Why God Created You & Me? Part 1: Purpose: For Fellowship & Reflecting His Image

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കൊറോണക്കാലത്ത് ഒരു സ്വർഗ്ഗീയ കാഴ്ചപ്പാട് (A Heavenly Viewpoint In This Corona Pandemic)-A Video Message

കൊറോണക്കാലത്ത് ഒരു സ്വർഗ്ഗീയ കാഴ്ചപ്പാട് (A Heavenly Viewpoint In This Corona Pandemic)

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Perfect love casts out fear (of Corona)

Perfect love casts out fear (of Corona)

We live in times where people “faint from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world” as the Lord Jesus prophesied in Luke 21: 26. Of course, as responsible citizens, we need to take all the precautions against this pestilence with all caution, care, carefulness and concern. But unhealthy fear and panic would only weaken our immunity and thereby deteriorate our mental and physical health.

The Word of God says in 1John 4: 18 that “Perfect love casts out fear”. A simple example of a cup can be used to explain this verse even to little children. When you say a cup is empty, you know there is air in it. That air is like the fears, anxieties, worry and timidity in our hearts when our heart is empty. Lord Jesus warns in Matthew 12: 43-45 against our heart being unoccupied or empty.

How can we simply dispel all the air from the cup? Just pour water into the cup till it overflows. Like that, when the love of God floods our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5: 5), love is perfected (filled) in us (1John 4: 16, 17), and that perfect love casts out not only fear (1John 4: 18), but also all other negative feelings and thoughts of anxiety, worry, low self esteem, low confidence, bitterness or unforgiveness, anger, impurity, dishonesty, jealousy, laziness, complacency, indiscipline and every other sin.

But the question now is: how can the HOLY Spirit fill our impure hearts?  Just like we clean a cup before we pour some drinking water into it, our hearts need to be cleansed by the precious blood which our Lord Jesus has shed on the Cross, taking the punishment of eternal hell fire for our many sins. And only if we truly repent of (turn away from) all our sins, the blood of Christ can cleanse our hearts.

Even after being cleansed, the cup has to be yielded to be filled. Like that we need to yield ourselves and surrender and open up every area of our whole being (like our relationships, possessions, self-love, reputation, career, future etc – what we are and what we have) to the Lord Jesus in simple, childlike faith and thirst for His love to flood us (John 7: 37, 38). Then He will definitely fill every part of our whole being with His heavenly, indescribable love, joy and peace through the Holy Spirit! (Gal. 5: 22, 23). And that perfect love of the Lord casts out all the anxiety and fears from our hearts in these uncertain times…

When our hearts are filled with His love, we will be able to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12: 30), which indeed is His greatest commandment, or in other words, His greatest longing for us. And that love for the Lord through the Holy Spirit will empower us to keep His commandments (John 14: 15, 23).

“The yoke (or bondage or trap) will be destroyed because of the anointing oil” (Isaiah 10: 27b NKJV) of the Holy Spirit! And the trap and chains of the fear of any kind will be broken off and we will be exalted (or safely set on high - as we see in Proverbs 29:25). That means, we will fly high like an eagle in the heavenlies with our Beloved Lord! (Isaiah 40: 31; Song of Songs 4: 8).

And that Holy Spirit will make us well aware of a loving Abba Father (Romans 8: 15; Matthew 6: 25- 34) in heaven, Who is the sovereign, blessed Controller of this whole universe!! The Holy Spirit will witness in our hearts that nothing can happen in our lives without His knowledge and permission. He will reassure us that the Lord has made a hedge around our life, our family members and our property (Job 1: 10), and that without His knowledge and permission, no Corona virus can break that hedge! Nothing and no one can take our life until “our hour has come” (John 8: 20), if we live surrendering our own will to Him daily.

Our Lord has not just counted, but has given a number to each one of our hairs! (Luke 12: 7). Such is His care for even the minutest detail of each one of our lives, because he who touches us, touches the apple of His very eye (Zechariah 2: 8)…

Lord Jesus Christ says: “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love” (John 15: 9).

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15: 11).

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14: 27).

“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows” (Matthew 10: 29-31).

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11: 28).

“Cast your burdens unto Me, because I care for you” (1Peter 5: 7).

“My grace (My power) is sufficient for you (for every situation you can ever face)” (2 Cor. 12: 9).

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to Me.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Me” (Philippians 4: 6,7).

“For I have not given you a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

“I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. So you can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”” (Hebrews 13: 5, 6).

“For I am the LORD your God, Who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you’” (Isaiah 41:13).

“But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you... You are precious in My sight; you are honoured and I love you (Isaiah 43: 1,2, 4).

“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me” (Isaiah 49: 15, 16).

“Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted in Jerusalem (the true Church) (Isaiah 66: 12, 13).

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness (Jeremiah 31: 3).

For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29: 11- 13).

And the Holy Spirit, the blessed Helper would remind us all that Jesus has taught us (John 14: 26): “And we know that God causes ALL things to work together FOR GOOD to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8: 28).

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10: 13).

Even after being filled, we can lose the fullness of the Spirit with our own carelessness and pride, which are like holes in a vessel. We need to repent and plug those holes daily and ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit again and again. That is the exhortation in Ephesians 5: 18 in the original language – to be being (continually) filled with the Spirit.

So, let us look to the Lord Jesus like this continually (Hebrews 12: 1, 2), so that we can hear His voice (like the sound of many waters – Rev. 1: 15)- which will fill our hearts again and again with His tender love beyond measure (John 3: 34) … 

And the more we humble and yield ourselves and die to our own reputation, name, ambitions and choices, the mightier would be the in-filling and the out-flowing of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to dispel the fears and anxieties not only from our hearts, but also from the trembling hearts around us through our words and lives which impart His grace to others (Eph. 4: 29).

“You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows (to bless others) (Psalm 23: 5). Let it be so. 

Judge, but don’t Judge!

Judge, but don’t Judge!

The same Lord Jesus Who said “Do not judge” in Matthew 7:1, said in John 7: 24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment”.

Judging (critically looking down upon others with contempt) as in Matthew 7: 1, and discernment (righteous judgment) as in John 7: 24 (where the Lord Jesus Himself says to “judge with righteous judgement”) is totally different as hell and heaven.

In John 8: 15, 16, Jesus said: “You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me”. From this we can understand that discernment is part of the wisdom the Lord gives us in different situations, as we helplessly cling on to Him as a branch to the vine (John 15: 5) – in order to distinguish the true from the counterfeit. And the Lord gives us discernment not to condemn anyone, but to intercede for the deceived and/or to warn others about the counterfeit.

If you don’t discern the preachers whom you listen to, you will be thoroughly deceived by many things that happen around us in the name of Christ! That is why 1John 4: 1 says: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world”.

In Matthew 7: 15, Jesus Himself tells us to be beware of false prophets and in verses 16 and 20, to know them by their FRUITS (of the Holy Spirit) – that is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control (Galatians 5: 22, 23).

Jesus said in Matthew 10:16: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be SHREWD AS SERPENTS and innocent as doves”.

The apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:9: “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all DISCERNMENT”.

We need to see how much a preacher reflects our Lord Jesus Christ in his humility as well as in his integrity to the Lord, especially in money matters. Only such ones are worth to be listened. May the Lord help us to judge righteously in everything!

True and Counterfeit Experiences of the Holy Spirit

 True and Counterfeit Experiences of the Holy Spirit

Beware of the Counterfeit Fullness of the Spirit

One of the parts of fruit of the Holy Spirit is self control (Gal.5: 22, 23).

1 Cor.14:32, 33, 40 reads like this: “ and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints... But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner”.

From the above verses, it is crystal clear that if somebody loses control over himself or herself, that can never be because of the Holy Spirit. Because Holy Spirit helps us rather to control ourselves better – like controlling our thoughts, tongue, eyes etc and makes us more like Christ Jesus.

Like Br Zac Poonen says Holy Spirit fills people, but demons possess people. The difference is that the Holy Spirit gives us more control over ourselves, whereas the evil spirit takes away the control we have over our lives. That’s why demon possessed people sometimes mutilate themselves (Mark 5: 5), for they don’t have any control over what they think or do.

Demon can push somebody down. But Jesus and the Holy Spirit always lift people up (See Luke 9: 42). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, yes and forever” (Hebrews 13: 8). Today soulish “Christian” leaders push people down and call it the Holy Spirit! That is really tragic! But actually when they do opposite to what Jesus did, know that it is the spirit of antichrist! Beware of being part of all those Babylonian tricks of the devil!

Sudden shaking and shouting can also be a conscious attention-seeking behaviour, or it can be a dissociative trance.

Whatever that is, do not look down upon anybody, but rather discern what is of the Lord and not of the Lord. Compare Matthew 7: 1 and John 7: 24. The same Lord who said “Do not judge” in Matthew 7:1, said in John 7: 24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment”.

1 John 4:1 clearly warns us: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world”. If many false prophets were there in the first century itself, how many more would there be in this 21^st century, which is so close to the second coming of the Lord.

The first sign of the last days that the Lord told in Matthew 24:4 is: “See to it that no one misleads you”. He further warns us of the same thing in verses 11 and 24. If you read verse 5 without the inverted comas as in the original language, you will understand that the many false prophets will say that Jesus Himself is the Christ, and holding the Bible in their hands they will deceive people (as given in 2 Cor. 11: 4) with

i) another Jesus (who does not say anything about overcoming sin by the power of the Holy Spirit),

ii) another spirit (which pushes people down and induces all kinds of “holy laughter, barking, vomiting etc.)

iii) another gospel (which is a health- wealth- prosperity counterfeit, and begs for your money to build the preacher’s kingdom rather than that of the Lord)!

See Matthew 7:15- 23: "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?

So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

So then, you will know them by their fruits.

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'”

So discern a person by the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”(Galatians 5: 22, 23). See how humble, approachable and Christlike he is. See what his attitude towards money, women, honour, the poor and the rich. Compare that with the attitude Jesus had towards all these categories. Then you will understand whether he is a leader worthy to be followed. Otherwise “if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15: 14).

The strong commandment of the Lord in 2 Timothy 3: 5, especially for those living in the last days (see verse 1), is to avoid those who have a form of godliness (sheep’s clothing) but have denied its power. Instead, follow the Lord along with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2: 22).

Receiving the True Fullness of the Spirit

When we surrender everything to the Lord as a burnt offering and a living sacrifice (Romans 12: 1), the fire of the Holy Spirit will come and consume every part of our being. And we will be flooded with the love, joy and peace of heaven! (Romans 5: 5; Gal. 5: 22, 23). We will be endued with power from on high to be a witness of the Lord by our life and by our words! (Luke 24: 49; Acts 1: 8; 4: 31). That is the true filling of the Holy Spirit.

Even after being filled, we can lose the fullness of the Spirit with our own carelessness and pride, which are like holes in a vessel. We need to repent and plug those holes daily and ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit again and again. That is the exhortation in Eph 5: 18 in the original language – to be being (continually) filled with the Spirit.

The Lord, in His sovereignty, will give us the gifts of the Holy Spirit as He chooses (1 Cor. 12: 7, 11). Gifts of the Spirit can be compared to vessels with which we can pour out the living waters of the Holy Spirit and bless others. We are commanded to desire earnestly for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophesying (that is, edifying and exhorting and consoling others through the specific Word from the Lord from the Scriptures, that is needed for the people at that particular point of time– 1Cor. 14: 3).

May the Lord help us to strike the right balance in the experience and emphasis of the fruit as well as of the gifts of the Holy Spirit!

May the Good Shepherd Himself guide us into true springs of living water of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 49: 10; Rev. 7: 17)!

Beware of the Counterfeit

This is a modified version of the reply I gave to a person who needed some clarification on how we can keep ourselves safe from being not deceived by those who pretend to be the Lord’s workers:

I’ve seen through these years after I have come to faith that many of those who take Christ’s name are counterfeit! So, we have to be ‘shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves’ (Matthew 10: 16).

I have heard of a book circulated by apostles in the early centuries mentioning as to how to discern a false teacher! What they say is that whoever comes to you and asks you for money for themselves in Jesus’ name would be a false teacher, whatever else he says! In those times when there was no printing, and written manuscripts of the Bibles were not so much available as we have today, that principle was very useful to those early Christians! But I’ve to say that it is equally or rather more beneficial to today’s Christians also as they can write off vast majority of so-called ‘pastors’ today with this single test!!

So, if some money-loving counterfeit preacher approaches me for money, I do not want to give him even a single paise! As somebody said: “What these people are doing in Jesus’ name, is what Jesus Himself would never have done!” We are accountable for each rupee God has entrusted us! So we need to ask Him before we “help” others! I also have made many mistakes in the past in helping others without discernment!

Lord Jesus said in Luke 16:13: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

True gospel frees you from the love of money. Lord Jesus is with a whip today too, against those who are cheating people and extracting their money in His name!

The Lord has called only a few people to full-time Christian work and has given them the faith to trust Him for their daily needs! But the tragedy is that so many have ventured to do His work as a means of gain! (1 Timothy 6: 5). The Word of God clearly commands us to “avoid those who hold to form of godliness and deny its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). I never wish to be part of a church which is led by such covetous persons, because otherwise I’ll be disobeying His Word! Jesus told many things to people IN LOVE (Ephesians 4: 15) without caring whether they would get offended and leave Him. We have to follow His example.

The commandment in the Scripture is: “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them” (Ephesians 5: 11).

At the same time, we need to be sensitive and generous to the needs of those who are sacrificially and selflessly serving the Lord and those who are really poor! Only the Lord can give us wisdom concerning these! So, though we have to be strict against sin and hypocrisy, we have to be loving and compassionate as well, because that’s the balance we see in our Lord Jesus.

Does the Word of God permit Sisters to Pray and to Share from the Word in the Church?

I am constrained by the love of the Lord to write this, after having recently interacted with some dear brothers who deny the privilege which the Word of God gives to sisters to pray and to share from the Word of God in the church.

Even though it is crystal clear from 1 Corinthians 11: 5 that sisters can pray and prophesy with their heads covered, some argue that the first 16 verses of the chapter is not an instruction for the church meeting, but a common instruction. Then we will have to say that even the commandment for sisters to cover the heads in the same passage also is not a commandment to be obeyed during the church meetings! If so, will the brothers with this argument teach that the sisters need not cover their heads in the church meetings? No. Then, even a small child will be able to understand the hypocrisy in this!

[Let me just mention at this point what prophesying in the New Testament is. It is speaking to others for edification, exhortation and consolation (1 Corinthians 14: 3) based on the Word of God, according to the heart of God and according to the need of the people of God. And it is not some kind of fortune telling as in many pentecostal and charismatic circles (like one would go to the Gulf countries or to the United States, or that so and so has done some black magic etc!)].

Another amazing, but hollow argument is that during the time a sister is praying in the church, she is like leading the church, which is not permissible! Then, brothers with such an argument will have to restrict sisters from praying even in their family prayers, because woman is not permitted to exercise authority over man at any point of time!! (1 Timothy 2: 12). Thus that argument also fails!

We read in 1 Corinthians 14: 24, 31 that Apostle Paul is encouraging everyone (including sisters) to prophesy one by one even in the church meeting. Peter quotes from Joel’s prophecy in Acts 2: 17, 18 unambiguously that both sons and daughters as well as male and female bond-slaves would prophesy.

Then the next natural, relevant question is why it is written in 1 Corinthians 14: 34, 35 that women are to keep silent in the churches and that they are not permitted to speak in the churches. Anyhow, there is no doubt that the Apostle who is writing inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3: 16) would not contradict himself in 14: 34, 35 what he had already written in 11: 5 of the same letter.

Then let us examine a similar verse in 1Timothy 2: 12 about women having to be quiet: “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet”. From this we can understand that the instruction for sisters to be silent in 1 Corinthians 14: 34, 35 is just to clarify that the Lord has not entrusted the sisters the ministry of teaching doctrinal matters in the church or to take up the leadership of the church. 1 Corinthians 14: 26 which just comes before these verses, mentions about teaching (and not about prophesying – that is, sharing from the Word of God). That also supports this interpretation.

Many people ask how sharing from the Word and teaching differs. Sharing from the Word refers to sharing what the Lord has spoken to us through the Word and during different life situations. Teaching refers to teaching the doctrines of the Word like water baptism, Holy Spirit baptism etc. Women can teach women (Titus 2: 3-5) and children, though not men. But as we saw, they can share from the Word and testify and pray even in church meetings with their heads covered (1 Corinthians 11: 5).

The same Apostle Paul, whom many allege to be against women’s ministry, is the one who unhesitatingly acknowledges in his epistles the names of many sisters like Phoebe, Prisca (Romans 16: 1-4), Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Persis (Romans 16: 12), Euodia and Syntyche (Philippians 4: 2, 3), who were active in the ministry of the Lord! Although the Lord has not given sisters the role of leading the church in terms of position (1 Corinthians 11: 3), gender is immaterial to the Lord when it comes to one’s worth, value, usefulness as well as eternal reward before the Lord! “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3: 28).

Suppose, a whole family with parents and children are gathered together in the house. And the father says to the girl children: “You are not supposed to utter a word”. How painful it would be! Exactly same is the situation where sisters are restricted from praying or sharing from the Word of God in the church! A real church is a family. May the Lord use us to build in all parts of our land such churches where sisters are not suppressed from fulfilling their call and ministry!