Day of Remembrance

 There are only a few more days to go! If you read this on December 1st, there are only twenty four days until…until what? Why is December 25th so special? What really is this day we call Christmas?
The early church didn’t give much thought to the birth of Jesus. Of the four Gospels only Matthew and Luke even mention His birth, and these accounts are relatively brief. Certainly, the emphasis of the Gospels was on Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. And after Jesus ascended to Heaven, the focus of the church was on living for Him, sending out His message, and waiting for His return.
No one is really sure when Jesus was born. The first recorded celebration didn’t occur until 200 years after His birth, and it wasn’t until the year 330 that the birth of Christ was assigned to December 25th. Some say Jesus was actually born in September or October and others are sure He was born in March or April (in fact, a case has been made for His birth in each of the twelve months!). But it is generally agreed that, due to the relatively colder weather, December was an unlikely time for the birth of our Savior. So what really is Christmas?
John 1:1,14
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
These verses refer to Jesus Christ as “the Word” who was with God in the beginning and at the same time was God Himself. Though it is difficult to understand, Jesus left His Heavenly dwelling to begin life with us as a little baby. He “made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). This sacrifice represents a whole lot of love!
Christmas is a day to remember the most profound event in the history of the world. On that first Christmas (whenever it was), God came to earth to live among us! He was born into the most humble circumstances, grew and taught us His truths, died on a cross for our sin, and was raised to be with The Father; all so we might live with Him for eternity.
December 25th is a day to celebrate with quiet reflection, as Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). It is also a day to celebrate with great rejoicing, as the shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). The world has tried to remove Christ and insert many activities into this season which do not glorify God. But this need not hinder our worship. We have the ability to turn away the evil and embrace that which is honoring and good.
We can (and should) glorify God and celebrate the gift of our Savior every day throughout the year. But let’s take the opportunity to make this season and this day special. Let’s celebrate with a focused and thankful heart, and make December 25th a blessed day of remembrance.

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The First Move

 In our celebration of the birth of Christ, we know the focus of Christmas must always be on remembering the eternal gift given through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This season ought to irresistibly draw us near to God as we reflect on His gift of love.

The birth of Jesus gives great insight into the character of God. For one, we see His methods are far different from our own; “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways” (Isaiah 55:8). How many of us would bring the King of Kings into the world through two common young people in a dirty stable? But God had a purpose!

These lowest of beginnings set the example for a life of humility. Jesus Christ is the Creator of the Universe! “For by Him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16). Yet, He humbled Himself to the point of being born with the animals, and continued by humbly walking all the way to the cross.

As we reflect on His humility, how can we then make prideful demands on life? How can we assume there is a standard to which we are entitled? Jesus set the standard for humility and we are now called to follow; “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

But perhaps the greatest insight we can learn from the birth of our Savior is simply that He came. Our sin must have been detestable and vile to One so holy, but He came to live with us…and love us! Without Jesus Christ, we have absolutely no hope – we can do nothing to save ourselves from the bondage of sin and an eternal separation from God. We can do nothing, yet God made the first move to set us free. He took the initiative in our Salvation by providing a way and calling us Home.

1 John 4:9
“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.”

God clearly saw our sinful condition; and yet, He loved us enough to send His Son so we might be restored to a right relationship with Him. He sent His Son so we might live! God made the first move 2000 years ago and He continues to make the first move in our lives today. He calls long before we even recognize His voice, and He continues to call us to surrender our life and live with Him in a deeper and more intimate relationship.

If you hear His call today, please respond! It’s a great privilege to hear His call, so be encouraged…but then respond! His call cost Him dearly, and it represents a love we will never fully understand. Let’s boldly answer and follow wherever He leads. And remember, He loved us enough to make the first move.

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Off The Throne

 After the birth of Jesus, Magi (wise men) came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). When King Herod heard about this he became greatly disturbed. Herod had been appointed King of the Jews by the Roman government; but he was only partially Jewish and not well accepted by the people.
King Herod knew of the Jewish scriptures and how the people were waiting for the Messiah; “The government will be on His shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6). He heard the words of the prophet which told where the new ruler would be born; “Out of you {Bethlehem} will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel” (Micah 5:2). Herod viewed the news of this new ruler as a great threat. How would this affect his right to be king? Would he lose power? prestige? control? …comfort!? The potential harm was unbearable so Herod decided to take action.
Matthew 2:16
“He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.”
Many people today are not much different than Herod. Even when they recognize Jesus and clearly see their need, they fear losing the ability to direct their own path. They may not actually take steps to destroy Christ, but the thought of releasing control seems unbearable. Somehow, they’ve been taught that submission equates to failure. But the reality is that true “success” is only found in Christ, and true comfort is only obtained by being set free from the power of sin and the entanglement of this world.
Jesus was, and always will be, very threatening to those who insist on sitting on a throne. It’s foolishness to think Jesus will accept the position of Co-King. Those who attempt to enter a relationship with Jesus while trying to maintain their “right to rule” will never really know Him, and certainly never experience His peace.
Jesus will give Himself to “whoever believes in Him” (John 3:13). But in return, He asks for our total devotion: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). We give Him proper worship – the worship He deserves – only as we submit and exalt Him above all else; “He must become greater, I must become less” (John 3:30).
As we get ready to begin this new year, let’s ensure our relationship with Jesus is aligned with God’s plan. He is the rightful Ruler and King – the Savior and Lord! Let’s trust and worship Him with all our heart, and refuse to be threatened by His right to lead. Let’s decide once and for all to relinquish control and get our pride-filled self off the throne.

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The Gift of True Forgiveness

 It’s hard to believe there are only a few more days until Christmas. Yes, as the song says: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” It really is wonderful! We are flooded with Christmas music, Christmas lights, and lots of Christmas “activities.” And although the Christmas “fluff” is often distracting, most of us are able to see through the bells and bows. In spite of the world’s attempt to pull us away, we generally make time to gather with family and friends and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
But many will find this time of year to be very painful. The memories of past hurt, which may remain hidden throughout the year, are now driven to the surface. Many are required to face someone who has caused them pain, or face the memory of a past Christmas which brings the person, and pain, back into view.
Obviously, this is not the turmoil which God intends for our life…especially not as we celebrate the birth of His Son.
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
We cannot properly celebrate the birth of Jesus without reflecting on why He was born. Through His life He offered us a message of eternal hope, and through His death on the cross He offered us the complete forgiveness of sin. With this single act of unbelievable love, Jesus removed the sin which would otherwise keep us eternally separated from our Heavenly Father. This is the manner in which we are to love and forgive others.

 Jesus told a parable about a servant who had an enormous debt canceled: “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go” (Matthew 18:26-27). But when the servant went away, he refused to cancel the relatively minor debt a fellow servant owed him; “Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt” (Matthew 18:30).
Jesus used this parable to show that unless we completely forgive others from deep within our heart, we have somehow failed to understand the forgiveness we have already received; “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” (Matthew 18:33). Any sin which others may commit against us is small when viewed in light of the many sins we have committed against God! We have been completely forgiven of sooooo much!!
During this most wonderful time of the year, let’s reflect on the awesome gift we have been given through our Savior. Then, let’s give to others as we have already received. Let’s love and give the gift of true forgiveness.

In HIS Service,
Sangha

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CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

 We have entered into the days of Christmas. We are hearing about Christmas everyday in churches, TVs, and every where.

We all know :- “ we celebrate Christmas as “ birth of Jesus Christ”. Every lay man will also say that. But as a Christian after 2012 years of the birth of savior, how we are remembering His birth ?

A few questions arises in my mind…….

(1) How are we remembering His birth

(2) Can we remember His birth as any other great people born here.

(3) What makes his birth different from all other ordinary birth.

Now let us look at His birth.

First of all.

(1) The day He has born as child – first and for most “ Glory to God was given in the highest” by the  angels and a multitude of heavenly hosts.

Luke  2  : 13,14

Birth of any great man, or prophets or religious leaders, we don’t find such praises were given. It is not mentioned in any book expect the Bible. So, His birth was the special one and had a special purpose.

(2) His birth was prophesied thousands of years ago. Old testament we find many many prophecies.

I will mention a few of them,

Prophecy of His birth in Isaiah 9:6-7

Long before Jesus was born prophet Isaiah said that “ He will called “ Prince of Peace”

So Christmas shows the coming of prince of peace to this sinful world.

We know and also Bible says, Roman 5 : 12 Sin entered this world through one man Adam and through sin entered death. But our loving heavenly father who loved us so much that, He never wanted us to die. That’s why we see John 3: 16. God loved us so much that He sent his only begotten son to die for us. So in Christmas – Jesus Christ was born to die for us. So He is also called as the Savior.

In total history no savior is born till now and no book expect Bible tells us that a savior was born to die for the sin of mankind.

We also see in Eperian 2 : 14

He himself is our peace. He came as this prince as peace and he himself in our peace.

Peace can of two types :

1. Temporary
2. Permanent

Temporary peace : Temporary peace is very short lived. We find peace after stress or quarrel through the intervene of another person or other means. It may not last long, as we may be disturbed by some other means.

Permanent peace : Permanent peace when this scripture was written it was impossible to bring peace in the world because as the different rulers were torturing people for different reasons.

So Jesus Christ exalted himself to bring the everlasting and eternal peace to the world.

So he is called “ PRINCE OF PEACE “.

In our personal life also. If we accept Christ and make him to be born in our heart, We will experience the similar kind everlasting peace. No worldly things can ever give us this kind of peace.

If we look at the world again, there is unrest every where. As a Christian its our duty to bring peace which is given by our Lord. I know its difficult to establish peace in the world. But we can bring peace around us, among our friends, and families.

As Bible says in Roman 14:19 “ Let us pursue the things which make for peace.”

Heb 12 : 14 Pursue peace with all people.

So this Christmas I have a question for all : - Did you carry the message of peace to the people who need it or at least tried to tell anybody about this GOOD NEWS that on Christmas “ THE PRINCE OF PEACE “ was born.

In HIS Service,

Sangha.

 

Return to Give Thanks

 One day when Jesus was traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem, ten men with leprosy approached Him and called out; “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” (Luke 17:13). Jesus didn’t immediately heal the lepers; rather, He gave them a simple instruction; “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14).
A leper would only present himself to a priest if he believed the leprosy was gone. The priests had the authority to declare a diseased person ceremonially clean and allow them to return home (Leviticus 14). Therefore, the lepers demonstrated great faith when they followed Jesus’ command; “And as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14). Notice that the lepers had to take action before they were healed – their action was a demonstration of their faith.
Though all ten lepers had been cleansed of their terrible disease, only one returned to give thanks; “He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him” (Luke 17:16). Jesus responded with a very convicting question.
Luke 17:17

“Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?’”
I wonder if we really understand the degree to which we have been healed and made clean; “God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression” (Ephesians 2:5). We were DEAD, and He made us alive with Christ – that’s serious healing!! Our Heavenly Father reached down in love and provided a way for complete restoration when we did not even have the ability to cry out for help; “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) – that’s serious love!!
His Hand guided us toward healing through His Son and His Hand continues to heal in countless ways on our daily walk. Every time relationships are restored, His hand has healed; when conflicts are resolved, His hand has healed; and when He lovingly welcomes us back after we have wandered from His presence, His hand has healed.
But do we return to thank Him? Or are we as the other nine lepers who go on our way and forget the One to whom we owe our very lives.

 The one leper who returned threw himself at Jesus’ feet. If we knew how deathly ill we are without Christ and how completely He has healed our soul, we would not only throw ourselves at His feet, but we would remain and refuse to ever leave. Let’s live each day in the presence of God and continually come before Him with hearts overflowing with thanksgiving and praise. Let’s remember our divine healing and ALWAYS be the one who will return to give thanks.

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Let it Die

 During the three short years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He performed many miracles and preached to crowds large and small. But the moment of greatest acceptance came the week before Jesus was crucified as He entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. A large number had gathered from all over Israel in preparation of the Passover: “They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’” (John 12:13).
Many would view this as the high point of Jesus’ ministry. He had gained a great following and the people even hailed Him as the new King of Israel. But Jesus knew this was not His Father’s will. Jesus came for a much greater purpose than to be a temporary king; He came for an eternal glory which required His death.
John 12:24
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
Jesus spoke these words in reference to His sacrifice on the cross which would occur in a few short days, but His message of death was also intended for us today. Obviously He’s not saying we should all be physically crucified, but Jesus IS saying we must experience a death; “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it” (Matthew 16:25). Paul explains this even more directly; “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Colossians 3:5).

Our earthly nature is home to all our sinful desires, but it is also the source of all the ambitions and dreams not formed by God. When we tightly hold to our dreams and are driven (or drive others) by our own ambitions, we choke what God desires to accomplish and never see the full potential of Christ – never see the abundant life God desires us to live.
We have a tendency to dream and make plans, and then spend our time and energy pursuing the dream rather than truly pursuing Christ. Our dream may even appear very Godly – we may strive for a dynamic ministry or children who love and follow God – but until we allow EVERYTHING within us to die and be replaced by the love of God, we will never experience His very best or witness His most beautiful fruit; “and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
Let’s allow the plans of Christ to reign absolutely supreme. We were created for so much more than we can imagine! Let’s cast off all sin and leave ALL we hold dear at His feet. He will raise up what He desires to use for the glory of His name, but first we must resolve to let it die.

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Entrusted With His Secret

  We have been given an incredible gift. Jesus Christ came into this world two thousand years ago to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin, and to bring us back into a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Jesus knew God’s plan of grace before the world was ever created; “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9-10).
We are a fortunate people living in a uniquely blessed time; “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (1 Peter 1:20). Through faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, we can now “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrew 4:16), knowing we have been made clean and our relationship with God has been restored.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
“So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
I’ll say it again…we are a very fortunate people. Through no effort of our own, we have been born in a time where the “secret things of God” have been revealed. We have been given the opportunity to hear the full gospel message and believe. Thank You Lord!
But God has done more than just give us this opportunity to hear and believe, He has “entrusted” us with His message of Salvation. To prove faithful to His trust, we must live in a manner which holds up the gospel message for all to see. We are saved by a grace which cost God the death of His one and only Son. This grace must be cherished and honored with a life void of all compromise and hypocrisy. An understanding of His great love ought to cause us to surrender ALL and live each day to bring Him glory and honor.
Proving faithful to His trust also means we must confidently and accurately share His message of hope with all who cross our path. We must diligently study His Word and be prepared to share His grace through our words as well as our actions.
No matter how hard life may sometimes appear, we are truly blessed. We have been given a gift which can sustain us through our most difficult circumstances, and provide an eternal home filled with praise and worship. When the world beats us down, we can be encouraged that the Creator of the Universe believes in us. He has revealed His Son and made us stewards of His message of grace. Let’s live lives worthy of the trust we have been given. Let’s prove faithful to the great honor of being entrusted with His secret.

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Clean From Within

 In the message “Rend Our Heart” we saw how God commands us to recognize our sin and tear our heart in sorrowful repentance as we cry out for His gracious and abundant forgiveness. The instant we first place our complete trust in Jesus we are born of the Spirit and released from the bondage of our sinful nature. Sin may still war within us and sometimes cause us to stumble, but it no longer has dominion and control over our lives – we have been set free!
Jesus often taught of this radical transformation in terms of our need for a clean heart.
Mark 7:20-23
“What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”
Our heart pumps life into all the other parts of our body. If our heart is made clean through the forgiveness of Jesus, the rest of our life will also become clean as His life flows through us; “First clean the inside…and then the outside also will be clean” (Matthew 23:26). But if our heart remains soiled by an unrepentant sinful nature, no amount of outside scrubbing and polishing will ever make us clean.
In the above passage, Jesus presented a list of “evils” for our self evaluation, as an outward test of inward cleanliness. Our lives may be free from the obvious stealing, murder, and adultery; but the rest of the list requires us to look a little deeper. Folly is the lack of good sense. Arrogance is an overbearing confidence. Slander is making false statements against someone. Envy is discontent due to another’s good fortune. Lewdness is indecent language or action. Deceit means to conceal the truth. Malice means to cruelly tease, and greed is excessive desire.
A transformed believer in Jesus Christ, one who is “circumcised of the heart” (Romans 2:29), should never be characterize by this type of behavior. As the Spirit of Jesus makes us into a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and begins to flow through our life, these old sins ought to slow to a trickle and eventually pass away. Though sin will never completely disappear, it no longer should define who we are.
Is the cleansing power of Jesus flowing into all areas of our life? Or are there still areas we claim as our own? If we desire to offer our lives as “living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1), then we must allow our sacrifice to be completely cleansed; we must place our heart more fully in His hands. Let’s come before our Heavenly Father and allow the transforming and absolute forgiveness of Jesus to make us clean from within.

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Patiently Trust His Timing

 God’s direction and timing is always perfect and always with a purpose – but it’s often with a purpose we may not initially see or understand. Even when we earnestly ask for direction through prayer and the study of His Word, God’s answers are usually not what we expect and are often perceived as slow in arriving. However, His direction and timing still remains, always perfect and always with a purpose.
God called Abraham to follow Him when Abraham was already seventy-five years old. But God blessed Abraham with great abundance and soon promised he would have many descendants; “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted” (Genesis 13:16).
Although this was a wonderful promise from God, it certainly did not seem possible. Not only was Abraham an old man, but his wife, Sarah, had never been able to have children and was now long past the normal child bearing years. Therefore, when Sarah failed to become pregnant – when God’s promise was apparently going to be unfulfilled – she formulated a plan to “help” God. Genesis 16:2
“The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.”
Since this was an accepted practice and seemed like a reasonable way to fulfill God’s promise, Abraham agreed. Not surprisingly, great tension soon developed between Sarah and her maidservant. This tension increased when Ishmael was born and even continues today with the unfortunate hostilities we see in the region of the Middle East. Abraham clearly heard the call and promise of God, but he became impatient with God’s timing and resorted to a worldly solution.
It was another thirteen years before God fulfilled His promise through the birth of Isaac. These were thirteen long years of waiting and wondering if God had forgotten…but God’s direction and timing is always perfect and always with a purpose. With Abraham one hundred years old and Sarah ninety, the birth of Isaac left no doubt that God was in complete control and guiding the events in Abraham’s life.
In a very real sense, we are foreigners in this place and time; “Aliens and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13). We will never understand how all the pieces fit together until we stand before the Creator of the Universe. Until then, we must continue to love and worship Him with all our heart. We must continue to seek His face and ask His guidance for every step. We must continue to follow His direction and patiently trust His timing.

 

Yours in HIS Service

Sushil B R

Rend Our Heart

 Every prophet in the Bible proclaimed a message which called the people to repentance. From Moses to John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles the message was consistent; “Repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Repentance is essential to a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father – essential to Salvation. Repentance is a condition of our heart whereby we recognize our sin and, in desperation and sorrow, turn and cry out in faith to God for help…the help of forgiveness which only comes through Jesus Christ.
Joel 2:12-13
“‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.’”
In the Old Testament times it was common for someone to tear (or rend) their clothes when they were expressing great sorrow. For example, when Jacob thought that Joseph had been killed by wild animals, he “tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days” (Genesis 37:34). When the Israelites were beaten when attacking the city of Ai, Joshua “tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord” (Joshua 7:6).
Tearing your clothes was an outward expression of sorrow. But all through Scripture, God makes it abundantly clear that He looks deep into our heart; “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13). Jesus referenced this exact passage when He confronted the hypocritical worship of the Pharisees (Matthew 15:7-9).
We must never even hint that repentance involves “right” outward behavior. We have no ability to do right in the eyes of God without receiving, by faith, His gift of Salvation and allowing His Spirit to transform us into a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Only through His power can we be set on a path of being “conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29) – only in His strength can we ever do “right.”
God has more grace to forgive than we can possibly imagine; but our loving Father expects – even demands – true repentance. He’s fully aware of the many ways we sin and fall short of His glory; but until we understand how far we have fallen and genuinely desire to change, we will never appreciate His grace in making us clean – never experience His “times of refreshing.” Let’s seek His forgiveness and walk in closer harmony with our Heavenly Father. Let’s confess our sins and, with repentant sorrow, stand before Him today and rend our heart.

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A Belief That Saves

 In the message “The Father’s Will” we saw that not all who do great things for God will enter Heaven, but “only he who does the will of My Father” (Matthew 7:21). We further saw that the Father’s will is “that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life” (John 6:40). We are given the gift of eternal life because of our belief in Jesus, not because of what we do; “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

Salvation can never be earned, it is a gift to those who believe. However, we must understand what it means to believe and what changes will occur when we believe. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (James 2:19). A saving belief is much more than just acknowledging God’s existence or even the existence of His Son – even the demons believe this!

Belief in Jesus is never simply an intellectual understanding. Belief implies a humble surrender. We will never “look to the Son” unless we first recognize our eternally lost condition due to sin; and we will never truly “believe in Him” for salvation until we accept our complete inability to save ourselves. A drowning man will never reach up for help until he first understands and accepts his need to be rescued.

 To be rescued, we must believe so completely that we abandon all other “rescuers” and cling to the only One who can truly save; “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). Giving up everything cannot save us, but true belief gives up all other sources of hope. It also reveals the trivial nature of our worldly attachments and creates an understanding that everything belongs to God. We see our life as lived for Him and desire to do ALL for His glory. James 2:14,17 

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Belief must produce a change in our life or we know it is not a true belief – it is nothing more than dead intellectual understanding! At the moment we truly believe, we are “marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13), and we become “a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Belief creates change through the work of the Holy Spirit!!

 If we lack the evidence of a changed life, we must not focus on creating the change. This type of change becomes self-righteous “filthy rags.” Rather, we must return to the cross and place ALL our trust in Jesus, truly believing He has paid the penalty for our sin and has granted us passage through the narrow gate to eternal life. As we completely turn over control to our Heavenly Father, fruit and good deeds will abound. Our life will be forever changed, but only when we begin with a belief that saves.

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The Father’s Will

 We often consider how God uses all kinds of circumstances to draw us close to His side. The purpose of being drawn close is ultimately to be transformed to the image of His Son and to have intimate fellowship with Him for all eternity. But initially, the purpose of being drawn near is so we can be introduced.
The Kingdom of Heaven is open only to those who truly believe in Jesus. We may think this to be intolerant, but if we profess to believe the Bible is true there can be no other conclusion: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Our Father is drawing us near because the narrow gate is only open to those who are known to His Son.
Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’”
Clearly, being “good” does not ensure we are known by Jesus. Neither does going to church, reading our Bible, teaching Sunday School…or even writing devotional messages! Jesus knows, and takes away the sin, of “only he who does the will of My Father.”

 Fortunately, Jesus also tells us exactly how to do His Father’s will: “For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). The will of our Heavenly Father is to truly know and be known by His Son.
All the wonderful things we do in the name of Jesus count nothing toward granting us the gift of eternal life. True believers in a risen and glorified Lord will certainly desire to turn from a life of sin and obediently serve; “anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:38). And while our obedience demonstrates that our faith is not dead (James 2:17), entrance through the gate of eternal life is based on sincere belief, not on the results of belief.

We must spread this message throughout the world and, most importantly, we must receive this message into our own heart! All our “good” will be burned up and cast aside if done without first having placed the entirety of our life in His hands. He is drawing us near because belief in Jesus is both necessary and sufficient for our Salvation. He is drawing us near and inviting us to submit to the Father’s will.

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Reconcile With One Another

Malachi served as a prophet to Israel about four hundred years before the birth of Jesus. He brought a message from God which reminded the people of His love, and rebuked them for their disrespectful worship. But through Malachi, God ended the Old Testament with a prophesy about future restoration.
Malachi 4:5-6
“I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
Just over four hundred years later, John the Baptist, “the Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14), began to preach a message of repentance. The purpose of John’s ministry was to prepare hearts for the coming of Jesus; “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Matthew 3:3). But according to Malachi, John would also cause the hearts of fathers and children to turn toward one another.
When the spiritual fellowship between man and God was broken, a basic void was formed in man’s heart which led to a breakdown in his earthly relationships. The moment we lost the ability to walk in perfect harmony with God, we also became filled with self-importance and pride, and lost the ability to truly love one another; “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have {true} fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7). Walking close to God, through faith in Jesus, allows us to walk close with others; “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
God created us to be in fellowship with other people – even imperfect, hard to love people. Our quiet and peaceful times of study and prayer are essential for our Christian walk, but some of God’s most important truths can only be learned as we stumble through difficult situations with others. Only there can we learn the difficulty of true grace and forgiveness; only there can some of our own deep sin (like pride, jealousy, and anger) be revealed.
Many relationships are filled with past pain – particularly the relationships between husband and wife, and parent and child – but God’s Word still stands as truth. He has provided the path to restoration; a path which begins with repentance, requires the cleansing of sinful pride, and leads to true love and forgiveness.
Who do we need to reconcile with today? Full restoration requires the cooperation of both parties; but as a child of God, we can now cross the desert and begin to mend what is broken. Jesus died as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins in order that we may be reconciled with our Heavenly Father. He crossed ALL the way and completely mended our shattered heart! Let’s walk in the light of His love and take the necessary steps to cross over and humbly reconcile with one another.

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The Practice Of Prayer

 INTRODUCTION

1. In our previous lesson, we discussed Principles Of Prayer, such as:
   a. Characteristics of acceptable prayer
   b. Obstacles to prayer
   c. Answers to prayer

2. With a desire to encourage disciples of Jesus to more diligent
   praying, this lesson will offer suggestions as to The Practice Of
   Prayer...

I. WHEN SHOULD WE PRAY?

A. HAVING "SET TIMES" TO PRAY CAN HELP TO CREATE THE HABIT OF
   PRAYING...
1. For example, consider the practice of:
   a. David, whom God described as "a man after My own heart"
      - Ps 55:17
   b. Daniel, whom the angel of God described as "O man greatly
      beloved" - Dan 6:10
2. These great men of God made it a habit to pray at set times
   throughout the day; we would do well to imitate their example
3. At the very least...
   a. Find some time each day to be alone with God in prayer
      1) Early morning may be best for some
      2) Others might find it easier to be alone late at night
   b. Make it a special time to be alone with your Heavenly
      Father!

B. YET PRAYERS SHOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO "SET TIMES"...
 1. Special needs call for special times of praying
 2. Consider the examples of:
    a. Jesus, praying on important occasions - Lk 6:12-13
    b. Paul, praying in trying circumstances - Ac 16:25
    c. Nehemiah - praying on the spur of the moment - Neh 2:4-5

C. THE GOAL IS TO "PRAY WITHOUT CEASING" - 1Th 5:17
 1. Having "set times" will help develop the experience in praying
 2. Praying "spontaneously" as needs arise will develop the
    disposition to pray in every circumstance (i.e., "without
    ceasing")

II. WITH WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?

A. JESUS EXHORTED US TO PRAY "IN SECRET" - Mt 6:5-6
 1. Private prayer should occupy the largest portion of our total
    life of prayer
 2. Consider the value of "secret prayer":
   a. It forms a close union, communion and fellowship with God
     (it is just you and Him!)
   b. It is a true test of your sincerity and devotion
      1) You certainly are not doing it to please men (they can't
         see you)
      2) You can't be trying to falsely impress God (He will see
         right through you)
   c. Your Father will reward you "openly" - Mt 6:6
      -- Therefore, "private prayer" should be a priority!

 B. JESUS ALSO SPOKE OF PRAYING WITH "TWO OR THREE" - Mt 18:19-20
   1. The early Christians prayed together often...
      a. In times of trouble - Ac 4:23-24; 12:5,12; 16:25
      b. In times of departure - Ac 20:36; 21:5
   2. A sweetness of fellowship and sense of strength comes when
      God's people pray together
      -- Therefore, "praying with others" should be done as often as
         possible

III. HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?

A. JESUS TAUGHT HOW TO PRAY - Lk 11:1-4
 1. The "Lord's Prayer", as it is commonly called, is a model, a
    guide for learning how to pray
 2. A careful examination of this prayer reveals that proper prayer
    includes:
    a. To "whom" we should pray ("Our Father in heaven")
    b. Praising God ("Hallowed be Your Name")
    c. Supplication
     1) For God's purposes ("Your kingdom come.  Your will be
        done...")
     2) For our physical needs ("Give us this day our daily
        bread")
     3) For our spiritual needs ("Forgive us our sins...")
     4) For spiritual needs of others ("For we also forgive
        everyone who is indebted to us")
  3. He also stressed the importance of simplicity in our prayers
     - Mt 6:7-8

   B. A HELPFUL ACROSTIC IN LEARNING TO PRAY IS "A-C-T-S" 

1. A = ADORATION
   a. I.e., praising God
   b. A good example of this is found in 1Ch 29:10-13
   c. Spending time in sincere praise of God's greatness will help
      put us in the proper spirit of humility
2. C = CONFESSION
   a. I.e., acknowledging our sins before God
   b. When we understand how sin can break the fellowship we have
      with God, we naturally desire its quick remission
   c. Fortunately, as Christians we can be cleansed by the blood
      of Jesus as we confess our sins - 1Jn 1:9
 3. T = THANKSGIVING
    a. An important part of prayer, even those in which we are
       making requests - Php 4:6
    b. The benefits of giving thanks are many:
       1) Causes us to acknowledge God's existence, love, and care
       2) Reminds us of His goodness
       3) Helps to shift our focus from what we don't have to what
          we do have
    c. The kind of things to be thankful for:
       1) Things we can see in our lives...
          a) Health
          b) Family and friends
          c) God's guidance, answers to previous prayers
       2) Things we may not be able to see...
          a) Our adoption as His children
          b) The forgiveness of sins
          c) The hope of eternal life
          d) The assurance of His continued presence
     d. God's people have every reason to be thankful, and to be
        known for "abounding in thanksgiving" - Col 1:12; 2:7; 3:15;
 4. S = SUPPLICATION
    a. I.e., making requests of God - Php 4:6
    b. If we are faithful in including the first three (adoration,
       confession, thanksgiving), this last will prevent prayer
       from being simply a spiritual "shopping list"
    c. When we broaden our requests to include others, we enter
       into one of the most noble realms of prayer:  intercession
       1) Something which God wants us to do - 1Ti 2:1
       2) Examples of whom we can pray for are given in the next
               section... 

IV. FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?

   A. IN THE SCRIPTURES, GOD INDICATES THAT HE WISHES US TO PRAY FOR:
      1. Self
         a. For physical daily needs - Mt 6:11
         b. For personal growth in Christlikeness and devotion to God
            - Col 1:9-12
      2. Family
         a. For spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc.
         b. For their nurture and growth in the teaching of the Lord
            - Ep 6:4
      3. Community
         a. For peace to prevail
         b. E.g., Jer 29:7
      4. Church
         a. For love and unity to prevail - Jn 13:35; 17:20-21
         b. For the spiritual growth of each member - Php 1:9-11
         c. For the gospel to have free course - 2Th 3:1
      5. Nation
         a. For national repentance and consciousness of who God is
            - Psa 33:12; Pr 14:34
         b. For leaders to rule wisely - 1Ti 2:2
      6. Nonbelievers
         a. For their salvation - Ro 10:1
         b. For the effort of those involved in teaching them - Ep6:18-20
      7. The sick
         a. For their restoration to health - Jm 5:14-15
         b. For spiritual strength and peace of mind - Jm 5:16
      8. The poor and oppressed
         a. Such as the homeless, fatherless, unborn children - Pr 29:7
         b. Those in other nations oppressed by their own rulers or
            outside influences

   B. IT MIGHT HELP TO HAVE A "PRAYER STRATEGY"...
      1. On Monday - Family
         a. Pray for both immediate and extended family members
         b. For both their physical and spiritual well-being
      2. On Tuesday - Church
         a. For members in the local congregation
         b. For Christians and congregations throughout the world
      3. On Wednesday - Community
         a. For community leaders
         b. For your neighbors
      4. On Thursday - Nation
         a. For elected officials
         b. For efforts to bring peace and righteousness
      5. On Friday - World
         a. For world peace
         b. For nations that are "closed" to the gospel
      6. On Saturday - Afflicted
         a. For the poor, homeless, jobless
         b. For those in prison
         c. For those who are sick
         d. For widows, single mothers, fatherless children

CONCLUSION

1. These are simply suggestions, to help us see that there is much we
   can be praying for; other suggestions could include:
   a. A "daily prayer strategy" (morning-family; noon-church;
      evening-community)
   b. When praying for the nation and the world, pray about the events
      described in the newspaper
   c. Keeping a "list" or "journal" of those for whom you are praying

2. The important thing is to PRAY, and to do so:
   a. "always"
   b. "in everything"
   c. "earnestly"
   d. "being vigilant"
   e. "without ceasing"

3. I hope these last two lessons will encourage us to be more 

   diligent in utilizing this wonderful privilege of prayer 
 
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