Sacred vs. Secular vs. Self

Doubtlessly, everyone that is, is in the service of some sort. There are mainly three zones where each one of us are recruited. Below are the brief analysis of these three zones.

SACRED: There are people who are called priests, pastors, evangelists, and teachers or, to say, ministers in totality, who have left their comfort zone, family, friends, profession or an offer of a secure future only to serve God with everything they own. 

They acknowledged the call of God and realized the indispensability to be in the mission field. This realization, first, requires commitment towards and faith in God, second, burning compassion towards perishing souls. They could have been anything but not minister though. Anyone looking to be well settled in any form, ministry is the last option that any sane person would like to choose without the intense call from God. For anyone, with a small degree, skill or technicality, it’s possible to make more living than today’s an average Christian minster. Despite their exceptional degree/profession/skill which would have brought them the best that world can offer today, many have walked away from such offers and deliberately chose to serve the Lord in different measures. They completely depend on God for everything they need. They fight the daily battle of life by faith with an armor called prayer.

SOCIAL/SECULAR: Then there are others who work for secular/social cause; like working with Good Samaritan organizations or NGOs etc. They are the people who see the agony of the world more than their own selfishly driven desires for fleshly fulfillment. They are comparatively more sensitive towards pain of fellow human being or animal. They are the ones who are working with lepers with immense amount of vulnerability, mental patients with much patience, abhorrently wounded or injured with hiding their hesitance for the same, orphan children with enormous love and care, trafficking with an unease that humanity has undergone, prisoners and prostitutes with equal jeopardy but an empathetic heart, eco-care with concern for the earth and the future generation, animal care with an heart of compassionate human and many more such noble causes. The volume of compassion, empathy, courage, love that is required for such works is little/much more than that which is required for making a simple prayer, donation or like, share in a FB/WA post and is undoubtedly rare in our times. In some cases, they get paid for this and most do it voluntarily with little or no support support.   

SELF: Then there are people who work for self. They are obsessed with self. They study well (sometimes bribe), get good job, make extravagant money and spend all on themselves. They might sometimes behave philanthropically but it’s only to get tax exemptions or for display of own name but never ample and always selfishly driven. They are capitalist in nature, reaching no heights, amassing no amount of money, buying no amount of swag is ever enough and their competition mindedness is driven by greed, pride, and jealousy which are wickedly insatiable. 

These people live to serve neither God nor humanity but themselves. This is, in fact, the root to many a problem in our world today. They depend on their own strength and money.

In short, we can’t, of course, deny that there are invaders, who have entered sacred or secular/social realm with unethical motives; however, no field is without exception though. There are others who earn money and support ministers. Evidently, there are more today who know Christ run some of the biggest humanitarian works across globe.  

"I would rather serve the King of this world, my God, than to serve the world as a king (emphasis added)" so said the renowned evangelist Billy Graham when he was asked to become president of U.S. 

Serving God is a privilege and the suffering but not without divine joy that comes along is incomparable. I, personally know a few who have renounced the highest posts and huge pay are in the ministry today. 

Serving God, indirectly, is service of humanity as well because the best you can ever find as human is not food, shelter or cloths but Salvation of Soul. This sharing of the message of salvation is only possible through a gospel carrier or a minister. 

Moreover, the greater part of the work of a minster is not just pulpit preaching but also acting as a good Samaritan to a person in need, though be it financial, emotional or spiritual. 

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THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THEOLOGICAL BELIEFS

Once I heard a pastor sharing his experience. As he went about evangelizing, he happened to meet a bunch of Indians. To one guy pastor asked, “Do you know what the Bible is all about?”. One guy replied, “Don’t worry I know I will tell you, it’s a history of English men coming to India and robbing our people”. This is the sorry state of affairs of our country. People fail to understand the preciousness and irreplaceability of God’s Word. If it was a religious text of some other religion which has been proven to inspire violence in history and wide spread terrorism at present or a bunch of religious texts that kept people blinded for centuries in the shadow of superstitious beliefs which still continue to do so in many part of India, it could be easy and reasonable for one to evade Bible as something not for any good. Paradoxical to aforementioned notion, Bible has proven itself with hardcore testing to be most reasonable, accurate, historical, scientific (to an extent), divinely inspired, life transforming and peace-keeping text among rivals that even the father of our great nation India Mahatma Gandhi (was not only a reader but a follower. He frequently read sermon of the Mount and got inspired for movement of non-violence) and Raja Ram Mohan Roy (Wrote Book on the teachings of Jesus Christ) read and treasured in their libraries.

Undoubtedly I love my country India as I’m it's citizen but facts are facts regardless of one’s patriotism. Theologically speaking (God in control), unmistakably the two countries that follow the Bible are the greats of the world; America and Israel. No matter how much we boast on ourselves, hiding our weakness, for many reasons they are better than us. A simple probe will prove that the are the great nations; the world powers. We, in our country, worship everything that's in existence; gods and goddesses of wisdom, money, peace, prosperity, war and victory, ironically, we had been subjugated for years under Christians (British Rule), we have most illiterate (dumbs with degrees because scams in education system), poor, cases of domestic violence, gender discrimination, crimes against women, ill-water supply, poor/no medical care, poor sanitation, useless/corrupt security and ever increasing and daunting levels of corruption in politics. This can be proven by seeing the statistics of immigration that how impatient Indians are to run away from India to find shelter in US/UK. By stating this I'm not completely denying the existence of evil in those countries but we are concerned about the levels and prevalence of it. This, in short, sums up the idea that the God they worship has blessed them far above than others because their foundations were laid with Biblical principles. 

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THE MAKING OF A LEGACY: A BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING

 

As Dr. Matthew K. Thomas, the president and the principal of CITS and the senior Pastor of PCG Itarsi, enjoying the Godly legacy of Late Dr. Kurian Thomas and following his Godly footsteps has successfully completed his 25 years of ministry in Lord’s vineyard it seems as an auspicious moment that provides us an apt context to discuss a few thoughts about the making of a legacy from a Biblical perspective.

Leaving a legacy is an important part of our life. A legacy is developed out of a life dedicated to self-reflection and purpose. Interestingly enough, the fact of the matter is that every one of us is going to leave a legacy regardless of our choice, however, choosing what to leave holds a key significance. What kind of legacy you will leave? Will it be long-lasting? How will you create a desired legacy? Will it be imperishable and eternal? Or will you leave behind only tangible items; buildings, money and properties?

A legacy isn't only about leaving what you earned but also what you learned.

The apostle Paul inculcated an important lesson in the heart of his spiritual son, Timothy, then, pastor at the church at Ephesus, to invest his life in faithful men who would became a catalyst to pass on the Truth of God to the next generation.

At present, current ungodly world views persistently make all imaginable attempts to annihilate embryonic faith of our children and escort them into politically correct ideology and gross immorality that would have stunned preceding generations. This is what, as stark reality, confronts and terrifies many of us in our local churches. And why not? It should, only then we would hasten to find a way out this predicament. At the as such this what our upcoming generation needs is ‘the one who leaves a LEGACY behind for onlookers to follow’. With the Biblical understanding, in this article, we shall look at the idea of legacy acronymically bound within the biblical principles.

L- LOVE THE LORD

E- ENLARGE YOUR TERRITORY

G- GUIDE THE WAYWARD

A- ASK IN PRAYER

C- COMMIT FOR A NOBLE CAUSE

Y- YIELD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

L LOVE THE LORD

One of the best ways for a Christians who seem to be interested in building a strong and lasting legacy is to love the Lord with all their heart, soul and might. And that’s how it will leave behind an everlasting imprint on children and they would remember the Godly path their parents have walked and will not depart from it when they grow old, in result, they will not only live your legacy but leave a legacy behind for others to follow. 

Deuteronomy 6:5-7And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (KJV)

We must first love God and His word without any falter. Arguably, many doubt and contend that Loving God, seen as the great commandment, is NT concept and was absent in the OT, however, aforementioned passage from OT debunks such notion. This tells us that God, as demonstrated by Jesus’ embodiment and teachings, is supremely Loving right from the beginning of the time, therefore, demands the same love from His creation. Love is something that caused Father to sacrifice His only begotten Son; it caused Jesus to bestow His life as a ransom for many; caused disciples to preach the unchurched at the expense of their own lives. Love is something that develops over a period of time, it is a gradual process. As one gets immersed in the depth of God’s Word, worship and prayer, the person begins to priorities God over every other aspects of life. Interestingly, its love that can and will genuinely motivate us to work for God selflessly, in turn, help us build and leave a lasting Godly legacy. There can’t be making of any legacy without the Love for the Lord. 

E ENLARGE THE TERRITORY

Another pivotal point when we discuss about legacy is the idea of largeness. People usually don’t remember the one who comes second but to the one who is first. Similarly for anyone attempting to leave a long lasting legacy must endeavor to enlarge his/her territory. Though be it business or mission, the vastness of its field is heavily matters. Hopefully, we may very well remember the classic parable of Jesus about the Talents; master, who represents God here, doesn’t only affirm and appreciate the hard work of his servant who multiplied the talents but also allocates more goods under his stewardship for more profit.

Matthew 25:23"His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master's joy!'(HCSB)

No one likes a lazy person neither anyone wants to remember such a one after his/her death for any good reason, therefore, what this master did to this lazy servant we all can support. On the other hand, we know and listen it in every conventional interpretation of this parable that greatly highlights the imperishable legacy this servant has left behind for us to follow by just enlarging his territory set by his master. God, our good master, has not left you empty handed. He must have entrusted you with very little (one talent) or much (five talents) but if you are industrious enough to move forward for painstaking efforts and enhance it manifold, undoubtedly, God is going to entrust you with abundance. Thus, the key here is to enlarge/enhance whatever is in your court. This, in turn, will adorn you with a legacy that will outlive your existence.

G GUIDE THE WAYWARD  

One of the essential things that this present generation desperately needs is a good leadership or a role model to imitate. And doing this, with all selflessness, will not only help them make critical decisions of their lives but it will also help you, as a guide, leave a strong legacy in the pages of history. We see Paul, in the Bible, guiding and instructing his spiritual son Timothy. Timothy, then, was a youth and was pastoring a church at Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor.

1 Timothy 4:12Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (KJV)

The above passage is a classing quote frequently used in counselling and preaching youngsters. And many such guidance, that he gives every then and now throughout the letters to Timothy, makes Paul a true spiritual father to Timothy. On the flip side, people, sometimes, don’t need your words for the guidance they inevitably follow your example. And this is more emphatic than hours of counselling put together. That’s why Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that “your action speaks so loud that I can’t hear what you say”. Therefore, this is one of the key reasons our churches are losing this generation; We have more schedules less encounters; more emotionalism less enrichment; more teaching less transformation; more messages to listen less models to follow. Paul could say, years before, “imitate me as I imitate Christ”. What makes Jesus great among non-Christians, even among the ones who accept Him merely as a teacher, He practiced what He preached. For anyone to leave a sturdy and enduring legacy; besides guiding the wayward with words guide them through life by becoming a role model. 

A ASK IN PRAYER

Beside all possible efforts to live and leave a legacy one must espouse the power of prayer throughout the process. In Christendom we can go on listing the names of the great men/women with godly fame and legacy achieved great things for God in the mission field, however, never undermined the place of prayer but affirmed it even more.

1 Chronicles 4:10And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it be not to my sorrow! And God granted him that which he requested. (ASV)

Here we see that Jabez was a prayerful man, he prayed for everything he needed and further we read about him that “he was more honorable among his brethren” (v. 9). It’s quite easy for anyone to conclude that Jabez live and also left behind a Godly and long lasting legacy.

Jesus, on whose legacy Christianity stands, secluded himself for this purpose. Amidst the enormous amount of ministerial opportunities, where crowd was thronging upon Jesus every then and now, He found His way out for the personal time with Father. Despite Jesus having pre-knowledge of His coming mission, achievements and legacy in His sovereign omniscience, He choose to pray about it and humbled Himself before God in prayer. 

So for anything, small or big, personal or public, under your power or outside of your power humbly present it before God in prayer. Only God can help you build a lasting legacy.

C COMMIT FOR A NOBLE CAUSE

Commitment is the key to any success in any field. No work/mission is small or big but all it requires to flourish is commitment. Commitment is a trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose. Legacy is always seen as something that is related to a noble work that has helped/emancipated the society or an individual. Despite being highly successful, so many people live a self-centeredness life and their success doesn’t help people around them. Though they also leave a legacy but that is monetary, entrepreneurial or limited within own empire and is not something that society can boast about. However, Bible talks about a noble cause that we need to look at:

James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion before our God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...” (HCSB)

Many boast about their religious belief by confining themselves within the cultic religious practices, however, Bible contradicts and shocks such self-centered religious folks by portraying a concrete picture of a true religion. Christianity, as a religion, functions beyond the ecclesiastical walls constructed by dogmas and self-righteousness. In order to establish a legacy which will be celebrated and remembered by masses one needs to commit himself/herself for a noble cause that will benefit not just an individual but society as a whole. In Matthew 9:36 we read: "And seeing the multitudes. Jesus felt compassion for them. Pandita Ramabai, committed herself for the emancipation of downtrodden women of India, left behind a long lasting legacy which will be celebrated for the centuries and hardly ever be disremembered. Similar is the case of John Wesley. A book written on him entitled, “England: Before and after Wesley”. We can go on talking about William Carey and many more who sacrificed their life and left an immortal legacy that is remembered not for any personal achievement but for a noble cause. We need to leave a legacy by being committed for doing something about our world. Many Christians today are walking in the middle of the road; they're so focused on what other people think that they are unwilling to take any risks in order to make an impact for Christ. In the light of this, Jamie Buckingham wrote, "The problem with Christians today is that no one wants to kill them anymore." Stand and commit yourself for a noble cause legacy will follow you inevitably.

The idea of leaving a legacy is the need or the desire to be remembered for what you have contributed to the world.

Y YIELD TO THE SPIRIT

This is where the idea of legacy, between godly and worldly, comes in stark contrast. Undoubtedly, without having to be worried about any legacy making, we need to work hard and put every possible efforts we can for the expansion of the kingdom of God but if we espouse to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit any task becomes pretty much opportune. Instead trying everything and later failing it’s better to yield to the Holy Spirit and let it guide you to do what is God-destined purpose for your life. When one tries to engage in kingdom-affairs without the guidance from above he/she is bound to struggle and eventually give up. Carnal men depends on their own abilities and boast in their aptitude for any human achievement. Jesus assured his disciples about the giving of the Holy Spirit for the power and guidance as they go about fulfilling God’s purpose for their life. So there can’t be a formation of a godly legacy without the power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:2
While church was seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, He [Holy Spirit] said, “set apart Barnabas and Saul for the task to which I have called them”.

This verse very well sums up the demand of yielding to the person of the Holy Spirit that opens up an opportunity for God to move in our lives. Many Charismatic Christian groups greatly undermine the Holy Spirit by seeing him as a power, influence or fire, however, the Biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit strongly teaches us that Holy Spirit is a Person; the third person of Trinity.

Ask Holy Spirit to give you a sense of purpose, direction, and mission. In fact, true vision, direction, and destiny can come only from the One who controls not only the present but also the future. By discovering your eternal destiny, you will begin to build lasting legacy in your life.

However, for most mere mortals walking this earth, most will leave a more modest legacy that doesn’t necessarily change the world at large but does leave a lasting legacy which will be cherished by those whose lives you have touched and Dr. Matthew K. Thomas is an ideal example of that. The challenge before us is the same for all of us. Will we follow Christ and fulfill His call and vision for our lives without being overtly concern about our legacy? 

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Jesus' Four Principles of Disciple Making

Connection  

Selection 

Association 

Delegation 

1. Connection: Jesus was good at making connection. The connection here simply means relationship with the people. One of the key factors of success in ministry is in the art of establishing and maintaining relationships. Ministry is people business. You make impact on people by the way you relate to them. No one likes the people who are not social or don't like to get together with other fellow human being. Sometimes they are characterised as introverts. While being introverts may have some benefits, however, in ministry one needs to be friendly, relational and more connective as Jesus was.  

2. Selection: Out all that Jesus saw and met He selected twelve to the world changers. While we relate and encounter a lot of people on daily basis, it's very important to wisely select and frame inner circle of our relationship. The process of selection might take time and efforts. 

3. Association: bible in Mark 3:14 says Jesus chose twelve to keep them along with Him. Association is very vital in disciple making. This requires a model presentation in the part of the master so that disciples can follow and learn as they are closely associated. In order to associate someone, one needs to develop a kind of lifestyle that idealistic or model keeping. Unless our life is a model for others to follow we can't associate anybody. Jesus life was a model for His disciples to follow. Thus, build your own life and associate juniors to inculcate same in their hearts. 

4. Delegation: finally Jesus delegated the responsibility. Many a masters nowadays are afraid of surrendering their ministry to subordinates. Jesus knew when is the time to hand over ministry to disciples with authority and power. In fact, this was the end purpose of Jesus behind disciple making. A lot of ministry have been dead and are dying just because masters are not ready to develop second line leadership. There is no successor to their legacy. We must learn to delegate before its too late. 

These are the four simple methods that Jesus used to make twelve disciples, who later became world changers. 

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Three Lessons From The Parable of Talents

Read:

मत्ती 25:14-30 क्योंकि यह उस मनुष्य की सी दशा है जिस ने परदेश को जाते समय अपने दासों को बुलाकर, अपनी संपत्ति उन को सौंप दी...!!!

Matthew 25: 14-30 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods...!!!

The one simplest and profound definition of a parable could be, "Earthly story with heavenly meaning". Jesus Himself narrated this parable to His disciples which is very well sandwiched between end time signs and coming judgement seat of Christ. There are many lessons that Jesus wanted to communicate through this parable but we would look at three of those lessons. Reliance, Responsibility and Reward.

1. Reliance:

At the outset we see a deep reliance of the master on his servants. In present world nobody would give so much of money, even little money to servants. One might give to relatives but not to servants. But here this master relied on his servants.

WHAT:

Now question comes for what He relied on them. This master represents God in the greater meaning of the story. It requires faith on someone to handover something. God has given various kinds of talents to every believer in Christ. This talents could be interpreted diversely. One literal meaning could be; one talent was equal to 6000 dinaries. A daily wager had to work for 20+ years to earn one talent. Other see a talent as a measure of weight. So one talent of gold would, of course, be expensive than a talent of bronze. That's a lot of money. Other interpret talent as anything that God had given you under your stewardship; ministry, spiritual gifts, money, resources, job, family, health or anything else. Other see it as an opportunity; God gives you opportunity based on your ability. Whatever this talent be let's not argue about it. Let's understand that anything you possess is not your's but God and you have got to be a steward over all. 1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6

Psalmist could have never imagined this when he says, "what is many you be mindful of him?" We are co-workers with Christ. God has relied on us for a greater purpose not because He can't accomplish it alone but wanna share the joy of fellowship (enter master's happiness) and the privilege of saving souls with us. Paul says Christ counted me faithful and entrusted me this ministry 1 Timothy 1:12.

HOW MUCH:

Second question how much has He entrusted each one of us. This is the most important question of this morning. We see in the parable that master doesn't give equal talents to all. And may have heard preachings before that you all are equal, Abraham Lincoln famously said, "All men are equal". But ironically it's not true. Many of you may say that it's partiality but Bible says God is not partial. Bible says God is not partial in terms of His grace and mercy for man's salvation and natural resources. And there is nothing wrong or unjust about it. Diversity is the beauty of God. A master artist will not make replicas of what he has already made, his every art will be unique and masterpiece in itself. 

Pablo Picasso's painting green leaves and bust 104 million dollars around 7 Arabs in Indian rupees. None of your finger print, eye print, tongue print matches anybody else in this world. Similarly, your natural aptitude, potential, talents, gifts and thinking patters differs from each other's. 

That's also the beauty of trinity; different yet one. And Paul takes a whole chapter to explain the same in Ephesians; different organs of same body of Christ. So one member to meet one specific purpose needs five talents but other to meet another specific purpose needs one talents. It's about purpose with which we are created and distributed with talents.

2. Responsibility:

With every reliance comes responsibility. With every relationship comes requirements. With every authority comes accountability. With every opportunity comes obligation. And many fail to realise this and don't take further step.

Below are a few causes for this:

A. Self doubt: I'm not qualified so I can't do it. A good number of us go through this feeling of insignificance and unworthiness. And same is in the Bible with great leaders.

B. Self pity: I failed in the past do better not to try. We have got to learn from our past. But when stops to take another step in a new attempt it is fatal. How many times Peter failed Jesus and same with David also. Father was videoing her daughter who was climbing on a horse, it took her 16 times to get at the back of that horse but during all these attempt father didn't go to help.

C. Self consciousness: what would other think? Most of us are not growing because we have become over conscious about other's thinking. People will

Mock me. Illustration: Father, son and donkey. Season and time changes so do the people. The one who has neglected you today will invite you tomorrow.

3. Reward:

Reward is something that drives us for the challenge or work. In games it's reward that athlete runs for. 1 Corinthians 9:24 Paul says only one receives the price. But interestingly enough, here all will receive reward.

It's threefold;

Affirmation: well done 

Promotion: you were faithful in little now 

Celebration: enter into Master's happiness

But let's not forget the punishment: its eternal darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth that equals hell. 

Many believers and minister think not doing what God has told us, will just not let us qualify for reward but it's misconception. 

Warning: The consequence of not using our talents is not just the loss reward but eternal damnation. 

Sin of omission is equal to the sin of commission. James 4:17

So let's be committed to become faithful servants of our master by fruitfully using whatever He has entrusted us for His glory.

God bless !!!!

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GIVE BLOOD GIVE LIVES

लैव्यव्यवस्था17:11 क्योंकि शरीर का प्राण लोहू में रहता है;"Bible pictures blood as something which carries life in itself" Leviticus 17:11

Until 19th century in human history a good number people died by massive blood flow (accidents or wars) because they didn't understand the value of blood in human body. 

Similarly, today many people across the globe die because of the excessive flow of blood. Friends2support.org survey tells that everyday 38000 blood donation. WHO reports that only 9 millions units are collected while the need is 12 million units. TOI survey tells that India faces a blood shortage of 3 million units. Alongside other states of India Bihar is no. 1 with shortage of 84%. 

NDTV reports, in 2008, 17 people were kidnapped for two and a half years to forcefully donate blood. Beside this there are illegal blood farms that breeds black market of human blood. 

Uncontrolled increase in fatal accidents and life threatening diseases have caused such hike in blood demand.

Even one donation makes a lot of difference in this context. It means a life to an dying individual. Many would not donate because of the unawareness, misconception, fear of disease or fear needle injection. None of these are valid or accepted reasons though.

If Bible says blood carries life, then, Gift of blood is a gift of life, from which nothing greater could be imagined. A life saved from mortal death holds the possibility of being saved from eternal death through Christ. 

Jesus came to give life, the life of abundance.

Give Blood Give Lives !!!

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The Armour of God #6 The Sword of the Spirit

इफ़ीसीयो 6:17 .....और आत्मा की तलवार जो परमेश्वर का वचन है, ले लो। 

Ephesians 6:17 KJ.....and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

6. The Sword of the Spirit: An Offensive Armour for Victory

"LET SATAN CUT YOU, BLEED THE WORD OF GOD"

Sword is an offensive as well as defensive weapon of war. Defensive in terms of blocking enemy's attack. First battle in human history was over God's word. When God commanded Adam and Eve, "Do this and don't do that" Satan said, "Did God really say that"? Causing doubt and forgetfulness about the word of God. 

Satan's first war is against the word of God; though be it written or oral and it's same today. As long as Adam and Eve had the sword of the Spirit Satan could do nothing. So he wanted to take that away. That's called surrender. And Satan succeeded in Edenic war. Enemy had his way in Adam's life because they doubted and forgot what God SAID. From then on man is constantly loosing battle with the forces of darkness. 

Evident triumph could be witnessed across the globe; of lies over truth, darkness over light, fear over faith, hatred over love, pride over humility, deception over faithfulness, corruption over justice, partiality over equity, selfishness over benevolence, tyranny over mercy and what not.

Today in postmodern culture, the war is against absolute. Bible's claim to be an absolute truth is an abomination to a postmodernist. In this ever changing world of ideas and fleeting emotions, if something that's desperately needed is but the Unchanging Word of Truth.

In any war, when you put down your offensive weapon, it simply means you have surrendered. Satan wants us to surrender ourselves to him by forgetting and forsaking word of God. And that's true with many Christians today. We are ministers and face this issues a number of times. When the Bible is opened our eyes are closed.

When life goes hard, one of two things people do. Either they draw close to God or backslide. I remember one incident, o was preaching in a church about mediating word of God. After service was over, one lady came front and told my mother that, "I had almost stopped reading the Bible because I had been going through something worse in my life but now I'll resume my Bible reading". 

She had dropped her most powerful weapon before the challenges of life. 

This what enemy wants you to do, just surrender.

When it comes to learning the art of using this sword of the spirit Jesus Christ is the master. When Satan attacks Him with tempting questions and doubts, Jesus does nothings but shoves the unadulterated sword of the Spirit which is the plain word of God and defeats him right away. The lesson here one can learn is the remembering or memorising the Word of God. Jesus remembered what He had learned from His childhood and used it appropriately. Today, we need to learn and memorise the the Word of God, only then we withstand enemy's attack.

Now you use it to attack enemy. When you release it in the form of the gospel, attacking the strongholds of darkness. And Bible says word of God never turns back without accomplishing its purpose.

Heb 4:12 To cut the hearts of the people. Acts 2:36-37 Many a times, misusing the sword, we cut hearts of the people with our words just as Peter did, when he cut the ear of Malchus but use word of God for sewing broken hearts and cutting sinful hearts. Remember Jesus, when Satan came to tempt Him, He used nothing to counter him but word. And He didn't open the physical scriptures there but it was in His heart. Be victorious in Jesus' name.

"Take care of the Word of God and the Word of God will take care of you".

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The Armour of God #5 The Helmet of Salvation

इफिसियों 6:17 और उद्धार का टोप, Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation.

5. The Helmet of Salvation: The Protection of Thoughts (cognitive faculty)

"WHAT CONSUMES YOUR MIND CONTROLS YOUR LIFE"

Helmet becomes quite important when it comes to traffic. And mostly, Indians, make all efforts to avoid helmet unless police is around. Brain is understood to be most vulnerable and vital organ of human body. In Bible, king Abimelech lost his life because he encroached a city without helmet and a lady threw a stone in his head and his skull shattered into pieces. Judges 9: 53. 

Even an improper use of helmet may be fatal. For instance Goliath gave way to the stone of David. Even in wars headshots are most rewarded and expected if you want to completely destroy your enemy. In spiritual war, this helmet of salvation is not for the protection of your head from any physical stone, bullet or accident but unseen evil thoughts. I remember playing shooting video games, which was then my favourite, headshot were given 100 points which was far more than other shots. 

Satan is also interested in getting 100 points. More than your body he is interested in attacking your head, your thoughts.

Jesus said, "even if you thought sinful you have committed the sin", James 1:15, "when passion becomes pregnant gives birth to sin". This could be the thoughts of sexual perversion, discouragement, failure, inferiority, suicidal, weakness, pride and what not?

In the case Job, Satan tried physical assault but failed then he uses head shots by attacking his feelings and emotions. Job's friends and wife came to inflict pain on him psychologically. All words of discouragement. And today also he does the same. You may be looking well from outside, good job, income, family settlement but he is working inside your mind. Like a termite eating you from within. Satan sends negative thoughts, feeling of discouragements, defeat, loneliness, lostness, dejection, sexual perversion and what not? So in such context wearing the helmet of salvation means remembering that you are victorious. No matter what kind of a negative thought Satan infuses into your neurones, you always come out victorious. You don't linger in evil thoughts. Salvation is a victory given to you freely for which you have not fought but Jesus Christ has and won the battle over Satan. So now you can live victoriously by embodying helmet of salvation. 

In the case of Israel again this attack could be seen. They had already been delivered, now they are far far away from the land of their enemy but Satan comes to attack with thoughts; remembering the things of the old land and they ended up loosing their salvation and miserably died. So this mental or psychological attack of Satan can get so fatal that you can't even imagine. Today, many Christians are not being physical attacked with disease or apparent demon possessions as much they are attacked in their cognition. It's hard to even recognise that Christians are attacked. In Bible there are many examples, as such David was with sinful thoughts, Elijah was attacked with the spirit of fear, Judas was attacked with suicidal spirit. All of these attacks are cognitive in their nature.

When you think about the process of salvation, it's actually cognitive in nature. It takes place in the mind, faith is in the mind, accepting Jesus is in the mind. The verb 'believe in Jesus' is actualized in the mind which results in one's salvation. 

So we must protect OUR MIND with the thoughts of salvation and victory. Bible says, above all, guard you thoughts, heart and mind. Philippians 4:7, Proverbs 4:23. By setting our thoughts on the things of above. Colossians 3:1-2, Philippians 4:8.

GOD BLESS !!!

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