"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more that all that we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...." (Eph 3:26)
The new “health and wealth” gospel that is being preached to us actually making us put a cap on what God can do for us. We should leave it to God, to his will. The ultimate purpose of Christian life is to glorify God and not to limit God.
The new gospel of prosperity that is being preached is one of “name it, claim it”. The argument is that human words have power to make things to happen. It follows from this reasoning that God will grant anything that we ask specifically. Promoters of this “gospel” say that we need to clear in our imagination and be specific about our prayer requests. For example, if you are praying for a car, don’t just pray for a car, they say. Pray for the specific model, specific color, etc.
However, I find this teaching and all its reasoning contrary to the Word of God!
The Bible teaches that we don’t know how to pray and the Holy Spirit comes to our help in our weakness to pray. The Bible also teaches us that God is a good God. He will not give us what harms us, though sometimes we may even ask for harmful things, being limited in our knowledge (James 4:3). God’s wisdom certainly overrules human’s faulty wisdom. Our imagination is limited. God’s blessings cannot be limited by my faulty imagination!
God’s gifts are the best, though I may not be able to appreciate the greatness of them. My inability to appreciate God’s gifts is due to my fallen nature (James 1:17). Ephesians 3:20 make it very clear that God’s blessings for us are not limited by what I ask for. He always grants more than that I ask. Then why should I limit God by the specifics that I can think of? God grants not only more than we ask for, but more than what we can imagine! That means we should not limit God by our imagination.
The new “health and wealth” gospel that is being preached to us actually making us put a cap on what God can do for us. We should leave it to God, to his will. The ultimate purpose of Christian life is to glorify God and not to limit God.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Living as the Chosen People of God
Thus, those who follow Christ have two awesome responsibilities as the Chosen People of God: to live their lives as acceptable to God and also to bring glory to God. God does not take delight in mediocrity and those who are watching our lives also does not appreciate mediocre lives.
I live among believers. In my city of five million people (Pune, India) every one considers himself or herself to belong to one or other religion. Majority of them belong to one of the Hindu denominations, there are Muslims, a couple of thousand are Jews and we have Christians and Zoroastrians too. All have their own ways of explaining their relationship with their deities or spiritual leaders. Most of them may describe themselves as believers of their respective faiths; some may call themselves devotees or followers.
This makes me take a look at what the Bible says about the believers in Jesus Christ. There are a number of images the Book of Ephesians use to describe those who are believers in Christ Jesus. The first one is the image of adoption. Ephesians Chapter 4:1-5 uses two such images: one is of chosen people, and the other being adopted.
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will..."
In the Bible, the word "chosen" means selecting something after carefully considering the alternatives. When David went for a combat against the giant Goliath, he "chose" five stones. Certainly there were many stones he could have picked up randomly. But the stones he picked up were "chosen" ones. It indicates the special privilege that the chosen ones have. In the New Testament, the Greek word used for "choosing" is always used with God as subject and believers in Christ as objects. Moreover, it also is used in a particular grammatical form that indicates doing something for the benefit of the doer. Translated, it means, God chose who believe in Christ Jesus from the human race for himself. Thus for me to be a Christian it is more than being a believer or a devotee of Christ, though belief and devotion plays a major part in my spiritual life. The fact that I am carefully chosen by God adds to my own self-image: it is a privilege, it means God considers me precious and valuable.
However, as all special privileges comes with responsibilities, so this one also. The chief purpose is that we will be blameless before God. The word, "blameless" in the Bible means something that is without defect and thus acceptable to God.
The verse quoted above concludes with a reminder of the responsibility or purpose of this election. The purpose of election is that everyone who is thus chosen may be " ...to the praise of his glorious grace." Living lives that glorify God is the main purpose why God has chosen those who believe in Jesus Christ.
Thus, those who follow Christ have two awesome responsibilities as the Chosen People of God: to live their lives as acceptable to God and also to bring glory to God. God does not take delight in mediocrity and those who are watching our lives also does not appreciate mediocre lives.
I live among believers. In my city of five million people (Pune, India) every one considers himself or herself to belong to one or other religion. Majority of them belong to one of the Hindu denominations, there are Muslims, a couple of thousand are Jews and we have Christians and Zoroastrians too. All have their own ways of explaining their relationship with their deities or spiritual leaders. Most of them may describe themselves as believers of their respective faiths; some may call themselves devotees or followers.
This makes me take a look at what the Bible says about the believers in Jesus Christ. There are a number of images the Book of Ephesians use to describe those who are believers in Christ Jesus. The first one is the image of adoption. Ephesians Chapter 4:1-5 uses two such images: one is of chosen people, and the other being adopted.
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will..."
In the Bible, the word "chosen" means selecting something after carefully considering the alternatives. When David went for a combat against the giant Goliath, he "chose" five stones. Certainly there were many stones he could have picked up randomly. But the stones he picked up were "chosen" ones. It indicates the special privilege that the chosen ones have. In the New Testament, the Greek word used for "choosing" is always used with God as subject and believers in Christ as objects. Moreover, it also is used in a particular grammatical form that indicates doing something for the benefit of the doer. Translated, it means, God chose who believe in Christ Jesus from the human race for himself. Thus for me to be a Christian it is more than being a believer or a devotee of Christ, though belief and devotion plays a major part in my spiritual life. The fact that I am carefully chosen by God adds to my own self-image: it is a privilege, it means God considers me precious and valuable.
However, as all special privileges comes with responsibilities, so this one also. The chief purpose is that we will be blameless before God. The word, "blameless" in the Bible means something that is without defect and thus acceptable to God.
The verse quoted above concludes with a reminder of the responsibility or purpose of this election. The purpose of election is that everyone who is thus chosen may be " ...to the praise of his glorious grace." Living lives that glorify God is the main purpose why God has chosen those who believe in Jesus Christ.
Thus, those who follow Christ have two awesome responsibilities as the Chosen People of God: to live their lives as acceptable to God and also to bring glory to God. God does not take delight in mediocrity and those who are watching our lives also does not appreciate mediocre lives.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Helpless Righteousness
The corruption in our churches and in our communities deserves punishment severe than that of the ancient Israelites of Eli's time received. However, let us pray that God will be compassionate to us and hear our intercessions for our people.
We may be people who fear God and honor God. However, there may be stages in our lives when we may be so helpless but just watch the judgment that falls on his people, unable to do something in the matter. Noah was a righteous man. God allowed him to do something in the situation of gross sinfulness. He could at least save his family and few animals. Abraham could save his nephew Lot and his daughters. However, Eli did not have that favor from God.
Eli was not bad. He was a priest who served more than 40 years in the sanctuary of God in Shiloh. Though he did not have any revelations from God (at least in the near past) he knew how to respond when God speaks to his people. Young priest Samuel did not know how God speaks and did not know the formal words of responding to God (1 Sam 3:7). Eli advised him, "... if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening'" (1 Sam 3:9).
It is wrong to assume that Eli did not do anything about the sins of his sons. He did counsel them and even warned them (1 Sam 2:22-25). He tried to stop them but he could not. They went ahead on the road to destruction and he had to watch helplessly they drive past him.
Worship of God was central to Eli's life. The Bible makes it very clear that the cause of his sudden death was neither the news of the defeat nor the death of his sons. It was the news that the Philistines captured the ark that broke his heart and lead him to his death. "When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy" (1 Sam 4:18).
He was thus a man who had a passion for God and his people (see how he deals with Hannah). He did not approve sinful ways even of his sons. However, he lived in a particular juncture in the history of Israel that God dealt with them severely and he could not do anything about it.
There is only one wish that we can make. That is to ask God that he will hear the prayers of his people and do not judge our nations, and our communities according to our sins. The corruption in our churches and in our communities deserves punishment severe than that of the ancient Israelites of Eli's time received. However, let us pray that God will be compassionate to us and hear our intercessions for our people.
We may be people who fear God and honor God. However, there may be stages in our lives when we may be so helpless but just watch the judgment that falls on his people, unable to do something in the matter. Noah was a righteous man. God allowed him to do something in the situation of gross sinfulness. He could at least save his family and few animals. Abraham could save his nephew Lot and his daughters. However, Eli did not have that favor from God.
Eli was not bad. He was a priest who served more than 40 years in the sanctuary of God in Shiloh. Though he did not have any revelations from God (at least in the near past) he knew how to respond when God speaks to his people. Young priest Samuel did not know how God speaks and did not know the formal words of responding to God (1 Sam 3:7). Eli advised him, "... if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening'" (1 Sam 3:9).
It is wrong to assume that Eli did not do anything about the sins of his sons. He did counsel them and even warned them (1 Sam 2:22-25). He tried to stop them but he could not. They went ahead on the road to destruction and he had to watch helplessly they drive past him.
Worship of God was central to Eli's life. The Bible makes it very clear that the cause of his sudden death was neither the news of the defeat nor the death of his sons. It was the news that the Philistines captured the ark that broke his heart and lead him to his death. "When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy" (1 Sam 4:18).
He was thus a man who had a passion for God and his people (see how he deals with Hannah). He did not approve sinful ways even of his sons. However, he lived in a particular juncture in the history of Israel that God dealt with them severely and he could not do anything about it.
There is only one wish that we can make. That is to ask God that he will hear the prayers of his people and do not judge our nations, and our communities according to our sins. The corruption in our churches and in our communities deserves punishment severe than that of the ancient Israelites of Eli's time received. However, let us pray that God will be compassionate to us and hear our intercessions for our people.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Don't Let Hatred Overtake Love
To have a mind of Jesus is to see the needs of the people and meet them, but not to ponder on their weaknesses and looking for ways to correct them.
Last week in Pune a six-year-old girl over run by a car bled to death on the busy street of the city. She lay there for two hours bleeding while the mob gathered at the accident site was engaged in assaulting the driver. Nobody cared about taking the girl to the hospital because they were busy punishing the "sinner" driver. By the time the girls parents arrived at the scene, she was lying there dead in a pool of blood.
The mob typifies the behavior of the contemporary world. Love and compassion are over taken by hatred and a false sense of justice. The crowd is more interested meting out justice by punishing the offender while the great need for that helpless girl was not justice but compassion. She needed a Good Samaritan who will rush her to the hospital and save her life. The crowd was keen on taking one more life than saving another. The careless driver has to be arrested and handed over to the police; probably he should not be allowed to drive again if he cannot drive safely. However, that should not be at the cost of a young life.
We raise our voice against unjust economic and social systems and are doing all that we can to change them. However, while we wait for the systems to improve there are thousands of lives that will continue to live in those conditions. What they need is practical involvement, something to be done to change their life before they die their untimely death.
Jesus' focus was on the need of the people and not on eliminating the sinner. He came to eliminate sin and not the sinners. When the woman caught in adultery was brought before him, he let her go. The Jews wanted to kill her. They eliminate sin by eliminating the sinner. Jesus eliminates the sinner by eliminating sin. That's the difference! The Jews and the disciples ignored the needs of the people. However, Jesus would feed them when they were hungry, heal them when they were sick, calm the storm for them.... He was never overtaken by hatred but he was steeped in love.
To have a mind of Jesus is to see the needs of the people and meet them, but not to ponder on their weaknesses and looking for ways to correct them.
Last week in Pune a six-year-old girl over run by a car bled to death on the busy street of the city. She lay there for two hours bleeding while the mob gathered at the accident site was engaged in assaulting the driver. Nobody cared about taking the girl to the hospital because they were busy punishing the "sinner" driver. By the time the girls parents arrived at the scene, she was lying there dead in a pool of blood.
The mob typifies the behavior of the contemporary world. Love and compassion are over taken by hatred and a false sense of justice. The crowd is more interested meting out justice by punishing the offender while the great need for that helpless girl was not justice but compassion. She needed a Good Samaritan who will rush her to the hospital and save her life. The crowd was keen on taking one more life than saving another. The careless driver has to be arrested and handed over to the police; probably he should not be allowed to drive again if he cannot drive safely. However, that should not be at the cost of a young life.
We raise our voice against unjust economic and social systems and are doing all that we can to change them. However, while we wait for the systems to improve there are thousands of lives that will continue to live in those conditions. What they need is practical involvement, something to be done to change their life before they die their untimely death.
Jesus' focus was on the need of the people and not on eliminating the sinner. He came to eliminate sin and not the sinners. When the woman caught in adultery was brought before him, he let her go. The Jews wanted to kill her. They eliminate sin by eliminating the sinner. Jesus eliminates the sinner by eliminating sin. That's the difference! The Jews and the disciples ignored the needs of the people. However, Jesus would feed them when they were hungry, heal them when they were sick, calm the storm for them.... He was never overtaken by hatred but he was steeped in love.
To have a mind of Jesus is to see the needs of the people and meet them, but not to ponder on their weaknesses and looking for ways to correct them.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Do not Fret, but Focus on God
Trusting in God, and delighting in God's work we overcome the possible fretting over the enemy. We need to commit our ways to god and just be still; leave it to God to do the rest. In sum, turn our attention from the enemy to God! Do not fret but focus on God!
There are hundreds of reasons that make us fret. People whom we are dependent for our own performance and effectiveness fail us causing frustration and discouragement. There are people who are keen on frustrating us every turn of the road. These are people who are carriers of disappointments, anxiety, worries, discouragement, etc. They themselves may not be anxious, worried or discouraged. They carry it to others or cause others to be tormented. They are like mosquitoes that carry parasites that cause Malaria, but the mosquitoes themselves do not catch Malaria! A child of God may waste a lot of time unnecessarily fretting over things that these people do.
The advise of the psalmist is not to fret! "Do not fret because of the evil men or be envious of those who do wrong" (Psa 37:1). The simple reason is that they are not there for ever. "For like grass they will soon wither. Like green plants they will soon die away" (Ps 37:2). No one can cause a child of God worry permanently. All that they can cause are temporary distractions. So we should not get distracted!
So what are the children of God do instead of fretting? They are advised not to even glance at the enemy but to turn their attention to God. Put in another way, instead of fretting over what the enemy does or can do, focus on God. There are certain verbs that occur in this advice: "trust" (37:3); "delight" (37:4); "commit" (37:5); "Be still" (37:7), all in relation with God. Trusting in God, and delighting in God's work we overcome the possible fretting over the enemy. We need to commit our ways to god and just be still; leave it to God to do the rest. In sum, turn our attention from the enemy to God! Do not fret but focus on God!
There are hundreds of reasons that make us fret. People whom we are dependent for our own performance and effectiveness fail us causing frustration and discouragement. There are people who are keen on frustrating us every turn of the road. These are people who are carriers of disappointments, anxiety, worries, discouragement, etc. They themselves may not be anxious, worried or discouraged. They carry it to others or cause others to be tormented. They are like mosquitoes that carry parasites that cause Malaria, but the mosquitoes themselves do not catch Malaria! A child of God may waste a lot of time unnecessarily fretting over things that these people do.
The advise of the psalmist is not to fret! "Do not fret because of the evil men or be envious of those who do wrong" (Psa 37:1). The simple reason is that they are not there for ever. "For like grass they will soon wither. Like green plants they will soon die away" (Ps 37:2). No one can cause a child of God worry permanently. All that they can cause are temporary distractions. So we should not get distracted!
So what are the children of God do instead of fretting? They are advised not to even glance at the enemy but to turn their attention to God. Put in another way, instead of fretting over what the enemy does or can do, focus on God. There are certain verbs that occur in this advice: "trust" (37:3); "delight" (37:4); "commit" (37:5); "Be still" (37:7), all in relation with God. Trusting in God, and delighting in God's work we overcome the possible fretting over the enemy. We need to commit our ways to god and just be still; leave it to God to do the rest. In sum, turn our attention from the enemy to God! Do not fret but focus on God!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Singing among the lions
Can anyone sing when surrounded by hungry lions? We may have situations like this when we are surrounded by enemies and there is no time to sing or to think of singing. However, the psalmists will sing in such situations.
In Psalm 57:7-8, the psalmist says,
"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn."
Here we see the psalmist excited to sing for the Lord. He resolves that he will make music for God. Then he goes on to invite his own soul to get up from the slumber it has fallen into so that a new song can issue forth from his inner being. His instruments that have been put aside for a while is also exhorted to wake up from their sleep and join him in the singing. Most amazing is the resolve to awaken the dawn! Usually dawn comes in its own time. People and animals awake at the dawn. It is the dawn that awakens world not the other way round. However, the psalmist who would like to sing a song for God cannot wait for the dawn to come in its own time. He would rather like to ask the dawn to come a bit earlier than usual so that he can start singing for the Lord. He just can't wait!
The psalmist's enthusiasm to sing for God is unparalleled; it is rather unexpected. The situation that he has described in the previous verses is not one that helps one to sing. In verse 4 he describes the severity of the situation that he faces as, "I am in the midst of lions, I lie among ravenous beasts-men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp arrows." It is not an easy situation and not one to sing to the accompaniment of stringed instruments like harp and lyre. The reality of the situation that he goes through has nothing really to contribute to such joyful singing. It calls for lamenting.
However, though the situation is worrying and one that burdens his heart, there is another aspect of his life that makes him sing. It is his faith in God who will rescue him from the all the troubles that he goes through. It is the faith in a God who "sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; God sends his love and his faithfulness" (v. 3). It is the faith in God who rescues us from all malice and wicked plans of the enemy that makes a song reside in our lips. The psalmist's focus is on God who rescues him and not on the enemy's who vainly try to destroy him.
In Psalm 57:7-8, the psalmist says,
"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn."
Here we see the psalmist excited to sing for the Lord. He resolves that he will make music for God. Then he goes on to invite his own soul to get up from the slumber it has fallen into so that a new song can issue forth from his inner being. His instruments that have been put aside for a while is also exhorted to wake up from their sleep and join him in the singing. Most amazing is the resolve to awaken the dawn! Usually dawn comes in its own time. People and animals awake at the dawn. It is the dawn that awakens world not the other way round. However, the psalmist who would like to sing a song for God cannot wait for the dawn to come in its own time. He would rather like to ask the dawn to come a bit earlier than usual so that he can start singing for the Lord. He just can't wait!
The psalmist's enthusiasm to sing for God is unparalleled; it is rather unexpected. The situation that he has described in the previous verses is not one that helps one to sing. In verse 4 he describes the severity of the situation that he faces as, "I am in the midst of lions, I lie among ravenous beasts-men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp arrows." It is not an easy situation and not one to sing to the accompaniment of stringed instruments like harp and lyre. The reality of the situation that he goes through has nothing really to contribute to such joyful singing. It calls for lamenting.
However, though the situation is worrying and one that burdens his heart, there is another aspect of his life that makes him sing. It is his faith in God who will rescue him from the all the troubles that he goes through. It is the faith in a God who "sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; God sends his love and his faithfulness" (v. 3). It is the faith in God who rescues us from all malice and wicked plans of the enemy that makes a song reside in our lips. The psalmist's focus is on God who rescues him and not on the enemy's who vainly try to destroy him.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Being Loved by Jesus
Jesus showed the "full extent of his love" by becoming a servant for his disciples. Sometimes out of false humility we refuse to be loved by Jesus. Life could be full of small and big things where Jesus shows his love for us. To love Jesus is one thing, but it is equally important to accept Jesus' love showed on the cross and also the love he shows everyday in our life. It is wonderful to have a loving relationship with Jesus.
The act of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples is considered as part of his teaching on serving each other. I would not contend on that. however, there is still another side that we ignore in that incident. The Gospel of John chapter 13 verse 1 says, "having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love" (NIV). This sentence is the introduction to the feetwashing that follows.
The act of washing the feet of his disciples was act of his love. If we go by the NIV translation "the full extent of his love" (other translations: "he loved them to the last") it means that this act is the climax of his acts of love. Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus was involved in acts that showed his love for God's people. Though cross is where God showed "so loved the world" (John 3:16) Jesus earthly ministry was acts of his love. Cross is God's expression of his love for the world which includes the disciples, however, washing the feet is the expression of his full love to his friends the apostles who were gathered in that room for the Passover meal.
However, Peter was not willing to let Jesus to wash his feet because he misunderstood the purpose of what Jesus was doing. For Peter, Jesus should not do what a servant or an inferior person usually do. Jesus' reply is remarkable: "Unless I wash you, you have no part in me" (John 13:8b). Jesus was using the tactic of mild threatening which friends usually use. That sentence is the words of a friend begging another friend to let him show his love.
Jesus showed the "full extent of his love" by becoming a servant for his disciples. Sometimes out of false humility we ignore and sometimes refuse to be loved by Jesus. Life could be full of small and big things where Jesus shows his love for us. To love Jesus is one thing, but it is equally important to accept Jesus' love showed on the cross and also what he shows everyday in our loves. It is wonderful to have a loving relationship with Jesus.
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