A Fresh Christmas Thought

Dear Friend,

I bring you greetings from my family (my immediate and also my extended family-my church).

Just want to share with you an important thought this Christmas.

The Church remembers and celebrates the "death" and the "resurrection" of our Lord whenever it meets. This is expected of the church and so we have the Lord's Table in our fellowships. So according to the Bible, its Good Friday and Easter that we have to celebrate.

What then about Christmas? Does the Bible say anything about Christmas? There is mention of one 'Christmas' in the Bible and it is from the original day (though it is not called Christmas). But it was a day full of gloom in Palestine, especially in the manger.

I mean there was

• a political gloom because of the colonisation of the nation for over 400 years,
• a financial gloom over the nation because of the frequent invasions and later on heavy taxations,
• a spiritual gloom because a prophet of the Lord had not appeared for over 400 years....

and the manger too was not in a condition so as to kick off celebrations

• it was smelly and dirty
• it was uncomfortable
• perhaps even a midwife was not there to ease the birth of Christ....

However there were celebrations!!!

And these celebrations happened in the heavenlies!! Heavens rejoiced. Heaven celebrated the First Christmas....

Isnt it so true even today? Even today it is heaven that still celebrates Christmas though its of a different kind. As soon as Christ in born in a sinner's heart, Christmas happens for him and the Bible says, angels in heaven rejoice. So Christmas is a celebration for the heavens.

For us on earth, it is the 'Good Fridays' and 'Easters' (whenever we decide to celebrate it albeit every day). But for Christmas to be celebrated in the heavens, we need to become Gabriels to some Marys. We need to help people conceive Christ in their hearts.

Now I dont intend to preach you out of your Christmas celebrations. Celebrate at will. I think there is nothing wrong in celebrating Christmas on earth. But not at the cost of the celebrations in heaven. That's the thought I want to leave with you this Christmas. Something for you to think about and carry over into 2008.

May God strengthen you to spread the message of Christ of Christmas.
May God strengthen you to spread the love and hope and faith available in this little boy child who became the redemeer of the world.
May the peace and goodwill in the air be with you through the coming year.

All the best wishes of the season to you and your family and wishing you a very Happy and Blessed Year 2008.
GOD BLESS

Ps.Geo Verghese, Mrs.Chinchoo Geo, Jefferine Suzanne George, Joanne Shireen George
and
Grace Fellowship Assembly of God
Ahmedabad
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do visit my other blogs:

geoverghese.blogspot.com (SOUL CAFE)
geosongs.blogspot.com (MY SONGS)

Zechariah 1:3 “…Return to me and I will return to you!”

The ageless call of the Most High, that resonates on the planet since the fall of man has been, “Return to me”. God always had a remnant across the ages who responded to Him. Abel paved the first way as a response to the call, Enoch walked it till he was not, Noah shouted it to an unmoved generation till they all drowned, Abraham left everything to return to Him, Isaac and Jacob followed suit till they became a multitude trying to return to Him but only to end up in bondage in Egypt, Moses led the exodus from bondage to become a free nation that has returned to Him, Joshua led the conquests to establish the return, but then Judges had to try to restore order though ultimately each man did what was right in their own eyes, Kings tried to give direction while most of them themselves lost the direction, and all this while, Prophets Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and a number of others who are now called the minor prophets continued to reiterate and resonate the anguish in the heart of God, Daniel and Jeremiah became heralds in captivity, and Ezra and Nehemiah led a return of sorts. Malachi’s was the voice last heard before there seemed to be a silence for four hundred years.

This silence was broken by an unmistakably blunt and brutish call of John in the desert to return to God but this was actually a thunderous proclamation of the advent of the Son of God himself who was the call of God in “flesh and blood”. Word had become flesh. His resurrection from the dead and the baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire strengthened the apostles to carry this call across boundaries and cultures to people everywhere, announcing this call now in every language and dialect, calling people everywhere to repent and return to God. For two thousand years, through church fathers, the institution called the church and the ethereal universal church of Christ, the leaders of the protestant movement, martyrs, the leaders of revival across the last few centuries and even until today, the distinctive call is being resounded very clearly, “Return to me!”

Though God had made the call to return to Him, yet He placed an Angel with a flaming sword to guard the entrance of the garden indicating that the return to Him was not going to be easy. Some way had to be found around the flaming sword if at all to return to the pre-fall relationship with God.

Abel's and Enoch's attempts for reconciliation were perhaps inspired by the experience and testimony of Adam. Abraham’s was based on promises, Moses' based on the law and John’s was based on repentance. However Jesus’ call was a combination of all of the above and was also enjoined with more unparalleled treasures as reward but at a higher level of dedication and devotion to God.

In the pre-fall stage, the man and woman were naked but realized not, neither before each other, nor before God. After the fall, they made a covering of leaves to hide their nakedness from each other and they hid in the garden so that God would not spot them. Shame, fear and confusion had come into their relationship with each other and with God. When God came to meet them, he had to eventually sacrifice a lamb, let blood, and take the skin from it as a covering for the fallen man, so that they could even stand before God. Since then, a sacrifice has been the way to approach God. However it still was not enough for a return to Him as we know that the angel was still placed at the entrance with a flaming sword in hand.

The return to Him also had to be an end to the shame, fear and confusion that resulted after the fall, a situation where man had nothing to hide from each other or from God. Any call of a return had to necessarily include that. The sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the garments of righteousness He has clothed us with have removed the sword bearing angel from the path. However a transparency was to be achieved in a daily walk to justify an earnest response from our side to His call to return to Him.

Such a transparency is not to be achieved at specific times as in worship meetings or before participating in the Lord’s Table but to be maintained continually and continuously. God demands nothing less than this although man does constantly escape because of God’s abundant grace. However, He demands a conscience so clear, a heart so honest and life of so much integrity that a pre-fall relationship is established herewith and not just after the life on earth is done. It will take more than Enoch’s determination, Abraham’s vision, Moses’ humility, David’s heart, Daniel’s resolve, Nehemiah’s burden, and John’s curtness to sin to reach anywhere. More importantly it will need Jesus’ touch and the Holy Spirit’ indwelling. Whatever it takes, I will have to return to Him, because only then He will return to me.

Psalm 131:2 “….I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother’s breast!”

Recently I had started traversing on a journey of trying to discover the attributes of God as revealed in the Bible. As I navigated through the first few attributes, I comprehended that I was venturing into something that would need my grey cells to stretch their dendrites and axons a bit more than the usual to grasp the concepts even faintly and my mind will have to stretch beyond limits to even vaguely grasp the depth, height and width of His greatness!

The very first realization was that since God is infinite, there is no end to the number of attributes that He has. God has only revealed a small fraction of Himself to us! There is so much more to Him that no creature knows about, even Angels in heaven! Moreover, the few attributes of God that do emerge in the Bible are themselves infinitely deep, high and wide! As my limited mortal mind tried to unravel the mysteries of God’s sovereignty, self sufficiency, omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience, His wisdom, His incomprehensible and inscrutable nature, His immutability, His holiness, His righteousness and justice, His goodness et cetera, I was just awestruck and stunned. I could almost feel the reverberations of the age old quest that was sung as a psalm by David of Bethlehem – What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

I also realized that the human language is inapt, deprived, inadequate, ill-equipped, gawky and so deficient that it’s impossible to even appropriately describe its own poverty! When language cannot even describe the taste of honey in such a way that the listener gets the taste of it, how can I expect it to describe to me the Creator of honey and every other thing? How can it assist me to express anything at all, even my gratitude or my awe of Him? But even as I wrestled with all these inappropriate words that were trying to portray the Most High God on the canvas of my mind, I did manage to sketch a portrait that was a resemblance, albeit vague, of His greatness and most remarkably, I was also allowed to get a feel of His love and have a glimpse of the burden on His heart. And it was so overwhelming. Every word that I had ever used in praise of Him or even to express my thanks to Him, looked so worthless, so hollow in comparison to what He truly Is! I felt as if by saying whatsoever I had, I had actually deprived Him (not that I can do that!) of what He truly deserved. My phrases and expressions were an injustice to His grandeur.

I suddenly realized the significance of silence. Not the silence that is forced upon the congregation after a rocking time of praise and heavy music, but a silence in awe of Him. A silence observed not in public worship but in the closet, in the secret. It is a silence that ensues my giving up of every attempt to express anything at all to Him, knowing that it is not worth its while.

Again emanating above the din of this silence, barely audible to my inner ears, were familiar words from the distant past, “I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me, but I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother’s breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.

I had never allowed myself to discover the beauty of silence in the presence of God. I always thought that the most impressive words would make my praise dear. Sometimes I have thought that reserving some words of the language just for God and nothing else would be the right thing to do. Perhaps that was a much better deduction. But now I think that practicing silence in His presence is perhaps far more better. He leads me beside still (quiet) waters. He restores my soul.

Without asking too much, without saying too much, plainly loving Him and enjoying Him in silence is what I am relishing now. That silence has changed my attitude and perspectives. That silence is helping my patience. That silence has brought me peace. That silence and the reasons for my silence have taught me to trust Him. Earlier I believed Him, now I trust Him. That silence allows me to enjoy each moment and every circumstance of my life. I don’t need to occupy myself with too many things. He shelters me. I’m held in His arms right by His side. That silence helps me to hear His whispers. I’m talking less and listening more. That silence has helped me to anchor myself and not sway to every wind. I have been tossed so much in the past. That silence is helping me to be gentle and compassionate. That silence has calmed and quieted me.

John 6:53 “….unless you eat the flesh & drink the blood of the Son of man, you have no life in you!”

Jesus had opened the eyes of the crowd to a new level of understanding about him. All He did was bless the bread, break it and give it to his disciples and more than 5000 men and all those who accompanied them had there fill! Oh what a man. Perfect to be their king! He was apparently Israel’s answer to Rome’s Caesar. They all tried to make Jesus king by force. Jesus escaped!

Jesus why did you escape? Your mission on earth was to establish a kingdom! In fact your first message was, ‘Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.’ A kingdom where you would be king was why you had come. Then why did you escape? Of course, the kingdom had to happen in the hearts first before it could happen in physical reality.

However the people had not yet given up on Him. They made search parties to trace Him. When they finally did locate Him, Jesus told them not to work for the food that perishes. So now they were interested to know, how to do the works that please God. Jesus told them to believe on the One that God sent. It’s interesting to see how this crowd responds. Give us a sign that we may believe. Our forefathers got manna. Show us something similar and surely we shall believe. O my soul, did you get that? They were telling Jesus to do exactly what they were craving after. Provide them a permanent source of food and thus security and then they would believe! How many times have I behaved similarly? I ask God to provide me material blessings and security in exchange for my continued loyalty to him.

Jesus tries to clarify their understanding a bit by saying that this bread from heaven would give life to the world. They get more excited and asked more for this bread for it seemingly provided them not only a filled stomach through their life but also provided them life itself!

As this exchange goes ahead, Jesus finally tells them that He is the bread from heaven and the bread that He shall give for the life of the world is His flesh! It sounded very cannibalistic per se. If taken literally, it did, but in the light of what happened later, we know that He truly did offer His flesh in exchange for life of this world, thus becoming the bread of life.

But then He repeats it by putting it more brusquely and in a way that would offend even the most sincere of listeners. He said that to live, they needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood! Even now it is too grotesque to read, let alone think about it and forget absolutely about doing it! Now this never became a practice in the church nor was such an event repeated later. So then what was Jesus saying here?

When I eat a piece of bread, or drink something, it becomes a part of me. If I were to stand on a weighing scale, my weight would also include the weight of what I ate or drank. If my x-ray were to be taken, the bread or drink would easily remain undetected and thus appear an integral part of me. That’s what Jesus was saying. I have to take him in, completely, flesh and blood, so that He becomes a part of me in a way nothing or none can differentiate between us. I would of course like to keep the whole of Jesus, in his full beauty and form to stand next to me, but Jesus says, “No; I want you to cut me to pieces and eat me into you rather than keep me beside you”. It seems He is saying that He doesn’t want me to look like Him on the outside, but have Him and be nourished inside and become like Him on the inside.

Jesus was also pointing at commitment. If I am not ready for such an intake and imbibing of His principles and teachings, then I am wasting my time. Many disciples left Him after they heard this noticeably hard teaching and Jesus made no effort to stop them. In fact He even asked His disciples, if they wanted to leave? Jesus bothered not about how many followed him, but made sure that all those who followed him took up their crosses, hated even themselves and ate his flesh and drank his blood!

Surely He had come to become a king, but on His own terms. He had surely come for a kingdom but a kingdom whose citizens had a heart and mind and story like their King’s. Humble, compassionate, focused, driven by love, sacrificial, self controlled, peaceful, righteous, merciful, pure in heart, kind, gentle, faithful, victorious, rejoicing always and bringing glory to the Father. I will eat your flesh and drink your blood Jesus.

Luke 13:9 “….but if not, you can cut it down”

Grape vines grow the best on very unfertile soil that cannot be used to cultivate anything else. That’s the reason why mostly the hilly terrains are used for the grave vine. No wonder the beloved of Isaiah 5 dug up his vineyard and removed the stones from it. The beloved was developing a land that had been written off and was actually in an uncultivable shape. Oh the heart of God! It is still the same. He chooses the barren womb to produce his mighty men, and chooses the fools to confound the wise, and the weak to humble the strong and the most infertile of all lands to plant his vineyard! After planting his vines, the beloved built a watch tower, and also made a vine pit. I am sure he also had it fenced to protect it from the little foxes.

In our story in Luke13, we read about an owner who plants a fig tree in his vineyard! Fig trees were common in Jesus’ days and they were found everywhere and along the roads. The figs were referred to as the poor man’s fruit because of it availability in plenty. The good sense or the rationale behind the master’s action is subject to speculation. However, I can relate with this tree as I too was like this fig tree and one day he planted me in his vineyard!

He came back to me expecting fruit! Was it a special or valuable fruit? No; not at all. It was a common fruit, a poor man’s fruit. He didn’t expect me to produce dramatic results, neither in quality nor in quantity, but he did expect me to produce fruit. Fig trees give fruit round the year, so I am not sure how many times during the first year, He would have come to me expecting fruit. When he didn’t find fruit through the year, He persevered and continued to look for fruit through the second year and this he continued for one more year, till the third year. When still I produced no fruit, he called the gardener and reported that I have produced no single fruit in the last three years and have been using up the ground, where some vine could have been planted instead! So he asked the gardener to cut me down.

The gardener pleaded for one more year-the year of grace. He promised that he would dig around it and put on manure. He was going to dig up the ground around this tree and make it a little shaky and he was going to harm some of its roots in the process. He was going to expose the hidden things. No wonder my life suddenly goes through shaky periods and I feel swayed by the winds of trouble and trials. Suddenly, some of my sources get cut off and even some of the people I trusted on and drew strength from are suddenly removed. Things happen in such a way as to cause an upheaval. But strangely, His word and his counsel come as a great respite and strength. Other times, it’s his people who come by to encourage and edify and still other times, it just a plain peace that I cannot understand. I suppose, these were the times that I had received manure - extra nutrition and care.

The gardener then goes on to say, something more startling! If still he doesn’t produce fruit, then you can cut it. So is it possible for such a tree to be unfruitful still? It seems so. Despite all the grace supplied, wisdom and strength provided, it is possible to still miss out on fruition. Oh woe unto me if I go through all the trials and tribulations and taste the mercies and provisions of God all through it and still at the end of it all, I am unable to produce fruit! Even the gardener gives up hope for such a tree. There is nothing more left to do so as to make this tree produce fruit. Oh if only this gardener was more like Abraham for the sake of Sodom and Moses for the sake of Israel, the fig tree would have got one more year at least. But No; he tells the owner that he can cut it down.

What is a fruit? I can say that it is the result of the basic characteristics of the plant combining with all things drawn from the ground. The expression of the inherent combined with the input is called the fruit. What I already have in me, and what all I soak in from ‘the God provided surroundings’ have to combine and form a fruit which can become useful for someone. Some of us become flowers and show off. But the gardener expects fruits. Not to be titillated in the eyes and the nose, but to taste and be filled. I need to process what God gives and combine it with what I already am and produce something that can bless others.

Strangely, the Fig fruit is not a fruit or a flower, it a combination of both. So am I expected to be both. I think so. But if I can’t, he is clear, I will be cut off! God help me.

Luke 13:3 “I tell you, No; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”

Jesus was referring to the Galileeans who were killed by the Pilate, and whose blood he had mingled with their sacrifices. He also brought up the event of the fall of the tower of Siloam and the accidental death of eighteen people. He then declared that these accidental deaths were not because these people were worse sinners than the once who were alive.

So then, was he saying that if one repents, they can escape the possibility of sudden and premature deaths? If so, then how could Apostle James or Stephen have sudden and premature deaths?

For a while I assume that Jesus was referring to the purpose in their death. I am reminded of Solomon’s statements in Ecclesiastes 6:3-5. If a man has a hundred children and lives many years but does not get a proper burial, it was better off that this person were still born. When a child is still born, it is dead on its birth. No one got an opportunity to know this child. This child got no name and made no impact on anyone that was supposed to be in its immediate surroundings. So our man is worse off than a still born child as in his long years of life and with a hundred children he made no significant, lasting and memorable impact on anyone so much so that they found meaning in this person’s life or his death.

Well, in reality, we don’t find this happening. In fact, people see to it that even the worst people get the best burials. Sometimes, I wonder whether I have reached the right place! People show no dearth of words in praising the dead man. There are institutions that see to it the even the vagabonds get a decent burial.

Looking more closely, I realize that Jesus has linked the purpose of life and purpose in death to repentance. I know that! What’s new about that? Wait my soul. There is something more interesting ahead. In fact very curtly Jesus is saying that however big be the reasons that I live and die for, without repentance, I will perish.

Our mission in life maybe as important as that of the Galileeans, where in they were fighting against the Romans and trying to free at least their part of the land, and if possible, entire Israel from the clutches of the Romans and re-establish the state of Israel. They had a gory end, but Jesus says that they were not worst sinners; the worst were still at loose. But the mission of their life and death also didn’t appeal to Jesus even though it was concerning God’s chosen people and nation-Israel? It was better off for them to have lived for a smaller cause than that, but a life of repentance. At this juncture I feel, God has excluded patriotism from the objectives of the church, but I will not dwell on this right now as it is a wider subject.

Scholars opine that the Tower of Siloam perhaps was being constructed to have a water tank that could replenish the pool of Siloam. It was required for the Jews to cleanse at this pool before they entered the temple. Now this cause should have appealed more to Jesus! Oh Come on! The tower was being made to fulfill the cleansing requirements set by Yahweh-the God of Israel. Jesus again shows no interest in their cause! He says that it would have been better for these people to have lived for a much lesser cause, but a life of repentance.

So let me gather my thoughts once more. According to Solomon, it is important to create an impact through your life and project a meaning of your life in your death. According to Jesus; who has arrayed the lilies of the valley to be more beautiful than Solomon in all his splendor; repentance will bring meaning to your life and more importantly to your death.

So repentance is more important than finding a purpose and making my life more meaningful! Yes. It’s not just repentance from acts of sin and unrighteousness and a life according to the flesh and the world, but it is repentance unto God. A change in mind, heart and every aspect of life so that the relationship with God remains reconciled and intact, a life filled with works that befits and proves the repentance.

“I tell you, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”.

2Peter 3:16: “some things hard to understand…ignorant & unstable twist to their own destruction”

This letter was the last book to be admitted into the canon. Fisherman Peter’s carefully weighed last words. The gospels are bejeweled with Peter’s utterances, but after the advent of Paul, Peter became more silent (at least that is what appears). But towards the end of his ministry, he comes with two epistles that are like bombs. But in one of these masterpieces, unexpectedly and impulsively, he admits something that I have complained about all of my life. He says that some of the teachings of Paul are hard to understand! Can anyone believe that!! Even Peter can’t readily understand Paul.

So true Peter, so very right. Some of the things that Paul says are so tough to grasp. Is it because of the long sentences? Is it because of Paul trying to say too many things in one sentence? Is it because Paul, starts explaining the contents of his sentence even before he finishes the sentence? It’s perhaps a combination of all that and much more. But the fact remains, some of the things are hard to understand even if I unwind its literary complexity. So many times I have jumped over difficult passages and chapters all together because they were hard to understand. However things do have changed over time, nonetheless, let me still vouch for my man, Peter.

Now, Peter says that the ‘Ignorant’ and the ‘Unstable’ twist these challenging scriptures for their own destruction! Who are these aliens? The ‘Ignorant’ and the ‘Unstable’! Or are they characters straight out of ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’?

An impulsive and hush-hush self-check later I was humbled by the number of times that I myself have been unstable! I have had my ups and downs and still have them, so much so that I perhaps cannot recognize my ‘mean’! Many times, it’s the natural sway away from the things of God, being led by the flesh into the wilderness of sin, lust and wanton. Other times it the plain disregard to embrace the things of God, and plainly and shamelessly basking in the false righteousness of having refrained from the ‘big sins’. Still other times, I hear something new and suddenly the normal Christian life (or should I call it existence) starts looking spectacularly mundane and then after a while this new sensation becomes old and another comes in to take its place! Suddenly my life seemed like being at the pinnacle of instability!

Perhaps I still had hope of not qualifying into the other category mentioned by Peter. I was not ignorant. I mean, I know the Bible much better than many people around me. Or don’t I? Let me add to my shame and admit that if I were required to defend my faith before even a small group, I will definitely fumble and perhaps fume especially if they ask too many questions. I am ill prepared and ill-read especially with regards to so many of the alleged discrepancies of the Bible that are shot at me. I have always delved on the easy passages and thrived on it, while some of the difficult ones I have dodged. And then when I listen to new expositions of the passages in which I am a self proclaimed expert, I run to hide. There are so many things that I still need to learn and know. So now, I am ignorant too!

So these are not characters from ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ or aliens after all. Peter is referring to me! Am I too on the path of destruction?

As I muse, I feel the cold breeze around me, and I know it’s Him. I have felt it many times. I have felt it in hot and dry conditions. A cold breeze that suddenly calms and soothes me and I realize that perhaps I have been a bit too harsh on myself. But I am glad I saw these guide-posts set up by Peter. As he says earlier that I need to make every effort to make my calling and election sure, I also need to make every effort to wipe out instability and ignorance out of my life-story.

Paul says that, to get the approval of God, I need to carefully handle the word of truth like a workman that needs not to be afraid (2Tim 2:15). So what if some things are hard to understand, I will work on it, pray, meditate, discuss, explore and try to be the workman who needs not to be afraid.

1Peter 1:3: "May grace and peace be multiplied to you…"

Recently I was sitting with a business man in one of the government offices, our talks strolled around opportunities and threats that businesses in India faced, and as we discussed the threats, presumably, one of the threats that figured most poignantly was the government itself! Though it’s ironic, yet on one side as minister after minister, government after government, makes every effort to twist and turn the policies and juggles with figures to somehow finally create a ‘feed good’ factor in the business milieu of our country, not only for our own people but even for conglomerates outside the country that are viewing it keenly to hawk in, the same government has not got purged from corruption & red-tapism and these in fact are as red as crimson. Though the intentions of the government are apparently good, the custodians, guardians and heralds of the government are surely not emulating the same spirit.

My counterpart in this discussion that lasted for some time, finally declared, "We business men do not have the time, in fact we cannot afford the time to run after every small issue that is raised up by the government officials, so we adjust!" I thought, "Yes surely, we have become an adjusting nation!" We adjust and we expect others to adjust too!!

We have adjusted to the poor infrastructure. We have adjusted to the poor facilities we have in even the basic amenities. We have adjusted to the power cuts. We have adjusted to the open drainages. We have adjusted to the frequent bandhs and hartals. A peek into the trains, buses, scooters, jeeps and public spaces gives us a galore of specimen of the ‘adjustments’ Indians make through the day.

I looked inside and saw that the church was making adjustments too. I am not elaborating, but we know the variety of adjustments we have made in the light of the requirements of the true glorious church. I myself am not excluded from this in any way.

Adjustment has become out motto. So much so that now we have started making God adjust to us! Like a student who begs the teacher to reconsider and give him some grace marks, we ask God for more grace. In fact, more than being a ‘providence’, grace now looks more like an adjustment that God makes to somehow fulfill his ultimate number. It’s almost like, if God will not adjust, he may not get any representatives in eternity from the present generation of believing Christians, especially in India!! So God, please adjust.

And then we come across verses like this one in 1 Peter and we bask in its shadow, relish under its influence and reach, lounge in its abundance. After all our work is done and only after we are dead sure that there is nothing else to do, its only then that many of us even consider going to church! We will bunk church at the smallest pretence. God please adjust.

Since this is the story in attending church itself, I dread to go further down the lane and look at the big chasms and giant holes and gaps that we have created between us and our purpose, between us and our duties, between us and God!!

Grace is not a "fill-the-chasm" or "fill-the-hole" tool. It surely is ‘sufficient for’ and ‘needed to’ fill-in where we fall short, but it’s not a tool to make up where we have not moved at all!

Moreover, let’s remember, it’s not God who has to adjust or will adjust. It’s we who have to adjust, even adjust all the time. We are busy making our small kingdoms and small homes while God is actually out, shopping to fill up his celestial and heavenly mansions. He is preparing a bride.

God will not adjust. God will not wait. We have no options here. God adjusted his greatest, when his only son became sin personified and died on the cross. That’s it. With or without us, his kingdom will progress.

Grace multiplied is available to us to take us from our highs to the highs of God. It is not available to make God stoop to our lows to take us to our highs. God please help.

2Kings 3:7 (NKJV), "Will you go with me..?"

This question features at the beginning of almost every crisis that I have got myself into. Often it is for the same causes and situations that this question pops up and always I answer it in a way that makes me feel that I will never learn. When the devil, this world and my flesh ask me, "Will you go with me?" I never seem to be able to say 'No'. But then, everyone is challenged with this question and some at least seem to be faring much better than me! Where then is the key to door that opens to the path of righteousness?

Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee, James 4:7. This I was told was the mantra for success. So when I face this question, I need to submit to God and resist the devil. But I tried it many times and yet could never really escape the quandary at all times. It's either because I am not submitted fully to God at all times, or because I simply just can't resist with the same tenacity and zeal all the time. Wretched man that I am!

Who will deliver me from this body of death? Who will rescue me from this question?

1Corinthians 8:18 says, flee sexual immorality. 1Corinthians 10:14 says, flee from idolatry. 1Timothy 6:11 says, flee from greed of money. 2Timothy 2:22 says, flee from youthful passions. Five times, the word 'flee' appears in the New Testament (in the NIV) and four times out of five, it is I who has to flee and only once, the devil! And till all this while, I always stood ground and tried to win every battle with the devil, while many times he wasn't even there! No wonder I suffered fatigue; Emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual fatigue. And the Bible all the while had been asking me to flee! I always thought it was cowardly to take flight. But it seems, there is wisdom is fleeing! So next time, when I am confronted by the devil, or the world or even my flesh, my foremost urge will be to flee from the situation, especially for circumstances with sexual over or undertones, or monetary manipulations, or situations that are outright or somewhat idolatrous in nature and also situations where my adrenalin is at the helm and my youth snubs at the counsel of even my conscience.

Joseph was asked the question by Potiphar's wife and he fled his way into the prison (Genesis 39), but he surely refrained from sinning against God and displaying his wickedness though he had every opportunity to live the moment for himself. God exalted him to the highest place in the nation, albeit after a few years in prison. Solomon however could not say 'No' to his countless wives who took him from one mountain to another and made him bow before stones and woods, to his own sad doom and even of his kingdom (1Kings 11)! People with greater responsibilities have higher standards of accountability and have to flee more often than mere mortals because of the wider repercussions. Jesus however, fled from the scene when he realized that people were about to come and take him by force to make him the king of the nation (John 6:15). This was despite the fact that the very mission of Jesus was to establish the kingdom of God on earth, the kingdom of which he himself was the king!

So 'to flee' is the key, on most occasions, to the door that opens to the paths of righteousness. And every time I flee, I submit to God and therefore, I slowly mature to become more and more like our head, Jesus Christ, and then when I resist the devil, he was no option but 'flee'.

2Kings 3:7 (NKJV), "Will you go with me..?"

Though the format of the question may differ, yet, it is a question that is shot at all people, perhaps many times during a single day! So many times in my life I have faced this question. During my primary school days, I remember the boys in my colony asking me that question and interestingly their timing used to concur with my parents decision that I should be studying! Were my parents and my friends colluding to make life and study difficult for me? During my secondary school days, such a question from my peers led me into the discovery of the facts and truths of life which I vehemently denied in the beginning, but then reluctantly and shockingly recognized and then ultimately got lured and smitten by the charm and more particularly the mystery of it.

But in hindsight, surprisingly, almost every time, it seems as if I had a penchant towards getting into trouble with my answer to that question. I almost always managed to answer the question incorrectly. My life graph now has an array of troughs which need not have been there at all.

King Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was not being asked that question for the first time. Interestingly, in 2 Chronicles 18:3, King Ahab, king of Israel had asked it to Jehoshaphat and he had almost lost his life as a result. God had to intervene and rescue him from that mess and he had also received a good chiding from God for his goof up. However, years later, when Ahab's son, King Jehoram, asks him the same question, he answers in the same words!! Can you believe it! Even the words have not been changed!! Some people never change. Rather I should say, some people never learn. Oh yeah yeah yeah. Look who is talking!? Mr. Always Right and Mr. Right-to-be Critical that I am, I could not have come up with any other conclusion for this equation, despite the bare fact about the number of times I myself have fallen and fallen again at the same place, year after year after year. It is so easy and convenient to make Jehoshaphat the scapegoat and gloat in delight while a gleaming righteousness emerges in its backdrop, albeit for a few moments. Satan is interested in our souls but has no time for leisure and discovery and so he pokes at our weakest patch, pulls at our weakest link and keeps poking and pulling again and again and again and we cooperate.

Moreover, the question, 'Will you go with me?" is timed so ingeniously that a 'No' would make me look like an enemy of mankind or an anti-social or at least a pre-historic or even a baboon. It surely does take guts to say 'No'. A 'Yes', mostly will spiral me down the counsel of the ungodly and the way of the sinners into the seat of the scornful. Blessed is the man, who says, 'No'.
Working on it conversely, and looking back at all the major blots and debacles in my life, I have figured out that our question of reference appears somewhere at the beginning of every spiral down!!

I need more wisdom and unction to succeed in this test than I will need on the greatest stages or pulpits that ministry opportunities will open for me. If I fail here and keep going around in circles, I will never need an unction and wisdom for the latter!

May God graciously grant it. May I be able to muster up the strength and guts to say 'No' when the devil, this world and my flesh ask me, "Will you go with me?"

Mathew 10:22 (NLT), "And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me.."

This story that I came across recently just brought up some pending issues to my mind. This is how the story goes.

During First World War, Donald Barnhouse, led the son of a prominent American family to the Lord. He was in the service, but he showed the reality of his conversion by immediately professing Christ before the soldiers of his military company.

The war ended. The day came when he was to return to his pre-war life in the wealthy suburb of a large American city. He talked to Barnhouse about life with his family and expressed fear that he might soon slip back into his old habits. He was afraid that love for parents, brothers, sisters, and friends might turn him from following after Jesus Christ. Barnhouse told him that if he was careful to make a public confession of his faith in Christ, he would not have to worry. He would not have to give improper friends up. They would give him up.
As a result of this conversation the young man agreed to tell the first ten people of his old set whom he encountered that he had become a Christian. The soldier went home.

Almost immediately--in fact, while he was still on the platform of the suburban station at the end of his return trip--he met a girl whom he had known socially. She was delighted to see him and asked how he was doing. He told her, "The greatest thing that could possibly happen to me has happened." "You're engaged to be married," she exclaimed. "No," he told her. "It's even better than that. I've taken the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior." The girls' expression froze. She mumbled a few polite words and went on her way.

A short time later the new Christian met a young man whom he had known before going into the service. "It's good to see you back," he declared. "We'll have some great parties now that you've returned." "I've just become a Christian," the soldier said. He was thinking, That's two! Again it was a case of a frozen smile and a quick change of conversation.

After this the same circumstances were repeated with a young couple and with two more old friends. By this time word had got around, and soon some of his friends stopped seeing him. He had become peculiar, religious, and -- who knows! -- they may even have called him crazy! What had he done? Nothing but confess Christ. The same confession that had aligned him with Christ had separated him from those who did not want Jesus Christ as Savior and who, in fact, did not even want to hear about Him.

This is so very true for all those who have sincerely accepted Christ. It is true for my life too. Everyone in my school, college and business circles knows of my allegiance, and my orientations and many have, over time, separated themselves from me. They have guessed my topics of conversations and the reasons for my invitations to even Christmas or other gatherings and they simply avoid it. Now It has become so bad that today, if I call a social event, I am hardly in touch with many of these dear ones to even invite them. Most of my invitees will be people who have already accepted Christ as Savior or are in the process!

It saddens me thinking that people with whom I have shared a good part of my life, laughing, learning and growing together are now wary of me. But much more saddening has to be the fact that in doing so, they are also distancing Christ my Lord, the only name under heaven, by which they can be saved. They are rejecting Christ in me, hope of glory! And what shall I do now? What can I do now? The only lesson I have derived, from the Bible and other incidents related with this situation, is to pray. Keep praying for them. If God doesn’t force them, neither can I.

Most of the times, the reason why people reject Christ is, accountability. But there is no other way. People are accountable for their decision. I have to be accountable for my decision. I have to remain aligned to Christ, even at the cost of rejection by all my friends, the entire society, even the whole world. It’s a heavy ask, a gruesome task. However, it will be worth it, and much more. That’s how God has been and will be.

Philipians 2:13, 14 (NIV), "Work out your salvation…"

Painters, Carpenters, Masons, Construction workers, Farmers, Plumbers, Electricians, Fitters, Welders, Laborers etc are people who have a very active work routine. They really earn their living through "the sweat of their face". I am using that ‘expression’ to signify hard work. There are other classes of professionals, the white collared ones, who do not have to sweat while they work. Though the turnover of the work in economic terms may be significantly higher for these as compared to the former class, however they are not absolutely relieved from ‘the sweat of their face’ aspect.

This latter class of well-off people joins gyms and health clubs to ‘work out’. Doctors and fitness experts are the major advocates and campaigners for a physical work out for this class. They finally end up spending much for this. I am reminded of the old saying that most people spend their health for most of their lives and gain much wealth only to spend much wealth later to regain health. Also satirical is another observation that the former class earns money for sweating and the latter, pays to sweat! Dwelling on it is making things more difficult for me too, for I belong to the ‘work out’ class.

The curse on Adam was, "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground" (Genesis 3:19). It is God who spoke it and therefore, it’s a Law and is applicable to one and all. All, born into humankind have to sweat as a consequence of this verse.

Now let me play with words. The white collared ones are asked to ‘work out’. It is almost like saying, "Force out the work trapped inside of you (as a consequence of the Adamic curse) and only then do you deserve to eat, rather live!" Well, the language used by the well wishers behind the advise is not so cynical, but I prefer today to stick to this kind of a tone to make the advice sound crucial and critical to my soul. Those who have seen me know how much cynical I need to get on myself on this matter. When a person works out, sweat oozes from every inch of his body so much so that it is evident all over him/her that he/she had a work out!!

All this background building was done only to understand what work out needs to do to our bodies.

In Philippians 2:13, Paul asks me to work out my salvation. I am choosing to think that he was meaning something very similar about salvation just as I just expounded about ‘work’. He was perhaps saying, the salvation that I have received, I need to work it out so that it oozes out of every inch of my body.

Of all the traits that mankind exhibits, its attitude that is seen in every inch of his body. I can make out a person’s attitude from his leg and hand postures, his movements, his expressions. Attitude is reflected in every inch of his frame and my frame too. Putting all these things together, I am concluding that my salvation should ooze out me, as my attitude.

Interestingly, when I look into the context of the text in Philipians, where Paul makes this statement, it begins by saying in Philipians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.

O my soul, doing the works of the kingdom shouldn’t totally and absolutely reflect the salvation inside me, its my attitude. My attitudes have a bearing on my behavior, which have a bearing on my life. I need to change my thinking, which will change my beliefs, which in turn will change my expectations, which finally will decide my attitude.

Bottom-line: It is our attitude that many times attracts or shuns people away from Christ. I suggest that we take pointers from Matthew 5 where the Lord proclaims the beatitudes. I have no doubts, why these are called "Be Attitudes". Francis Xavier said, "Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words." Nothing reflects the gospel like our attitudes. Lets work on it and see that our attitude reflects our salvation.

John 14:21 (NIV), "We will make our home with him…"

Nothing has recently touched my soul like this apparently non-profound verse. I will stick to the NIV as I make these interpretations of this particular portion of the scripture.

Jesus begins the introduction of the Holy Spirit in these portions. He starts by saying in John 14;15, "If you love me, you will keep my command, I will ask my Father to give you the Holy Spirit". Reflecting upon this verse together with Acts2: 38, "Repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit", I think I can almost easily deduce that the command that Jesus talks about here is water baptism preceded by repentance.

However in John 14:21, "If you love me, you will keep my teaching…" seems to give me more insight into the most important role of the Holy Spirit, once He is with me and in me. He starts teaching me and also reminding me the teachings of my Lord Jesus Christ.

If the Holy Spirit is the teacher, what should I become? A Student. No. I should become teachable. This is weighty.

Now if I am teachable and I am sensitive to the voice of the teacher, the Holy Spirit, and if I keep the Lord’s teachings, Jesus goes on to say that, the Father will love me, and "we will make our home with him!!" JESUS IS SAYING THAT THE FATHER AND JESUS WILL MAKE THEIR HOME WITH ME!

Home is the place where I am myself. Home is the place, where I can do anything. Home is the place, where I am free of requirements of social etiquette. Home is the place where I sit back with my leg on any table and chill. God making His home in me brought all these images into my mind. Though the thought of God sitting with His leg on any table is seemingly inappropriate, perhaps to some even offensive, I find no reason to not think that God wants to be as free in me, my heart, as He is in heaven.

Now something that hit me more strongly in this verse is the readiness with which Jesus said, rather committed, even on behalf of His Father in heaven, that they together will make their home in me. I have lived all these years yearning and waiting for and hoping and dreaming about heaven, and about reaching there. I mean, I am somehow fighting this fight, running this race, suffering all trials with this one living hope, to be with my Lord in heaven, once this life is over. I face every tribulation, sorrow, and tough situation, inspired by that hope of one day walking triumphantly on heaven’s shores. Doesn’t everyone do the same? And here is Jesus saying that He will bring heaven down into my heart. Much before I reach there!

Just think about it. Is it easier for God to take me to heaven or bring heaven into me? God is beyond such comparisons but the very thought of the Father making His home in me is blowing my mind. I can somehow think about my body being His Temple, but His Home…!

My perspective of life has to be changed altogether. I don’t need to heave and sigh and look at my life on this planet as drudgery anymore. More excited than I am about going to heaven, is the Father about bringing heaven into my heart. He, it appears that, cannot wait for me to reach heaven. He wants it today and now. The prerequisite is that I obey His teaching.

I have started enjoying my life here and I no longer have the times beyond my mortal life as my only hope. Heaven is in my heart and that truth helps me enjoy heaven and God’s presence on this earth itself.

Bottom-line: Dear Reader, may you too start smiling all along your passage through the various circumstances and situations of your life because, if you obey His teaching, the Lord Jesus Christ and Father God will surely make their HOME with you. Hallelujah.

Luke 5:1, "People pressed upon him to hear the Word…"

When I, a "Disciple of Christ" go to a crowded place, I who am being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory that comes from God, there is no crowd of people pressing upon me for "Anything"!!

India has no dearth of crowds anywhere, and every time I go to a crowded place and remain there for a significantly long time and still fail to impact even the smallest section of that crowd in anyway, I feel strongly that I failed the Lord.

Recently, I pondered upon this very seriously, when I myself failed the Lord once more and the Lord revealed to me four major areas where I needed to work on to start creating a ripple in the ocean!

1. An Unstoppable urge to share the Gospel

The word has to be so bubbling within me that I cannot help but share the gospel. Paul said (1Cor9:16), "Woe to me if I share not the gospel". Jeremiah said (Jer20:9), "his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in!"

The more I am close to God, the more I shall know His heart, the more closer I will be to this stage and greater will be my conviction to speak out the good news.

2. A spirit Sensitive to the Voice of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit knows the right time to talk to the right person. In a large crowd, the advantage is that, someone is surely there who needs the touch of God, then and there. The Holy Spirit knows that person and with our availability, he can usher in God’s light into the darkness of that soul.

The more I pray in the spirit and the more I talk to God, the more he will talk to me and the more I will recognize His voice above the din.

3. An Undoubting Faith on the Power of God at work through me

I need to have faith that the power of God will work through me. I mean, if required, the Word will be confirmed through signs and wonders. I need to always remind myself about Who and what it is that I am talking about and Who it is that is backing me. If only I had half the conviction of the door-to-door salesman, who stakes everything for the below average product in his hands.

The more closer is my walk with God, the more confident will I be of his presence with me and in me, and his wonder working power through me.

4. A Compassionate Heart that is moved by the plight of the lost

This, the Lord has impressed on me, as the most essential requirement. If I am not moved by the "lost-ness" and the hopelessness of the people around me, things are surely bad for them, but they are bad for me too, as I will then be reacting quite unlike Christ, who was always moved with compassion by the crowd that was without a shepherd, or in pain.

This again is earned in the presence and proximity of God. Also, it will dawn only after I finally realize and concede that my very existence is not about me and for me but for God, and I wake up out of my selfish existence to start looking around me, and into the needs of others.

Bottomline: Dear reader, I have not been comprehensive in all that I have to and want to say. I trust you to meditate and work on these aspects and develop a deeper insight on it and into it.

Somehow, we have got to gear ourselves up to make an impact around us, because the crowds around us, in India, are too many, and the need for the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, is dire.