Lord of the Storm

Lord of the Storm

SCRIPTURE:

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41

OBSERVATION:

After a long session of teaching, the Lord tells his disciples to go over to the other side of the Lake of Galilee, leaving the crowd behind. Exhausted after His long discourse, the Lord quickly falls asleep. Although the trip across by boat would have taken only about less than 2 hours, the Lake was quickly beset by a furious storm. Due to the surrounding topography, torrents of wind rushing down the mountain passes occasionally would stir up a furious storm with raging waves at very short notice, threatening the small boats on the lake. With waves swamping the boat, the disciples were in great fear for their lives, and quickly woke Jesus and cried to Him for help. “Teacher, don’t you care that we are drowning?” (Mark 4:38) “Lord, save us, we are perishing.” (Matthew 8:25)  

But the Lord simply stood up and rebuked the wind and the waves “Quiet! Be still!”, or more literally “Shut up! Be muzzled!” as if asking a dog to be quiet. Turning to His disciples, the Lord then chastised them for being afraid and faithless. The disciples were absolutely terrified, asking each other “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him?”

APPLICATION:

Even the wind and the waves obeyed Him!  Through this incident, the Lord showed His disciples His absolute divinity, His completely authority not only over demons and diseases but also over nature itself. He showed them beyond all doubt that He is truly God. Just as in the time of Moses when God showed His awesome power over nature in the plagues that befell Egypt, He now showed His awesome power over nature through His Son Jesus Christ.

For us today, the storms are a symbol of great troubles that may fall upon our lives at various intervals. These storms may come in the form of economic troubles or natural disaster, family problems or sickness and disease. Whatever the storm, whatever the troubles, the Lord calls us to not be afraid, but to have faith in Him, to trust in Him and believe that He will deliver us. No matter what happens, God is in control, and we must hold on to that, and believe in Him who called us to be His own.

It is interesting that Mark also records that there were other boats on the lake of Galilee. The people in those boats were also saved at the same time when Jesus saved His disciples. There is a lesson here for us that when we are following the Lord and seeing His deliverance and reality in our lives, there will be others in our vicinity who will be impacted and may even be saved. Therefore it is so important for us to be on the watch for others whom we come across as we live life so that we may also point them towards the Lord who saves us!

PRAYER:

We worship You and bless You and praise You, precious Lord Jesus, Lord even of the storm. May we fix our eyes on You and put our full trust in You no matter what storms life may bring us. Deliver us and those around us we pray, even as we continue to follow You, our precious Lord and Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.

Disciple or Onlooker?

SCRIPTURE:

With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. Mark 4:33-34

OBSERVATION:

One of the most beautiful things about the teachings of Jesus was that He used parables, stories and illustrations from everyday life. And Mark writes that Jesus spoke to them as much as they could understand. Observing the daily goings on about Him, Jesus used simple, common things that the people were familiar with to speak forth great spiritual truths to the common people, who were thrilled at hearing Him speak and gathered around Him in great crowds. To farmers, He would speak of sowing seed in the field. To widows, He would speak of searching for a lost coin. To fishermen, He would speak of sorting out good and bad fish.

Beautiful though His words were, what the Lord said did not make a big impact on most of the people in the crowd. Majority of them would have come to be entertained, to feed their curiosity, to come and see what this new teacher was all about. The Lord did not explain many deep things to them.

In contrast, the Lord’s attitude was very different with His own disciples, with whom He explained everything, in deep detail.

APPLICATION:

What is the difference between a disciple and an onlooker? An onlooker may come to church to tickle his ears, to enjoy some good music, but otherwise goes back and lives life how he pleases without serious thought to the calling of the Lord. A disciple, on the other hand, is someone committed to the Lord, who is interested to live life the way that pleases Him, and abstain from ways that do not please Him. The early Christians, were called followers of the Way. They were committed to follow the Way of Christ and follow His teachings as much as they could. There was no such thing as a Sunday Christian happy to keep his supposed “ticket to Heaven”, and do the bare minimum to give some semblance of his faith.

To the serious disciple who is willing to be committed to Him, the Lord reveals more and more as he seeks to please Him. I was once an onlooker till God showed me the error of my ways. May the precious Lord help all of us become true disciples and stay true disciples in following Him. 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, help us be disciples we pray, with hearts yearning to follow You. Show us the error of our ways, and reveal to us the path to be true. In Jesus name, Amen. 

From the smallest of seeds

SCRIPTURE:

Jesus asked, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story shall I use to illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed! Though this is one of the smallest of seeds, yet it grows to become one of the largest of plants, with long branches where birds can build their nests and be sheltered.” Mark 4:30-32 (TLB)

OBSERVATION:

The parable of the Mustard seed has long been a favorite illustration in the church through the centuries. It looks at the tiniest of seeds growing to become one of the largest of garden plants. This illustration gives us the picture of exponential growth, a rate of growth so great it is far beyond the imagination.

When we think of the Kingdom of God, there are at least three levels we can see it in action.

First, is the Kingdom of God in the individual. Without Christ, the life is dark. There is no hope. But when one first seeks Jesus, a single ray of light enters the soul. As the soul finds joy and beholds the light, the light starts to grow and grow, shining brighter and brighter until it fills the whole soul and emanates out into a rich life blessing others and spreading that light.

Second, is the Kingdom of God in the church. After Jesus rose and ascended back to Heaven, the church largely consisted of only about 120 followers of Christ led by 12 Apostles. However, from Pentecost, the church has grown and spread exponentially all over the world with those calling themselves Christian numbering more than 2 billion. Of course not everyone who calls themselves Christian is truly Christian, but starting from just 120, there must be at least hundreds of millions of true Christians over the ages, a great exponential growth indeed!  

Third, is the literal Kingdom of God, where Jesus will really be the King when He comes back again and reigns the whole world from Jerusalem in Israel during the Millennial Reign. His reign has started off in individuals all over the earth, and the churches that they worship in, but ultimately His reign will encompass the whole world where every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

APPLICATION:

Firstly, remember the energy and potential of the mustard seed within us. The Holy Spirit is the great power within us, with unlimited potential. However, how much we are able to grow and serve God depends on how much we cooperate with the Holy Spirit and let Him change us and mold us. Be aware of the great energy moving within us, and pray for God to help us work with Him to lead us and help us grow.

Secondly, thank God that we are part of His kingdom in the church, and seek to be part of that exponential growth, which is our mission and vision, to spread the gospel and make disciples from every nation, tribe and people.

Thirdly, remember that Jesus Christ is coming back again, and establishing His kingdom upon the whole world. Blessed and holy are those who have part of that first resurrection, who will join Him in establishing His kingdom on earth! Let us watch how we live now, in light of looking forward to His glorious kingdom.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, precious Lord Jesus, we thank You for the beauty of the mustard seed, that grew so large from a seed so small. Open our eyes and minds to recognize the mustard seed within us in Your Holy Spirit, which is able to help us grow and bring us to live purposeful lives greater than we could ever hope for or imagine. Help us be also part of Your kingdom expansion in the church, and in the marketplace. In all things, help us always remember Your kingdom is coming, and to look forward to Your glorious reign over all the earth! We bless You and praise You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen. 

ANAKAINOSIS, THE RENEWING

SCRIPTURE:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. Romans 12:2 (TLB)

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:2 (The Message)

OBSERVATION:

The Greek Word used for Renewing, “Anakainosis”, significantly refers to the adjustment of one’s moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God, which is designed to have a transforming effect upon one’s life. Basically, Paul gives us two different ways of outlook in this verse. The first is thinking and looking the way the world does. The second is thinking and looking at things the way God does.

The world focuses on what is temporal. Immediate pleasures, material gain, the honor of one’s self in the eyes of others. God’s way instead calls us to look long term, to the life beyond this one. God’s vision sees this life as only temporary, and calls us to a life of abstinence from sinful ways, but a goal of holiness in God’s ways, no matter how unpopular it may be. The ultimate goal in the Christian’s life is to know what God’s will is and to follow His will.

APPLICATION:

First of all, we must recognize and remember that the ways and values of the world are not the same as God’s values. Our hearts are deceitful, and will try to excuse and fit worldly values into the church. That is why the health and wealth prosperity gospel has become so popular today. But the tone of Scripture as a whole never emphasizes this, instead calling Christians to persevere in suffering, to focus on the Lord instead of self, to seek God’s righteousness as utmost priority rather than worldly riches which though not wrong in itself, can prove a dangerous stumbling block.

How do we renew our minds, to adjust our vision and thinking to be like God’s? First of all, is to meditate on God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures. His Words are life, and we need to be disciplined and reading the Scriptures, and in doing so, we must cast off “Spectacles” or “Lens” of various kinds which veer us away from the truth. Read the Bible a book at a time, to try and understand the whole theme and message of the book. Jumping from text to text without looking deeper into the context is likely to lead us to error.

Secondly, we need to spend time in prayer and seeking God’s presence. The more we spend time with God, the more we understand His way of thinking and His vision. Throughout the day, even as we do our daily work, we need to keep the awareness of His presence with us, and listen for His Spirit’s quiet leading.

PRAYER

O Heavenly Father, precious Lord Jesus, we desire to have Your mind, Your way of thinking even as we live life on earth. Teach us Lord, to adjust our perceptions, our vision, our ways of thinking away from the ways of the world and instead focus on knowing and learning what pleases You. Open up Your Word to us, and help us cast off man-made pre-conceptions even as we read Your Word. Illumine our hearts and minds to know Your Word truthfully, and to read even in faith, to believe Your Scripture as it is.

We bless You and love You precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen. 

First a leaf, then a head, then the ripening

SCRIPTURE:

“Here is another story illustrating what the Kingdom of God is like: “A farmer sowed his field and went away, and as the days went by, the seeds grew and grew without his help. For the soil made the seeds grow. First a leaf blade pushed through, and later the heads of wheat formed, and finally the grain ripened, and then the farmer came at once with his sickle and harvested it.” Mark 4:26-29

OBSERVATION:

In this parable, the Lord illustrates the kingdom of God as a farmer sowing seed in a field and letting it grow by itself, coming back immediately to harvest once the grain is ripened. The farmer is like the servant of God who preaches the Word of God as we learned from the previous parable of the seeds. Thereafter, the seeds grow on their own because of the soil. Again, we are reminded of the importance of the soil, particularly soil that is not hard (stubborn), not shallow (weak in face of persecution), and has not allowed weeds to grow (distractions).

Then we also see that the transformation is a process. First a lead blade pushes through, then heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. Elsewhere in Scripture, Paul emphasized that it is God that makes a Christian grow, not the workers. Still, there is also a role for the Christian to respond to that transformation process. In the book of Jeremiah, the Lord likened Israel to clay that would not run in the potter’s hands and thus failed to become the beautiful vessel intended. We too are like that clay, and we need to work with God to allow Him to change us.

APPLICATION:

Christian growth is a process, and we should not expect big changes overnight. Instead, we should be patient in seeking God and changing according to His timing and His leading. Our part is to trust Him, and try to respond to Him to let Him lead us and mould us into who He wants us to be. Humility and trust is key here, and with that attitude, our hearts will form good soil for growing good fruit for the Master.

PRAYER:

We praise You and worship You, Father in Heaven, precious Lord Jesus. Help us grow O Lord, bit by bit, inch by inch, into the creation You mean us to be. Help us be humble and teachable and respond to Your discipline, even as You lead us and guide us. May Your name be praised forever precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Light shining brighter

SCRIPTURE:

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Mark 4:21-25

OBSERVATION:

One of the most beautiful things about the Lord’s parables is how He just takes everyday common things and draws out incredible truths about the kingdom of God.

In the parable of the lamp, He gives us two parallels concerning the use of a lamp. In the first, the lamp is put under a bowl or a bed. Obviously, the light is hidden and is hardly useful for the purpose it was made. In the second parallel, the lamp is put on its stand, shining bright and strong to give light to everyone around.

The Lord then proclaims beautifully “for whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.” It is poetic language but basically says that the light will expose what was hidden.

Now, remember that the Lord spoke this parable right after the parable of the Seeds. And the seed among weeds in particular has a strong connection to the light under the bowl or a bed. The seed which is the Word of God is the light but the weeds are things that creep in and cover and block the light stifling it so that it cannot shine for those around.

The Lord is telling us not to let anything block the light but to let it shine brightly and openly and be useful to all around. In the Sermon of the Mount, the Lord said that we, His disciples, are the light of the world.

The Lord continues, “If anyone has ears, let him hear….” and “Consider clearly what you hear” Hear what? Hear the Word of God! Remember the seed?

Then He goes on “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more.” From hearing, the Lord suddenly talks about using. Remember He’s talking about the seed, the light. The Word of God that we hear, we are to apply, and the more we apply (put into practice), more Word and Revelation will be given to us.

And in conclusion, the Lord declares “Whoever has will be given more, whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Whoever has what? It is whoever has the Word of God and applies it. The more we apply, the more of God’s word  and revelation we get, the more we grow, the more we shine brightly. Whoever does not apply the Word of God, even the little that we receive is taken away. Remember the birds (Satan) that snatch the word away in the case of the seed thrown on the path?

APPLICATION:-

Whatever light and truth the Lord has revealed to us, we have a responsibility to apply it in our lives. The more we follow God’s Word, the more He reveals to us, and the more we find Him real in our lives. In contrast, if we just listen and let it slide without doing anything, we forget quickly and the lessons are lost. This has a powerful lesson for our growth. We need to desire to hear God’s Word with deeper passion. The more we learn, the more we need to exercise it, and God delights in showing us even more! May we shine our lights brighter and brighter, growing from glory to glory to be like our precious Lord Jesus!

PRAYER:-

We thank You Lord, for the light of Your revelation that You have given us. Help us not to just listen but to apply what we learn and do more and more what pleases You. Help us shine our lights brightly for Your glory. Even as we grow in You and learn and serve You more, anoint us and enable us to learn even more. Your Word is so precious, Lord. We thank You and love You. In Jesus name, Amen.

The secrets of God’s kingdom

SCRIPTURE:

When Jesus was alone with the twelve apostles and some others, they asked him about these stories. He answered: I have explained the secret about God’s kingdom to you, but for others I can use only stories. The reason is, ”These people will look and look, but never see. They will listen and listen, but never understand. If they did, they would turn to God, and he would forgive them.” Mark 4:10-13

OBSERVATION:

After Jesus illustrated the parable of the Sower, His disciples were puzzled and asked Him what the parable meant? The Lord then made a most interesting comment, stating that He would explain the secret of God’s kingdom to them (His disciples), but only use parables (stories) for others. Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Jesus proclaimed that this was so that these others would be ever seeing but never perceiving and ever listening but never understanding for if they did, they would turn to God and find forgiveness from Him.

The key thing for us to remember here is that we must turn to God so that He will forgive us. That ultimately is the key message of repentance throughout the Scripture, to turn from our own way of doing things, and turning to God to do things His way. When we come as we are, He forgives us by the blood of Jesus, and makes us right with Him. Thereafter, we are to continue in fellowship with Him, seeking to follow His ways, not turning back to old ways again.

Another thing to realize is that we need Jesus to open the understanding and perception of the Scriptures to us. He does this through the Holy Spirit whom He has given us. As James said, if anyone lacks wisdom, He should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault. Therefore, when we don’t understand a Scripture, we should pray to God to help us understand. We may not receive complete understanding all at once, but He enlightens part by part according to His wisdom.

Consider those who are not Jesus’ disciples. They will look and not see, listen but not understand. This was so true of the leaders of the Jews at the time, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. They had the Law and the Prophets, which spoke clearly of Jesus, but they could not understand God’s plan. Only when we are serious about following Jesus will He reveal precious truths to us. Are we true disciples, sincere in learning from Jesus and following Him?

APPLICATION:

Make sure we are turned to God, willing to set our lives before Him, so that He will forgive us. Look to Jesus for wisdom to understand the Scriptures, which show us the way to eternal life. We are either Jesus’ disciples or we are not. There are no halfway Christians, who profess to believe yet are not true disciples. In fact, the early believers never called themselves “Christians”, they were followers of the “Way”. We have to make a decision either to live life God’s way or our own way.

PRAYER:

We praise You and worship You, Abba Father in Heaven, precious Lord Jesus. We thank You for Your beautiful parables, lovely stories which bring out precious truth of the Kingdom to us. Open our minds we pray, that we may understand and appreciate and live life in the way that pleases You. Give us wisdom to apply these great truths. Help us desire and endeavor to be genuine in our walk with You. Help us look to You and let Your presence and Words abide in us more and more. We praise You and love you, Lord Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.

The soil where the seeds fell

SCRIPTURE:

Again Jesus began to teach beside Lake Galilee. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was out in the water, and the crowd stood on the shore at the water's edge. He used parables to teach them many things, saying to them: “Listen! Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep. Then, when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants, and they didn't bear grain. But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants sprouted, grew, and bore grain: some had thirty grains, others sixty, and others one hundred.” And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!”

Then Jesus asked them, “Don't you understand this parable? How, then, will you ever understand any parable? The sower sows God's message. Some people are like the seeds that fall along the path; as soon as they hear the message, Satan comes and takes it away. Other people are like the seeds that fall on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once. Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the ones who hear the message, but the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message, and they don't bear fruit. But other people are like seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred.”

Mark 4:1-9, 13-20

OBSERVATION:

The parable of the Sower was so important in the teachings of Jesus that it was mentioned in three of the four gospels. In this parable, we see the Lord take a beautiful Scriptural allegory based on a farmer sowing seeds in the field. The seeds are all the same, but the differences lies in where they are thrown. And the Lord gives four different outcomes based on the soil on which the seed falls. But foremost, we must understand what the seeds are, and the Lord clearly explains to His disciples later that the seed is God’s message. The Ultimate Sower is God, but His hands are the servants of God who preach God’s message. Their job is to sow. The outcome is primarily not dependent on them but rather on the soil. Naturally, they would get a better return if they were to concentrate their message on good soil, but the purpose of the parable here is not so much on the sowing, but on the soils.

Firstly, some of the seeds fall on the path, where the birds quickly come and eat it up. The Lord explains that these are people who hear the message but receive no impact at all. Satan comes and takes it away quickly. One could blame Satan, but the point is that it was easy for him to take the seed away as it was on the hard path with no soil at all. What would be the characteristics of people with hearts like that? Typically, people who are proud and think they know everything, people who are already in love with their own current way of life and unwilling to change no matter what, and people who are already so in love with something in the world be it another religion, a sport or even a music idol. Is this condition permanent? No! Many self-made men previously unreachable found God during a period of severe crisis be it business failure, marriage or family problems, or health issues. In praying for those with hard hearts, we sometimes need to pray for God to send a “hedge of thorns” to beset them, that they may realize their need for God outside of themselves.

Secondly, some of the seeds fall on rocky soil. They hear the message and receive it gladly at first, but because there is not much soil, they fall way when persecution comes. This is a very serious problem facing the church of God today, especially where the people of God have become very used to a comfortable environment and they have never encountered any serious persecution. Instead, the possibility of persecution is completely ignored, and people’s attention are rather diverted towards health, prosperity and blessing. Against this backdrop, even the pre-tribulation heresy has become popular, leading Christians to think they have a chance to be raptured before the Great Tribulation, and miss the reign of the Anti-Christ and all its persecutions, a concept totally alien to the tone of the rest of Scripture and the experience of the early Christian church.

So many of us are on rocky soil, and we do not even realize it, thinking that we are good, matured Christians who have been to church a long time. When persecution comes, it can come suddenly like a flood, and our true devotion to Christ will be laid bare before all. Right now, even when we are still not challenged by persecution, we already need to prepare, to seek God earnestly and deeply, to grow deep in Him, so that we will have the necessary depth and strength of relationship with Him to carry us through in those difficult times to come.

Thirdly, some of the seeds fall among the bushes, but because of the thorns, they are choked and don’t bear fruit. What are the thorns? Jesus describes them as the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and desires for other things. Worry is the opposite of faith. It shows that we do not trust God to provide for us, to help us in time of need. Worry is actually a sin. While we can only please God by faith, we will certainly displease him by continuing in worry. We need to cast our cares upon Him for He cares for us, and trust that He controls all the steps we have before us.

Concerning the deceitfulness of wealth, we must be always aware that wealth is a dangerous thing. Inherently, having money is not sin, but the love of money is the root of all evil. Those with plenty must beware lest their heart be entrapped by the luxuries of wealth and the greed and selfishness that can quickly consume. We need instead to realize that all that we have belongs to God, and that the more He gives us, the greater the responsibility for us to use it for His purposes. The prosperity gospel focuses one’s mind on riches, but the true gospel focuses our minds on loving Christ, in seeking to live lives that please Him. Concerning desires for other things, we must realize that in this world, there has never been so many fascinating things that can captivate us, from the myriad of brilliant computer games to the unlimited access to knowledge and information of the Internet to the best of movies and entertainment of Hollywood, Bollywood and KBS, and best of music and rock and roll today, and even sensual indulgence in various Sports, Food, Fashion and Vacations. The call of the age today is that which seeks to dominate our attention in everything for our own intellectual, physical and emotional pleasure except for God.

Finally, only the seeds that fell on good soil produced a crop, producing 30, 60, even a 100 times what was sown. Those with good soil let the Word sink in deep. They were not deterred by trouble or hardship or persecution. They did not let their worries grow. They did not let wealth entangle them. They did not allow their desires for other things impede their growth. They persevered and overcame, and bore fruit over and over again in the way desired by the Sower.

APPLICATION:-

The challenge for us today is to make sure that our hearts remain good soil for the Word of God! How do we do that? Firstly, we must make sure our hearts are soft and ready to hear God’s Word in humility. We must never have the attitude that we know everything and become proud. Instead, we need to be sensitive to God’s voice and be willing to learn, to move and let Him lead our lives as He directs us.

Secondly, we must not give up when faced with persecution. In the first place, we must learn to expect persecution as part of our Christian journey and not fear it. Instead, we need to constantly pray for God’s grace to stand up under it. We need to beware of false doctrines promising a problem-free life which is not Scriptural, but endeavor to be fruitful and faithful to God in every circumstance.

Thirdly, we must be disciplined not to get caught up in the worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things. We are not just Sunday Christians, we are Christians everyday, every moment. The work that we do, we do well, as if to the Lord. In regard to our entertainment and leisure, we rein in, careful to respond to the Holy Spirit lest we become too caught up in spending time on things that do not profit us spiritually. For those of us with wealth, we need to constantly pray for wisdom how to direct our giving. There is nothing wrong in saving, which is good and prudent. Yet, there is always room to be generous and give, as the Lord directs us. Some of us have far more than we would ever need for a few lifetimes. Why not instead seek to channel our funds to make a difference for the Lord according to His direction more and more.

Finally, remember that we need to remain in Jesus to bear fruit. Let us remember our lifelong goal to know Him, to please Him, to serve Him.

PRAYER:-

We thank You, precious Heavenly Father, precious Lord Jesus, for this beautiful parable that is so relevant especially in today’s age, where there is so much distraction, worry and trouble in the world. Change our hearts we pray precious Lord! Cultivate our hearts that we may allow Your Word to sink deep into us and transform us. We entrust ourselves to You, precious Lord. Help us be faithful! In Jesus name, Amen.

Becoming family with Jesus

SCRIPTURE:

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside the house and sent in a message, asking for him. A crowd was sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, and they want you.” Jesus answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” He looked at the people sitting around him and said, “Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does what God wants is my brother, my sister, my mother.” Mark 3:31-35

OBSERVATION:

The Lord is sitting in a house, with a crowd all around him, listening to Him. Then the Lord’s natural mother and brothers arrived, determined to take him away because they fear he has lost his mind. Probably amused, the crowd tell Jesus “Look, your mother and brothers and sisters are outside, and they want you.” Even using this occasion to bring out a powerful Scriptural truth, the Lord asks “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then, after looking around at those listening, He proclaims “Look! Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother, my sister and my mother!

His family were worried about him, even His mother Mary, and His brothers still did not believe He was the Messiah at this stage. He had been making statements as if He were equal to God Himself, and His family were naturally alarmed. Nevertheless, the Lord’s statement showed that at this phase of His life, He had already moved on from a natural life as a carpenter’s son and moved closer towards fulfilling His main task as the Son of God and Savior of the World.

The Lord’s statement also shows implicitly the will of God since the beginning of creation. As the apostle John wrote “God is love”, and that profound statement could not hold true if God was at some point alone with no one but Himself. Instead “God is love” is only possible because there was love between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. And the great thing is that because God loved His Son so much, He made a plan to make a larger family consisting part of His creation, men and women all over the world who would respond to His call, and love Him as He deserves for the great and good God that He is. And giving His Son Jesus to make the way is what makes this plan possible. All glory to His name!

Very important for us to note in this verse is the statement “Whoever does God’s will”. The Greek tense means whoever continues to do God’s will. It is not a one time “I did God’s will once, or I did God’s will previously”, it is “I continue to do God’s will”. We who claim to follow God must continue to do what He wants. Later Jesus warned “Not everyone who called Me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven but only he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.” Again, note that it is he who does, not he who did. We need to press on, to continue in our salvation by continuing to do God’s will. We fail at some points, but we must come back, to continue to seek to do His will, and let Him empower us and change us to do so. We are in the family if we follow the Father’s will, and we are out if we do not. It is not about individual actions but about the way of life. The Christian life has ups and downs but our part is to keep pressing on, always with that goal in mind, to please God!

APPLICATION

Let us meditate on our lives at this point and ask ourselves if we are seeking to do God’s will. Is there an area that we are purposely going against His will? Are we giving the devil a foothold in anything? Do not be deceived to think that we have received our ticket to Heaven, and can thereafter live life however we want.  We only have eternal life as long as we remain in Jesus, and to remain in Jesus is to be willing to obey His commands. We can’t do it in our own strength, but if we continue to seek Him and to be led by His Spirit, He helps us follow His will more and more. Praise God for the great future He has prepared for us as part of His royal family!

PRAYER

We thank You and praise You, Father in Heaven, that You invited us to be part of Your family in Heaven. We are so grateful and thankful for Your great love. Give us the strength we pray to continue to seek Your will in everything. Forgive our sins where we turn back to our old ways. Lead us back to that place where we seek to do Your will in all honesty and sincerity. Help us and preserve us, we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.

Unity and Blasphemy

Unity and Blasphemy

SCRIPTURE:

Then Jesus went home. Again such a large crowd gathered that Jesus and his disciples had no time to eat. When his family heard about it, they set out to take charge of him, because people were saying, “He's gone mad!” Some teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem were saying, “He has Beelzebul in him! It is the chief of the demons who gives him the power to drive them out.”

So Jesus called them to him and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a country divides itself into groups which fight each other, that country will fall apart. If a family divides itself into groups which fight each other, that family will fall apart.  So if Satan's kingdom divides into groups, it cannot last, but will fall apart and come to an end. “No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house.

“I assure you that people can be forgiven all their sins and all the evil things they may say. But whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, because he has committed an eternal sin.” (Jesus said this because some people were saying, “He has an evil spirit in him.”) Mark 3:20-30

OBSERVATION:

The location is the hometown of Jesus. Large crowds are gathering around Jesus and His disciples. Some of Jesus’ sayings have been so alarming that people are saying that he has gone mad. His own family are worried and come to take charge of him. Demons are being driven out. And some teachers of the law credit the Lord’s powers to having Satan inside him.

Against this backdrop, the Lord starts to reveal some very important truths. Concerning the kingdom of Satan, the Lord reveals that it is very united and does not fight each other. That is why it has been so strong and continues to rule the earth since the Fall. Within this, there is also the implicit lesson of unity for us. Many a church has been torn down and destroyed by backbiting, politics and dissensions within herself. Within the people of God, we need to strongly prioritize unity within the church. Even where there are disagreements, we need to pray together and find a way to maintain the unity in the church in love.

In His discourse, the Lord also explains His ministry of deliverance, likening it to tying up the strong man, before breaking in and taking his belongings. Here, the Lord is of course not advocating robbery by force, but is describing how He binds the evil spirit residing in a person, before setting the person free from its influence.

Thereafter, the Lord then drops a powerful bombshell by declaring that whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, because he has committed an eternal sin. We note here that this sin is a sin of the mouth, and the specific connotation was the sin of attributing the miracles of the Holy Spirit to the devil instead. The fact that the Lord singled out this particular sin as the most deadly has caused many well meaning Christians through the ages to wonder if they could have at some point committed the unpardonable sin, and thus forfeited their salvation.

In this age, where many wrongly believe that the age of miracles has passed, the glorious miracles of the Holy Spirit in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles have even been denounced as Satanic by otherwise well-meaning Christians. Could they also have committed the unforgiveable sin by their criticism?

Comparing this teaching to the overall tone and message of Scripture, what do we find? In the book of Acts, and the Letters as well as even Revelation, there is no longer any clear reference to the unforgiveable sin. Instead, the clear emphasis of the Gospel is forgiveness of sins through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. There is no clear mention of any special sins that cannot be forgiven although John does indicate “a sin that leads to death” which is not elaborated. However, in many places, it is written, that if willful, continuous sin persists even after salvation, one can lose his place in the kingdom of God.

Nevertheless, looking at overall tone of Scripture, it does not seem Scriptural to say that a person who repents and turns back to God after blaspheming the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Perhaps then, the answer lies in the Greek tense of the word “blasphemes” or “says evil things against” which signifies a continuous action. Therefore, if someone persistently continues in his unbelief and speak evil of the Holy Spirit, he cannot be forgiven.

However, if he repents and turns to God in humility, he should then be able to forgiven again. Elsewhere, Jesus said that it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Therefore, it is the Holy Spirit who leads people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As long as one keeps speaking evil of the Holy Spirit’s work, he is not repenting, not trusting in Jesus, and thus, cannot find forgiveness.

What about those Christians who refuse to recognize the Holy Spirit’s miracles in our midst today and instead attribute it to the devil? Based on this Scripture, it would certainly appear they may be standing on dangerous ground… so it would be better to be humble and not pass judgment on miracles…..

APPLICATION:-

The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is one of the most difficult topics in the Bible. However, from a practical approach, let’s make sure that we are careful not to condemn any miracle as being done by the devil instead of the Holy Spirit. How do we know, since the devil can also perform miracles? We are called to test the spirits. If the miracle worker says that Jesus is Lord, and that He comes in the flesh (that Jesus is fully man just as He is fully God”, we should never insinuate that the miracle is of the devil. Nevertheless, we should not just accept any manner of doctrine preached by someone just because he has done miracles in Jesus name and given God the glory. Even great ministers of God can be deceived in some areas, and we need to be sure in our own convictions in regard to the Word of God.

What if we have committed this sin of unbelief before and condemned a miracle of the Holy Spirit? Do we have to be fearful that we have lost our salvation forever?

No! The fact that we have opened our eyes and treat the Lord’s Word seriously shows that we have not sinned beyond the point of forgiveness. Simply come back to God and trust in Jesus for our forgiveness. Remember that it is the persistent and continuous denial of the Holy Spirit that can lead to that situation, and if we have repented, we know we have not reached that point when we are no longer able to repent.

Again, in regard to unity, remember to pray for unity in the church, in our cell groups, in our ministries. In the Lord’s last prayer before the Crucifixion He prayed that His church would be one, just as He and the Father are one.

In regard to the Holy Spirit, honor Him deeply, praying that we may never speak ill of Him. We must remember what special honor the Lord gives to the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, precious Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your beautiful words, and Your rich teachings. Thank You, Lord, for Your precious Holy Spirit, who continues to move actively and work wonderful miracles in our midst today. Help us not have unbelieving hearts, but learn to rejoice at the great works that You do in Your church in diverse places. For those of us who are fearful, who wonder if we might have committed the unforgiveable sin, reassure us again, O Lord, that we might have again the joy of Your salvation.

We pray O Lord that You help us, even where we are immature and quarrel over silly things in Your church. Help us always strive for the Unity of Love in You, which You desire for us. Pour out Your Holy Spirit more and more into us and over us. Help us learn to honor and host Your Holy Spirit ever increasingly.  Thank You and praise You, precious Lord! In Jesus name, Amen!

THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR SEAL

STUDIES ON THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (IV)

THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR SEAL

SCRIPTURE:

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 1 Corinthians 1:22

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:20

OBSERVATION:

In the letters of Paul, time and again, he described the Holy Spirit as a seal on every Believer, as a deposit, guaranteeing what was to come. The Greek Word for Seal “Sphragis” denotes an emblem of ownership and security, combined with that of destination. A person might go to the market and pay a deposit for a carpet and that carpet would be set apart as already owned by that buyer and not to be sold to any other third party. In that sense, the moment we put our trust in Jesus Christ, He puts the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a seal for us, which says that we belong to God.

It is as if God has taken a chop and chopped on our foreheads “belonging to Jesus Christ”. The more powerful a person or body was, the more strength the seal would have, and the less likely anyone would dare to tamper with it. Therefore, if we are sealed by God Almighty Himself by the Holy Spirit, we have a powerful and secure guarantee indeed!

What are we sealed for? Ephesians tells us that it is for the day of redemption. It reminds us of the Lord’s promise that He will one day return for us and then we will be with Him forever.

How do we know we are saved? We know it mentally based on our belief in the Word of God but we know it spiritually, because we know that the Holy Spirit is with us. How do we know the Holy Spirit is with us? It is when we can sense His presence with us, giving us a deep peace in our hearts. It is when we are able to think of God and feel love flood our hearts in thanksgiving and praise for Him. It is when we are able to worship God, and feel His presence wash over us.  It is when we find ourselves praising God easily and naturally, spurred on by the Holy Spirit from within us. When we have these inclinations, and especially a strong sense of thinking of God and turning to Him, we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Holy Spirit is in us.

However, when we find ourselves being more drawn to the things of the world, and God becomes absent in our thoughts, when we become entrenched in sins we refuse to give up, and when we start keeping away from the people of God, these are dangerous warning signs for us that something is wrong. It is like our Seal begins to recede and fade as we think less and less of Him. Can we lose this living Seal who is the Holy Spirit? The Scripture warns us that the Holy Spirit can be quenched in us, when we refuse to listen to Him, when we refuse to believe Him. We can grieve the Holy Spirit, and in places where the Holy Spirit is quenched and grieved to greater and greater degrees, His presence may not abide for long.

APPLICATION:

How precious is our Living Seal, our precious Holy Spirit. He is our Seal, our Guarantee of the Salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Yet, we must never take Him for granted, but yearn to allow Him to work with us, to shape our lives into homes that He delights in dwelling. To have the Holy Spirit strongly in us is to be willing to yield to Him, to trust Him, to depend on Him to lead us, to guide us, to empower us.

How precious it is to walk by the Holy Spirit, to live by Him, to go about life being aware of His power and presence with us!

PRAYER

We praise thee, Father in Heaven, Lord Jesus Christ, Precious Holy Spirit. You gave us the Seal of Your Living Spirit, who resides in our hearts, who guides us and protects us and gives us peace. You are marvelous O Jehovah, Mighty and Worthy of All Praise! Help us O Lord, cooperate with You and allow You to work Your precious work in us. Change us and help us we pray, precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.