Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Cost of Civil War

Internal conflicts are everywhere these days. There are currently more than thirty-two countries going through war now. Many are dealing with civil wars, and people live in fear and turmoil. There is hunger, and people are losing hope. I know people who live in these areas, and life is tough, and with each passing day, things are getting destroyed which was once built with incredible difficulty. A building that took years to build is destroyed in a few hours.

In the Bible, Jesus made a statement when he was accused of doing miracles with the help of Satan.

Mathew 12:25

Knowing their thoughts, he told them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. (CSB)

Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. (NLT)

 Any kingdom, town, or family divided by civil war or divided will fall apart. It is not going to prosper or grow but will get destroyed. It is valid for churches and other organizations. An unresolved internal ongoing conflict or issue is proof that fall is waiting. It may take some time, but it is slowly getting destroyed when civil war is not stopped.

 Let's not take it lightly. Any feud or conflict which is not resolved will destroy the organization. When it comes to the church or the kingdom of God, we cannot afford that. Even if we lose or let certain things go, we cannot let anything is destroyed. We have to work in unity for things to grow and prosper.

Civil war is costly, and we cannot afford one in these last days, and hinder the work of God.         

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Discipleship - No sacrifice = No success

One of the last instructions of Jesus Christ to his disciples was to go and make disciples of all nations. The ask was to teach these disciples to obey his commands (Matt. 28:19-20). A disciple cannot be passive in life but active in making disciples and teaching them to obey the teachings of Jesus Christ.  

Today's challenge is that all resources, zoom or live meetings, and messages are not moving people to acceptance and obedience. We hear a lot weekly and know the theory very well. We may be able to take a class or preach at a conference, but in our personal lives, we miss application. It may look like the bald man trying to sell hair oil that cures baldness.    

True discipleship moves us beyond information to a practical level which involves sacrifice and self-denial and is essential. Unfortunately, we often desire to do everything within our comfort zone and ensure everything is secure and will not go the extra mile. Jesus taught us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. When we deprive ourselves of our desires and put God's desires before our own, we are living out our discipleship and following in the footsteps of Jesus. We are also living out our faith and showing the world what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus. When we deny ourselves of things we desire, it teaches us to rely on God instead of ourselves and helps us stay focused on our ultimate goal of glorifying God. All successful pursuits of accomplishing God's plan and purpose involved sacrifice and self-denial.

Adoniram Judson was 25 years old when he went to serve as a missionary in Burma. At 61, he died on the way back on board a ship in the Bay of Bengal and was buried at sea, having spent 37 years abroad with only one trip back home to America. It took Judson 12 years to make 18 converts. When Judson began his mission in Burma, he set a goal of translating the Bible and founding a church of 100 members before his death. By his death, he had accomplished those goals and more. Judson left the translated Bible and a half-completed Burmese-English dictionary, established about 100 churches, and had over 8,000 believers. One of his famous quotes is –

"There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice, it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success, it is because someone will succeed after."

True discipleship involves sacrifice, and we cannot make progress without it. If you feel stagnant or stuck in your Christian life, it could be that you know much theory but need to improve in practical implementation. Discipleship comes with a cost, and are you willing to take small steps to see God's plans unfold in your life?   If we do not have an eternal perspective and temporary outlook toward our life, it will not be easy to give up our comforts. When we realize what our master had told us and how short is our life in this world compared to life after death, it will become easier to deny ourselves and accept sacrifices to accomplish kingdom goals.

We can start with small steps. We can join the group going out to give tracts and do street evangelism. Start meeting someone consistently and help them in their spiritual journey. Join a team going on a mission trip. When an opportunity to serve requires sacrifice, go ahead and do not postpone it.  

Remember what Judson said, "there is no success without sacrifice." 

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Prerequisites before Teaching

One thing the Bible is clear about is that God commands everyone to obey.  It teaches that Obedience is better than sacrifice.  Recently I noticed something about Ezra.

Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:10)

I had always been impressed with Ezra among Bible characters. This verse stood out to me because it shows a pattern that should be followed by everyone who teaches or preaches to others.

Step 1 – Determine in the heart

  • It is a decision taken within the heart and not forced by someone else.

Step 2 – Study the law of the Lord

  • Not just read but study the word. It takes time to study something.

Step 3 – Obey the word

  • Do what was understood while studying in your personal life.

Step 4- Teach others

  • If you realize it works, take time to share it with others. Teach others what you studied and obeyed.

One challenge we may have is that we will miss the order and a few steps. The question is, which stage do we miss?

Always remember that the order is Study->Obey->Teach, and any other order will not yield much result. 

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Thriving Talk - Stay Productive

Episode 23 of Thriving Talk came out today. The topic is "Stay Productive" This is another Dad-Son edition in which Tim, my son, sits with me and asks questions about life, purpose, spirituality, faith, etc. 

Details about Thriving Talk Podcast - https://tinkuthompson.blogspot.com/2022/08/thriving-talk-podcast-links.html

https://gospel-link.com/podcast-thriving-talk/

https://anchor.fm/gospel-link

YouTube Link to the latest episode - https://youtu.be/9FDJFwBI2rM

 


Tuesday, January 3, 2023

New Life

As another year starts, we all have expectations. The end of the year is a time of reflection, and a new year starts with new hope that things will be different. 

This year the focus concerning church for me is to meditate and teach on the topic of New Life. 

Eph. 4:23-24 -  to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

2 Cor. 5:17- This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Romans 6:1-4 - Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Link to English Message - https://youtu.be/hermj10Vgxs

Link to International Service Message - https://youtu.be/Gom6nRIt65w



Cost of Civil War

Internal conflicts are everywhere these days. There are currently more than thirty-two countries going through war now. Many are dealing wit...