Are you Satisfied with Ordinary Church Services?

Today I want to bring to your attention to something which I feel is very important for people to understand and needs to do something about it. My question is - are you satisfied with ordinary church Services? Now you may be attending any church but the question is do you feel the presence of God in your Services. Is the anointing of Holy Spirit flowing in your church? Are you witness of supernatural things in your church. When was the last time a miracle happened in your church?


Now if you can answer YES to few of the questions above then you don't need to read this blog. But if the answer to most of the questions above is NO then read this.


Recently one of my friend gave a testimony. He said he was feeling very much discouraged and someone told him to go to a church where a revival is going on. He went there and during the service he felt like someone asking him to kneel down. He resisted for sometime and finally he did. Then he started crying and he felt a big burden removed from his life. He prayed and a big transformation happened in his life. Now I feel thats the work of the Holy Spirit.

In John 16:8 Jesus said about Holy Spirit like this:- "And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment." I think that if these three things are not happening then there is something wrong. One of the primary work of Holy Spirit is to convict us about our Sins. But many times we see that people have misunderstood the work of the Holy Spirit to some other things. I know that Holy Spirit does lot of things but one of the primary work is to convict people of their Sin.

Every move of God or Revival started with people confessing their sin. But now a days we see that churches don't preach against Sin but preach only blessings. Every time people gather for fellowship the God's power and glory should be reflected. If that's not happening then we need to seek God's face and cry.

We should not be satisfied with ordinary usual Church Services. We should seek God's face to see the move of God in our gatherings.

May God Bless You!

Fellowship in Computer Age- Are we losing it?

We are living in times when everything is becoming High Tech. Well, I am not against it. But anything not used properly will have its own bad effect on human beings.

One area in which people have brought technology too much is the area of spirituality.



People just prayer over phone when they can physically meet people and pray. Church leaders who stay within the range of few miles use technology to take important decision regarding God's kingdom and work when they should actually get together and pray together and discuss and take decisions. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with doing it once in a while. But it should not become an habit and way of life later.



At times we see too much dependency on technology which is taking away some of the good things we badly need.



I am thinking of moving away as far as possible from technology and modern day inventions wherever its not needed. They are making the life more complex. That's my thought. Slowly people are moving into a virtual world where the essence of fellowship is getting lost. There are advantages of meeting people face to face. Relationships are build and a persons outlook is shaped. A bond is developed by fellowship. But slowly many things in spiritual world is being copied from professional world and it will simply not work. The professional world works on the simple concept of profit and gain but the real spiritual world works on loss and sacrifice.

First century church gave importance to Fellowship. They consistently met together for fellowship and worship. To them, fellowship was much more than just getting together. It was a common concern expressed also in practical acts of giving and sacrifices (see Acts 2:44-45; 4:32, 34-35). If we try to move away from this vital concept then there is a big danger that we all will end up in a virtual world with the dynamics of fellowship also becoming virtual.



But this is my advice from Hebrews 10:23-25

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (NLT)



Take time out of your busy schedule to meet people for time of Prayer and Bible Study. Don't spend your life just in front of computer. Strike a balance in your life. Don't forsake the habit of reading from Bible and taking notes on a notebook with reading from your PDA or Computer. Try to be a real person and not just a person who is in his own world. I know this thought is challenging in today's world. But just see for yourself and you will find the difference. You will find yourself more refreshed and encouraged.



Don't allow this practice of fellowship which the first century disciples practised to be lost in your life, family and church(Very Important).



May God Bless You!

Church of Oprah Winfrey

I got to see another interesting thing last day. Thought of sharing it with you all. There is a new age movement (I will call it as a cult) coming up with the blessing of Oprah Winfrey. Watch this video first.



Now when we see all these things, the faith of a person who believes in the Bible reaches a new height because these all are fulfillment of prophecies written in the Bible.

I don't know much about Oprah since I don't watch her programs but I am sure that she has a big influence among people and there are many people even Christians who admire her. I can give you some links to learn more about this which will help you all in understanding how serious it is.
http://www.carringtonsteele.citymax.com/page/page/5663569.htm

http://www.wfial.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=artNewAge.article_1

Then of course you can do a Google search and you will get lot of information. I will recommend that people see it and understand another scheme of devil to deceive people and to make them believe his lie.

2 Timothy 3:1-6
" 1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

May God Bless You!

Is John Hagee promoting Heresy?

John Hagee, the Pentecostal “pastor” of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, issued a book titled, In Defense of Israel.

Go to link http://www.amazon.com/review/R18MVV813B5WSX/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm to see the promo.

His claims are;- This book will expose the sins of the fathers and the vicious abuse of the Jewish people. In Defense of Israel will shake Christian theology. It scripturally proves that the Jewish people as a whole did not reject Jesus as Messiah. It will also prove that Jesus did not come to earth to be the Messiah. It will prove that there was a Calvary conspiracy between Rome, the high priest, and Herod to execute Jesus as an insurrectionist too dangerous to live. Since Jesus refused by word and deed to claim to be the Messiah, how can the Jews be blamed for rejecting what was never offered?

Now if you are a thinking Christian concerned with heresy and false teachings coming up then you must read about it and find for yourself whats the truth behind it.
You can do a search and you will get lot of information about it.

1 John 4 :1 "Dear friends, 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."
2 Peter 2:1-3 :- "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."

Now be sure that there will be lot of false teachers and heresy coming up in the last days. Many will have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 tim 4:5). So make sure you test every teaching and doctrine in the light of the word of God.

Note:- Since you are a matured Christian I am not going to give any conclusion in John Hagee matter but its up to you to see it if you want. But if we really want to follow Christ then we must take a stand against false teachings.

May God Bless You!

Joy - Love Righteousness and Hate Wickedness

We see people running here and there to obtain joy in their life. There are many reasons contributing to the fact that people are finding it more difficult to find quality time or Joy in their life. Many are busy with their work while others are busy even though they don't know why they are busy. This may sound strange but that's the truth. Families don't get time to sit together and at least have a dinner. Television shows or other things take some houses dinnertime. Communications among family members are going down and it is affecting the children a lot. Some how people are not finding joy in their life.

So what is the solution to this. People have found out different ways to have joy in their life. Let me give some examples of most common ways in which people try to get joy. Some think that going out on a vacation is the solution. But what after you come back from vacation. Other people have other ideas like watching a movie, going to a night club or party, hanging out with friends etc. But what after 2-3 hours of movie or party? Then there are many who think drinking and indulging in sinful things give them joy. What they fail to understand is that Joy is not pleasure. Its something different.

I got this definition of Joy from somewhere. It says, "Joy is an essential spiritual practice growing out of faith, grace, gratitude, hope, and love. It is the pure and simple delight in being alive. Joy is our elated response to feelings of happiness, experiences of pleasure, and awareness of abundance. It is also the deep satisfaction we know when we are able to serve others and be glad for their good fortune."

Now Bible speaks a lot about joy. In fact Joy is one of the spiritual fruit expected of a born-again Christian. But many times we see that people don't have this joy in their life. Many things can be said about this subject. But today I don't want to write much. I want to mention just 1 verse from Bible that tells us how to have this joy in your life. The verse is Psalms 45:7

"You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." (NIV)

The formula given here is simple but not followed often. It says that you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Then God will set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of Joy.

Now we can interpret it in many ways. But one thing I learned from this verse is that in order to be anointed by the oil of joy you need to do one thing- Love righteousness and hate wickedness. That’s a requirement. God promises you to place you above your companions.

Now the last thing - We may say that it's very easy. You may be a church going Christian. But hating wickedness requires a deep commitment to follow God. Loving righteousness also requires the deep commitment. We are living in a society and time when a person who love righteousnessand hates wickedness is considered as someone old fashioned and out dated. Pressure is always there to go after wickedness. Few examples are watching movies that has wicked philosophy, watching pornography, using abusive and filthy language etc. Now you may say I don't love these things but I am just ok with it. I am not that conservative.

But here the Bible is asking us to hate wickedness. I don't want to write much but want you to think. Do you really hate wickedness in your life or are you ok with wickedness. Do you really love righteousness or are you just ok about that also.

One way to find joy and joy in abundance that God provides is to love righteousness and hate wickedness.

May God Bless You!

First Obey then Teach

We are living in a time when wickedness is all around us. But at the same time we have so many resources to study the word of God. There are so many Bible study tools available that sometimes it becomes difficult to select one. If we search then we get so much of material on different subjects. There are thousands of sermons available online on almost all the subjects we can think of.
Some places so many meetings are conducted with so many preachers and teachers emerging with many thoughts. Many times people also want to hear new things and new thoughts. Otherwise the preacher is not good. That's what they think. Its always good to receive a new message from God. But that should not happen at the cost of us forgetting the basics. Many times we hear so many sermons and so many new thoughts that we forget the basics. But a balanced child of God will make sure that he/she spends quality time meditating on the simple truths found in the word of God. Else there is a chance that we may wander away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now I want to bring to your attention a verse from Bible. It's from Mathew 5:19
"So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven." (NLT)

In this verses Jesus was telling a simple thing but an important thing. If you don't obey and just teach others to do it then there is no benefit of it. You will be least in kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and then teach then you will be great in Kingdom of heaven.
When we meditate of these verses then we can see how true it is. Sometimes the sermons we preach we don't follow. Sometimes we act like a salesmen trying to sell a product even though he himself is not convinced with the product. That's the reason why we fail to make an impact with the word of God in the way it should make. If we don't obey or follow something and still try to preach the same then there is not much benefit of it. The real impact will come when we obey and teach others also.
Let's think of all the things we taught others may be through preaching, group discussion or may be on a one to one basis. Are we able to follow it and obey it? If not then let's change our ways.

Question for you- are you a follower of God's Law or a Salesmen trying to just teach or sell to others what you learned from other places?

The need of the hour is that we need people who will Obey and teach the word of God. We need followers and not just guides.

May God Bless You!

Growing trend of Christian Rock and its Effect on Young People

When I write this blog I know that there are people who will read this and feel that I am outdated or conservative. No problem because thats what people who raise their voice regarding things like this are known as. After I became a born again Christian I enjoyed Worship and Christian songs. But after some time I saw a trend catching up among the young christian friends which at times made me uncomfortable. Now I left it to them and never wanted to interfere since who am I to Judge anyones style of worship.

After I came to US I saw this trend more here among the young people in the churches. Well again why should I bother about it if its of some benefit. Recently I had been seeing some christian videos produced from India and some of the worship concerts organized. I also got an opportunity to interact with some young people of this generation and find out what they feel and what the benefit. I also did some research and has come to some conclusions which I want to write here.

When some thing starts harming or destroying then we have the right to speak against it. Thats what we see in the Bible. Elijah and John the Baptist is a good example for that after Jesus Christ himself. So what is it. There is a trend coming up in the form of worship concerts and worship nights which the enemy is using to destroy the real worship. He has achieved to steal the real glory which belongs to Jesus. After seeing one video I felt like crying because I saw a group of young people running towards the worship Leader and jumping and shouting in praise of what he is saying. They are doing it without their knowledge.

Now before going ahead let me tell you what is the argument put forward by the promoters of such pop, rock & smog worship. They say it is to attract young people. What a lie. Let me tell you once thing- Any person attracted to Jesus except because of the cross can never be genuine. Pop, rock & smog cannot attract a person to Jesus in the way God wants.

Now read some testimonies of young people here - http://www.av1611.org/crock/crockids.html

Another thing which bothers me is the fact that most of these so called people end up in a big mess. I have seen that there external apprearence also changes after that. You see them wearing inappropriate cloths, some funny beard style etc. Now you may argue that God is interested in inside. Yes, but what is inside is reflected outside. A person who is humble and whose heart is set on giving glory to Jesus will never try to impress or attract people with his style. He will depend upon the power of Holy Spirit to do the work. Read the gospels and try to understand the real Jesus and can you imagine Jesus conducting such a concert to attract people if he had been living in this time. What has happened is that Christians are taking up things from films and secular rock and pop and trying to bring up a Christian verson of it. You are doing a big mistake if you are trying to do it.

I know of a person. At one time he was my friend and I had regard for him and respected him. But as time passed away I saw him getting slowly in things like this. His style of leading the worship changed. Slowly his life style changed. Slowly his habbits changed. Today he is in a pathetic condition. He may not acknowlege it openly and may pretend as if he is all right but I know that if he go to his room and sit infront of word of God and pray then he will be left crying. He has reached a stage where he is acting spiritual infront of people but is going through termoil inside. He wants to get out but now its difficult. Devil has put him in a trap.

My intention is not to write about any particular person. But before I close this blog let me ask you one question. Are you worshiping God out of emotions and feeling or with a real experience. If you are a person who has gone astray and are leading a double standard life then you have the oppoutunity to return to true worship. You are not going to gain anything by moving ahead with the lie. God can give a break through in your life.
I will write more about this topic. Your valuable comments and suggestions are welome as response to this.

May God Lead you to true worship!

Godly Generation 10 - They will manifest God’s Power in this World

We have reached the 10th message in this series. In this I want to share with you something very important and it is so much missing today in the churches. Before that let me tell you about a person.

By profession he was a fisherman. He had lot of failures in his life. He also did some blunders which no one else has done. He would speak out and jump to something without thinking much. He became a disciple of Jesus. He was the first person to confess Jesus as messiah. He boasted and said he will never fall away. Once he even walked on water along with Jesus. He was one of the disciples in the inner circle of Jesus. But on the night in which Jesus was arrested he denied him three times. Yes I am talking about Peter.

Now let me tell you of one more people. Can you think of Paul? He wanted to destroy church. He did lot of harm to church. But ultimately he also came to Jesus and accepted him. Now Peter and Paul were ordinary people. But the things they did in this world were extra ordinary. That’s what I want to share with you.

After receiving the anointing of Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost Peter did certain things. Lets me list it he:-

• Peter Preached and 3000 people were added to church (Acts 2)
• Peter Healed the Crippled Beggar (Acts 3)
• Peter and John were delivered from Jail by an angel (Acts 4)
• “..People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. (Act.5:15-16)
• The Paralytic Aeneas was healed
• Resurrects Dorcas-Tabitha from dead.
• Causes the death of Ananias and Sapphira
• Again escaped from Prison and Angel came to rescue him.
• Holy Spirit came upon people when he was preaching they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

Those were few things which Peter did. Now let’s see about Paul.

• Struck Elymas (Bar-Jesus) with blindness, Acts 13
• Healed a cripple, Acts 14
• Casted out an evil spirit, Acts 16
• Paul and Silas were delivered from jail, Acts 16
• Paul cured sick people, even touching his handkerchiefs healed people, Acts 19
• Paul Raised Eutychius to life from death, Acts 20
• Paul Shook a viper off his hand and was unharmed, Acts 28
• Paul healed the father of Publius of Dysentery, Acts 28
• Paul healed the sick of Malta, Acts 28
• Paul wrote about 13-14 Epistles of New Testament
• Established churches in many places

If I keep on writing the list will go on. But what was the difference. They had the anointing and power of God in their life. The supernatural gifts of God were operational in their life. Holy Spirit was working in their life. God’s power was manifested in their life.

Do you have a desire to be an instrument in the hands of God for him to manifest his power in this world? Have you ever prayed that God should give you the anointing to cast out demons, heal the sick and to do miracles in the name of Jesus? Jesus said that anyone who has faith in Him will do what He has been doing and He will do even greater things than these, because He was going to the Father (John 14:12). Do you simply believe this? Can you pray for greater things from God?

Remember that People who belong to a Godly Generation will manifest God’s power in this world through their life. They will sit in God’s presence and receive from God and go out. They will preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, do miracles and move in the anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit.

May God Bless You!

Godly Generation 9 - There Life will be an Example for Others to Follow

We have come to one of the most important message for the series. Before writing anything let me put few verses here. Let see what Paul, when writing to his spiritual son Timothy had to say to him.

1 Tim. 4:12-16 “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.”

Paul had something really serious to tell Timothy. Timothy has to set an example to all believers in

• What he say
• The way he live
• In love
• In Faith
• In purity

Also he was asked to keep close watch on his life and his doctrine or teaching.

One of the biggest needs of the church today is people who will set an example for others to follow. One thing I always see is that people who are leaders or who do anything in the church or who are seen in front always influence other people. Sometimes it’s positive and some times its negative. I have seen people who when they came to the church for the first time are different. They look at people around them. But after 2-3 weeks I have seen that they become like others. The danger with this is that sometimes people also leave the good things they have and sometimes they take up bad things from others. If people are influenced for better then that’s really good. We should always make sure that we are influenced by the good things of other people and not by anything that is not beneficial.

That’s gives a call for us to move from what is permissible to what is beneficial. We have to take off things from our life that may badly influence others. We have to add on things to our life that with influence others in a positive manner.

We have to examine our life every day and ask God to show things that He wants us to add as well as delete from our life. Then only we can become an example for others to follow. Let no one despise our youth. Set an example before others. In 1 Cor. 11:1 Paul says, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” I few have to say to anybody to follow our example then we will have to follow the example of Christ.

So we will have a set an example before others in everything we do. To do this we will have to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Remember that People who belong to a Godly Generation set an example for others to follow. They will set an example to all believers in what they say, in the way they live, in love, faith and purity. They will closely watch how they live and watch their teaching or doctrine so that others can follow and being influenced in a positive manner.

May God Bless You!

Godly Generation 8 - They will maintain Integrity & will bring Glory to their God in foreign Land

Most of the people for whom I am writing this message live in a foreign country. Hence I am excited to write this message more than any other because we can relate with this message very easily. Even if you are living in your own country then still you are foreigners in this world. It says in Philippians 3:20 that Our Citizenship is in heaven and we are waiting a savior- Jesus Christ. We all have to go from here.

I want to share few things from the life of Daniel and his friends. Since most of you know the story I don’t want to write too much details but few lessons we learn from them. Daniel and his friends where taken to Babylon as captives. At that time they were very young. They could have easily adopted the culture prevailing in Babylon at that time. Sometimes this is what we see when young people go to a foreign country. But that was not the case with Daniel and his friends. They were given new names there.

They decided that they would not defile themselves with eating anything other than what was permitted according to the law of God. They were offered but they refused to eat. They were bold enough to use the spiritual gifts they had in a foreign land. They were confident about their God. That’s the reason why Daniel was bold enough to say to the king what God reveled to them. Many times God revels things to us but we are not bold enough to say it. The reason is that either we are not sure or are not confident about God.

Another thing we see is that they were asked to bow down before an idol and they didn’t do it. The result was 3 young men were put in burning furnace. But they came out victorious out of it. Daniel was put in lions den but he came out of it unharmed. He didn’t stop his prayer or style of prayer when he could have easily done it and escaped. They maintained their integrity in every situation.

So what was the result of all this. King gave new title to the three men-Servants of Most High God. King said, “They were willing to die rather than serve or worship any other God.” Daniel’s enemies tried their best to find a fault with him. But they couldn’t find anything in regard to his conduct and in the way he was doing his job. They could only catch him in regard to his Integrity in serving God. But there also Daniel came out victorious and afterwards King issued a decree that all people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

So what happened with Daniel and his friends? Let me summarize it here.

• Their Language was changed but their Loyalty didn’t change.
• Their Names were changed but their Nature didn’t change.
• Their Food was changed but their Faith didn’t change.
• Their Culture & Country were changed but their Convictions didn’t change.
• Their Societies Lifestyle changed but their Godly Lifestyle didn’t change

So what was the benefit of these young men following God? They were blessed and they got promotion in their job. They became big officials in that land. But more than all these what encourages me most is the fact that they maintained their integrity and the King issued a decree that all people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. What a blessed thing it is to revel God’s glory through your life in a foreign land.

Remember that People who belong to a Godly Generation will maintain Integrity and will bring Glory to their God in foreign Land. They will disobey everyone who asks them to disobey their God. They will stand firm in their decisions and by faith will see things against the law of nature happening. They will not have any spiritual pride or spiritual head weight. They will not compromise but will follow their God in all circumstances. They will use spiritual Gifts and bring glory to their God.

May God Bless You!

Godly Generation 7 -They will Reject Wickedness and hear God’s voice

Samuel was an answer to a mother’s cry for years. Hannah cried in God’s presence for a child and Samuel was an answer to her cry. He was dedicated for God’s service by his mother. At a very young age he was left with the priest Eli in the temple of God. Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.

Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD. Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

If the man said to him, “Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would then answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.” This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt. Also they committed adultery with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

But Samuel was ministering before the LORD -a boy wearing a linen ephod. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. Now we see that Samuel heard God’s voice.

Now this is what challenges me. Samuel and Eli’s sons were ministering in the same temple. I am sure that Samuel might have seen what they were doing. Samuel could have followed them because they were sons of Eli the priest. If I put in today’s term then they were Pastor’s sons. But Samuel’s decision was something else. He followed God rather than the sons of Eli.

See you will always have the challenge to follow the wickedness of so called spiritual people. But remember that you are called to follow Jesus and not any man. Bible should be your standard.

So then what happened afterwards? The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

Other side the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Remember that People who belong to a Godly Generation will hate wickedness and hear God’s voice. You have a choice to make. Whom will you follow? If you have your eyes fixed up on Jesus then you will hear God’s voice !

May God Bless You!

Godly Generation 5 -They will walk by Faith

The next lesson we will learn from the life of Abraham. There are too many things we can learn from his life. But I want to focus only on one area today.

Abraham is the father of all who believe or who have Faith. (Rom.4: 16)

Heb.11: 8-9 – “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.”

Heb.11: 17-19- “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”

Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldeans and Terah was his father. Their family was settled in Ur. He got married to Sarai (who later become Sarah) but they didn’t have any children. One day Terah told Abraham that we are going to the land of Canaan. His nephew Lot was also taken with them. But they stopped at Haran and got settled there. Terah died at Haran. Afterwards God asked Abraham to leave his native country, his relatives, and his father’s family, and go to the land that God will show him. Abraham departed as Lord instructed him. We know that later he inherited the land of Canaan.

One thing to be noted here is that even before God spoke to Abraham, Terah was going to Canaan. But he stopped at Haran. Why? May be he felt comfortable there or may be he got tired. When Terah started from Ur, I think his vision was to reach Canaan. But on the way he stopped and got settled in Haran.

One Lesson- do not stop before reaching where you are supposed to reach. Don’t get settled on the way. If you do then you will die on the way. Terah didn’t reach Canaan but died at Haran.

Now about Abraham we see that after God spoke to him he left Haran. Are we holding on to some Haran when God wants us to go to Canaan? It was a step of faith from Abraham. What step- leave his native country, his relatives, and his father’s family, and go to the land that God will show him. Do we have the faith to do same thing if God will ask us. That’s bringing a mission challenge. If God asks us to leave everything in this country and go to a land, which he tells then what will our response be? What if he asks us to leave everything and go back to our own country as a native missionary? Let’s answer this question to God. About Abraham it is said that “And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.” Do we have a heart to do anything, which God will ask us to do, or are we trying to settle in Haran?

Now lets come to another incident in Abraham’s life. Many years later God gave him a son and later asked to sacrifice his son. Even though Isaac was not scarified but in Hebrews it says that “it was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again.

I think like this- Abraham might have thought like this- “ Even if Isaac becomes ashes, I have faith that God will raise up my promises from ashes. Since God promised that “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” So I have faith that what God told me He would do.

I don’t want to write more. Let’s ask a question to ourselves- Do we have unconditional faith in God? Faith which is not based on our circumstances but which is based on the sovereignty of God.

Remember that People who belong to a Godly Generation will have unconditional Faith in their God. They will be willing to move, willing to leave things, willing to sacrifice & willing to obey God. They will have FAITH in God!

May God Bless You!

Godly Generation 4 -They will Please God & Walk in close Fellowship with God

Here we have another Person who can be called a person who belongs to a Godly generation. His name is Enoch.

Heb.11:5 - “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”

Gen.5:21-24 - “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (NIV)

In NLT its says – “When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”

Now Enoch had an experience which no one else had in the history of mankind. Two things stand out in his account- He Pleased God & walked in close fellowship with God. He did not die but God took him away. I think that one day Enoch & God’s fellowship reached a point where God might have said to Enoch like this –“Come and stay with me. Let’s go to my house. I really enjoy the fellowship we have. Let me take you away from this world and we can talk and have fellowship whole day. So come up with me”. That’s my imagination but still I think that something similar to this might have happened.

Pleasing God and walking in close fellowship with him are two things which God always wanted from man. What was happening at Eden Garden? Every day God will come and have a time of fellowship with Adam & Eve. Then later God made friendship with Abraham. He used to share everything with Abraham. Jesus invited as to a close fellowship with him. In John 15:14-15, Jesus says that “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Are we serious about it? What a friend we have in Jesus. Still we run after the friends of this world and try to please them at the expense of our friendship with Jesus. Ask yourself a sincere question right now- Who is your best and closest friend in life? If the answer is Jesus then great. If it’s someone else in this world then review your priorities. Never give space and place in your life to anyone more than what you have given to God. Friends of this world may forsake you but Jesus will never leave you. In times of weakness, sickness, pain, loss etc friends may forsake us but during these times friendship of Jesus becomes more real in our life.

Let’s lead a life completely pleasing in God’s site and in close fellowship with God.

Remember that People who belong to a Godly Generation will not please themselves and run after friends of this world but will Please God and walk in close fellowship with God. They will have a day to day experience of walking, talking, laughing, crying & sharing their heart with God!

May God Bless You!

Godly Generation 6 -They will refuse comforts and pleasure of this world to suffer for the sake of Christ

Another Person from Bible who teaches us some important principles is Moses. There are lots of things to learn from his life but here I would like to focus on one fact, which is important for people who belong to a Godly Generation.

Heb.11: 24-27- “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”

Moses was born at a time when all boys born in any Israeli families were killed or thrown in to Nile River. He survived when all other boys were killed. He was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and grew up in the palace. See God’s provision here. In the house of enemy (Pharaoh) who wanted to kill God prepared place for Moses. But things changed after Moses grew up. He had two options before him. First was to live like an Egyptian in Pharaoh’s palace and become a Pharaoh. He had all chance to become one. This reminds of people who go to foreign countries and try to act or become like people there. I have seen people who have forgotten their mother tongue after being in USA for 1-2 years. People who came from a village in India completely forget about it and try to behave and act as if they were born here. But Moses was not like that. The second option he had was to forsake everything and go out and suffer along with his Hebrew brothers. Because he selected the second option he had to run away from Egypt and stay away for about 40yrs.

It is written that by faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. One thing, which is strange in Moses case, is that he took a big risk and also a big decision.

He realized the call of his life and went ahead with it.

What was the end of Moses story? Let me write it in simple language. Moses had the burning bush experience where God spoke to him when he was about 80yrs old. Moses came back to Egypt. Took a big assignment upon himself. He did wonders and miracles in Egypt i.e. the land from where he had to run away many years ago. He led Israelites out of Egypt. He spoke with God face to face. He was the person through whom the 10 commandments came to this world. He got the privilege of leading God’s people for almost 40 yrs. He has some testimonies with no one else have in the history of mankind.

Now if Moses had chosen the first option then his story would have ended something like this- “Moses stayed in Pharaoh’s palace and later became a Pharaoh. Afterwards he died.”

God’s people always have to take a decision and chose something in their lives. Their end and their history will be on the basis of their choice or selection. Now the question is what will you choose?

There are lots of ways that you can choose. Some will lead to comforts and some will lead to hardship. Some will lead you to abundance and some to scarcity. Some will be easy but some will be tough.

Remember that People who belong to a Godly Generation will refuse comforts and pleasure of this world to suffer for the sake of Christ. They will chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. They will regard disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of this world, because they will be looking ahead to their reward. By faith they will leave the things of this world and persevere because they have seen him who is invisible.

May God Bless You!

Godly Generation 3 - They will Offer Best Sacrifice

Let me remind you another person in the Bible whom I think can be added in the list of people belonging to Godly Generation.

Heb. 11:4 –“By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.”

Now Abel was the second son born to Adam & Eve. By profession he was a shepherd. Cain was his brother. His life was short. Let’s examine what he did in his life. At harvest time both the brothers brought gifts to the Lord. Let’s see what Bible says about their sacrifices.

Gen.4:3-5 - “When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.”

People have different ideas about why God accepted Abel’s gift and rejected Cain’s. But I can see a very valid reason in those verses itself i.e. the best of the firstborn. Cain gave some of his crops but Abel gave the best of the firstborn.

Later we see that Cain took Abel to a field and attacked and killed him. The reason being that God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain’s. But we see that in Mathew 23:35 Jesus address it as the blood of righteous Abel. Also in Hebrews it says that “By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings.”

Are we giving the best to the Lord? What about our time, prayer, love, money, energy, gift etc. Are we giving Lord the Leftover or the best of the firstborn?

Remember People who belong to a Godly Generation will not give leftover things to God but will give the best. They will have God as the priority in their life. They will offer the best sacrifice.

May God Bless You!

Godly Generation 2 - They will not Compromise but Resist

Today I want to bring to your attention a person from Bible who can be added as a person in Godly Generation. He is one of my favorite character in Bible because of many reasons. Mostly we remember him as the person who kept moral integrity. But when we study his Life we can learn lot of things from his life. He is Joseph. Now let me add few verses here about Joseph. Its from NLT

1. Gen. 37:2- “……When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing .”
2. Gen.37:4- “But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.”
3. Gen.37:5-”One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.”
4. Gen.37:8- “And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.”
5. Gen.37:10-”This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him.”
6. Gen.37:11-”But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.”
7. Gen.37:18-20-”When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him.19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
8. Gen.37:23-24- “So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. 24 Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern . Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.”
9. Gen.37:28- “So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.”
10. Gen.39:7-9-”..Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, 7 and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. 8 But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9 No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
11. Gen.39:20-”So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained.”

These verses just reflect the first part of Joseph’s story. Let me put few things in plain words about Joseph which I can conclude out of the above verses.

“Joseph was a young man who had a strong faith in the existence of God and firm decision not to do anything to defile himself or sin against God. When he was with his brothers, he never did bad things and whenever his brothers did anything wrong then he will report it to his father. Now he was a man who used to see dreams. His brothers used to hate him because of his righteous attitude. Because of his dream he was scolded by his loving father. But tragedy stuck him when his own brothers threw him to a cistern and later sold him as a slave for 20 pieces of silver. He was taken to a foreign land and was sold again to another person. God blessed him there and he was made in charge in that house. But a big problem came. His master’s wife wanted to commit adultery with him. He had 2 options-

• Compromise and enjoy the blessing or Resist and go to jail.
• Compromise and disobey God or Resist and obey God.
• Compromise and defile himself or Resist and maintain his holiness.

I can add more. Lets think for some time that Joseph opted for first option. Then conclusion of this message could be like this:-

“Joseph compromised and had a great time at Pothipar’s house. He started leading a wicked life. Pothipar’s wife praised Joseph in front of her husband and Joseph got more promotions in his Job. He got a hike in his salary. Pothipar got him a car and later build him a small house also. When Joseph was old he died. ”

But I am glad that Joseph selected second option. So the Conclusion is like this:-

“Joseph was in jail for more than 2yrs. God blessed him there and gave him ability to interpret dreams. Once Pharaoh the king of Egypt had a dream and God used Joseph to explain it and hence Pharaoh made him Prime Minister of Egypt. Later his brothers came to Egypt and bowed in front of him as fulfilment to the dream God gave him many years ago. He was joined by his father who loved him so much. In the middle of all this Joseph also got married and had his own family. Joseph named his older son Manasseh,for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.” His brothers and their families also joined him.So Joseph and his brothers and their families continued to live in Egypt. Joseph lived to the age of 110. He lived to see three generations of descendants of his son Ephraim, and he lived to see the birth of the children of Manasseh’s son Makir, whom he claimed as his own. ”

Now the question is- What conclusion you want?

Remember People who belong to a Godly Generation will not Compromise but Resist. They will have high moral standards. They may go through difficulties and pain in beginning but their end will be good. Their name will be remembered for generations as a testimony.

May God Bless You!

10 Solid Reasons for Missions

I wrote in the last post that I will share with you the things which where taught at ICPF mission conference. So here I start with first session.

10 Solid reasons for Missions by Dr.R.Stanley

1. We have a missionary God
2. We have a missionary Saviour- Jesus Christ
3. We have a missionary Holy Spirit
4. We have a missionary Book - Bible
5. We have missionary Founders
6. We have a missionary Commission
7. We have a missionary Community
8. We have a missionary Field
9. We have a missionary Enemy
10. We have a missionary Hope

Set an example before Others

Christians need to set an example before others. Once a person comes to the leadership role it is more important. A person has to be very careful about how he behave.
Paul says few things to Timothy Like this:-
1 Tim 4:12-16
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Paul then says to Titus that:-
Titus 2:6-8
Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Setiing an example before others should be a concern to us. Remember that you influence a lot of people and many look up to you even though you may not know it. Hence its very important that we set an example for others to follow.
May God Bless You!

Idols in Heart

Ezekiel 14:4 says about people of Israel having Idols in heart. When we read the entire book of Ezekiel we know that God was angry with people of Israel because they made Idols for themself, defiled the temple of God, made vile images etc.

When God gave 10 Commandments mentioned in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21 he made in very clear that :-

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

But many times when we think of Idols, the only thing which comes to our mind is that of man made Idols we have seen or we see. But when we meditate on those things then we can know few things. Before that let me put 2 verses from New Testament. They are:-

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

So we can know that now our hearts are the temple of God and Spirit of God dwells in out heart. But many times Jesus is removed from the throne of our heart and many things takes the place. When we meditate on this then we can know that many times many things become Idol in our life.

Anything which takes the glory and the position of God in our lives literally becomes an Idol. It can be our job, family, children, husband, wife, internet, music, movies etc. What all things snatches away the time which we are supposed to spend with God literally becomes and Idol in the way that it takes control of us and gradually takes us away from God and his presence.

Lets examine our life and see if we have any Idol in our life. If there are some then let us remove it and only have Jesus at the throne of our hearts.

May God Bless You!

Can or Should I do it or Not?

A Christian is always surrounded by things from which he has to make a choice. Is that permitted? Can I do it or not? Is it ok if I go there? The list just goes. Last days when I was praying a thought came to my mind which I want to put here.

What all I can do? Paul says in 1 Cor 6:12 that “Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Again in 1 Cor 10:23 that “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive.

So we see that lot of things are there which may be permissible but not beneficial and constructive. So how can we know what to do and what not. First step is always check in Bible as to what God says about it. Bible has answer to almost everything you can ask. You can also consult elder christians regarding it.

Now I want to give two tips to decide which God taught me. They are:-

1. Think if Jesus would have been in your place then what he would have done. Will he go to that place? What will his response be? Now to know what Jesus would have done you will have to read gospels and learn the personality of Jesus.
2. Can I maintain the presence of God in my life by going there or doing it. By going or by my action do I feel a vaccum in my heart regarding God. Do I feel like I am losing the power of God in me.

Avoid all things in your life which can take the anointing of God away from your life. Avoid all things which can come as a block in your life preventing the free flow of God’s power in your life. Devils intention is to take you away from the presence of God because he knows that once he does it then he can make you do anything. Try to meditate the life of Samson. Once he lost the power of God in his life the enemy was able to bind him and even take out his eyes. A man who demonstrated the power of God through his life reached such a point that enemy completely prevailed against him. Reason was simple- He allowed things in his life which was not needed. We can see many other examples like this.

Now when we come to practical aspect what are the things. Let me give you a brief list:-

1. Watching movies which are against the ideas of Bible.
2. Surfing websites which are not good.
3. Reading magazines which does not reflect the culture of Bible.
4. Going to places were you know sin prevails or where sin is encouraged or Sold.
5. Friendship which is demanding you to do things which are against the will of God.
6. Doing Job which makes you unfaithful or where you are forced to accept bribe or do wrong.
7. Unwanted chatter which promotes nothing good.
8. Spending time on things which is not at all need

The list can go on and on. But the question is- Will you take a stand to proctect your spiritual life and to make sure the presence of God is with you?

May God Bless You!