Go, throw yourself in the sea

Go, throw yourself in the sea

Have faith in God “Jesus answered” I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain “Go throw yourself in the sea” but does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24

There is a Great Mountain on our country, a great and terrible mountain. And millions are trapped under that mountain, in darkness, in frustration, in chains. The Mountain blocks them from the light under the false pretense of protecting them. They have no opportunity to hear the good news. Their ears have been shut, their eyes have been covered. They are systematically cut off from the truth that would reach them, and generation after generation, they are destined to follow the paths of their fathers, trapped in the mountain, suppressed, and in darkness.

There are many of us who live free around this Mountain. Perhaps it is only because we are born of a different color that we are free, free to choose whom we will worship, free to choose whom we will love.

The Great Mountain has made a pact with us. Leave my people alone, and you can carry on your own lives peacefully, conduct your own worship, do your own thing. Violate this, and we will put you under the Mountain too, and take away your freedom. Therefore, we, of the Christian faith respect that, and we call it submitting to the authorities. We accept the tyranny on another race, and the deprivation of religious freedom that they endure.

Over time, over generations, we have come to accept that as the way of life, as the way things are, and cannot be changed. Instead, we are becoming increasingly focused on the deprivation of our rights in other areas. We detest the special privileges that the other race receives at our expense. We are so concerned with unfairness and discrimination against us. Many of us even leave the country completely in indignation and anger. Yet, we have perhaps forgotten, or even failed to realize that for all the privileges they receive, they have been denied the most important privilege of all that will determine their eternal destiny – the privilege of choosing Christ and being saved.

Therefore, instead of being so concerned about our rights, should we not be far more concerned about the salvation of their millions. Wouldn’t that be the very thing that our Lord Jesus would be far more interested in? Did He not also die for them?

Brothers and sisters, let us shake off our self-seeking, inward-looking, fearful mindset, but let us put on the mind of Christ, and be Kingdom-focused.

You may ask, what can I do? This Mountain is so great and huge? My friend, the Word of God says you can make it go and throw itself into the sea. What if every Christian in our beloved country were to wake up every morning, look at this Mountain, and say “In Jesus name, Go throw yourself in the sea”? I believe that if more and more of us stand up and believe and pray, this mountain cannot stand, no matter how great and powerful it seems.

Friends, I believe God really calls to us, love this people as I love them. Get rid of this Mountain. Set your country free that all may worship Me!

Mercy, truth, justice, righteousness

Mercy, truth, justice, righteousness

Scripture:-And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. Isaiah 16:5

Observation:- in the midst of a prophecy against Moab in Isaiah 16, we see a prophetic verse referring to the coming reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. And there are four qualities that describe His reign.

Firstly, is mercy. What is mercy? It gives the impression of forgiveness, letting go of a debt, sparing someone from punishment. As the Psalmist writes, all have turned away, there is no one who does good, not even one. They have become altogether corrupt. Without mercy, no one could stand before the Lord, but it is God’s mercy through Jesus Christ that enables us to come to Him. Jesus told the Pharisees “If you had understood what these words mean, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent”. It is God’s nature to show His creation mercy, as it is written, His mercies are new every morning. Likewise, we too, who have been shown mercy, must show others mercy. Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. There is also the warning of the parable of the unmerciful servant who would not forgive his fellow brother and received his due punishment.

Secondly, is truth. Mercy and truth are often mentioned together in the Bible. Abraham’s servant blessed God for showing His mercy and truth to Abraham. Jacob thanked God for His mercy and truth. The Psalmist writes “mercy and truth are met together.” Truth speaks of the unchanging faithfulness of God, His precision and exactness in all things, His honesty and loyalty and integrity.

Thirdly is justice. The king will judge and seek judgment. He is concerned about establishing order in the kingdom, and cultivating a people who will follow His ways.

Finally is righteousness. The coming king is righteous, doing what is right and ruling a people who are called to be righteous.

Application: These four characteristics should also define us who follow Jesus – mercy, truth, justice and righteousness

Prayer: Lord, May You change our hearts each day as we grow to love You more and more, and let the Spirit cultivate in us Your mercy, Your justice, Your truth and Your righteousness that we might reflect Your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.

To save that which was lost

To save that which was lost

Recently, I listened to a message on the popular children’s Bible Story on Zacchaeus. It is the story of a short man of very high stature, as the chief of the tax collectors. In his profession of those days, Zacchaeus was shunned by the general Jewish public as a traitor and cheater of his own people. It was common for tax collectors to collect more from the public than was required with the balance lining their increasingly rich pockets. Now Zacchaeus in his desperation to see Jesus, did the very undignified thing of climbing up the sycamore tree. Imagine a man wearing a long skirt clambering up a tree! Zacchaeus knew that his life was empty and unfulfilled despite of his vast riches, and that he was a sinner. He was looking for salvation, and searched for Jesus desperately, not caring what others would think of him.

And then to his shock and great delight, Jesus stopped and looked up at him, and offered to stay at Zacchaeus’ house. When Jesus said “I must stay at your house today”, the word “must” was a very strong word used, the same as when Jesus said “I must do my Father’s will”. When He walked the earth as a man, Jesus specially looked out for sinners as He said “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” While the crowd praised God whenever Jesus healed the sick or cast out demons, they were perplexed when He associated Himself with prostitutes and tax collectors. They did not understand that the whole purpose Jesus came was to seek and save that which was lost. They were right that Zacchaeus was a sinner, but they should have realized that they too were also sinners, and also in need of God’s grace.

Generally, in the gospels, it seems that Jesus had harsh words for the rich. He gave the example of the man who built bigger barns to store his wealth, thinking he would enjoy many more years but lost his life before he could enjoy any of it.  Also when the rich young ruler asked to follow Him, Jesus found his heart out by asking him to sell everything he had. Then the Lord further said that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Yet, in the case of Zacchaeus, a rich man, he found salvation.

His change of heart was immediately seen as he exclaimed “I give half my goods to the poor, and I will pay back fourfold any man I have cheated”. The fruit of his salvation was Zacchaeus’ new found generosity that he gave with a willing heart.

We should also note that Jesus did not ask Zacchaeus to leave his profession. There are times of course when a man may have to leave his job to uphold his faith, but in this case, it was not wrong for Zacchaeus resolved to be an honest tax collector. When the tax collectors came to John the Baptist, he did not ask them to leave their jobs but to not collect more than they should.

In conclusion, some things we can learn from this story is:-

(i)  Do not look down on others as worst sinners but learn to see others with the eyes of Jesus

(ii) Be desperate in seeking out Jesus

(iii) Those with wealth should use their wealth to bless others

(iv) Be honest in whatever job we have been given

(v) Jesus came to seek and save sinners like us who were list

Rest from sorrow, fear and bondage

Rest from sorrow, fear and bondage

Scripture:- And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, Isaiah 14:3

Observation:- The beginning of Isaiah 14 is addressed to Israel and to the “strangers cleaved unto her” which seems to be a reference to us, the Gentiles, who through Jesus Christ have also become God’s people. And in his prophecy, Isaiah declared that there would be a day when God would give Israel 3 things, rest from sorrow, rest from fear, and rest from hard bondage.

Firstly, looking at sorrow, we see that God is always the Great Comforter. When Jesus came upon the earth, He healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead, often turning sorrow into joy. Jesus said that when He went away, He would ask the Father to send us another Comforter which is the Holy Spirit. In the Book of Revelation, it is written that God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of His loved ones. In Peter, we see the great verse “Cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you”. Jesus feels our sorrow and He bore the sorrows of the world on the cross. When Lazarus died, I believe Jesus already knew He would raise him from the dead, yet Jesus wept. I believe this is because He felt acutely the sorrow that Mary and Martha felt. Indeed, God know our sorrows and comforts us in His love.

Secondly, looking at fear, we realize that today there is much in life to fear. Crime, disease, loss of occupation, political instability, the economy….  Yet God has promised a time when we will find rest from fear, and it is a very precious thing indeed. The tonic for fear is trust, and the more we trust God, the more fear dissipates away. The worries of this life is a dangerous thing and one of the reasons many Christians live an unfruitful life. But we need to remember that God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. When we focus on the love of Jesus, we will not fear for where there is perfect love, there is no fear.

Finally, looking at hard bondage. In many parts of the world today, there are many, even Christians, who are under hard bondage, slave workers in factories, prostitutes and beggars all over the world, even maids employed by cruel employers. When Jesus Christ comes again to rule upon the earth, all these bondage will be no more. Likewise, there are also many who are enslaved by the things of the world – alcohol, drugs, gluttony, shopaholics, computer addicts, glue, obsession with beauty, pornography. The list is endless. Jesus said that He came to set the captives free, and when we come to Jesus, we indeed can be set free from the things that enslave us.

Application:- When we are in sorrow, come to Jesus and find Comfort in Him. When we are fearful, come to Jesus, and find peace in Him. When we are in bondage, come to Jesus, and let His truth set us free.

Prayer:- Lord, I thank You that You are my Great Comforter, and You always care for me. I thank You that You are my peace that drives away all my fear. I thank You that You have set me free from every bondage by Your precious sacrifice on the cross. Thank You, Lord, let me ever abide in You. In Jesus name, Amen

Sanctified, mighty, rejoicing

Sanctified, mighty, rejoicing

Scripture:- I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. Isaiah 13:3

Observation:- Isaiah 13 depicts a prophecy of the coming wrath of God upon the world and upon Babylon in particular. The imagery is similar to the descriptions in the Book of Revelation - The darkness when sun and moon would not give light, the earth removed from its place, the coming of a large army to inflict great wrath on mankind, Babylon left desolate.

However, our verse today, verse 3 focuses on three characteristics of those who serve the Lord. Firstly, they are sanctified, secondly they are mighty, thirdly they rejoice in God.

What does it mean to be sanctified? To be sanctified means to be made holy, to be blessed, to be consecrated, to be set apart for God. When we received the Lord Jesus into our hearts, we became sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ. We became included as part of God’s family, destined to reign with Him as priests and kings on the earth. A typical picture of being sanctified is the wearing of white clothes, made of fine linen, bright and clean. These are the robes of righteousness that Jesus has given us. We are clothed not with our own righteousness which are like filthy rags, but with the pure righteousness of Jesus, holy and perfect. We need to view ourselves that way, wearing Jesus’ righteousness!

Secondly, we are mighty! The Scripture says that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We are given a spirit of power. We have authority in the heavenly places over every power and principality because of the name of Jesus and His Spirit which is in us. Therefore we should not fear but recognize that we are mighty in God, yet gentle as lambs.

Finally, we rejoice in God! Thanksgiving and Praise to God should always be on our lips. In everything, give thanks! He who sacrifices thanks offerings prepares the way for me to show him the salvation of God – as declared by the Psalmist. Rejoicing in God is really so important.

Application: Look at ourselves as sanctified, wearing robes of righteousness. View ourselves as mighty in God, overcoming all things. Always have a heart of rejoicing, praising God and thanking God in everything.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that I am sanctified and redeemed, and You have given me white clothes to wear, bright and clean. Thank You Lord, that in You, I am mighty and able to overcome all things. May my heart ever rejoice in You in every situation and praise You for Your goodness and love. In Jesus name, Amen.

Wells of salvation

Wells of salvation

Scripture:- Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3

Observation: Isaiah 12 is a very short chapter, that focuses mainly on the salvation of God and the great praise and joy that the redeemed people give unto their merciful God.

But what does salvation really mean? Traditionally we have a picture of a man doomed to die who is suddenly set free, pardoned, saved from the grim fate that had awaited him. What would be his natural response? Great joy, unparalleled sudden happiness, it would be hard to imagine the depths of his feelings in such a situation. Many of us, when we first realize we were saved from the consequences of our sins experienced that sudden great joy, like a prisoner set free, or a man under judgment suddenly pardoned. However, over the years, after many a church service and Bible Study and Prayer Meeting, suddenly, the joy level is no lo longer there. Quiet time is a chore, and prayer is mechanical. What happened to the joy?

Theologians often say that salvation is a process. We are “being” saved. As long as we are on earth, we are not perfect yet, we have not yet arrived at the promised land. We continue to sin, we need to repent and confess our sins every now and then. We struggle on to become more like Christ each day, and as we depend on the Holy Spirit, we do find ourselves being transformed. We are forgiven once and for all, yes, washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus Christ the one all-sufficient sacrifice. However, to be real, the truth that we know has to be applied and believed for it to be effective and we need the work of the Holy Spirit in us for that.

The picture given to us in Isaiah is that salvation is like water in the well. We are to draw water out of the wells of salvation. In the Book of Revelation, it is written that the Lamb will bring His people to springs of living water. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He told her of living water and that whosoever drinks the water He gives will never thirst, but will become a well of water springing up to eternal life. Later Jesus told His disciples – the words I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. When we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, we receive the Holy Spirit, the Counselor He has sent to help us. The Holy Spirit is the living water given to us that gives us spiritual life.    

Application:- To draw water out of the wells of salvation is to draw from the Holy Spirit as we live our lives. As Paul exhorts us, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. As we learn to live and grow by the Spirit, we see His fruit become more and more evident in us, and the second characteristic of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit is Joy.

Prayer: Lord, pour forth Your Holy Spirit abundantly upon us that we might overflow with love, joy, peace, wisdom and every good thing. We ask You, Lord, for more and more of Your Holy Spirit, Your Spirit of life and salvation. Refresh us and fill us always with Your joy. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might

The Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might

Scripture:- And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; Isaiah 11:2

Observation:- Isaiah 11 is a powerful prophetic chapter which gives us a marvelous picture of the coming reign of Jesus Christ on earth. Imagine a wolf and a lamb, a calf and a lion, a cow and a bear, lying together side by side, and a little child leads them. The picture gives us the impression of surreal peace, a going back to the time of Eden when animals dwelt together in harmony with each other and with men. There were no predators, no animals posing any danger to man or to each other.

In verse 2, we are shown 6 characteristics of the spirit of the Lord which was upon our Lord Jesus Christ, and He has availed this same spirit to us. Of course, the Holy Spirit has many, many more precious aspects and characteristics but we want to focus on just these 6 here.

Four of these characteristics, wisdom, understanding, counsel and knowledge are similar. Knowledge is more in respect of information. Jesus knew the Samaritan woman had 7 husbands. Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking in their hearts. The Spirit also is able to give us knowledge which might help us in a particular situation. I have heard a testimony of a brother involved in house cleansing who was given a word of knowledge by the Holy Spirit to help him identify a particular object which had to be destroyed for the home to be at peace. The Spirit of knowledge is able to give us the knowledge that we need in any particular situation of ministry or even in daily life.

Counsel is relating to decision-making, what is the best path to take when a choice is needed. Paul was led by the Spirit to go to Macedonia instead of Asia. Philip was led to walk beside the Ethiopian eunuch. The Spirit of counsel also works in our daily lives, warning us against certain wrong decisions or leading us towards right decisions. We need to be sensitive to that.

Understanding is relating to knowing the why of things. Jesus understood that men’s heart was deceitful beyond cure and did not entrust Himself to them. Jesus understood what His Father wanted, and was always seeking to reveal the Father’s heart to the people. He understood that we need simple faith like little children to enter the kingdom of God. The apostle John  understood that the whole world was held sway under the evil one and we are not to love the world. Perhaps the greatest understanding the Spirit can give us is to understand ourselves. When we understand areas where we are weak, we will take care and be careful not to put ourselves in such situations.

Wisdom is often said as knowing how to apply knowledge. We may have knowledge, but use it wrongly. In the Corinthian church, those who were more mature understood that food sacrificed to idols was still food essentially, not making a person better or worse. However, Paul exhorted them to use their wisdom not to eat anyway if it would cause a fellow brother to stumble. Jesus said not to give pearls to pigs. Wisdom is tied in closely with discernment, knowing when the time is suitable and what knowledge to use.

And then there is Might. The Spirit of God has great power, enabling David to slay the giant Goliath, enabling Samson to defeat many men and perform great feats of strength. The Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead, helped the apostles perform signs and wonders, even created the whole world. The Spirit of God is mighty within us, and is something we would do well to remember and believe.

Finally, there is the fear of the Lord. In Timothy, it is written that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. That spirit was a fear of other things, but the fear of the Lord is a profound reverence that we must always have for God who is almighty, powerful, and worthy to be praised. The fear of the Lord keeps us from sin and rebellion. He is a mighty King who invites us to fellowship with Him, yet we must always respect and revere Him.

Application:- As we seek to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit who is with us, we can focus on these 6 characteristics and ask Him to show it real in our lives – wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, might and fear of the Lord.

Prayer:- Holy Spirit, you are precious and perfect in every way. Grant us Your wisdom, Your knowledge, Your understanding, Your counsel, Your might, and fill us with the fear of the Lord that we might always glorify Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.