Sword and Scalpel Meditations

2011-05-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Preach the Gospel, Use Words...........

Ezekiel 36: 21

But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

22Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

23And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

24For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

29I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

30And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

31Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

32Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of

Israel

We are sinful in nature. The Bible makes it clear that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Most of the time, our own selfishness and pride makes us behave in ways that bring shame and bad consequences on us. However, there are often times when we, as Christians, fall into a situation where God’s name is at stake. A situation where the underlying premise of those who may be against us is that our God is being humiliated, by proxy.

I have friends who seem, on a worldly level, to be so much better than me in charctaer and disposition. They do good works and seldom loose their temper. Thye are sacrifinign of their time and money to help others. They treat their colleagues very well and aid their friends selflessly. Yet they cannot and will not, accept that they are sinners in need of grace, in need of salvation. It is a mystery. How do we share the gospel with them? How does God make Himslef known to them, when we, his followers, are no where as “good” as we should be, and may actually be behaving in a way that is inimical to the gospel?

The passage today tells us that it is not our actions but that God is sovereign. In the context of Ezekiel 36, the chosen people are Israel. They have been so disobedient to God that they lost it all. Their homes were destroyed and they were carried away to Babylon as captives. This resulted in their shame. Who would then serve their God?

Would someone who sees you at school, or in the office or work place want to serve your God? Want to know Jesus?

In this passage, God says that they were a chosen people. Just like us; “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light They carried God’s name. And God cares for His Name” 1 Peter 1:9.

Despite our failings, God still is sovereign, He will guard His name.

21But I had pity for mine holy name

23……….for mine holy name's sake

23And I will sanctify my great name

Often as Christians, our life ends up as a poor witness because we do not live, act or serve as we should. And we profane the Name of our God. Each of the verses above (21-23) ended up with God saying they had “profaned His Name”.

There is a saying, falsely attributed to Francis of Assisi, that goes something like this “Preach the gospel, if necessary, use words”.

This is the premise of lifestyle evangelism. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this will be the main determinant of whether communities can be won for Jesus. I have seen, on the mission field in India and Africa, better lifestyle and better services, given by adherents of other religions. The 2004 tsunami drew help from not just Christians but also Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. Medical and surgical services to the poor are much better funded by the god-men of

India

than by Christian missions.

It is essential therefore, that the gospel is actually shared or preached. Our lifestyle, while important, is not the determinant of whether a community will accept Christ. While we are working on our own character change in Christ, we are called to sahre the gospel. That is His sovereign will and plan for us. Bringing people to Christ is finally the work of the Holy Spirit. He will do it for His Name’s sake. All we are asked to do is share the gospel.

2010-09-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Why is there no recovery?
Jeremiah 8:18 - 9:16

Recently I took up a new job assignment with a group of physicians in a new province. Financially it appeared to be a good option, allowing me to earn my keep in a shorter amount of time, leaving a few months free for church ministry and medical mission work.

But I found myself in that insidious mental snare the world places us in, a snare that seems to be in our very psyche – the need to be reliant on monetary aspects of life. And in the present recession, there is always the pervasive fear I may not earn enough to spend money on overseas travel and mission work. It niggles at the periphery of my consciousness, insinuating to the centre at times, despite my affirmation of trust in God.

Why is the recession still with us. Where is the economic recovery? The land is hurting, the financial system is under strain, real people are suffering, and we ask, like Jeremiah, “why then is there no recovery?” (8:22)

Well, it is so easy to look at the problems of this nation through secular lenses. But God wants us to understand that there is a spiritual reason for the morass the world is in. It happened years ago to nation Israel, it is happening to day to nations around the world. There seems to be no cure, no “balm of Gilead” in sight (8:22). Is the nation or economic system or moral compass going to “perish and burn up like a wilderness”? (9:12). And why is that so?

It is that we have strayed far from God these days (Jeremiah 9: 13). It is not only a question of disobedience to God anymore. It is indifference and a disinterest in the things of God. People do not care whether God exists anymore, let alone feel they must obey Him. We have forsaken His law. And we have disobeyed His voice.
It is that we follow our own dictates (Jeremiah 9:14). Don’t know what to do in a situation? Just make up your own decisions, we are told. As long as no one is hurt, it is fine. It is NOT fine, unfortunately. For when we neglect to acknowledge God and to seek His Word to guide us, we will end up in ruins (9: 11).
Worse still – and proving this is a spiritual problem – we seek after the “Baals” (Jeremiah 9:14b). “Baal” is the word the gentiles used for the god of the day. Today’s “Baals” is the pantheon of spiritualities endemic in western society and overtly practiced in the east. All of us are gods, and all religions lead to god, we are told. The “Baals” of the past have taken root today, and God is unimpressed.

Why is there no recovery?

Because we have not factored in the Master Physician, Jesus Christ, who can cure any ailment. He is waiting to be asked. Jesus came to pay the price for our sin; to be called into our lives personally as our Lord and Saviour. And as more in society genuinely call upon His name, healing will come to the nation.

If we continue as we are, we will drink the “water of gall” (9:15). The results of sinful and wanton behaviour are catching up. The world in general and each person in particular, will keep on enduring the vagaries of today’s dysfunctional society, and not know why it is happening.

Turn to the Lord our God. Give your life to Him. Trust Him. Let us start each one, one at a time.

2010-07-31T14:04:00.001-07:00

Why is God waiting do long?

Because - they do not know the judgment of the Lord

Jeremiah 8:8-17

I find it hard to fathom the norms of society just a few hundred years ago. Rules were explicitly followed. The Elizabethan era in

Britain

saw people lose their heads, literally, for no other reason than the ruler thought them to be subversive. Justice was swift and harsh, especially when the ruler was defied.

Thousands of years ago, the same mentality held true, in even more barbaric style. The Assyrians would impale conquered civilians on sharp poles, allowing them to die slowly. Defeat in battle meant death to the whole city and community. All conquering hordes followed the same pattern.

Jeremiah talks of judgment. He saw this first hand in what Babylon had done to his people. The killing of King Zedekiah’s sons, for no other reason than they were royal family, seems monstrous today. It was the norm then.

It was probably the patience of God in this milieu that made the people of God, the Jews, complacent. They were used to secular warlords exacting swift revenge. Yet, for flouting the clear laws of God, there seemed to be no quick judgment. Looking from the vantage point of time, we look back and see that God did indeed punish Israel and Judah. But since Jesus came, it has now been over 2000 years. And God has no exacted judgment on those who profane His name or malign Him. So what gives?

Firstly, God says that he will judge (v. 13). He will surely “consume”, he says. But His timing is not the same as ours. There are so many mysteries we do not understand. The main one is why is He waiting so long. Most commentators understand this waiting period to be a time given so that as many unbelievers can repent as possible. But to me, and maybe to you, there seems to be greater unbelief today! Rather than seek the answer, the best option is the obvious one. Just trust God, and admit that we do not know why he is waiting this long. But also admit that when he does come again, God will judge everyone.
Secondly, many people do not know about the judgment of the Lord (v.8). There are a lot of Christians today who go to happy and loving churches where there is little mention of judgment. The seeker friendly church tries “not to offend”. Worship has become a case of offering praise on our terms, not God’s terms. We walk in and out as we please. We dress as we like. There is no “fear” of God. Fear, you ask. “Why “fear” him when He is all love?”, answer many of the leaders of today. And there is a feel good atmosphere. People cannot envisage God can ever punish. Everybody thinks this is a party!

To some extent, pharisaic style religion may be a default position of those who take th ejudgement of God seriously. However, those who advocate God’s love and total liberty, that they dilute the gospel to mere sound bites and Sunday morning flip flop parties default the other way.

We need a healthy balanced theology of grace and righteousness, the expression of God’s immutable natures of love and justice. Paul presented this discussion between too many rules (legalism) and too much liberty (antinomianism) very well in Galatians. Please read that book many times. God is a loving God AND a just God. He loves us but man’s rebellion has also brought the wrath of God upon us.

He cannot deny His nature. That is why His wrath had to be satisfied by the once for all work of Jesus on the Cross, when he died for our sins.

The Day of Judgment will come. We need to stand with the righteous to avoid judgment. This righteousness is a free gift. Believing in Jesus cleanses us of sin in the sight of God and brings us back into His loving presence.

It is amazing how people today can ignore or reject God today.

They do not know the judgment of the Lord………..

2010-06-28T09:17:00.001-07:00

If God Does Not Say Anything, It is Usually No

Jeremiah 7:28-8:3

I attend court regularly to give evidence in personal injury cases. Over the years, I have seen how judges have to adapt to new specialist orthopaedic evidence, especially if there is no precedent. For example, many years ago, if someone lost his thumb in an accident, the courts awarded 80% loss of function of that hand for compensation purposes. But recently, I am able to give a new reconstructed thumb to the patient. Does that mean he receives no compensation? Not really – for the new thumb is never the same as the original. The rule book was silent on how to compensate for a reconstructed thumb, so we have to try to find compensation for pain and suffering in spite of the silence of the law.

Somehow, this approach has permeated into the Christian world. The Bible reveals a message of grace. We are accepted into the fellowship with God only by accepting the finished work of Christ on the cross, but faith alone. As a group of believers, however, the scriptures give us an indication of what God would like us to be and how we are to behave. The moral imperatives in the Ten Commandments remain a guide for us. But what happens when the Bible is silent on something? Does it mean we can indulge ourselves anyway, in the name of freedom? Can we incorporate all kinds of activity into our worship services? Is God pleased with us bringing so much of secular cultural influences into the church? Is our noble aim to keep youth and the unchurched in our fold pleasing or actually grieving to God?

In Jeremiah’s time, the people of God somewhat worshipped God they way he has asked them to. Yet the people had added practices form the nations around them. The most egregious of these was the child sacrifice. While this is an extreme, we find today soft versions of these types of activity creeping into churches. For example, is not yoga or transcendental medication rooted historically and spiritually in Hinduism? Yet church condone such practices by saying they have removed the hindu element. What does God say about doing things he does not prohibit?

God knows what we do and calls it disobedience (7:28). Practices that he has not commanded are not to be added to worship or our daily Christian walk. It is convenient to use the argument form silence and say that what God has not forbidden, is acceptable! But God is watching and is grieved. Is it not better to avoid adding new things to our worship and our daily lives until we are sure that the practice is not rooted in pagan culture or religious systems? I know this sounds intolerant, but read this passage again and make your own determination. It is God’s word.

What God does not command, is also not allowed (7:31). This puts to rest the argument that if the Bible is silent on some activity, belief or practice, that means that God allows or condones it. God said that the people had built “high places” which he did not command. High places were a place and a style of worship in the land of Judah. Are we building “high places” today? Are we building ministry models that He has not commanded? Seeker friendly church models use psycho-kinetics and other attractions to bring people to church. Are members coming for the entertainment or to worship our Holy God? Pastors now walk on stage in shorts and slippers. Are we disrespecting God?

The “new” visible churches will be irrelevant (7:32). The “high places” created by the Israelites will be no more, says God. The modern “high places” are these entertainment oriented “churches”. Messages are diluted to avoid offending people. The church members who come in easily, tend to fall away just as easily. And these church models will likely disappear too. The “Toronto Blessing”, with its laughing and barking, seems to have passed on. Many churches that were built on the word of God and the testimony of fervent Christians, will do well to avoid the trap of bringing in new things just because it is the craze.

We should avoid building the new “high places” that God says “ I did not command, nor did it come form My heart” Jeremiah 7:31. If you have been unconsciously doing this in your life or your church is going down these roads, please heed what God spoke to the Hebrews, and how it speaks to us today.

Please look at my earlier post on “Out with the New, In with the Old”

2010-06-19T17:20:00.001-07:00

Going Backwards, Not Forwards

Jeremiah 7:19-27

Many Christians genuinely believe that sincerity in their own heart trumps clear biblical teaching.

The Old Testament has a story about a king who won a great victory in God’s name. He was still confronted with further enemy troops, so he waited for the priest to offer a sacrifice to God. Unfortunately the person who could legitimately lead worship (yes, God considers all of us equal in his sight, but not all of us are given the same function) was not there. So the king - he is the leader, after all - took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself. And God was really displeased.

This story is told in 1 Samuel 13:1-14. Think of it, King Saul had all the good intentions. In his mind he was thankful for the victory and wanted further protection. But God has given us some direction in scripture and He expects obedience to His Word. The prophet Samuel told Saul that he had done “foolishly” (1 Sam13:13). Leaders and believers today make the same mistake. Many Christians genuinely believe that sincerity in their own heart trumps clear biblical teaching. Lay people assume leadership roles or make decisions which pastors should be making. And the question women in leadership are an emotive issue. Many of these will not be an issue if we read the bible in its plain meaning and obeyed it, even if we felt it was uncomfortable or contrary to what society is forcing us to accept.

Continuing in Jeremiah, we learn lessons from how God approached his people (today it is the church).

God was not pleased (7:19). The context here is hypocrisy and deceipt within the community of God. But it also applies to milder versions of disobedience. We all can point out overt instances of disobedience to God but it is actually the “soft” sins of disobedience that may ultimately weaken the church. Is there any part of scripture that is disconcerting to you? Do you genuinely feel called by God to do something or take up a role that the Bible clearly tells you you should nto be doing? Do not rationalise by looking at the ends to justify the means. Success today can be driven by force of will and savvy marketing. Not everything successful is of God. The litmus test is obedience to His Word.

This is what God commands – Obey my voice and I will be your God….that it may be well with you (7:23). There are many areas where we have all been influenced by the world and its philosophy. Culture has begun to creep into church activities. We belive we have to cater to cultural trends to keep people in church. But God is more interested in His people obeying Him, not just mouthing that they are Christians.

Disobedience (even benign indifference) makes us go backwards, not forwards (7:24). Think of it. Why is the church declining in influence in society today? Why is it we are on the back foot when confronted with moral issues and losing the battle of the worldviews? Read in its plain meaning, the people of Israel in those days just thought that they could obey only what they felt they felt comfortable with and ignored inconvenient truths of scripture. We have fallen dangerously into the same rut. God have mercy on us.

Has your spiritual life become dry? Is your church consumed with gossip and politics? Are you subscribing to the secular or new age worldviews of the majority around you without even knowing it?

Resolve to read scripture as it is written. Ask the Holy Spirit to be your teacher. The Spirit will NOT tell you that some scripture can be ignored because it was only relevant for the 1^st century. Take the whole counsel of God as true and necessary for Christian living. And when you read something inconvenient or opposite to what you believe is true, just obey scripture by faith. Obedience is better than sacrifice (worship).

God promises that, contrary to what we think, we will go forward, and not backward, if we humbly obey His word.

Sola Scriptura - Amen.

2010-06-18T20:49:00.001-07:00

Trust the Deeds, not the Words

Jeremiah 7:1-16 “Do Not Trust in Lying Words”

Recently we were deceived by a couple who claimed to be pastors. Though they were self appointed, we trusted them because they used the “ministry” usual words that Christians leaders use. They had an independent church of about 80 people. On hindsight we should have asked why they had a high attrition rate among their members. Or questioned the contradictory statements they made. Rather naively, we helped this couple with significant financial resources. We lost a lot of money and they put the blame on us by making all sorts of angry accusations. They even spread malicious rumors about us and our ministry. This made me ponder about what trust, especially among Christians, should look like. It is probably best to say that we should, against all instinct, observe the deeds of friends rather than their words. Words can deceive.

As we continue in Jeremiah 7, we come across some hard words from the Lord, spoken 2600 years ago, to his chosen people in Judah. And this is applicable to the people of God (church) today. He tells his people to amend their ways (7:3). That means he looked at their deeds. Why would he tell us that?

Because leaders would lie (7:4). “Do not trust in lying words, saying the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord”. This is what happens today. Lying leaders who want to control people have infiltrated the church. And they say, “We are the church, we are the church, we are church”. Sound familiar? Those of us who would like the church to stand for what the Bible says are asked to compromise with those who simply claim they are Christian. Beware “pastors”, “evangelists” and “healers” who make extravagant claims for their ministry. Observe their deeds to make sure that they are “walking with God and in the Word”
Because leaders would try to profit (7:8). God made serious accusations against leaders who seek to profit. They would degenerate to stealing, murder, adultery, lying, idolatry (7:9) and then come and stand before God to lead the congregation! (7:10). My experience showed how little regard these two “friends” who claimed to be pastors, had for the fact that I had lost so much money because of their lying words.

I believe that often we are blinded by two things about false teachers and leaders:

We are reluctant to judge their words and actions, afraid to be branded unforgiving. This is the tool the two “pastors” used to prevent me from voicing concern. As I searched for answers after being cheated, I realized that to judge what a Christian says or does is not only biblical, it is essential. (Jude 3). We must confront these leaders by correcting them in love. Do you speak to your pastor if you feel something is amiss? Do not be a divisive person but constructive criticism, in love, is biblical.
Secondly, we are reluctant to take action and warn others. This is probably my greatest regret – the damage done to younger believers. I had seen the way these “pastors” controlled their members, using direct prophecy and “God speaking through them”. They talked down and gossiped about almost everyone else. Later I found they had done the same about me. But by not warning others, I allowed this cycle of damage to be done to others. Those of less faith may even drop out of church. While we know that God holds believer in His hand, these members may not have the joyful life God wants them to have.

Beware Christian leaders who keep talking about their church (7:4), loving the sound of their own voice, and subtly asking for money and controlling people (7:8). The genuine leader humbly goes about his work in Christ, and allows the Lord to lead and guide his ministry. All glory goes to God.

We are only as useful as how much we make ourselves available to God. As leaders in our home and church, are our words and actions consistent with God’s word?

2010-06-13T18:00:00.001-07:00

OUT with the new - IN with the old

Jeremiah 6:10-30

Recently we purchased a MacBook computer and it came with a free iPod. The iPod had wifi and GPS features that amazed me, coming in such a small package. I am told that technology is advancing at such a pace that we “oldies” have been left behind. In church, this mindset has come in as well. But I believe it is more than just the usual generation gap. Previously, the generation gap applied to forms and styles. Today it is not just the forms and styles. It is also a world view battle. Previously what the church said about Jesus was accepted as true. Today, in addition to style, the gospel message is watered down or even reinterpreted.

It is “so yesterday” to want to read the bible as it is plainly written. We are told to look at scripture in a cultural context and reinterpret scripture in light of contemporary issues relevant for today. If that means watering down the exclusiveness of Jesus, so be it. Seeker friendliness or emergent church theology is the ”new” thing. As long as a “church” says they are “Christian”, we are to accept them without judging. Apart from subtle reinterpretation of long held theological beliefs, the ministry models as described in the new testament has been replaced by the “new” corporate models of church growth.

Nothing changes, I suppose. Even in the days of Jeremiah noted that the people of God were deviating from the plain meaning of God’s revelation. I wonder why it is so difficult to just read the scriptures plainly and believe it. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” Heb 11:6. I suppose it is the fact that some of what the bible says is inconvenient and contrary to prevailing culture. And we are uncomfortable with it and thus demand something new.

The passage in Jeremiah 6:10-30 reveals that this inclination to tamper with God’s plain teaching in the scripture is not a “new” phenomenon. And he starts with the reason.

Everyone is give to covetousness (6:13). “Covetousness” involved the prophet (preacher) to the priest (pastor). It leads to various falsehoods and sin. They were dealing falsely, says Jeremiah. Is it possible that we are doing the same today? Pastors exaggerate the numbers in their church. I have seen ministry leaders exaggerate the numbers of conversions at revival meetings. Short term mission fund raising exaggerate what the team members were actually going to do. This is not a broad accusation but a call for all of us to examine our motives carefully. What is our true motive for what we do? For what we do in ministry? For what we say when we preach? Are we scared of being labeled intolerant? Let us not deal falsely for God see the heart.

So what is the solution to being misled by “new” ways?

Jeremiah 6: 16 Thus says the Lord: Stand in the way and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. Then you will find rest for your souls.

Stand in the way and see (6:16a). I believe this is the Lord asking each of us individually and collectively to look clearly at the plain teaching of scripture. This is only found in the Bible. Do you read the bible in its plain meaning? Do you read the bible at all? Do you find excuses to ignore inconvenient passages (e.g Jesus the only way to heaven, on the grace of God that saves us, on holiness, on Christian living issues - sexual issues, male leadership, nature).

Ask for the old paths (6:16b). We have the benefit of the writings and reflections of the church fathers. We have the creeds. These are condensed versions of biblical teaching. It helps us focus. Why have so many churches rejected the creeds? Why are we so averse to the historic faith writings? Book stores are filled with meaningless and feel-good, how-to books. How many of our children know the Lord’s prayer or Apostles creed? Do they not need to know these so that they will not stray? Yes, there are many who know the creeds but do not behave like Christians. And you feel that it is hypocrisy. Even contemporary Christianity has its hypocrites. This is hardly an excuse to reject the “old paths”.

Know the good way and walk in it (6:16b). Know the proper teaching and walk (obey) in it. A simple formula that we, in this post modern world are tempted to change because it somehow does not sound right. Do you know the Bible? Do you walk in its ways?

You will find rest for your souls (6:16c). Proper understanding of who God is and what he has done will result in proper worldview, proper worship and proper Christian living. It does not require “how to” books and teachings on how to be holy. Just know what the Bible plainly says to you, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and counsel of the people of God and do what God impresses on your heart.

Are you seeking rest for your soul in this restless age? Do not seek to change the teaching of the Bible to reflect what you think may be right. Just trust God. He has taught us through his word and the counsel of godly forefathers. You may find that it may be old fashioned. Or boring. But you will find that it is enough.

+Joshua

www.southasiamission.com

2010-06-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

They have lied about the Lord

Jeremiah 5:12-31

What is a delusion? I had great difficulty when I did my psychology rotations in medical school with otherwise normal patients who had delusions. A delusion is a false belief that is firmly held to be true, even in the face of evidence of its falsehood. Most of us will have some false beliefs in our lives, but the difference is that we will change our minds once evidence is presented to the contrary.

In this world, the secular media and prevailing worldview suggests that Christians are deluded into believing in God. We hold to a false belief, we are told. There is strong evidence for atheism, we are told. Anyone who believes in an exclusive way to God is a fool, we are told. We are pitied for our “ignorance” and bullied for our “intolerance”. However, when we want to engage in a genuine discussion of h the evidence, the pluralists and atheists (strange bedfellows they may be) only respond with polemic.

Jeremiah’s days in ancient Judah reveal a similar pattern of ridiculing the people of God and God Himself. The prevailing worldview was pluralism and seeking after any and all gods. Prosperity had brought about the delusion that man had achieved success n his own.

God says his people had lied about God (5:12). They had lied to themselves. There were people who were deluded and people who deliberately lied to others. Do we not see the same pattern today? We need to identify who is genuinely seeking God and deluded by the world. These are those we must share the gospel with. As for those who deliberately lie or are argumentative, we should leave them alone, especially if they claims to be Christian leaders (Titus 3:10), because the word is not in them (Jer 5:13)
What people trust in will be destroyed (5:14-17). In Jeremiah’s day, it was dramatic. Violence came form the north and their idyllic life was shattered. Today, the idyllic life in the west has fallen short. The society which has everything has produced the largest pool of mental health patients ever. Psychiatric medicines like SSRI’s have overtaken painkillers as the most prescribed drugs. Teen suicides have burgeoned. What or who are we trusting in today? Money? Our nation? Our leaders? Leaders can mislead (Jer 5: 26). Our spouse? None will satisfy, and none will protect. Apart from the true God, revealed in Jesus Christ, everything else will be destroyed. Trust Jesus today.
God gives second chances (5:18-19). The word “nevertheless” is comforting. Jeremiah tells the people that God will no make a “complete end” of them. Jesus came for just that purpose. Man may be deluded in his sin and unable to know God or experience His grace (Romans 3:23). Sin is not necessarily doing bad things. It is a disposition of the heart that rejects God and places trust in other things, as noted above. God is waiting to help us through life, whatever our circumstance. We are called to trust Him.

If only the people of God had trusted Him all those years ago. We are going down the same path. Are we going to do something about it? Maybe we can start in our homes and local community?

2010-06-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

My people are foolish

Jeremiah 4:22-5:6

The intellectual and visionary of today is often characterized by their ability to think differently. In fact, it is this need to find new ways of thinking, novel methods of analyzing data and discovering esoteric explanations for what is obvious, that defines modern scholarship. It has infected biblical scholarship as well. All doctorate students and professor wannabes find they have to “publish or perish”, and to publish means to find new explanations for established truths.

That is why seminaries are producing “research” that change the obvious truths of scripture. When the Bible says that man has a sinful nature, there is little to debate. But bible scholars need to publish and appear to be thinkers. So they analyse and dissect the word sin, sinful and sin nature. They redefine the terms. And in the process, change the intent of what God says.

It goes to both extremes. At a recent seminar in South East Asia, a prosperity gospel preacher said we have to engage culture to be relevant to modern man. So his church uses songs by Lady Gaga and other pop icons at service. Those who attend say that the church service resembles a rock concert. The words of God, “worship in spirit and in truth” is made to mean something else. On the other hand, we see the US Episcopal church consecrating a lesbian bishop. We are told that modern research “proves” that homosexuality is normal. The modern versions of the bible have replaced the word homosexuality with “sexual immorality”, because modern biblical scholarship says this is the ‘correct” meaning. In a few years, the next generation will never know the true word of God.

Jeremiah called his people “fools”. A fool is not a stupid person, as we may think. A fool is actually an intelligent person who is misled. He is duped by someone or chooses to be misled because he cannot accept the truth.

My people are foolish – they have not known Me (4:22). The people of Judah chose not to know God, because it would affect their cushy life. God called them silly children. They had no understanding of the consequences of their foolishness. Are we behaving like silly little children? We need to really look at whether we know God. To know God is to know His heart. And we then do not change or obfuscate His word. Do you know God? He wants to know you. Just seek Him by sitting still and asking Jesus to reveal himself to you.
They are foolish – for they do not know the way of the Lord (5:4). For those who did know God, they were not in the way of the Lord. They were either disobedient or indifferent. Israel at that time ignored almost all of what God was telling them about Himself. They listened to the ‘prophets” who told them what they wanted to hear. Are you listening to pastors and teachers who tell you what you want to hear? Or are you listening to the Lord? There are many clear propositions in the Bible. Do we ignore or disobey inconvenient teaching sin the Bible? If so, these passages call us fools. Do we want to be foolish in the eyes of God or man? The choice is yours and mine.

2010-05-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

Fool me twice, shame on me

Jeremiah 4: 10-18

We have all fallen for a con job at some time in our lives. Often it is a minor deception – paying too much for a trinket in a bazaar. Or it can be expensive – fraudsters who fool pensioners into investing their life savings in worthless investments. If we learn form mistakes, we may not be fooled by the same person or trick again. Yet some do get fooled again. Usually when that happens, the tricksters use common human desires to accomplish their task. The human desire of greed and pride are the prime targets. Greed (or covetousness) is the desire to possess something more, way more than what we have. And pride because we think we can never be fooled.

The greatest deceiver in the world works on the quiet. He plants seeds of doubt, and nurtures greed and pride in individuals. As more people believe his lies, society has come to believe the lie. And man is hurting his own soul. Modern man has become the fool.

Society today has bought into the lie of universalism, that all gods are the same and all religions lead to heaven. A cursory look at each religion makes it obvious that they do not teach the same thing. Hinduism teaches that everything is part of god and that all is god. There is no individuality to the soul. Judeo-Islamic religions teach that God is the creator but is transcendent. Thos two views are polar opposite. Yet man will deny the true God and chase after untruths and things that please their sinful nature.

In Jeremiah’s day,

Israel

, God’s chosen people had done the same. They were running after pagan gods, the enticements of the Baal worship and turned away from God. And God, being the Father (see Jer 3:19) has to allow them to go their merry way in their prideful ignorance and greedy consumption.

Jeremiah said that God has deceived the Israelites (4:10). This is similar to a parent today, who cannot control his child. The child insists on his autonomy and keeps making bad decisions. The parent has to allow this because they have no other choice. Yet when the child faces the consequences, e.g. having to go to jail for theft, for example, the child may ask the father, “Why did you let me do this?” And all the father can do is to say that he had to let him go because child would not listen.

God has let modern man and society go. Dangerous as it may be, he allows us that freedom. We have abused it and turned away form him. Can we not seek God again? His word is there for us to learn from and obey.

Israel would face the consequences (4:19). So will we if we continue to ignore or deny the true God. Unless we repent and turn to God, we will suffer the eternal spiritual consequences of our actions. We will lose our soul. Are you scared by this truth? If you are, God is here, waiting to receive you, by His grace. He does not condemn the one who comes back to him and confesses his sinful attitudes.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Romans 10:9-10.

Sin is not just doing bad things as people seem to assume. Paradoxically, even those who do not believe in God get outraged when they are referred to as “sinners” in God’s eyes! It should not even be an issue for them, but it seems to offend something in them. But I believe it is in their heart – they have that innate “god-desire” in them, even if they do not know it. Sin is a disposition or attitude toward the true God, an attitude of rebellion and disobedience, and acting on that by denying Him, that constitutes sin. Repent and turn to God. He will receive you with open arms.

+Joshua

www.southasiamission.com

2010-05-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

Seeking God? He is with us!

Read Jeremiah 4:1-2

Have you ever looked for something that you lost? Often it is a difficult mission, since it is not uncommon to search over and over, with no success. After a time, you get disillusioned, and may even give up the active search, though you still harbour the hope of finding the object in question. Conversely, if we do not even know we have lost something, we will not even begin the process of seeking.

So it is with God. Society seems to have people with all kinds of opinions with regard to seeking God. They search high and low for “god”. Many believe that “god” is within themselves. It has become the dominant worldview today to uncritically accept any notion of God, no matter how implausible it may sound. The sole validity lies in the person who believes in it. On the other hand, there are those who lead lives as if God is irrelevant. They do not even look for Him. They do not know they have lost something.

Israel was told to return to God (4:1). They had lost God. They were distracted and unfocused. They allowed their vanity to decide who they would worship. What about you today? Have you returned to God? Do you vene know that you have lost God? And that he is helping you find him? Do not be beguiled by the philosophies of today which suggest that there are many ways to God. It is really odd that a belief, dogma, cult or visible idol that is made by man, is then worshipped by the same man as a “god”. God promises that if you sincerely and humbly seek Him (note the operative words – sincerely and humbly), he will be found (Jer 29:13).

The Lord lives (v. 4:2a). Israel was told that only the God of Israel lived. The others were but dead idols and ideologies. Do you accept that message today? The truth of the resurrection convicts us and gives us hope. No other religious leader or founder has ever come back from the dead. Jesus has risen from the dead– He lives! That’s why we sing……………

I serve a risen Savior, he's in the world today;
I know that he is living whatever men may say;
I see his hand of mercy; I hear his voice of cheer,
And just the time I need him, he's always near.

He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, he lives, salvation to impart!
You ask my how I know he lives?
He lives within my heart.

Do you really KNOW that He lives? Do you live with that reality every day? Jesus Lives and he wants you to know that He is with you in every circumstance. If you do not know Jesus, seek Him sincerely, not with skepticism but in humility, and you will find Him.

2010-05-20T18:21:00.001-07:00

Jeremiah 3 - God is love

Human beings have to face each other every day. We seem to be made for relationship. Indeed the bible says that fellowship is an integral part of the ecclesia. But relationships are fraught with difficulties and problems. Philosophers have admitted that it is very difficult for human beings to get along. Thomas Hobbes is quoted as saying that the life is one of a war between men. And that the consequences are that life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short! Man is inherently a selfish creature, prone to choose evil.

A recent study by Paul Bloom of Yale University seems to confirm that the knowledge of good and evil is hardwired into babies from the time they are born. These are conclusions based on observable phenomena. Of course, our parents knew this form day one! And of course the Bible has been clear that man is born with a sinful nature.

No wonder man is always in rebellion against God. Yet God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16) to redeem us and give us eternal life. There is no other worldview or religious teaching that suggests that man is sinful from birth. Against all evidence, all other major religions believe in the basic goodness of man, and that the problems of this world are due to ignorance.

Hundreds of years before Christ, God revealed His heart for His people to Jeremiah - addressing Israel, God’s chosen people. The people of Israel were rebellious and disobedient. They had tasted so many blessings from God but as per human nature, could not acknowledge and submit to God. They had to run after things of their own heart. Like all men, selfishness was the order of the day.

God is merciful. Despite all the rebellion and idolatry, He asserts that He is merciful. (v. 12). Do you know His mercy? Do you really His grace? That is the essence of John 3:16. The reality of the Cross – where God gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins – this is the reality that we should live in. Knowing what Jesus has done, frees us from the slavery of sin. A life under the Cross helps us know that we are forgiven and that is a liberating truth.

It is a personal choice (v. 14). God takes us “one from a city, two from a family”. Have you decided to follow Jesus? If not, why not? Ask God to reveal Himself to you and be open to the truth of the Gospel. If you have made the choice, then live in the truth that you need to crucify your flesh daily and live your life by faith in Jesus (Gal 2:20).

He superintends us. He calls Himself our “Father”. (v. 19). It immediately impacts our life and our actions. It impacts our response to circumstances – because we can bring anything to Him. This is the practical aspect of our faith. If you are not experiencing this reality to the fullest, talk to your pastor or godly friend.

2010-05-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah 2: 9-37: Counterfeits seem better than the original

The world today is full of counterfeit stuff. Every good thing that comes out into the public domain is rapidly followed by similar items. Rarely is the copy better than the original. The most populous country in the world had a mil scar some years back. The temptation to make money was so great that babies who were fed the counterfeit milk products died. They paid the ultimate price.

It is no less urgent to avoid the counterfeit in the spiritual world. At a recent talk that I gave, someone challenged me by saying that religion was just a creation of man. The external forms may be different but the inner spiritual self is what matters, he said. As such, all ways to God were valid, as long as the “believer” was sincere.

I answered that analogy by suggesting that if the inner self was what mattered, it was of the utmost importance to ensure that what we believed was true. Any counterfeit would destroy us spiritually. Truth could not be mutually exclusive. A belief in a creator God was totally different to a belief in a universal ‘consciousness”. It was illogical to suggest that they represented the same thing.

It was like saying that it did not matter what milk was being given to the babies, as long as the person giving the milk was sincere. That sounds so silly to say, but so is the statement that all religions lead to the same God, even though the beliefs totally contradict each other.

God gave us the truth. As Christians we have the word of God to guide us. Yet we ignore the obvious statements of the Bible and try to accommodate all manner of teaching. Many church leaders and members are even reluctant to accept the plain teaching that Jesus is the only Way (John 14:6).

In Jeremiah’s time, God told him to indicate to His people (Israel) that ambivalence on this issue was not acceptable to Him to His people. The message is for us today.

1. God’s absolute truth is replaced by what man thought was true (v. 11). Israel had changed Gods. Most likely they thought they could add to what God has spoken or done. Do we add to the gospel today? Do we deny that Jesus is the only way? We may not say it, but our silence may speak to what we believe. Do we chase after things of this world? What are our other ‘gods”? (v.11a).

2. Israel had committed two evils against God (v. 13). They forsook God and made cisterns (”gods”) for themselves. Are we doing the same today? If you are looking to the world for ways to make a better life, make more money, advance up the corporate ladder etc, then you are trading dependence on God for the tools (“gods”) of the world. It may appear that we are doing nothing wrong, but it is still sin (v. 19 - a rebellious stance against God).

3. Israel denied they were ignoring God (v.23). Today, we often rationalize and mislead ourselves by saying that we still believe God and the Bible, even though our actions indicate otherwise. In the difficult times, our intellectualism and efforts will not be sufficient to help (v.23-28). And that is why God may allow difficulties to assail us, because that is when we will really seek the truth and stick with it.

We need the fear of God to be in us (v. 19). Otherwise we will end up doing everything on our own strength and agenda. The “fear” of God is not to be afraid of Him but to reverence Him to such an extent that we fully rely on Him and earnestly seek to do His will. There is no better way to live life. And avoid any indictment of our spiritual walk when we do meet Jesus face to face. It will happen.

2010-05-12T21:02:00.001-07:00

Remembrance is the key to faithfulness
Jeremiah 2: 1-9

Human beings have short memories. Many of us have faced a situation where people we have helped or friends we have supported, have forgotten our support and gone their merry way. While the indifference can be hurtful, even more upsetting are situations where people we have helped have actually turned against us, to the extent of making derogatory or hurtful comments.

In Jeremiah’s time, God lamented Israel’s unfaithfulness. Not only was Israel indifferent to the God who saved it form slavery, it was actually actively and consciously turning away.

1. God loved Israel as His chosen people (v. 2,3). Today, the church, God’s visible people on earth are looked upon by God in the same way. But many churches, and people in the church, are flirting with the culture of the world, and the “gods” of this age. Even worse, some in the church are even questioning and making derogatory comments about God.
2. God called His people to remember what he had done for them (v. 6,7). The powerful effect of remembrance cannot be discounted. Do we ever think back and see how God has guided us throughout our lives? I believe a constant look back, with thankfulness, will keep us focused on God. A determined effort to remember can overcome the corrosiveness of a short memory.
3. God’s “leaders” led the people astray (v. 8). Firstly, they did not look for God in any circumstance. They seemed to rely on worldly wisdom to handle issues. Does it not remind us of today’s leaders? They make little effort to look at how God has led His church through history and want to change the beliefs and forms of our faith based on worldly cultural norms.
4. God’s “leaders” even transgressed against God (v.8). They did not follow God’s precepts. They went after things which were not of God. Many of our leaders today look for secular acclaim and position. They have become toothless tigers, so keen to please politicians or society’s expectations, that they are transgressing God’s laws.

I am amazed at how much we have allowed the world into our church. A recent survey in the USA revealed that 37% of evangelical Christians believed in reincarnation and nearly half believed that all religions were valid ways to reach God. Both of these are basic Hindu tenets. Reincarnation and universalism are incompatible with the Bible. Yet, our leaders do not forcefully teach these truths any more. We want to be “accepted” by the world and willing to disobey God’s clear precepts to do so.

Jeremiah chapter 2 will later reveal the consequences of this continued indifference and open disobedience to God’s word. What is your personal reaction? If you are in a church where the leaders are conforming to the world, no matter how popular or “contemporary” they may be, think about finding a church which holds onto a biblical world view. If you are challenged for your faith and biblical world view, will you, with a gentle spirit, stand for God? Ask God for Hs Spirit to guide you.

2010-05-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah 1:1-10

When the Word of the Lord comes to man - Man often says “Ah, but…..”

Jeremiah was chosen by God from before he was born (v4-5). So are we. God has plan for our lives and this often means that we are his mouthpiece to share the gospel, and His hands and feet to love others as he loved us.

Jeremiah gave excuses (v 6). So do we. We often have any reasons why we cannot do something or go somewhere for His name’s sake. Think about it – if we give God’s work priority, we will find the ability to obey Him.

God says there are no excuses. He told Jeremiah “Do not say……..” (v. 7) So it is with us. Very often, if we are really honest with ourselves, we will have no answer if God says “Do not say…………”

God is faithful and will always be there to help (v.8). So it is today. His Holy Spirit will give us the power and ability to do what He wants us to do.

God empowered Jeremiah (v.9-10). So too with us today. We are empowered by God through His Spirit. He will give us the words, the energy, the resources, the finances, the time, the health and whatever we need. We just have to give Him the priority.

Jeremiah heard, gave an excuse, was rebuked, and then empowered. He then served God.

Friends, as we see the needs of the world and the biblical call to go and make disciples of all nations, are we following God’s word, or are we answering with negatives, procrastination or excuses (obfuscations) ?

Many times God speaks to us through his word, or an inner prompting, or through circumstances and godly counsel. As Christians, we claim to be followers of the sovereign God, yet behave as though we are sovereign.

Some of the words God may use are:

“go” – He wants you to go somewhere, maybe to meet someone with a need, or even use as kill to help others for the sake of the gospel

“speak” – he wants you to tell someone of the gospel of Christ, or share your testimony with a friend

“give” – He may ask us to give to His Kingdom work (giving of our money, resources, talent and time)

Some of the words we use in response are:

“er..” – We ask if we have heard God correctly! When it is a bit inconvenient or challenges our perceptions of how it may impact our comfortable life, we may make this uncertain response

“maybe” - We respond with a maybe mainly because we may feel inadequate. Or we feel we have no support when we are asked to start a new ministry in our local church or to go out on a mission trip or even as a missionary.

“not yet” – We delay going. Reminds me of the parable Jesus told of the two sons. A father asked his two sons to do a chore. One said he would not do it but he did go and get it done anyways. The other said he would do it but did not go. Jesus’ disciples correctly identified the one who did the job as the proper response. So even if we felt or said “not yet”, we can happily change our mind and obey.

“no” – The response unfortunately of over 80% of church members. Church statisticians even put that number at over 90%. The remaining 10-20% are the ones who run the church ministries. This is a sad reflection of our adherence to God’s precepts.

2009-07-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Moral Failures – Is it impossible to overcome?

Pastor Ted Haggard was really unknown to me, in any real sense, till the issue of homosexuality and drug taking came up. I was amazed initially, and then very sad that another Christian leader had not lived up to what was expected of him.

1 Tim3:2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Bishop refers to an overseer or pastor. If we are called into ministry (which is an office, and not a position of any superiority over other believers), then the issues of being blameless, monogamous, vigilance, good behavior etc are vital. The office calls the person to a higher standard. It is like a politician who falls from grace because he hired an illegal worker to mow his grass, a misdemeanor that would not raise eyebrows if done by anyone else.

The litany of moral failures leads me to think that this “war” within our members is a really difficult thing to overcome. Paul expressed great frustration, yet was able to contain it. That is the issue. We are all tempted, and leaders more so. Yet God will always have a way of escape. It is up to us not to succumb.

1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

I use the mnemonic TIP to think about how we fall into sin.

T stands for temptation. This is not sin, but the precursor. It is when the pastor found out, a voice in his inner self (the flesh) suggesting the dark thoughts of drugs and sex. Temptation is not sin. He decided to lift his phone and make a call. This leads to the sin itself...

I stands for intent. Once there is intent to do something, we have sinned in our heart. This is the “lust” in the heart that Jesus talked about. At this stage, we can and should still overcome by remembering the Word and using it against the devil. Confession is in order and will immediately wipe the slate clean with God. With intent, although there is sin, there will often be no severe consequence, except for maybe an interruption in the communication with God. I found, in my own life, that immediate confession is the key. Any delay in confession eats away at the soul. I have felt weak and heavy in the spirit and not able to pray effectively until I confessed. In one particular situation of unforgiveness, I actually began to get physical consequences, even though the person I was not forgiving was unaware of my inner anger and bitterness.

But if the intent is acted upon, the consequences are severe, as the pastor who sinned found out. The next stage is...

P stands for Plan of action. It is the intent acted out. Once the pastor went to meet the male escort, bought the drugs and made contact, the deed was done. The consequences became public and affected others – his family and his church (spiritual family).

We can all learn from this sorry episode. As I watched the pastor, Ted Haggard, publicly humiliated, I was devastated. When it comes to sin, we can all fall so easily.

I see myself in the mirror and feel that except for the grace of God, I could be in the same position. What is my own thought life like? Who am I in the dark? What are my sins? These are questions I must ask daily, and confess daily. I must try, with huge does of the grace of God, never to let temptation go into Intent. And definitely not into a Plan of Action.

2006-12-12T18:33:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Sacrifice? To be sanctified through sacrifice.

Romans 12: 1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

To the secular crowds, Christmas has always been a time of merriment, gift giving and a time to wind down after a year of work. Christians often lament the fact that Christ seems to be “lost” in a celebration called Christmas. The inebriated crowds and raunchy parties notwithstanding, we should appreciate that the season has evolved, even among the non-believers, into a time of sharing and giving.

* How does the fact that Christ came into this world impact us as Christians?
* Do we take it as a time to appreciate what God did?

* What then is our reponse?

We can never fully know how much it cost to procure our salvation. But the Bible tells us that the Father planned it, The Son procured it and the Spirit enables us to know and appreciate it.

I have chosen a text that reflects, at a human level, a similar journey that we must take that Jesus took in the incarnation. The steps in the journey were:
1. He was born: He came down to earth to save us.
2. His ministry: Between the start of His mission and his death on the Cross, He spent time with His disciples, preparing them and helping them grow in knowledge and love of Him.
3. His death: Finally, he died for our sins, and then rose again to glory.

Isn’t it a reflection of our journey too?

Firstly, we are born again: Our acceptance of Christ as personal Lord and Saviour is the essential first step. It is the new birth. It is our own personal “Christmas” to be born, as a babe in Christ, into a world that is hostile to all things Christian. And the angels rejoice when a new believer is “born again” into the family of God.

John 1:12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Romans 12:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Secondly, our ministry journey: The second part is the time between our salvation experience till the day we depart this earth. This is the process of living as a Christian and growing into the likeness of Christ. The term sanctification is used for this process.

What is sanctification?

Rather than ask what it is, I would suggest that we think of it as a process of offering.
Rather than think of sanctification as something that we ought to pursue or do, I think we should consider it a process of offering ourselves to God.
Because we are fallen creatures, it takes time to offer ourselves fully to God.

The mature Christian is one who has fully offered his life to God, as a living sacrifice.

Sanctification is thus a daily sacrifice of ourselves to God. The passage today does reflect this sanctification journey as a picture of sacrifice. The process involves the offering of ourselves to Him. We offer ourselves in the following ways:

(i) Our body – we are to be wholly and fully available to His service. It is incumbent on us to respond to the Holy Spirit when He calls us into service

Romans 12:1- I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

There are all manner of ways that we can offer our bodies to Him. To offer time and effort requires prioritization. We often give the excuse of not enough time or inadequate experience.
But in God’s eyes, now is the time when the work needs to be done. God will open opportunities for serving, but we have to step out and offer ourselves in faith.

(ii) Our Bounty – we are to offer our material things to God. In today’s context, that would mean money and other financial offerings to the work of the church.
It is alarming to see studies that show evangelical Christians giving only 1% of their income to the church. Why is this?
It is because many Christians do not see that monetary offerings are a sacrifice to God, and that it blesses us more than it does God to be generous in our giving.

Phil 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

(iii) Our Works – God delights in our works and we are to do good works as a offering to Him.

Heb 13: 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

When we are involved in humanitarian or mission works, it is all seen by the Lord. It is also an important evangelistic tool. For the unbelievers will see the good works done in Jesus’ name and glorify His name.

(iv) Our Words – we are called to be careful with what we say and how we say it. The process of watching our speech is part of the sanctification process. It is far better to use our lips to praise His name! (

Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

I may even suggest that our speech (content and tone) is the most important part of our sanctification. The Christian who has placed himself on the altar fully will find that he is careful of his words, and in fact, his words will be few. This is not surprising if we realize that God is the silent listener to everything we say!

Thirdly, our departing: When our time on earth is over, is that a sacrifice too?
Yes, of course! If we have lived a life pleasing to God, then our death will not only be glorious because we will go into His presence, but it will also be a sweet offering to Him.

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

How wonderful that our final journey through the door that leads to eternal life would be pictured as an offering pleasing to God!

A Prayer

This Christmas, let us all pray as follows: “Lord Jesus, we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. And let us not be conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.

Have a blessed Christmas

Amen

Dr Joshua Raj

2006-11-14T07:58:00.000-08:00

Enlarged Heart? A good spiritual habit.

Psalm 4:1
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

As I meditated on this passage, it occurred to me that we always talk about having a big heart. A heart for the poor, for example. A heart for social issues. A heart for the gospel. We constantly appeal to each other to have a big heart when it comes to giving of out time, talent and treasure.

Yet, it was Spurgeon who put it clearly – “this is another example of David’s habit of pleading past mercies as a basis for present favor". In other words, “count your blessings” and remember that the God who helped you before will help you again!

The word “enlarge” means that in the difficult times, God revealed more of Himself and His blessings to David. The stifling presence of hopelessness and depression opened up into joy and hope. For David, it was something that he could truly hold on to.

The question for us today is:
Do we allow difficulty, whatever it may be (persons, situations, illness etc), overwhelm us?

The principle of this Psalm is that there is a solution.

1. Recollection: God has helped before. We have been through the valleys. He has brought us through. Let us reflect on those past mercies and use them as the basis for present favor.

2. Request: Ask God to enlarge our heart, to open up the vistas of knowledge and compassion that He has shown. The word “rachab” translated “enlarge” means to make broad or wide. Jesus will make the way look broad and wide when we think it is hopeless.

What about the unfairness of our situation?
In other words, none of us is ever in the same situation. Unfairness is built into the world.

Almost all of us automatically think it is someone else’s fault when a difficulty arises. If we cannot blame someone, we are apt to blame God (often subconsciously), by thinking that He has done it to teach us a lesson. While that does occur, and God does chasten us if we are in deliberate sin, I believe that we will be aware of that almost immediately through the prompting of the Spirit.

Either way, the answer is to come before the throne of grace, where we can receive mercy and grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4: 16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

"Hear me when I call", says David. So can we. Do we really call to Him in distress? Or do we sulk and brood for a while before we do so? I know that I am often guilty of spending too much time thinking about the problem and brooding before I come to God in prayer.

“Hear me when I call”
I love that sentence. It is a sentence we can use with confidence and power. WE use it because God has been faithful in the past and He will continue to be faithful. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is always with us. It may be that we do not understand what He is doing, but He is there nonetheless.

Who do we call?
The God of our righteousness. The righteous God who imputed His righteousness to us the day we accepted the Lord Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

What will He do?
He will enlarge our heart. He will open up the paths to hope and joy. The difficult situation may still be there or be removed. It does not matter because God will reveal new things to us that relieve our heart of the burden.

Hear my prayer
David just assumes God will listen. And why not? God is our heavenly Father. And He will listen and act according to His perfect will and plan. All we have to do is trust. I have no difficulty with trusting God.

Let us make this our good spiritual habit – to count our blessings always, and to plead past mercies as THE basis for present favor.

Amen
Dr Joshua Raj

2006-10-31T13:14:00.000-08:00

How do we avoid compromise?

Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Recently I attended a missions conference in Toronto, where various ethnic communites (they were all Christians) presented their culture and traditions, together with sights and sounds of various cultures. Having lived in Asia for a long time, I have been exposed to and deeply experienced many of these cultures before.

My conclusion is that it has always been difficult to separate what is cultural from what is religious, when it comes to dealing with issues in Asia.

To briefly put this issue in context, there has been a revival among academic circles and seminaries in Asia to remove the “cultural” baggage that the western missionaries brought to Asia, and to articulate an authentic Asian theology. The presupposition is that if one can find what the essential kernel of Christian belief is, then that is what we can present to Asians, in their own cultural setting. For example, the early Indian converts changed their names to English ones (not Hebrew, as one might expect) due to the need to identify with the “new” religion. They also started wearing shirt and pants, and changed their dietary habits. Much of this change was cultural, and in and of itself, was not wrong. But the effect was to identify Christianity as a western religion.

But there is a change in the 21st century! In North America, as mainline Christianity has become “diluted”, and may I say “polluted”, by the world, the trend has reversed. Now, many religious Asian customs are being foisted onto churches and society under the guise of “culture”.

How do we know what is religious and what is custom? A North American would readily accept something as cultural if the church presented it as such. Yet it is not so simple. As an ethnic South Asian, I have difficulty because what I feel is a religious custom may not be that way for another Asian Christian. And this is where the issue becomes heated.

In an evangelical community of South Asians, there is the movement toward ethnic dress. This is good, and it is nice to see the cheongsam of the Chinese and the saree of the Indian make a comeback. But then, what do we do when the dragon dance or the yoga classes make their debut? What about henna tattoos, with their images of the zodiac? What about yin-yang healing or zen meditation?

The cardinal rule that I think a Christian must ensure is that the historical roots of the custom are not based on the pagan religion. This requires research and talking to the practitioners of these customs.

For example, yoga practitioners readily say that the philosophical foundations of their system are Hindu based. Yet, churches readily start yoga classes and do not enquire as to what the mantras mean or whether the “exercise” poses reflect a worship of the hindu gods.

But read what was written on 15th Feb 2006, by Cathy Lynn Grossman in USA Today entitled “Hindu Lite”:

“Reincarnation is a core belief in Hinduism, says Mark Hawthorne, who writes for Hinduism Today, but the ultimate aim is for the soul to transcend its individuality and reunite with the one God.

Yoga's mind-body workout has attracted at least 16.5 million Americans, says Yoga Journal. And, the magazine assures readers, it's not necessary to study or follow a Hindu or Buddhist path to practice.

However, authentic Hindu yoga is a 5,000-year-old discipline "designed to change your consciousness," says Hawthorne. Yoga's meditative chanting is believed to carry spiritual vibrations that bring one close to God”.
Source: (http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-02-15-hindu-lite_x.htm)

The writer titles her article Hindu Lite! If secular writers are noticing that Hindu Lite is influencing American culture, what are churches doing about it? We are to guard against it. Any light “Lite”, be it “Zen Lite” or “TM Lite” is not compatible with the gospel, for any other philosophy is not of God. And there can be no fellowship.

2 Cor 6: 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

The same process of discernment must be applied to all other eastern customs and traditions that are popular these days. North Americans culture has been redeemed of much pagan influence over the centuries, though some still persist (e.g Halloween). But new trends must be evaluated and church members warned if necessary.

Yes, we can talk of redeeming customs from their pagan roots, but do we really want to fight that battle when we have not even reached out effectively to preach the gospel to all peoples?

As Christians we must think hard about any new eastern customs or traditions that we want to introduce in churches, and only accept customs that have no religious roots. If in doubt, it is better to wait rather than to give the devil a toehold in the sanctuary of God.

I have noted that God has gifted us differently. Some Christians are strong in their faith with regard to exposure to idols and demonic customs. Yet others, just as faithful, feel a reaction or get sick if they encounter the same. Yet the latter might be far more gifted prayer warriors than the former! Such is the Lord’s gifting and it makes us stronger as a local church family when we respect and utilize each other’s gifts to the maximum.

In that context and principle, those who argue that it is all right to allow questionable practices in to the church because they look innocuous, or are not being used in their religious context, must think of their fellow believers to whom this might be a stumbling block.

1 Cor 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. 10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; 11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

We are to remember that syncretism can affect those who are strong in faith (a reminder for those who think they are strong - 1 Cor 10:12 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall".), but will adversely affect those who are weak or lukewarm Christians. It will definitely dilute the gospel for those who have grown up in religious Asian homes with strong teaching of Buddhism, Hinduism or Islam. As leaders, we are not to do anything that might lead people astray, for great is our judgment if we do. Appropriate research is mandatory, together with dialogue with converts from that particular religion and ethnic group, before proceeding.

It is better to wait than to err.

Amen
Dr Joshua Raj

2006-09-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

Do you “see” the Lord?
Pondering "spiritual eyesight"

I have always been amazed at how human beings are able to overcome physical disability. Patients born without eyesight have been able to learn new ways of communication, and been productive members of society. Individuals born without upper limbs have learnt to use their feet to write and feed themselves, in ways many of us can never do.

This is the result of having practice using parts of their body that they may never have thought of using. The question to those of us who are Christ followers is this:
Do we endeavor to develop our spiritual eyesight?

I want to draw a few lessons for us from Isaiah 6, where the prophet received his commission from God.

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

While this story chronicles Isaiah’s call, it gives some principles that we can use in our own lives.

Firstly, Isaiah “saw” the Lord (v1). Today we may not all get visions like this. God gives this gift to some, while to others, we “see” God in the scriptures, in creation, in the love of fellow believers, in the peace that comes through trusting Him and the like. The way we see will depend on how God has gifted us.

The point is: we must be willing to “see”. We must be willing to allow God to speak to us, in our heart. The prerequisite is the humble and contrite spirit

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Secondly, we learn that we must recognize our own sinfulness. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he realized his own “smallness”. (v5). One of the attributes of God is His infinitude (as Tozer said). It gives us perspective.

In the realization of his own sinfulness, Isaiah was shown that it is not what we do that brings us into God’s presence, but what He does! Just as the coal was placed on Isaiah’s lips, we see it as the forerunner of the free gift of eternal life given to us through the death of Jesus.

We can see the Lord, if we see our own sinfulness in the light of God’s glory, repent, and then accept his free gift of forgiveness through Jesus. Then, like Isaiah, we can stand before the throne of grace.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Lastly, in this simple study, we learn that once we are called to be God’s child, we are then called to service. (v8). To know Him is to love Him, and to willingly serve. God, is His divine wisdom and providence, has ordained that we his children on earth will do the work of reaching lost souls for Christ. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Often we think that service involves going into the mission field or into Christian service. Actually, living faithfully according to God’s word is the service required of us. Many will come to know Christ just by being around us and seeing how we live.

Christians have to be people of hope and joy. In this world of uncertainty, that hope and joy will be a wonder to those who do not know the Lord. And if we are called to some service, let us do it. Let not the devil convince us otherwise, or distract us, or deceive us. If there is a conflict between two volunteer jobs, one for the church and the other secular, give priority to the church.

John 4: 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

Question:
Do you see the Lord daily in your life?

The answer lies in the “perspective” lens that you use.

If you look at life with an eternal perspective, and that you are here on earth for a time only, and that there is eternal purpose to what we do daily. If we live with a temporal perspective, then it will be near impossible to “see” God, and know Him.

There is no greater tragedy than to choose to be spiritually blind!

Amen

Dr Joshua Thambiraj MD., ThD

2006-09-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Why do we ignore the obvious? Demons exist.

Have we Christians lost the awareness of the devil and his schemes? Has the non-Christian world opened itself up to demonic activity like never before?

1 Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; "

“Why did I do that? Doctor, is something controlling me?”

Many years ago, I was asked this question by an earnest young man, sitting quietly in his hospital clothes in the lounge area between two large wards. I had called him out to talk to him, since the wards were noisy that day, and he was not willing to open up to me unless we in a private place. It was the Psychiatric ward, and I was rotating through this posting as part of my clinicals.

The young man was found to be having antisocial and psychopathic behavior at home and was brought into hospital by his terrified parents. He had been violent and threatened to kill them.

On 12th Sept 2006, a young man in Canada ended up killing people during a shooting rampage at a school in Montreal. This is how his behavior was described by eyewitnesses:

Many witnesses described his acts as follows:
"He was all in black. He had very big black eyes . . . he was so calm, like he was dancing a waltz." A video game rather than a movie because the images are crude and undimensional, compared to films. "He said nothing. He had a stone cold face. He didn't yell out any slogans . . . he just started opening fire." (1)

While it took me sometime in 1975 to realise that I had a demon possessed patient on my hands, it was obvious to me that this was the case with this young man.

His face was blank and calm. He was obviously in a trance. Whatever demon had possessed him was intent only on doing damage. The young man then suddenly burst into a violent shooting spree. Demons can cause the possessed to be violent (Mathew 8:28).

Question:
"Why did he do it?"

Newspapers in Canada have repeatedly asked the question, “Why did he do it?”. Some have speculated that it was the gothic subculture, that made him morose and brooding, or that he was depressed, or that he was influenced by the Columbine massacre.
But his parents tell a different story. To them, he was a quiet, obedient boy, who had never had problems with the law. His mother insists her son was not the solitary, taciturn person the media have portrayed.

"He had friends and everything," she said, but adds that he had changed lately.
"Since Christmas, he became more sad, more tranquil. He started to spend more time on his computer, playing video games." (2)

Modern man does not accept that he is a created being. Humanism is the order of the day. Many profess belief in a god, but live as if god does not exist. The hypocrisy is overwhelming. I must say that I am not surprised. Jesus said that anything that is true (and He is the absolute Truth), will be rejected by the those whose minds are not tuned in to Him.

Answer:
The danger of “Giving heed to seducing spirits”

It is obvious to me that he had opened his mind to the occult. He was part of a subculture called the Goth. The Goth subculture and vampire freaks forum are nothing short of a portal for unsuspecting kids to open their mind to the demonic.

Society denies that Satan exists. By this denial, they remove the fear that man must have of all things demonic. Today, even church members get involved in soothsaying, or divination, and even fortune telling, because they are not fearful of the devil.

Coming from a nation where spiritism is rampant, I can only warn my fellow believers that we can never let our guard down. If the Holy Spirit is prompting us in our heart that there may some demonic element in what we are doing, or in the place that we are visiting, then it serves us well to avoid the situation. Again, not all of us may have the same level of sensitivity. But when we are personally aware of it, we should refrain.

Pastors and leaders should begin warning of the dangers that lurk when we allow a gate for the demons. Churches that encourage yoga, tai chi, shiatsu, new age exercises and remedies that talk of “inner power” or “external power” that is not from Jesus, are putting the flock in danger by opening them up to the demonic. Our friends and neighbors may not end up like this young man, but will more likely end up with relationship problems, behavior and temper tantrums, job failures and the like.

Question:
Does life "suck"?

On his website, the young shooter records the question many youth (and adults) are asking today:
"Work sucks ... school sucks ... life sucks ... what else can I say? (3)

Well, may I say that until we recognize who the boss is, and that God is sovereign over all, we will find that everything is meaningless? God has a plan for all of us.

If we are Christian, he wants us to live a life that is pleasing to Him, and He gives us all the power we need to resist the evil one. If we do not stay close to Jesus, and submit to Him, then the devil can irritate and confuse us, and can make our daily life more miserable than it should be.

How do we avoid the snare of the devil?

The book of James (4:7)says:
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. "

Submit to God: We are to accept what He tells us through His Word. There can be no debate or variance to what is clearly taught in scripture. We need to have contrite hearts to accept what the Lord tells us.

Resist the devil: We should know how he operates, and to know that when we are vulnerable, to use scripture promises to resist him. Our model is the Lord Jesus, who used scripture to resist the devil during his time in the wilderness.

He will flee: If we submit to God and resist the devil based on the promises of God, the devil will not bother us. We have to daily submit and resist. We are in a spiritual battle till the day we die.

Miles Stanford put it this way:
The two aspects of the Christian life are: “... death to sin (the old man, the law, the world, and Satan), and Christ as Life, with the Christian life hidden with Christ in God. Romans. 5-7 comes before Romans 8. All ascended life is predicated upon death. The believer is to be taught to count himself dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11). Then, if there is to be any dealing with Cross-defeated Satan and his demons-all of whom are under the Sovereign Father's control at all times--it is simply to stand, and resist, upon the basis of his total defeat at Calvary”

Pastors and leaders have to watch themselves and those whom they look after with extra effort. Be very careful to avoid anything that may open up our life to demonic attack.

Living in the West, I find that demonic attacks mainly as a deceptive confusion of the mind, masquerading as an “enlightened” mind. It is so easy, in this era of tolerance, to end up acceding to the doctrines of demons and think it is scriptural. Just look at where the Catholics and other mainline denominations are today. Their leaders have been deceived by the devil.

Let us constantly pray for guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right track.

Amen

Dr. Joshua Thambiraj MD., ThD

Footnotes:
1. The Globe and Mail 14th Sept 2006
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060915.wxcosalu15/BNStory/National/home

2. The Toronto Star 15th Sept 2006
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;cid=1158357012736&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

3. . http://www.thetrenchcoat.com/archives/1484-Kimveer-Gill.html

2006-09-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

Wilt thou not cry unto me?

God love us to put Him first in all things. It is, not surprisingly, the first commandment of the Decalogue, and reflects the heart of God. He wants us to love Him above all things. Imagine the chagrin of a spouse who finds out that his/her partner has been unfaithful. God uses the same picture to explain to us how He feels.

Jeremiah
3:1They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
2Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
3Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
4Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
5Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.

We are easily distracted today. I find it so much easier to switch on the TV news, or to listen to the radio, or call a friend on the phone, or just think of work or some other matter, rather than use these extra time to think or meditate on God and Hi goodness.
Practicing the presence of God daily is not an easy exercise. It has always been a problem for human beings, even for those whom God has called to him (his people or his elect).

Anything or anyone who takes our attention away from God is an idol. But Jeremiah intimates to us that to God, who love us so much, any attention or deviation that gives power and value to something else is very painful to God. So we come back to the question - How would we feel if our spouse were unfaithful? This is the picture God uses to tell us how He feels (v. 1-2).

As I ponder this, I realize it is very painful to God. Even the trivial things that we dismiss as not very sinful, is painful to God.

Yet we often return to Him for help in times of need. God never turns us away when we come back to Him. But He wants us to be repentant and to learn from the experiences (v.2). He welcomes us back.

This is particularly so because God knows that we suffer consequences because of our sin (v.4). If a smoker develops bronchitis due to smoking, he will suffer further consequences if he does not heed the call to stop smoking. It is the same in the spiritual realm, though it may not seem so dramatic. The choice is left to us, says the Lord.

In summary:

1. God loves us so much that He is greatly pained when we ignore or disobey Him. We do that if we give too much importance to something or someone. Not everything we do is “bad”. But we may need to give up even “neutral” things that deviate our attention or take time away form God. (v.1)

2. God wants us to look at what we are doing and realise what we have done (v.2). This is often the most difficult part, because we such good rationalisers of our own actions.

3. God wants us to see that this type of behavior will affect the blessings we receive from God.(v.3) The consequences of sin will find us out, especially if we remain unrepentant.

4. God wants us to turn to Him in repentance. We are promised that God will forgive, if we are truly penitent (1 John1: 9).

God is constantly asking, “Wilt thou not turn to me?” We can safely come to His presence, no matter how great or small or indiscretions. For many of us, our sins may seem small or insignificant (e.g. we may not have murdered someone), but in God’s eyes, we have played the harlot even if our sin is “small” by human standards.

Turn to Him now and seek forgiveness. If you are a Christian, ask the Lord for forgiveness and turn from the ways that divert your attention from Him. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you, promises Jesus. It does not depend on feelings.

If you are not a Christian, there is no better time than now to accept His free gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Often, you may feel that God will not forgive you. Will God always be angry (v.5)? It is a rhetorical question, and the answer is obviously no. He has provided the way to forgiveness. The Lord always seeks to save. Thanks be to God that He is love. He has made provision for the sin, by sending Jesus to atone for our sin. Through Jesus, there is redemption and forgiveness of sin (Ephesians 1:7).

Will you turn to the Lord today?

Amen
Dr Joshua Raj

2006-09-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Freedom in Christ? Really knowing how much Jesus loves us can result in a totally liberating experience.

A short meditation on:

Eph 3: 17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18May be able to
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height;
19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

The steps to liberation in our hearts and minds are simple. It is man who makes it complicated because he wants to do it his way. Secular philosophy and psychology purports to know how man can liberate his mind from the tyranny of daily living. But the fact is that secular theories have been abject failures.

Depression is now the number one health concern in North America. Prescriptions of the newer class of anti depressants have soared, mainly because the new drugs called SSRIs have much less side effects than the older phenothiazines. I am not sure if the discovery of SSRIs has been the beneficial to mankind. Now, apart from failed self help strategies, many are resorting to pill popping. They consume SSRIs like many people eat peanuts – by the mouthful!

But God, who made us in His image, knows what we lack.

1. We lack communion with Him – we need Christ to dwell in our hearts (Eph 3:17). This can only happen by faith. Just intellectual assent is not enough. By faith we are saved, and by faith we accept the gift of God for salvation. By faith, we know that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us, to work through us and in us to become the person God wants us to be.

2. The indwelling Holy Spirit helps us to be rooted in the love of Christ. This love surpasses all understanding, and we can only marvel at the love that made the Son of God come down to die on the Cross for our sins. Knowing the magnitude of this love is essential (Eph 3:18). It is broader than the widest ocean, longer than the vast universe and deeper than the deepest sea, higher than the heavens above. It is infinite. My finite mind cannot fathom God’s love. But by faith, I am rooted in that love.

3. The love that passeth knowledge (Eph 3:19) has to be known, and this will liberate man from the tyranny of this world, with its bondage to sin, and the lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes and pride of life. It results in being filled with the fullness of God.

What is this fullness of God? What is the practical expression of this fullness?

1. The fullness of God does not mean we are suddenly sinless. It means that we are accepted despite all our shortcomings. Yet as we grow in the Lord, we see changes in our lives. Thins that interested us before pale in our new delights, things of the world pale compared to things of the Kingdom. We may find ourselves less inclined to watch TV or play golf as often as we did, and now participate in church or bible study or acts of compassion. Our focus changes and this will become evident with time.

2. A practical expression of the fullness of God is shown in the joy of the Lord filling our hearts. No matter what the circumstance, we can be sure that He is there with us, nothing need depress us. Of course we may feel the anxiety and stress at times, but these do not linger.

One good way, when we are stressed or getting depressed, is to remember the love of God, stop what we are doing and just rest in that love for about 5 to 10 minutes. It helps if we meditate on all the verses that promise us that He will never leave or forsake us. Memorize verses that are meaningful, so that they will help in time of need. Much of our anxiety will be relieved if we learn his art of practicing the presence of God.

Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.But his delight is in
the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm
1:1-2

Amen
+ Dr. Joshua Raj

2006-09-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

Is God Disappointed?

I am always afraid to disappoint my friends. Something in me disturbs my spirit when I do not live up to what I have promised or what my friends expect of me. It is even more when it comes to my parents. My father has always worked very hard to provide for my family. As a father today, I can understand his struggles and difficulties. I must have disappointed Him many times. Though he may have been unhappy, even angry, he always continued to have my best interest at heart.

I believe the LORD has the same feelings for us. He is love, and He loves us unconditionally. Unfortunately we disappoint him all the time. At the level of the body of believers (the church), God is very disappointed in those who call themselves Christians today. Why?

It is because we have not produced the fruit that He wants us to produce.

The fruit of the spirit on the personal level are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance Gal 5:22

At the level of the organized body of believers, I believe the church should be a fruitful vineyard, in that it should be a place of discipleship (for believers) and evangelism (reaching out – the Great Commission).

The church today is like the vineyard of Isaiah 5.

Isaiah 5: 1Now will I sing to
my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a
vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

2And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and
planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and
also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes,
and it brought forth wild grapes.

3And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I
pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

4What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not
done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought
it forth wild grapes?

5And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take
away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall
thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

6And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there
shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain
no rain upon it.

7For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men
of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression;
for righteousness, but behold a cry.

The vineyard today (v.7) is the house of the Lord, the church. It applies to an organized local body or to “denominations” as we have today. There is something that God demands of these vineyards.
(v4) wherefore, when I looked that it should
bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

God’s Disappointment

Many churches today produce wild grapes. “Wild grapevines are often considered a nuisance weed, as they cover other plants with their usually rather aggressive growth” (Wikipedia)*

Is this not a picure of today’s mainline churches that have gone off focus? They have had agressive but untidy growth. Masquerading as Christians at the top, they have diluted the pure doctrines and introduced all kinds of errors into church life. Pluralism and syncretism are the order of the day. In the name of “tolerance”, many mainline churches have strayed from the path that produces good fruit.

In both the areas that matter, the church has emasculated itself of God’s power.

Discipleship has become subservient to social activities. While fellowship activities are good, they cannot replace good discipleship and teaching programs.
Evangelism becomes moot when the church sunbscribes to pluralism. That leads to grave consequences for the lost souls who need to hear the pure gospel.

How does God’s power diminish and disappear in such churches? God removes the hedge of protection:
v5And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my
vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and
break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down

This is a warning to those of us who are in spiritual leadership in our homes (the smallest church group) or the local church. Are we producing good fruit or wild fruit?

God is love, but He is also just. He will give us all the opportunity to turn from ways that disappoint Him and back to the true paths. But we have to respond. At some point, He will take away the protection, and allow all manner of difficulty and destruction to come.

And this happening in all the mainline churches - which were built on the blood and sweat of godly men centuries ago. And it appears that He has removed the protective hedge in the traditional Christian lands. Churches are losing membership and property at alarming rates. Hindu temples and mosques are springing up in former church property. Crime rates are soaring. Fear is gripping the hearts of men. Depression and psychosomatic sickness has become an epidemic.
The hearts of men needs to be addressed. This can only be by preaching the true gospel. This is the responsibilty of a good vineyard.

It is a warning to us all. It is a warning to me.
Gal 1: 8 if any man preach any other gospel unto you
than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Amen.
+Dr. Joshua Raj

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape

2006-08-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

What is your food today? The eternal perspective on sustenance.

I have been away in India, Malaysia and Singapore for the last six weeks. Due to poor access to computers, internet and other factors, I was unable to write for the blog. I hope to compensate by writing a rash of articles in the next few days! No, that’s not true. I will only write, as I feel led by the Spirit to share something. To write from the flesh is to court disaster.

Mission work

We can never compartmentalize our mission here on earth into secular or sacred. This comes out distinctly in the story told in John 4. Jesus and his disciples were going to Galilee via Samaria. They had stopped at Jacob’s well to rest, and while the disciples went into town to buy food, Jesus remained at the well and encountered the Samaritan woman. The whole episode has many lessons for you and I. In summary, Jesus speaks to the woman, she becomes a believer, she goes back to town to tell others about Jesus, the townspeople come to hear from Jesus first hand, and they then become believers too. It is a powerful indicator to all of us that we can share Jesus to others, very shortly after we become a believer. The only prerequisite is a believing heart and willing spirit.

The question we should ask ourselves is:
How willing are we to share Jesus with others?

It is not a question of “how able we are” or “what opportunity we have” or “how doctrinally sound we are”. It is only a question of willingness and enthusiasm.

I want to meditate on what happened after this incident. The rest of the narrative teaches us an important eternal truth.

John 4: 31 -38
In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

V 32 the disciples now ask him to eat. Instead of eating, he cryptically says, “I have food to eat which you do not know of”. He did not say he had eaten. He was making a statement of purpose.

The disciples, like you and I would, thought immediately of the temporal aspects. He has not eaten, but says he has food to eat! H never said that he had eaten, yet they assumed so. Did someone give him food, they asked.

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, to finish His work”.

What is your food today? Not your temporal food, which we know we all partake of everyday. But what is your food from the eternal perspective?

The key lies in the words “the will of Him who sent me”. Our eternal food is to do the will of God. And what is this?

Many Christians list admirable things when asked what the will of God is for the Christian believer today. Some say that we must pursue holiness. We are to become more Christ-like daily. We are to work to be exemplary if our dealings with others. Or some say we should love God and know Him better. WE should strive to worship Him. Or we should develop the spiritual disciplines.

All of these are good and desirable. They are all in some way required of us when we come to put our faith in Jesus and to ask Him to be Lord of our lives.

But the one thing we cannot do in heaven (in the eternal life), that we can still do till our dying breathe in this temporal world, is to participate in the harvest of souls for the Kingdom.

Jesus makes it plain that the will of the Father was for believers to see that there was a vast harvest of souls. Workers are needed to bring these souls to Christ. That is His overriding will for us today.

Do not think in terms of future service. Four months more? No, says Jesus. The harvest is ripe now! It is a mystery as to the relationship between our sharing Jesus with others and the work of the Spirit in the hearts of unbelievers that makes them responded to the message. However it is not useful to speculate on the matter, if it leads to inaction. Everyone has apart in the harvest. Some may sow, others will reap.

I have ministered to men who have been primed by others. They had heard the message in other settings. But when I broached the subject of Jesus, at that point in time, they were ready to believe. I was the harvester. But I know that I have also sowed a lot. I do not know whether others have harvested. I believe God sometimes does not show this to us, to prevent us becoming spiritually proud.

The car on the assembly line starts out as a shell. By the time the finished product rolls out, it would have been the collaborative effort of hundreds of workers. Some would have only put in the door hinges. Others the wiring system. But they all feel satisfaction when the fully assembled car rolls out. Oftentimes, the worker will not know which car he worked on.

Similarly, it is only in heaven that we may know how much and how many people we helped reach for Jesus. What God wants now is for us to just share Jesus with others.

“Come see a Man” was the simple line the Samaritan woman used. If you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, and if He is your personal friend and guide, you too can tell everyone that you meet “Come meet my friend, Jesus”.

What is your food? Your food is to do the will of Him who sent Jesus, who looks at the harvest and asks you and me to respond. We are to do the will of God and share the gospel boldly wherever we are.

How will you answer today?

Amen
+Dr. Joshua Raj

2006-06-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

What are you doing here?

Busyness is a way of life today. We hardly have time to eat, gathering up a quickie meal from the fast food outlet. We sleep less than 6 to 7 hours a day, and feel guilty if we lie down to rest! We engage in the rat race and try to keep up with the Jones’s. Society has moved on full steam, and we are hanging on for the ride. Unfortunately, steam does not hold a person up for long, since the initial force dissipates as it reconverts to water. Many of us know what this means – at some point, we drop back to earth with a thud!

Have you faced a situation that discouraged you? Did you fell depressed by circumstances or by someone who let you down? Or is there someone out to get you or damage your name?

Context for this meditation is from 1 Kings 19:1-19

In 1 Kings 19, a remarkable story is told. Remarkable for both the way God works in the lives of some of his people, and for the frailty of human nature, even in a famous prophet.

Elijah had just come away from an amazing miracle. God had sent fire form heaven to burn up a wet sacrifice, and to prove that Elijah served the true God. The prophets of Baal were vanquished. Just imagine you were there, and you saw the fire shoot down from heaven! I think it must have looked like a lightning bolt.

And then – the king’s wife threatens to kill Elijah. Without asking God what to do (I can empathize with that, given that is too often my own failing), he runs! (19:3). He disappears into the wilderness and falls asleep.

God makes an angel wake him up. Wonder what that would be like? And provides him a cake of bread on coals. The man still decides to run for the next forty days, without food, and ends up in a cave.

Finally God asks him “Where are you, Elijah?

Where are you today?

Are you running away from relationships, from difficult circumstances?
Are you standing still in indifference to the world, only concerned with your own life?
Have you reached the top of your profession? Does it satisfy?
Are you unhappy where you are and wish for something else?
Do you feel defeated?

In the storms of life, or in the worthlessness of indifference, let us let God address the very core of our being.

Notice that God was not interested in an answer to the question. The question was meant to make Elijah think and to segue into God’s real intent – to reveal His power and omnipotence through miracles of nature, and then to tell Elijah what to do, by faith. The question “Where are you, Elijah” was ultimately irrelevant. God was more interested in Elijah obeying God’s will and commands. And the Lord taught Elijah, and us, a valuable lesson.

Once God revealed his power through the wind, earthquake and fire (19:11-12), He spoke in a still small voice. Although Elijah tried to explain what was happening, God merely revealed His majesty and told him what his next assignment was. The prophet packed up and headed to Damascus without a protest.

Where are you?

As a follower of Jesus, we will hear that question deep in our hearts, especially if we let His soft voice speak to us over the din. And I daresay, and this has been my own experience, that He will not answer the questions or complaints that we may have. He waits for us to appreciate His majesty and then to let Him speak to us.

He will gently remind us all that we are here to trust Him, and to serve Him. In God’s mysterious way, we are to be the instruments of accomplishing His purposes on earth.
For example:
The Great Commission: The ONLY thing we cannot do in heaven is to evangelize. It is an imperative.
Mathew 28:19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations
The Great Commandment

John13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Are you doing the will of God? Are you spending time on things eternal? Is the kingdom of God important to you? Only by obeying the clear will of God will we be able to discern the particular will of God for our lives. For example, if we hate our boss at work, it is no good wondering why we are feeling depressed when we have not obeyed the clear will of God to love our enemies.

Elijah just left the cave and went on to do the work God commanded him to do. God just told him what to do and that there was a sense of urgency to get on with it.

Our feelings of despair, depression, indifference, frustration, anger, unhappiness and so on, can be alleviated if we change our question from “Why am I here?” to “What do You want me to do?” Being in the will of God does wonders for the soul.

Amen

+Dr Joshua Raj

2006-06-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

A Good Man! Some Features of the Righteous Life from Job’s Discourse (Job 29-32)

The Bible calls Job a righteous man. No! God called him a righteous man! While we have been saved by the Blood of the Lord Jesus, The Lord also calls us to live a godly, righteous and sober life. Let us ponder some of the things that marked out Job's life, and what were the features in that made God say that he was a great example for us to emulate.

Please read Job 29-32 for the context before reading the meditation.

Lust – If my heart has been enticed by a woman….Job 31:9

Isn't it amazing that almost 4000 years ago, Job faced the same problems that we do today with regard to lust. Former US President Jimmy Carter got a lot of flak during the 1976 presidential campaign for admitting that he had lusted "in his heart". Jesus equated lusting after a woman as equivalent to adultery. This did not mean that the two sins had the same consequences.
Jesus meant that for those who thought they were righteous just because they did not commit adultery, they had better think again. Let us not be enticed in any way, shape or form by sexual temptations. This is difficult today, with images and sexual innuendo all over the media and accepted as normal by society. What we need to do is to consciously avoid situations that the devil may use to ensnare us, and try to start a lustful thought in our heads.

Injustice – If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant ..Job 31:13

Job realised how inportant it was to treat his servants well. The premise is simple - that all humans are created in the image of God. In the world, we may have different functions and responsibilities, but our status in front of God is equal. Therefore, the poor villager in Gabon is the same in God's eyes as the wealthy suburban man in Vancouver. Yet, in God's infinite wisdom, He has allowed the latter to be richer and more confortable than the former. The rich should not oppress the poor by unfair trade practices.
So too, in our own backyard, he has given some of us to be employers and business owners. We should pay fair wages to our employees and make sure their benefits are just.

Greed – If I have kept the poor from their desire..or eaten my morsel by myself …Job 31:16,17

This is obviously a call to help the poor - those in our backyard and those in other corners of the world. I heard a speaker say that a villager in India drinks water that is more polluted than the water that we use to bathe in.

It has always struck me as ironical that in the so called rich countries, where protectionism is rearing its ugly head, the people have so much less joy than those in poor pountires. It illustrates the truth of what Paul told Timothy "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim 6:6). If we are content with what we have, we will be joyful and happy. If we are not content, earning even more money will not ease the discomfort in our souls.

Lack Compassion – indifference (passive) – If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing…..Job 31:19
Lack of compassion - cruelty (active) – If I have raised my hand against the fatherless….Job 31:21

Exploitation is in view here. The question that we should ask is whether we have a heart for those who are in need, both materially and spiritually. This is a call to both social action and sharing the gospel.

It is so easy to be indifferent. This week, CNN had a report out of the Congo. There are thousands of people who have been maimed or mutilated, women have been raped and disfigured, children are left homeless. While most of us can only pray for this, I know that God will hold accountable those who have the power to do something about situations like this, yet do nothing. Is your neighbour thirsty? Offer him water to drink. If he needs a coat, and you have two, give him one.

How much of our earning goes to worthy causes and to help the poor? Or do we spend all our disposable income on ourselves. I know it is impossible to solve all the problems of the world, or help those who are suffering or address the cruelty we see in many parts of the world, but where we can make a difference, we should act. Ask the Lord to help point out areas where you can help and just "do it".

Trust in money or possessions – If I have made gold my hope…Job 31:24

The tragedy of many people today - trusting in money or posessions. Materialism is the favoured religion of the day. Recently a billionaire died in Canada. He left billions of dollars in ssests and cash to his family. Why did he ever think he needed so much? Granted he donated a lot to charity, but much of it was publicly done, and was designated for the Art Museum and the like.

Would it not be great if we trusted less in our possessions and looked to the living God for hope and a future? God will provide, as Jesus sadi so well in Mathew 5.

Nature (in awe of, consulting horoscopes, astrology) ..If I have observed the sun..or the moon…so that my heart has been secretly enticed…….Job 31:26,27

So many Christians today still look at horoscopes or the astrology pages in the papers. We are so enamoured by wanting to know the future that we try all kinds of stunts. Yet, by our very attratcion to these soothsayings, we are violating God's command to only look to Him. He despises spiritism and occultism. You may feel that astrology and simple horoscopes are harmless. If so, I would appeal to you to seek God diligently and with an open mind. Search the scriptures, pray and ask God to speak to you. I am convinced that scripture tells us to avoid these things, as Job intimates.

Revenge – If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me…Job 31:29

A businessman who persecuted me and litrerally sought to destroy my business and my reputation, succumbed to cancer about five years after he began to sully my name. It was all I could do not to feel a sense of satisfaction that he had had his come-uppance. But as I meditated on the Word, it was clear to me that to gloat in any way was a sin. I was to bless him, although he was an adversary and had grievously wounded me. Do you rejoice if your "enemy" falls? If you have, please ask God to forgive you. Bless your enemies. Let God justify you and avenge you, in His time.

Hypocrisy – If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom (heart) …Job 31:33

All of us hide secrets. I daresay that we are all hypoctites. The hypocrite wears a "mask". The mask hides his true nature, and presents a front to all who see him. The worst mask we can wear, and the most foolish, is to hide our sin before almighty God. He knows it all. It is so pathetic to think that we can hide our sins from Him. It makes us "sick" when we hide from God (Psalm 32).
A man who is full of pride or deceit may be able to hide secrets from his peers but not from God. If we try to cover our transgressions, we will feel miserable, because our fellowship with God will be broken. While we are still His children, we will find the fountain of living water hard to come by, and we will thirst spiritually. We will feel an oppressive cloud around us. Our spirits will not rest easy. There will be a burdensome load on our shoulders. We have all been there, myself included. But Job illustrates the need and the blessing of keeping very short accounts with God.

We will all stumble and transgress, but the key to a joyful life is to immediately bring it to Jesus in confession and seek His help to keep ourselves from such activities again. That is where the blessing lies. Not in following a series of dos and don'ts, but to know that God will forgive and embrace us in our weakness, if we truly come to Him with a penitent heart.

We could elaborate much more on the above points. But it is not the eloquence of our words that matter. The critical truth is obedience to the Word of God. To live a life of holiness before Almighty God is needed if our walk is to be true, and our spiritual life is to be rich. If God speaks to us about sin, we should confess immediately (sins of commission). If He speaks about things we should do, which we are not doing (sins of omission), then let us do what He asks of us.

Amen
+Dr Joshua Raj

2006-06-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

Clean the temple - Are you ready to open up your life to be cleansed?

The Old Testament narratives were told repeatedly to the children of Israel as they grew up in their homes. These stories of their forefathers were more than just reminiscences. They were meant to teach the children a lesson, in effect, to appropriate an eternal principle form a human story.
The story of Hezekiah is a case in point. He became king after the death of his father, Ahab. Ahab had been a apostate king, who had brought in various forms of idolatry and worship into Israel. Despite clear warnings from the prophets of God, Ahab continued in his evil ways.

It is a mystery to me how God can raise a godly offspring in a family of evil parents. Hezekiah seems to be different than what Ahab had been. He became king at age 25 and the Bible says he did what was right in God’s eyes (2 Chr 29:2), in direct contrast to his evil father.

In the following years, he sets about to cleanse the temple. Here I would like to spiritualize this story, so that we can see the parallels in our lives. The New Testament states that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

The subsequent story of how Hezekiah sets about to cleanse the temple of God after the evil introduced by his father, can teach us some lessons on how we can cleanse our own lives (our “temple”) so that we will be pure and acceptable to God, and enjoy deeper fellowship with Him. If we keep our “temple” clean, and our heart fixed on God, we will enjoy His presence and experience joy and favour, even in times of adversity.

2 Chronicles 29 1Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.

3He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. 4And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

6For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. 7Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. 8Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 9For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.

10Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

The way to purify the temple:

1. To open the door (v.3): Hezekiah opened the doors to the light. All internal corruption and dirt was exposed. All the internal disrepair was revealed. He opened the temple so that it could be repaired.
Are we ready to do that? Do we open our heart to the Holy Spirit, to search out what needs to be removed or repaired? How often do we spend time in confession before the Lord? Do we genuinely repent and turn away from what does not please God?

2. He realized they had turned away from God (v.6) – they had trespassed (sinned) against God and done evil (what was not right in God’ sight).
We ask ourselves this question daily. Is our face turned toward the Lord? Do we see Him in everything? Do we shun what is evil in His sight? Repentance does not just mean we are sorry for what we have done, but to have a change of mind so that we do not continue doing it. Yes, I realize we all may fall at some point, but it is the attitude that matters, not the action. If we look at our actions, we will always be frustrated. If we concentrate on developing an attitude of pleasing God, then we will notice with time that our sins become less and our focus becomes more on God.

3. Make a covenant to serve God(v10) – Hezekiah realized that the covenant made by the people had to come from the heart. Any other imposed covenant will fail. If we try to enforce by law or by force, it becomes like any other religion or social ethic.
Is your heart and my heart right before God? Have you and I made this covenant with the LORD God of Israel?

He has not let us fight alone in seeking to live a life pleasing to Him. In Hezekiah’s time, God had to speak to them through the prophets. Today we have the Bible and we have the Holy Spirit, to be our guide and our help.

To turn away from the vain things of the world requires us to turn to something or someone else. Jesus asks us to turn to Him. To accept His sacrifice on the cross, and to let Him work in us to change us, to bless us, to give us joy and peace and even though the world is in turmoil, to give us the eternal hope that one day, we will live with him eternally.

I pray that I will daily open up the doors of my “temple” and allow my heart to be repaired and renovated by the Holy Spirit.

Are you ready to open up your life to be cleansed?

Amen.

+Dr. Joshua Raj

2006-06-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

Freedom in Christ : Knowing how much Jesus loves us is a totally liberating experience.

Eph 3: 17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

The steps to liberation in our hearts and minds are simple. It is man who makes it complicated because he wants to do it his way. Secular philosophy and psychology purports to know how man can liberate his mind from the tyranny of daily living. But the fact is that secular theories have been abject failures.

Depression is now the number one health concern in North America. Prescriptions of the newer class of anti depressants have soared, mainly because the new drugs called SSRIs have much less side effects than the older phenothiazines. I am not sure if the discovery of SSRIs has been the beneficial to mankind. Now, apart form failed self help strategies, many are resorting to pill popping. They consume SSRIs like farmers in Asia eat peanuts – by the mouthful!

But God, who made us in His image, knows what we lack.

1. We lack communion with Him – we need Christ to dwell in our hearts (Eph 3:17). This can only happen by faith. Just intellectual assent is not enough. By faith we are saved, and by faith we accept the gift of God for salvation. By faith, we know that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us, to work through us and in us to become the person God wants us to be.

2. The indwelling Holy Spirit helps us to be rooted in the love of Christ. This love surpasses all understanding, and we can only marvel at the love that made the Son of God come down to die on the Cross for our sins. Knowing the magnitude of this love is essential (Eph 3:18). It is broader than the widest ocean, longer than the vast universe and deeper than the deepest sea, higher than the heavens above. It is infinite. My finite mind cannot fathom God’s love. But by faith, I am rooted in that love.

3. The love that passeth knowledge (Eph 3:19) has to be known, and this will liberate man from the tyranny of this world, with its bondage to sin, and the lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes and pride of life. It results in being filled with the fullness of God.

What is this fullness of God? What is the practical expression of this fullness?

1. The fullness of God does not mean we are suddenly sinless. It means that we are accepted despite all our shortcomings. Yet as we grow in the Lord, we see changes in our lives. Thins that interested us before pale in our new delights, things of the world pale compared to things of the Kingdom. We may find ourselves less inclined to watch TV or play golf as often as we did, and now participate in church or bible study or acts of compassion. Our focus changes and this will become evident with time.

2. A practical expression of the fullness of God is shown in the joy of the Lord filling our hearts. No matter what the circumstance, we can be sure that He is there with us, nothing need depress us. Of course we may feel the anxiety and stress at times, but these do not linger.

One good way, when we are stressed or getting depressed, is to remember the love of God, stop what we are doing and just rest in that love for about 5 to 10 minutes. Much of our anxiety will be relieved if we learn his art of practicing the presence of God.

Amen

+Dr Joshua Raj

2006-06-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

Praying the Psalms

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not
in the counsel of the ungodly,

Lord, we pray that we will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly
- and avoid those who do not reverence your name,
or know you as personal Saviour

nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Help us not to stand in the path of sinners,
but to move away from areas which can lead us into sin
Let us not engage in scornful talk, gossip or idle chatter

2But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Let our delight be in your Law, in your Word
Let us meditate on you glorious Word daily
Day and night

3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Lord, help us be to be planted where we receive the rivers of living water that flow form You
Let us bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
Let us not wither but persevere in times of trial
Let whatever we do in your will be prosperous

4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

Lord we know that the ungodly – those who do not know you- will not be able to stand in the judgment, nor in the congregation of the righteous.

6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Help us to reach out to them with the gospel before it is too late. For the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Amen

+Dr Joshua Raj

2006-05-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

Death? Confronting a sudden death in the family

Psalm 90:9-10
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

As I write this, my uncle (wife’s father’s brother) has died at the age of 72. He was instrumental in arranging and organizing our wedding 23 years ago. He died on our wedding anniversary 23 years after he did all the work for us. So, on our anniversary, we ponder about his life and how much he had given his life to the Lord. The state of one’s heart is an issue between that person and God. But we are gratified by the knowledge that he confessed the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.

Recently, an Oxford professor theorized that man could live a thousand years, if he gets rid of the toxins in his body and lives cleanly. That’s all easy to say, especially if you have the weight of a professorial title behind you. But it does not make it true. The truth I is that life spans average about 70 years for over the last hundreds of years, even before all our processed foods and toxins came along.

As a Christian, I have no problem believing that this time clock came about when sin came into the world, and after the first wave of men who were hundreds of years old, we now live an average of three score and ten years.

The inevitability of death makes a man think in one of two ways:

(a) he ignores it and pretends it will not happen, or
(b) he thinks about it and wonders what he is living for now and what will happen after he dies.

To the former group, we can do nothing unless they decide to ask these questions. I have been a doctor long enough to know that patients who a in denial cannot be “awakened” by our outside efforts. Something has to change within them, and then they will be open to seeking the truth. If a patient who has osteoporosis does not want to think about what she has, or seek medical opinion, no amount of publicity highlighting the dangers of the “silent killer” osteoporosis will make them take any attention. Other patients obsess that they have the disease when they do not, and this too is an unhealthy attitude.

To the latter group, who wants to know their purpose on the earth and what lies thereafter, the Bible offers a most cogent response. If we accept that we are created by God and made in His image, then it follows that our purpose on earth is to know God, reconnect to Him through Jesus Christ, and live a life pleasing to Him. We live in obedience to His Word, because we love Him and want to do anything for Him. The motive is not to curry favor or gain merit, for if that was the case, none of us, even Florence Nightingale or Mother Teresa, can reach heaven. We all have the baggage of our secret deeds and thoughts (called sin) that separate us from God. Only by accepting that Jesus has paid the price for our sin can we reconnect with God.

What options are before us in the potpourri of ideas in today's world?
("potpourri" - a veritable smorgasbord (of religions)........dictionary.com)

*There is no sense to life if we only live now and then “disappear”. If that is the case then life on earth had no purpose whatsoever.

*There is no sense to life if we live a life of merit, virtue and good works so that when we die, our “soul” ends in the one “universal” consciousness and we loose all knowledge of who we were and what we did. If we suppose that we can be reincarnated as a better creature because of our merit, it does not help us either, because the new “entity” will reap the benefit of our hard work. In fact, in this reality, we might as well not be of good character, and pursue all the pleasures of life – because the new reincarnated “entity” (likely an animal or insect) that follows us will have to suffer the consequences, not us.

*There is no sense to life if we try to live with merit and good works so that we can escape from the cycle of reincarnation and reach some sort of ambiguous “heavenly freedom” or “nirvana”. That is because we can neither feel nor experience the benefits of our labour in the previous life. This concept of nirvana just means to be free into “nothingness”.

*There is no sense to life if we believe that there is a creator god who wants us to work hard doing good works and meritorious deeds, but leaves in the limbo of wondering if we have done enough to appease him and allow us into heaven. For as we already know, but many may not admit, none of us is perfect. If we run a videotape of our life on a large screen TV, none if us could hold our heads up proudly, for we have all done wrong things in the privacy of our own domains, and in our minds. There is no sense if we strive to be good, but are never good enough.

*It makes sense only if we accept that biblical revelation form God that states that we are created by a Creator God, and that He has a plan that will enable us to be sure we have a place in eternity with God. We can retain our unique personality, with a new body, after death. We will remember who we are and what we did in our life on earth, and our investment in developing good character will follow us to an eternity where we remain who we are, retain our personhood, and able to interact with others (like our family and friends). And in this joyous mix of reunion with family and friends, we have the joy of spending time with our Lord and God.

To this end, we need to strive to know who God is, that is the One who created us in the first place, and from whom we are separated because of our sinfulness (basically our pride in wanting to live our own way). We then need to reconnect with Him. How do we do that?

Well, God reached down to us through His Son, Jesus. By Jesus’ death on the cross, He took our sin onto Him. We do not achieve eternal life by good works, but it is gift of God. All we have to do is accept the gift. I do not know about you, but when I looked at consider all the alternatives, this makes the most sense.

To those of you who have not taken a step of faith, let me encourage you to do so.

1. Accept that you are a sinner (For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23).

2. Jesus died on the cross to redeem you from sin and reconcile you to God (Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace)

3. Accept this gift of redemption as the gift that it truly is (John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name)

4. Ask the Holy Spirit to live in you and empower you to live a life of joy, whether in good or difficult times (2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.)

Amen

+Dr. Joshua Raj Th.D.

2006-05-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Set Apart? Do not worry about the attacks that come from the scoffers.
Saint (Set Apart) - one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ (Ps. 16:3; Rom. 1:7; 8:27; Phil. 1:1; Heb. 6:10). (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

The Da Vinci Code has hit the movies this week. The critics have panned the film though the book that spawned the phenomenon has sold more than 40 million copies. As I listened to Christian radio this past week, I was struck by the number of programmes that talked about the book, its falsehoods, and how to counter those false claims. There were even TV programmes that either “exposed” or “debunked” the Da Vinci Code, and I believe all manner of books will continue to come forth.

To the Christian “saint” who is set apart for the service of God, motivated only to follow because he loves Jesus, all this seems a storm in a teacup. In fact, I think that most of these “debunking” programmes are being preached to the converted.

The unconverted, the unsure and the ignorant will not bother listening to any radio that analyses the falsehoods of Da Vinci Code. This group is also unlikely to read the debunking books, or watch the critical TV programmes.

Unfortunately, the superficial Christian, who attends church in a perfunctory way, and who has never given his life wholly to Jesus, is at greatest risk. He/she will try to straddle the fence. If you are in this group, you are in great danger, and I appeal to you to commit, by faith, to believe what God has revealed in His Word. Trying to be “impartial” and “intellectual” by even assenting to what the books says is dangerous to your spiritual health. You need to read the last paragraph of this sermon.

So to the Christian saint, I would like to point out these facts. When you read the book (and I think you should borrow and read it, not purchase one), you will immediately know what the falsehoods are. It is like a cashier who is so adept at counting currency, who will instinctively know a fake currency note if it is presented to him. For greater clarity, read one of the “debunking” book or article.

But realize this – that in the last days – this type of teaching and falsehoods will become more apparent. We need not be ashamed of the gospel given to us. It is unchanging. What we have received is sufficient and true.

Jude 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

Since the unconverted, and all manner of skeptics and scoffers are going to use the book to condemn or ridicule Christianity, and the faith once for all given to the saints (that’s us!), we have to use the most powerful weapon we have against them.

I am not talking of more books, or seminars, or radio and TV slots, or debates. I am talking about asking the Lord God Almighty to protect his people and His name. We are called to prayer in this time of great apostasy. We should be praying in small groups, families and in church. We are in a spiritual war, with the prince of this age. The devil is having a field day because he thinks we saints are spiritually weak. And so we shall be if we do not pray. As God’s people intercede, God will do the work and this blasphemous and totally perfidious book, and its deceitful author, will go the way of all the atheists and scoffers.

God will protect his Word, and his people.

Isaiah 54: 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

So do not lose heart. Do not waste too much time reading and discussing or debunking the Da Vinci Code. Know about it and live a life that shows people the power of Jesus in your own life. God will give His people a glow in their step, whatever the circumstances may be. This week, I have been under great strain to the point of breaking, but all along, i know I can rely on my God and my Lord, Jesus Christ. So can you.

Do not let the world around discourage you. God is sovereign. Our sins have been paid for by Christ sacrifice on the Cross. The devil has been defeated by Christ’s resurrection form the dead. What else do we need?

To those of you who have not taken a step of faith, let me encourage you to do so.

Accept that you are a sinner (For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23).
Jesus died on the cross to redeem you from sin and reconcile you to God (Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace)
Accept this gift of redemption as the gift that it truly is (John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name)
Ask the Holy Spirit to live in you and empower you to live a life of joy, whether in good or difficult times (2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.)

Amen

+ Dr Joshua Raj

2006-05-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Saint? Who is a saint?

“To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints.” Romans 1:7

“Mother Teresa was a saint”, said my colleague, Dr. R., when the venerable nun passed away in 1998. Ironically, a few days earlier, Princess Diana had also died, and someone remarked on the TV that she was such a “saint”. In the Teresa’s case, ”saint” referred to her years of service to the poor. In Diana’s case, “saint” referred, I presume, to her larger than life persona and latterly, humanitarian works. Dr. R. believed that a good person would go to heaven, though when I asked him how much good works were needed and exactly what he understood by “heaven”, he admitted that he had thought very little on the subject.

Today, the word “saint” has undergone a change in meaning compared to its meaning in orthodox Christianity. The present societal meaning of the word refers to a person who lives an exemplary life and using a simplistic yet profound term, a supremely “good” person. Dictionary.com defines saint as “an extremely virtuous person”. In other words, in secular understanding, it is an honoured term bestowed on someone on the basis of his or her life and works.

In orthodox Christianity, if we exclude the use of the word to describe a canonized person”, the expression “saint” actually refers to a person’s status in God’s kingdom. It is bestowed on a believer in Christ as a label that means “set apart”.

“Saint” - one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ (Ps. 16:3; Rom. 1:7; 8:27; Phil. 1:1; Heb. 6:10). (Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

To be a Christian saint is to be set apart as a child of God. Thus, every true believer in Christ is a saint. However, and sadly, not every Christian saint leads a “saintly” life.

Having established that we who believe in the Lord Jesus (and have accepted his offer of salvation through His finished work on the Cross) are saints, I would like to ask us to take a closer look at whether we are leading a “saintly” life in keeping with this awesome title that God has given us. A “saintly” life requires our life to be one of integrity and compassion, of justice and righteousness, reflecting a close walk with God. (Micah 6:8).

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

I would suggest that the bible is clear on this point, that once we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Saviour – that we are sinners, and believed that He died for our sins, and that He has risen from the dead - then we begin to trust and obey Him in all matters that affect our daily lives. There is no other option, for Christ impels us to do so. It is a new attitude and focus.

The song that says “..and the things of earth will grow strangely dim..” is a poignant reminder that this attitude of mind is now part of our new life in Christ. And we are not alone in this endeavor. Christ has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us, and the grace that we need to persevere, in our goal of becoming more Christ like our lives...

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus will finish the good work that He has begun in us.
Phil 1: 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Secondly, if we are empowered by God’s grace to become Christ-like, we then need to know how to objectively measure our walk with God. Some may say this is a futile effort, since everyone is different and no one standard can be applied to all. Also, any objective assessment can open us up to a charge of legalism and behaving like Pharisees. However, the Bible, I believe, does allow one to objectively measure one’s spiritual growth, and it is best thought of as a self assessment. We are to study the Word everyday, diligently and faithfully, and to apply what we read to our lives.

We are to trust the Word and obey the Word. In John 15:7, Jesus says “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”.

We ask the Lord to change us. We abide in His Word.

Jesus will allow His Word to change you and you will see the difference in yourself. Others may notice and tell you that you have changed. But you will know objectively, when you find yourself not taking much time with the pursuits of the world as you used to do, or that your actions had become more patient and kind or that your thoughts do not go into unedifying imaginations as before. The Christian saint will manifest the fruit of the Spirit as time goes on.

Gal 5:22-23a: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance...

May the Lord bless us as you and I strive, by God’s grace and His grace alone, to live a life pleasing to Him.

Amen
+Dr. Joshua Raj

2006-05-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

Grace? What does that really mean?

Through Him we have received grace…Romans 1:5

The concept of grace is sometimes so hard to understand. I believe that the word itself has lent itself to a change in meaning over the years. We can associate grace with poise and resilience in times of struggle. We can also look at grace as acts of mercy. From the biblical point of view, grace is all of these and much more. It is fundamental to our understanding of God, and who He is. It is no surprise that Paul talks about grace right at the beginning of Romans.

In verses 2-5, he develops the point that the gospel is a continuation of what the prophets had taught Israel (v.2), in that the scriptures had unerringly pointed to Christ (v.3), who is born of David’s line, and confirmed His deity by rising from the dead (v.4). This is the heart of the gospel – that Jesus is the Son of God and He proved it by overcoming death.

This Jesus, God incarnate and all powerful, died for your sins and mine. By His work on the cross, he reconciled us to God. We can now boldly come before the heavenly throne because Jesus has paid the price for our sins. We are coming, not because of who we are or what we have done, but only because Jesus took our sins onto Himself. And what do we receive when we come to the throne of grace? Hebrews 4: 16 says that we receive mercy (i.e. we do not receive the punishment that we deserve for our sin) and that we receive grace to help in time of need (i.e. we receive something that we do not deserve).

The grace of God is often misunderstood and thus not fully appropriated into our lives. God’s grace has often been defined as our receiving forgiveness that we did not deserve. Think abut it – God loved us so much that He determined not to let us all perish in our sins. Jesus had to lay aside His heavenly lorry and power to come to earth to save man. We deserved none of this, yet God did it anyway.

We often continue to live in guilt, thinking that God is constantly looking at the way we live, finding fault and becoming angry if we fall into sin, even after we become a Christian. It is true that God will be angry and disappointed when we fall, but He always forgives us if we confess our sins (1 John !:9) and are truly repentant. Being human means that in this life, we can never be free of sinful desires and longings. Paul struggled with this conflict between his “flesh” and the Spirit living in Him. We will continue with this struggle to the day we die and go to the Lord. But we must always understand that God’s grace means that we should not live in guilt, or allow the devil to paralyze our spiritual life by laying guilt trips on us. We must appropriate, by faith and the intellect, the promise of the Holy Spirit to enable us to resist sin.

We must particularly avoid getting into a form of good works theology. This is a natural extension of thinking that God’s grace cannot be totally “free’. Somehow, we think that we have to “do” something to either appropriate His grace or even more insidious is the notion that we need to do something to “keep” the salvation that He has promised. This thinking sometimes comes forma misinterpretation of verses that stress holiness of character and “working out” our faith with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).

Nothing will paralyze our Christian life more than a fear that God will withdraw His grace or cast us into hell because we did not live up to the rules of the Bible. His grace is free, and His promise is sure – He came to save us, and whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.

Let the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Amen

2006-04-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Calling? What does it mean to be “Called”

Paul, a bondservant of Christ, called to be an apostle….: Romans 1:1

What exactly does calling mean? Today I see two extremes, i.e. those who say that they received a call from God and decide to preach and lead regardless of what anyone else says or thinks. They do not feel accountable to any other man or church, but say that their authority is directly of God. The other category includes those who find that they end up in ministry by default. The ones who applied to university or pursued secular vocations, and got no offers, and decided they might as well go to seminary and work as a minister. Here the validation is entirely by a school or a piece of paper which declares that a person has a theology degree.

Both are fraught with extreme danger and do havoc to the body of Christ, if care is not exercised in their ministry. The former group could end up preaching heresy and all forms of misunderstanding, by using proof text and methods that read preconceived notions into scripture. We may thus have the extreme charismatic, who literally thinks that “prophetic” utterances today have the same authority as scripture. We then get believers who have contradictory “revelations” and who are entrenched in their positions since “God told them”. We have spouses supposedly “knowing” whether their significant other is in sin, or demonized and so forth. We have church members who have “revelations” that the pastor must go. We have blended spirituality, with suspect practices involving today’s “gods of Canaan” (e.g. new age, sanitized Hinduism, yoga, whitewashed Zen etc) ending up in these churches teachings. I can think about the one large church in Asia (that I visited in 1993) that even today teaches members to actualize their own reality.

The pastor called in the second group ends up shepherding a dead and lifeless spirituality. Because he is in ministry by default or because he himself has no personal relationship with Christ, the church ends up as a social club, with programmes but no power. These are the “frozen chosen” who love the ritual, people who talk like Christians but behave like pagans, who live like there is no God. This group is leading the way on liberalism and rejecting large portions of scripture, who buy in to the culture of the day over the truths of the Word. So if the culture of the day says that the roles of man and woman are interchangeable and not complementary, they proceed to reject the Bible portions that teach that although men and women have the same status in God’s eyes, their biblically mandated function is different. The same goes for marital infidelity, divorce and same sex relationships, injustice, inequality, care for poor, anger, lust etc. This group also brings in all kinds of pagan practices into the church, but on the premise of pluralism and inclusivity. They ignore all parts of the bible that speak of exclusivity. They forget everything that God said to the Israelites about their compromise with foreign gods.

What does true “calling” mean? To Paul it meant two things – first and foremost, it was God who called him. He had a stronger and more obvious calling compared to what many of us will ever experience, but calling he did have. Some today have had similar calling, but it is by no means a universal experience. Today we may be called by God’s “inner voice” speaking to us in the silence of our home. Secondly, we have to submit our spiritual and personal calling to the scrutiny of spiritual men. Today we look to godly men who lead churches, prayerful elders and church prayer warriors, who “know” the person who is called and “know” his character, love of God, personal relationship with Jesus and who reverences the Word of God, from which he will preach fearlessly. Paul was affirmed in his calling by the other apostles (2 Peter 3:15-16, Gal 1: 18). We must have faithful men who shepherd a bible believing church or denomination to confirm a calling. In church life, ordination is a special calling to those who receive that inner call strongly and whom a body of believers then affirms. But a “calling” is more than just being a leader, pastor or elder. A calling applies to all aspects of our life, wherever we may serve the Lord. That is the calling of every believer – to know what God wants us to
do and go do it in obedience and faith.

Short-circuiting this process will usually result in one of the two extremes above.

The process of "callling" from God therefore should be:
- A deep, persistent calling within oneself that comes from God.
- Submit the calling to the counsel of godly pastors in a bible believing church.

Anything else and we end up in danger of double judgment when we account of our actions to the Lord (James 3:1).The vast majority of Christians will not receive a calling to be a minister or pastor. Most will receive a calling from God to work in a ministry within their local church or community.

Do you feel a calling to do something? Maybe to start something in your community or work place? It does not mean that all callings of God are for a church related ministry. God is using people everywhere for His glory, and for the one purpose for which our “living bodies” are needed – to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who do not know Him, and therefore are hot going to share eternity with Him.

If the Spirit’s calling is strong within you, then talk to godly fiends or the local church leadership and God will open the door and empower you to do what He wants you to do.
If the two fold process takes time (i.e. the church seems to drag its feet or your godly counselors seem to be taking time), just wait on the Lord.

If it is His will, the doors will open.

Amen.

+ Rev Dr Joshua Raj
.
Sunday 30th April 2006

2006-04-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

An Anglican Orthodox Church Fellowship in Ontario Canada

(Orthodox = as defined in dictionary.com
(i) Adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith or
(ii) Adhering to what is commonly accepted, customary, or traditional: e.g. an orthodox view of world affairs. )

Dear Friends and Followers of Christ

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and thank you for visiting this blog and for your interest in our ministry.

The history of the Anglican Orthodox Church is well documented in the website www.anglicanorthodoxchurch.org and I hope you visit often.

In Canada, we are incorporating a new entity, financially independent of the main church in the USA but ecclesiastically under the presiding Bishop, the Right Reverend Jerry L. Ogles of the USA.

The Anglican Church in Canada (ACC) has drifted far away from biblical Christianity and it is with sadness that I see the faithful believers in the ACC receiving messages derived from the culture of today rather than scripture. Many of the reforms are directly contradictory to scripture and to the Adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith. This apostasy will lead many down the broad path to destruction. It is best in such circumstances to seek a biblically sound church home. The AOC seeks to fill the void for those who seek a more structured, yet contemporarily relevant form of worship.

All evangeical followers of Christ, who enjoy the worship style of the prayer book, with additional weekly programmes to make the service more fresh and exciting, are encouraged to keep in touch with me, and we will be able to build a bible believeing, faith based Anglican church here in Toronto and Ontario. I am also availabale in the Niagara area (Fort Erie to St Catherines) for anyone who wishes to talk, or have a Morning or Evening prayer in their home.

God bless you abundantly.

Rev Dr. Joshua Raj Th.D
Rector