False display

[Rev. Mathew K Muthalaly]

Mark 11:11-18 (and Luke)

Some of the doubts that crop up when you read this passage are

1. Jesus is a loving God, blessing God. Such a God cursed. How was this possible?
2. It wasn’t a season for figs. This being the case, why did God have a problem with this? Isn’t this equivalent to punishing an innocent person?
   

1. v11-14 – The instance of Jesus and the fig tree.
2. v15-18 – Jesus driving traders out of the temple.
3. v20 onwards – You see that the fig tree was dried up. This reminded Peter of Jesus’ curse. Jesus replied, “Have faith in God”.

The first two instances show Jesus’ anger. All 3 instances seem completely disconnected. If we were to try moving a mountain, we do it because we thing Jesus said yes. But there is a doubt in actually it happening. Even a tiny bit of doubt can result in no results.

A fig tree full of leaves is an indication of it having fruit. If it doesn’t have fruit, it won’t have leaves. Mark says, “He was hungry”. This shows the human side of the Lord. He was fully divine and He was fully human. He was just like us, except that He was sinless.
In His hunger, Jesus saw the leaves on the fig tree and came close to eat something. The problem here was not that the fig tree was fruitless. The problem was with the pretention of having fruit.

God’s wish for us is to be fruitful. Everyone might appear good. God expects us to actually be good too. We pretend to be good and God doesn’t approve of this. Not being good is not God’s problem. It’s being bad and pretending to be good, that is, hypocrisy that God has a problem with. He expects total submission, not a false display.

Being useless causes only destruction. We are co-creators of God. You are the salt of the world. You are the light of the world. You are called to be of use to the world. God has called us to be useful to the world. Someone who does no good or no harm, is not the best of the people.

God reacted to the use of His temple as a trading place. So it means you need to react when you should. You shouldn’t keep quiet when you should actually be speaking up.

Example of faith – A mountaineer was lost and separated from his group, on a slow clad mountain. It was nightfall and he was yet to find his way back. In the darkness, he lost his footing and slipped down a gorge. But he hung on because of his harness. Hanging by his harness, he prayed to God asking to be saved. Then out of the darkness, he heard a voice asking him to cut the harness rope. He cursed God for not taking care of him and being so inconsiderate, because He asked him to cut the only reason why he was alive. The rescue team found him in the morning. He was found dead hanging 2 feet from the land surface.

We are born with a reason. It is God’s desire for us to fulfil this reason. Don’t be a useless person and spoil the reason for your birth in this world.

The feast of the kingdom of God

[Rev. Thomas George]

John 6:32-40

v35 – I am the bread that gives life.

Jesus’ teachings were based on things that were known to the people. This made it easy for them to understand His teachings. The people were very well versed with Manna. Hence Jesus equates Himself to this manna.

Manna was given to the Israelites. Anything collected in excess rotted. Jesus calls Himself the manna after He fed 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. People started coming to Jesus for food. Then Jesus sends the disciples to the other side of the shore. The boat was stuck in the storm, and there walks in Jesus on the water. He calmed the waters and comforts the disciples. These two incidents brought more people to Jesus.

Each church has its own understanding of the Holy Communion. Some churches don’t allow non-members to partake in the Holy Communion. This is the feast of the kingdom of God. The celebrant is the God. The priest is only serving it to us. We eat at a hotel not based on the servers there, but based on the food. So don’t hold the priest against taking the Holy Communion.

This is a blessed experience and we are all invited to partake in it by Jesus. We need to come in prepared for this.

The priest washes his hands to remember that he is a sinner too. God has given us sinners, right to be part of His kingdom’s feast.

1. The people were not satisfied with things Jesus did. So they said, it’s not enough and spoke of the manna their forefathers got in the desert. Jesus called Himself the manna in retaliation to this claim.
v30 – What miracle will you work? We are called the reformed church. But years back this reformation took place. Do we have an experience of this reformation? Has the reformation been a present experience, an ongoing experience?
Jesus was crucified years ago. The Holy Communion is relieving this experience. Don’t take pride in what was there before. Make the past experience into an ongoing one.

v32 – “God gave manna. It was not Moses. My father is the one who gives you the true bread” – this is a present experience.


2. The Holy Communion is a rich experience. Each one of us has to come prepared for this experience. A qualitative improvement is the need of the Holy Communion. The people ask, “God give this bread always”. By this, they mean, it is not our mistake. But it has not been given to us. The communion is an investment to eternal life. Someone who partakes this shall not die, but have eternal life. It prepares us for the feast in the kingdom of God.

Do not worry

Mathew 6:25-34
[Rev. Mathew K Muthalaly]

The idea conveyed is not to bother about tomorrow. There is more to this passage.

A man is carrying a bag of burden. He is stooping because of the weight. An angel appeared to him and asked what it was. He said, “You won’t understand.” On more prompting from the angel, he said, “It contains all my worries and apprehension.” The angel made him open the bag, but found it empty. The angel said, “Yesterday’s worries are long over. The worries of tomorrow are yet to come. Why are you carrying them around today, for no reason?”

Your life is bigger than the food, water or clothes you worry about. God gave us this life. He will also give things needed to live.

v33 – search for the Lord first, and rest will follow.

You were not born with the right to choose your parents. You were gifted as a child to your parents. We are here according to God’s plan. It’s not a matter of co-incidence.

1. God gave us life. If we believe this, then He will provide for us too.
2. To believe the above principle, you have an example – the birds that don’t earn or store or grow grains. God takes care of them. Some people say, “Eat, drink and enjoy today”. This is wrong. The birds don’t sit in their nest and God doesn’t drop food in their laps. But they rise early and work for their food. God doesn’t expect us to laze around. He wants us to work hard. We need to remember that even feeding a small bird falls within His concern. So how much more is His concern for you?
   What is prohibited? It is not work, it is worry. We should work and not worry. Worrying about tomorrow is not needed.
3. You don’t achieve anything by worrying, Children are worried about exams. Parents are worried about the children’s future. Similarly, people are worried about everything. The ultimate gain of worrying is nothing. The rich are worried for their lives. There is no use of all the wealth he has. Philippians 4:6 – Don’t worry about anything. Place your needs to God.
4. God who makes beautiful a flower that lives for a day, doesn’t He care more for you?
5. The root of anxiety is nothing by unbelief. When you believe God can help you, you will not worry.
6. What is the way to remove anxiety?
1. Understanding God’s kingdom – It is no big deal to live in this world for the poor. But we store everything and worry about tomorrow.
   - We have something to lose and so we are worried.
   - We have money, so worry about losing it.
   - We have a house, so we worry about it being destroyed.
   “I want to do things better than my neighbour” – this is the root of all anxiety.
   
   If God’s kingdom is God being king, then you need to understand that God is capable of taking from the rich and give it to the poor.
   
   Once you start thinking of this, you’ll stop worrying because you realise all are equal. Some people are relieved that God’s kingdom is not here, because they are not going to carry anything there.
   
   
2. Give importance to God – If you seek His kingdom, and give Him first priority, all your basic needs will be given unto you. It doesn’t mean you will get all that you dream of. God will give you all your needs, not your wants.

Where does your compassion lie?

Mathew 25:44-45 & 1 John 3:17
[Rev. Thomas George]

Our salvation is not decided on by the amount of donations we make, or the position we are in. It depends on our compassion for the less privileged. Be accountable. We need to present our accounts to the Lord.

1. Are you able to see the Lord, when you leave the church? – Do I want to become what the Lord wants of me, from what I am doing today? Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep and the goats are treated differently by us. Similarly, based on our acts, God will choose to treat us differently.


2. Are you able to see the Lord in others? – Mother Teresa saw the plight of the poor and diseased. She saw them as her own and spent her life for them. Do we give away only things that we have no need of? We should give from our abundance, not with our leftovers. When you are able to set aside your happiness for the joy of others, you will do something beautiful for God.


3. Are you prepared for your final journey? – If you’ve done nothing, then you have been a fool. We are losing a lot of people because of globalisation. We need to extend our hands to these people.

Repent. Be vigilant. Be accountable.

Romans 10:9

Mouth is not the only means of communication, in modern world. But if you say, “Jesus is Lord” from your mouth, you will be saved.

Jesus is the one person who has risen from the dead. Confessing by your mouth is very important. But to confess, you should believe in the resurrection.

When you believe it in your heart, He becomes your priority. You don’t need to prioritize things. God will show you your priorities.

Give to God, and He will give back to you 100 fold (???)

Luke 14:12-14

Common notion is “If you give to God, He will give back 100 fold”.

This is not what the Bible teaches. If we give with this idea in our mind, it is not a spiritual giving.

Jesus gave His life for us. He didn’t expect anything in return. He in turn got the cross instead.

Give without expecting!!!

World Sunday School Day - 05-Nov-2006

Luke 2:41 – 52

Children were required to be taken to Jerusalem when they turned a certain age. Jesus was 12 when he went. He had reached youth hood and He knew well enough to talk to the elders about God.

Parents didn’t realize their son is missing. Does this prove them to be irresponsible? No, they went as a huge group of relatives. So they trusted the group to have taken care of their child.

They went with Jesus, but came back without him. We should remember to make sure that Jesus is with us at all times.

Quotes captured from sermons.

• Ego – Edging God Out
• Distance is the greatest source of distortion.
• Faith is a journey beyond the boundary of visible.
• Splendid insights are born when we cross boundaries.
• Revelation is God understanding man (God understand man and so reveals himself).
• We have to become the change we want to see in others.
• Clarity is next to godliness.
• Christians go to the havens to convert them, but they get perverted in the process. - George Bernard Shaw.
• Whatever you deny, will eventually overtake you.
• Don’t try to change a man over 40. – CS Lewis
• Earlier children thought of parents as a tree that gives shade. Now they consider them as ladders to climb up on.
• Unless a grain of wheat falls down and dies, it remains alone.
• Child is the father of man. – Wordsworth
• We receive the body of Christ to become the body of Christ.
• Life is a laptop but some people are using it as a paper weight.
• Love is the light in which worth is seen.
• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. – Psalms
• Sometimes when opportunity knocks, we mistake it for noise.
• We grow old only when we forget our sense of mission.
• Church is the only organization which exists for its non-members.
• Evangelism – a compulsion from within and compassion from without.
• “STRESSED” when read backwards becomes “DESSERTS”.
• When wings to enable us soar high is arranged for you, are you just asking Him for a walking stick?
• God can use crooked things to write a straight line.
• Before cutting any string, make sure it's not one that's holding you up.
• Courage is not the absence of fear — it is the mastery of it.
• If you sense your faith is unraveling, go back to where you dropped the thread of obedience.
• The Lamb who died to save us is the Shepherd who lives to lead us.
• Just believing isn't enough. Remember the devil believes in God too!!
  
• When times are hard and you can not see the light, remember what He said. Walk by faith, not by sight.
  
• Christians aren't perfect; we're forgiven.
  
• Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.
  
• Faith is not belief. Belief is passive. Faith is active.
  
• Unthinking faith is a curious offering to be made to the creator of the human mind.
  
• Without faith a man can do nothing; with it all things are possible.
• No matter how steep the mountain - the Lord is going to climb it with you.
• God is the light that shows me the way, for there is nothing that God cannot do.
• "If you Believe, it will Happen."
• Prayer releases the power and wisdom of God into a situation.
  
• The Lord will either calm your storm . . . or allow it to rage while He calms you.
• When God calls you to do something, he enables you to do it.
  
• My job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible.
• No God, No Peace. Know God, Know Peace.
• If the only prayer you ever say in life is "Thank you". . . that is enough.
  
• We are at peace with God and all mankind when we hear the silence and do not feel alone.
• "How do u get to heaven?" "When u turn right, and keep straight."
  
  
  

Glorification of Christ

[Rev. Mathew K Muthalaly]

John 20:11-18

Some points to note that can be seen only in John’s gospel are

1. Mary crying at His tomb.
2. The 2 angels at his hand and feet.

Jesus is a good leader. He calls everyone by name.

Mary doesn’t recognise Jesus and asks for His body. It is not explicitly mentioned as to why she asks for the body. But here is some background. The Jews followed some funeral rites to the body of the dead. But since the day following Jesus’ death was the Sabbath, Mary must’ve come to His tomb to perform these rites following the day of the Sabbath. Jesus doesn’t answer her question, but calls out her name. She recognises His as her teacher. This is just as John 10:14 says, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”

The glorification of Jesus Christ is exemplified by John.

In John 2, at the wedding at Cana, He says, “My time hasn’t come”. The time mentioned here is the time for his glorification. Many people put their faith in Him. It was not a general applauding of His work.

His glorification was in

1. Death
2. Resurrection
3. Ascension

Mary clung to Jesus Christ. This is because of her love for him. Even 3 days after his death, she was crying at His tomb. When Jesus says, “Don’t cling unto me”, He means His glorification is not complete. He is yet to ascend into His father’s home.

1. His ascension ensures His second coming - In John 14, (v1-3) keep your trust in the Lord. I’ll go to my father’s house and prepare the rooms there. I will come back.
2. The place for women in Jesus’ life – Our society is male dominated. We think he had only 12 disciples and all were men. But the bible does mention women among his disciples. There is no restriction to men alone in St. John’s gospel. The first person to see the resurrected God was a woman. Peter saw the empty tomb and went back.
1. Mary was the first person to witness resurrected God.
2. She was the first person to spread the good news of the resurrected God.
3. The grace of resurrection – She continues to weep. She turns around on hearing her name. Once she recognises Jesus, there were no more tears. She finds the Lord and all her sadness and sorrow has left her. When you meet Jesus, you’ll cease to be unhappy. You’ll start finding the joy in your lives. This is the grace of our Lord. He will speak to you in your sorrow. He will give us the hope.
   

John 16:20-22, Jesus says “You’ll cry. The world will rejoice. Your sorrow will cease and you’ll find happiness”. Jesus analogies this feeling to a woman’s labour pains. The labour pain of a woman is huge. But on seeing her baby, she forgets all her pain. Similarly, we will forget all our worries when we experience the joy when we meet Him face to face.

John 14:18-20 says, “I’ll not leave you alone...” There is another life at the end of this life. Because He lives, we will also live. This is the promise given to us. We are not living because of our capabilities. We live because He lived.

John 17 is called the high priestly prayer of Jesus Christ.

Message for Leaders

[Susan chechi]

1. A leader is a person in authority appointed by God – Romans 13:1.
2. A leader has a covenant with the Lord – Nehemiah 10 (speaks of the Sabbath and laws).
3. A leader must’ve a wise and understanding heart – 1 Kings 3.
4. Prayer is a powerful tool in leadership.
5. When you are a leader, you are accountable to God – 1 Peter 5:2-4

Some of the other leaders are Moses, Abraham and Daniel. They stuck with God always.

Hold onto these points while going forward.

1. The foundation is Jesus Christ.
2. Be one. Do not be divided.
3. Glory is the Lord’s alone.
4. We are builders of the wise master.

Church and community

[Rev. John Geevarghese (Bency achen)]

Luke 6:27-36

This talks about what is expected of us. Bible is the answer to all questions. It can be used as the positive or negative answer to all your questions.

What credit is it to you if you behave just like the sinner? If you love someone just because they love you, then you are just like the world. You should be able to love someone who hates you. Can you give the other cheek to someone who strikes you?

Leadership training

[Mr. C D Mathew]

People face a lot of pressures.

1. Organisational pressures
1. Peers, sub-ordinates and superiors
2. Managerial ladder
2. External pressure
1. People, politicians and other influential people.
   

Nehemiah is one of the great leaders mentioned in the bible.

- He was aggrieved when he saw the state of the walls of Jerusalem.
- He consulted with God when he was confronted by the king.
- He prayed to God in each of his plans.
- He prepared to fight against anyone who prevented them from building the wall.
- He was accused of trying to build a kingdom and to threaten their king.
- He stuck with God and completed his mission.
- He was a governor but didn’t expect special treatment because of that.

All these qualities of his were got from his basic commitment to God.

A leader is one who is compassionate – Nehemiah took care of all the complaints that came from widows and poor people about being ill-treated by the Jewish officials.

His absence from Jerusalem caused his people to move away from God. When Nehemiah came back and found out the reason for the problem.

Can you stand the test of time? Do you have the courage to say NO when you are pressurised to compromise? It is not enough you do the right thing. But you need to sustain it.

What gives you the courage to stand for the truth? How do you stand the pressure from within and outside? Go through the character of Nehemiah.

You will be a success with your ideal, but are you ready to stand the test of time?

You may not be liked by all for your standing, but are you ready to sustain?

Nehemiah’s 5 problems and approaches

1. Balancing practical planning with trust in God.
1. What should I ask for to the king?
2. He took letters to people who he expected trouble from.
2. Undesired criticism
1. Can you stand when you are criticised bitterly?
3. Resolving personality conflicts and strained human relationships.
4. Financial crunch.
5. Take care of executive burnout.
   

Nehemiah was a servant leader – Without commitment and devotion, you cannot lead.

Jesus came down to serve us. Only if you make yourself low, you can serve others. The best way to influence others is by serving them, instead of bossing people around. You should be ready to sacrifice everything to the commitment.

Nehemiah was a leader who was a perfect example of how a leader should be.

Leadership training

[Mr. Binod Maliel]

Experience is mistakes you are not going to repeat.

Ephesians 2:8,9

- Good work alone is not taking you anywhere
- Salvation is God’s gift for us.

Parable of the talents teaches us that the reward in heaven is based on the work done on earth. Everything we do is going to be refined by the testing fire of God. Only the good work that lasts this fire is going to be the basis for our rewards in heaven.

There are different types of leaderships

- Visible leaders
- Invisible leaders

God has chosen a path for each of us. No matter what path is decided of you, there are some common set of challenges that you will face as leaders

1. Motivation
2. Handling different situations
3. Thinking ahead
4. Keeping people together
5. People skills
6. Positive attitude
7. Open to ideas

Some of the words that can be used to define a leader are “Initiator and finisher”, “responsibilities” and “achiever”.

Philippians 4:13 – Christ strengthens you to be able to do all things. God uses “FAT” people – Faithful, Available and Talented.
All in all, leadership is an influence. Nothing more and nothing less!!

Leaders should

• Be able to evaluate ideas, not people.
• Influence people and should be ready to be influenced by others.
• Be self motivated.
• Be able to influence results. They should be activity oriented, not result oriented.
  

Level 5 leaders is the name given to the leaders of 11 companies with sustained results of 3 times above average, for 15 years. Two of the qualities of these level 5 leaders are

1. Humility
2. Willing to take tough decisions for positive results.
   

Leaders need to be windows when good things happen and mirrors to failures. Dissatisfaction is good as long as it is managed well. It brings out new ideas.

There are two types of handling people.

1. Directing behavior
2. Supporting behaviour
   

People usually belong to one of the following 4 quadrants. A leader needs to cater to the support and direct a person according to the quadrant they belong to.

The Cross – A suffering?

[Rev. Sajan Varghese]

The chieftain who had no belief in God, said “He was the son of God”, when he saw the events on Friday. If we are able to say the same thing after being part of the service, then there is use of being a part of this service.

Cross – It isn’t seasonal. It is a daily affair. It’s like the food and air for a human being. It is the spiritual necessity for a Christian.

Cross is the key to a Christian life. If you don’t have a key, you can’t enter through a locked door.

What is cross? - It means suffering. This is the common notion. But it is not mentioned anywhere in the bible.

A mentally retarded child might seem to be a suffering for his parents. But for his parents, it is a joyful experience. To see the Cross as a suffering is to see the wrong side of it. Cross is the happiness in life. Not having a child is not suffering. It is the way you look at it. There are no problems in your life if you don’t have a child. You can say having a child is suffering because of the care needed for its upbringing.

For a moment, Jesus saw the Cross as a suffering. That is why he says, “Take this suffering from me.” This is the human concept of the Cross.

But God says, “If my son doesn’t die on the cross, then all the humans made in my image will die”. Jesus realizes His Father’s view when He says, “Not my will, but Yours be done”.

Where is Cross? - It is not in the most holy places.

1. Jesus’ cross was outside the city. It was between two thieves, i.e., among the world, not in the church.
2. People gambled in front of the cross. If you want to see the cross, you can’t turn away from the world.
3. People who passed by Him, shook their head. This means He was crucified next to a road. The road is outside and not in the church.
4. Jesus was betrayed by a kiss of a loved one. He said, “If you come in search of me, leave the others alone”. This is the love of forgetting.
5. If you’ve the vision of the cross, you should be capable to forget and love. Even in the midst of His pain, Jesus said, “Woman, here is your son. John here is your mother”.
   

A person, who is ready to forgive and care for others in His pain, is our God. It is not all about forgetting; it is about forgiving. Only those who can forget can forgive.

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing”. Are we capable of saying this?

Cross is the love of forgiveness, the love of forgetting and the love of reconciliation.

What is Good Friday?

[Baby John]

Isaiah 52:9-10

God spoke through the prophets about the savior who is to come and rescue us. After the floods, God promised Noah, there won’t be any more floods or any other disaster that will wipe out the entire world.

Luke 1 – The angel says, “The savior for all people.” Jesus didn’t come down for only a select few. He came for all of us.

Isaiah 53:3-5 – speaks of the suffering Jesus is to endure in His time here.

The rescue in our lives is only through Jesus, There is no other way.

Matthew 16:21 - Jesus knew He is going to be crucified months ahead of it actually happening.

Matthew 20:20-28 – Mother of James and John requested Jesus to let one of her sons sit at His left and right. Jesus replies saying, “Are they ready to bear the pains He went through?” Are we ready to be crucified like Him?

This is the question God has for us. We are today only bothered about being with Him during His second coming. But we don’t realize that this is possible only if we suffer for Him.

“Luke 9:23 – You must take your cross each day and follow me.” Are we ready to follow God every day? Are we ready to bear the cross every day?

2 Timothy 3:12 – Anyone who wants to live with Jesus will have troubles from others.

Matthew 10 – We may feel like going away from God when we face troubles. The one who stays with God even in all his troubles is the one who will meet Him during His second coming.

Galatians 2:19-20 – Death is only to the body. If you are with Christ, you will live eternally with Him.

Matthew 16:26 – What have you gained, if you’ve destroyed yourself?

John 15:13 – The greatest thing is to die for a friend.

John 13:1-6 – Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. He made Himself low. We need to be low if we want to grow.

John 14:28 – Good Friday is not a day of bereavement. It is a day of joy because Jesus is going back to His father.

How do we identify the King?

[Rev. Paul Jacob]

Mathew 21:1-11

Martin Luther King fought for the rights of the blacks in Americas. He spoke about his dream for freedom in the Lincoln Memorial. People were all ears to hear their leader. 2000 years ago, people of Jerusalem got together to receive another King. The spread their clothes on the road, waved the branches to receive the King. This gathering was not put together in a jiffy. It was planned ages ago by our God. It marked the beginning of the last days of Jesus on this earth.

The whole town got together to say “Please save us”. Though they got together to welcome Him, there was a question, “Who is He?” This man was a King in all respects. He is the one who taught every one to love, without any expectations. Kingdom of God is very different from all that we see here.

He fed 5000 people with 5 loves and 2 fishes. After this, the people wanted to make Him King. The basic necessity of life is food. When Jesus satisfied this need, they decided to make Him King. Zechariah 9:9 talks about the King. But Jesus was called King only during his last days.

a. John 19:1-2 – A taunt of King by the soldiers.
b. Mathew 27:11 – Pilate asks him, are you the King of Jews?

The kings of this world are ready to kill for a piece of land. But when the king came to the earth, He didn’t have place to be even born. He didn’t own anything. He had to be buried in another’s tomb. When He forgives the woman people wanted to stone, He was showing her the way. He showed Zachhaeus the way by showing right from wrong. He cured the sick who followed Him. He didn’t make any one in debt for the things He did for them.

God didn’t use a horse because the slowest walk of a horse still can’t be with the pace of the people. Then why not a camel? Because it is too high and he may not hear the people. So the best thing is the donkey, It walks at the pace of even the slowest man. Jesus also walks with all, even the slowest of all of us. He doesn’t desert us.

How do we identify the King and His kingdom? The people who recognized Him are

1. The 3 kings who followed the star, and saw a King in the infant. We may have knowledge but do we have the insight? Insight comes only with the Lord.
2. The children who sang Hosanna when He came to town. Only when you have the innocence of a child, can you recognise Him.
3. The thief who was crucified with Him. He had a deep transformation in the last days of His life.
   

If you have to recognize the kingdom, you need to be learned or have innocence or undergo a complete transformation.

Called by God – called, commissioned and empowered

Who is the person who has called us? Who is a called person?
God has called us; and He has called each one of us.

There was a crowd following Jesus always. This doesn’t necessarily mean they all believed in Him. Some might have come for the stories He said. Some for the food served and some for the healing He did. But Jesus made it clear what it means to follow Him.

Mark 8:34

Jesus called the crowd to Him along with the disciples. He gives them an agenda to follow Him. The world is looking for only the best exterior. But God says any one who is willing can follow Him, provided they have the heart to follow Him. Out of the 12, 1 was a betrayer and the rest were traitors in some way or the other. But God used them to build His kingdom here. They seemed most disqualified, but with Jesus they turned into the most qualified ones.

With God, it is not your ability, but your availability which matters. Any one who has a heart and is willing is CALLED.

Jesus said, if you want to follow me, you should deny yourself. What is denying yourself? Saying no to worldly things; being ready to say yes to be at the end of the queue.

Galatians 2:20

Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Love the Lord your God with all your heart (emotionally), with all your soul (psychologically), with all your strength (physically) and with all your might (completely). God is very clear of what He needs from us. He wants us to love Him. He is desperate for love. If someone writes an “I LOVE YOU” for you in blood, you get all touchy about that person. But we don’t see the blood Jesus has shed for us.

Jesus didn’t say take up my cross. He said take up your own cross. He means we need to be ready to face hardships in His name. Cross is a symbol of pain and suffering. There is no such thing as a secret believer or a secret Christian. If God has empowered you, how can you let it be a secret? The current day Gurus are promising you a lie with all comforts and benefits. Bur our Guru told us the truth of suffering and pain in our lives. Life is not temporal, it is eternal.

A person who has the right priorities in life is the CALLED one. Are we going to be ok with losing a necklace and not losing the velvet cover? NO!! Then why are we not bothered about losing our souls? If any one is ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us.

Nehemiah’s concern

[Rev. Philip]

Nehemiah 2:8

When Nehemiah heard about the state of the temple of Jerusalem, he wept out. He was so concerned about others. This is the reason he asked and enquired about others and cried out when he heard of this state.

If you hide your sins, it will grow and will become visible one day. You should confess your sins.

Nehemiah could’ve shut his eyes and ignored the state of Jerusalem, because he was away from Jerusalem and wouldn’t be able to do it. But he decided to act.

After the sermon on the mount, Jesus didn’t want to send them back empty stomach.. The 5 loaves and 2 fishes were enough to satisfy all their needs.

When wings to enable us soar high is arranged for you, are you just asking Him for a walking stick? This is the truth in our lives. God has kept a lot ready for us and we ask Him for petty things.

Nehemiah believed that God was with him. God is with each of us, but do we realize this? When he had finished inspecting the walls, some people came to threaten him. When you start God’s work, there will be a lot of obstacles. This is true in our lives. Satan is running around like a hungry lion, waiting to eat the hapless.

A kite builds its nest right on top of a big tree. Once the chicks are ready to fly, the mother removes twigs from the nest. When the chicks fall and don’t fly till they reach the ground, the mother takes them back.

A man on top of a 5-storey building wanted some things from the ground floor. He tried calling out to people walking on the street to help him, but they couldn’t hear him. He had 2 coins, so he decided to use them to get attention. He threw the first coin; a man walking below found it and pocketed it without looking up. The same thing happened with the next coin too. Then he learnt a lesson. He threw a stone on the next man; and he looked up. Similarly, hardships in our lives are for us to look up to our God. We don’t tend to see Him when He gives us only blessings.

When you know a person personally, you will read a book written by him with full interest. Similarly, only when we have fellowship with our God, we will read the Bible properly.

A mother goes to the person who saved her son’s life and says “Why didn’t you save his cap too?” This is how we react to God too. He gave His son to rescue us and we ask Him why he didn’t give us the luxury we want.

A fish seller wanted a board saying “Fresh fish sold here”. The painter said,

• Why do you need “Fresh”? Will some one buy stale fish?
• Why do you need “here”? Where else will they buy?
• Why do you need “sold”? Will you give it for free?
• Why do you need “fish”? From one mile away, every one will get to know that fish are sold here.

Similarly, as Christians, we shouldn’t need boards to declare ourselves. Our lives should be living boards for people around us.

Season of Lent

[Rev. Thomas Kurien]

Isaiah 58:5-8

Lent means “Looking into Jesus”. The season of Lent is 50 days long to indicate the 40 days Jesus spent in prayer and the Passion Week. What is fasting in our lives? Is it bound with the Bible or is it just abstinence from food?

What is expected from us during Lent?

1. Time of repentance – Are we able to change the world around us with inner healing? Physically and externally we may seem good to others, but are we healed internally?
2. Time of reconciliation – We enter the Holy Qurbana with the Kiss of Peace. Mathew 5:23-24. You may be at peace with others, but if there is some one who is angry with you, it may be because of something about you. So you need to ensure that all is fine in your relationship with that person. If you love the God and hate your brother, then you are a thief or a cheat. Our prayers for healing are become a show-off of our faith. The Lord who does the healing is getting sidelined.
3. Time of renunciation – You let go of your favorite things and spend that time and energy in our Lord. By fasting, what good is happening? The money you save should go to the needy, instead of just your bank balance.
4. Time of renewal – Die with Christ and live with Christ. The things followed in church are a symbolic representation of things Christ did. If you don’t understand this meaning, everything will appear like a drama to you.

Jesus turns water into wine

John 2:1-11

1. v4 – How does it concern you and me?
2. v4b – My hour has not yet come
3. v5 – Do as he says
4. v7 – Fill water in the wine jars
5. v10b – You’ve kept the best until the last.

1. Jesus had been to the wedding at Cana. It must’ve been a family and disciples wouldn’t have been there. Knowingly or unknowingly, we tend to crush others dreams without realizing their pain, because it doesn’t matter to us.
2. In Mathew 26:18, Jesus says “My time has come!” If he does a miracle there, then it will reveal His greatness to all. It would also be the first step towards the cross. Knowing all this, Jesus willingly takes this first step. Cross is the consequence of obeying the Lord in this godless world.
3. Mother knows her son will not go away from doing good.
4. Jesus was a God of small things. A God who encourages the small things to grow and proclaim His glory. The ordinary is transformed into something extraordinary.
5. If God’s grace touches you, people will see the new special things in you. When God touches you, you will be transformed into a new creation. (Romans 12:1-8).

The three things season of Lent stands on are fasting, prayer and alms giving. The season of Lent is the remembrance of the suffering Jesus went through in His journey to the cross. We don’t have any right to take this suffering lightly. We need to join with our Lord in prayer.