[Richard]

Dear Hema,
Yes, as you have stated the promise of eternal life is the most welcome assurance we enjoy as regenerated Christians. This promise gives us motivation and drives us to face any challenge which we come across in the form of temptation, failure, disappoint or frustration. We can joyfully sing “We will not be defeated, will not be defeated, will not be defeated any more…”

[Richard]

Hello Radha,
I fully endorse your views. God the Holy Spirit is always with us and we can face any challenge with His help and counsel. At the same time, the Word of God, which is an offensive weapon can drive away the enemy which tries to entices us. An as you have said that is precisely the reason we are strong and happy even during the pandemic times when the entire world is in turmoil. The God of Peace fills our hearts and we enjoy peace that passeth all understanding.

[Richard]

We, Christians, who live in the second stage of eschaton, experience suffering and hardship, amidst the blessings of the age to come. We live amidst sin. There is always a battle between sin and the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. But this will pass away very soon. In the final state we will face our Lord’s judgment. But the judgment will only be a blessing as we are regenerated. We will live with our physical bodies in the New Heavens and New Earth. This assurance, based on the Word of God, which is infallible, gives us peace, hope, joy and expectation to face any tribulation and suffering in the present world, because all these are going to end soon. So believing Christians are not supposed to fret and murmur. Our faces should reflect the joy we are going to face soon. This would stimulate non-believers question the source of our joy and there we find a situation to present the gospel and invite them too to be partakers of this heavenly joy. The church too with its powerful and enthusiastic teaching and preaching can stimulate the sleeping and lifeless members into life.

[Richard]

Yes Bro.Lawrence, though injustice and evil prevail in the world we live in, we have a living hope that the goodness of our Lord will triumph over evil at the end. The return of our Lord is the only hope we cling on to in this life. So let us, without magnifying the injustice and evil, march on and spread justice and goodness around us. That will be an aroma pleasing to our Maker.

[Richard]

Dear Hephzibah, Well said. The job of the church today is very significant. It has to prepare its members to meet the Lord when He comes in all glory. The presence of the Prosperity Teachers is a curse in the current scenario. The church has to make its teaching clear and relevant. The next grand unexpected historical event that is going to happen in the near future is the Coming of our Lord. Let the church prepare its present members and other non believers for this great event. Let the church make clear to its congregation and others that the greatest blessings are in store for them in the eternal life after death/Second Coming and not the present blessings.

[Richard]

Dear Arun Thomas, Yes I agree with your point. We very casually use the phrase “awesome”, a phrase that befits only our holy and exalted God. We say “awesome song”, “awesome building”, “awesome picture” etc. To that extent we belittle God. Our human mind is not able to comprehend the uniqueness and greatness of God. It is true that God is our friend, but God is to be exalted. The seraphs cover their legs and faces and utter “holy, holy, holy is our God”. Isaiah felt his smallness before the holy God. It is high time the church and its members realized their mistakes and treat God with all respects that are due to HIM. We will see His greatness only when He comes triumphantly in the skies.

[Richard]

The New Testament teachings on Christ’s triumphant return is a two-pronged challenge. On the one side it warns us and urges us to be qualified to meet the Creator. On the other side it gives us an indescribable joy.
It is high time we all realized that the Second Coming of our Lord is at hand, as the signs around us show us. So, we should all be prepared to meet the Lord. Subsequently, we have to pass on this news to people around us, warn them and prepare the unbelievers too for our Lord’s Coming. The church can no more be complacent and hasten evangelism to the maximum extent possible. It is time the church set a paradigm shift on its programme schedule – the priority should be on out-reach efforts and not on feeding more and more its own members.
Secondly, the fact regarding the Second Coming should fill us with joy. Either we die or while still alive, we will see the glorious coming of the Lord. On either count, our earthly sorrows, miseries, sickness, disappointments, persecutions, injustices and the like are going to come to an end. The belief and trust of living eternally with our Lord gives us reason to live in this world happily in spite of all odds.

[Richard]

Dear Lawrence, Nice to meet you again in this forum. As you have said, it is a blessed privilege to work with and for Christ and be His partners and co-workers. We, as children of God, are enjoying heaven on earth. Every act of ours as per His will, and every blessings we receive from Him are sparkles of light. The final glorious Light, we all are waiting for, will be a glorious and quite a spectacle.

[Richard]

Hello Hephzibah, Greetings. I fully agree with you that Ezekiel’s teachings should be the mandate for our present day church. We have to teach and equip our church members. Present day church-goers need ‘sound doctrine’ and that is conspicuously absent in today’s pulpits. They are happy and satisfied if the preacher caters to their “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3). Leonard Ravenhill in his book “Why Revival Tarries” points out to this lapse on the part of the preachers.
God’s armour will certainly protect us. No denying the fact. But in God’s armour there is one weapon “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” Eph. 6:17. This is the only offensive weapon (sword), all the others being defensive weapons. So it is imperative that we must be saturated with the Word, to drive away Satan, otherwise he will be lingering around us.

[Richard]

Hello Arun Thomas,
Very clear presentation about our responsibility. “Ministry of reconciliation” is the need of the hour. First we have to reconcile known ‘non-believers’ to our Saviour, by sharing the undiluted Gospel (not the prosperity gospel) to them and lead them towards Christ. Secondly, there are quite a number of quarrels, back-biting and distasteful politics in our churches. Fights among the members result in members not talking to one another for a long time. Apart from this, even in families a lot of reconciliation has to be done between spouses, parents and children, among siblings. In this context, ministry of reconciliation is very relevant.

[Richard]

The Jews during the time of Jesus expected that the Messiah would bring out a sudden and violent transition overthrowing the tyrannical Roman government, based on the covenant or prophetic promises. Since Jesus’ Kingdom Values were quite different from the Jewish expectations (“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways” declares the Lord. Is. 55:8), they rejected Jesus and hanged Him on the Cross. But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because the Cross provides salvation to all mankind. Besides, the first advent is the inauguration of God’s eschatological kingdom. The church is given the responsibility to continue the inauguration process and wait eagerly for the culmination of God’s Grand Plan – the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in all His glory and establishing His glorious Kingdom, wherein we all will be its citizens.
We, a part of the church, have a great responsibility to bear. We have to remember that we have to give Him accounts for everything He has bestowed us with – talents numbering 5, 2 and 1.
First and foremost, we have to bear in mind that Jesus is the bridegroom and we (the church) are His bride. Will any bridegroom compromise with an iota of impurity in any prospective bride? Not at all. So, sanctification should be our first priority. Secondly, we have to obey His commands if we say we love Him. (1 Jh. 5:3). We have to obey His greatest commission given in Mt. 28:19. Thirdly, we have to bear in mind the warning given by Paul in Rom.14:12, “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God”. With these responsibilities, I press on towards till I meet my Creator.

[Richard]

Thank you, Bro. Lawrence for pointing out Acts 6 as a perfect model. I also thank you for suggesting valuable materials for my reference.
Thank you, Sir.

[Richard]

Richard:
Differentiating between earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom, James says that earthly wisdom harbours envy and selfish ambition. This type of wisdom is earthly, unspiritual and demonic. Though in modern churches, the difference is not based on their financial status, as it was in the times of James, still churches are split based on, mainly, caste. In Chennai one can see churches that are closed to people belonging to a particular caste. In churches where we find different caste people, the Managing Committee (Pastorate Committee) is run by people belonging to the majority caste. General Parliamentary and Assembly Elections fade into insignificance when compared to the Church elections. Temper runs high. Physical forces come into fray. Bishop elections and Moderator elections are worse. Electorates are gheraoed and voters are literally bought for lakhs and lakhs of rupees.
I tried to talk to some leaders about this evil, but in vain. They would say, ‘brother, we would win the elections first and then we would repent and change’. But the desired change never comes. The Pastor too never interferes and gives Bible based teachings. The irony is that some Pastors themselves take sides, to safe guard their position. This type of earthly wisdom prevails mostly in the southern parts of India. This type of situation arises because the people who rule the church are non-believers. The believers who are a microscopic minority are unable to raise their voice. The solution lies in prayer for the transformation of all the non-believers. Systematic and dedicated teachings by the Pastors and lay-preachers on evangelism and discipleship should be an integral part of regular worship services. This is the hardest nut to crack. Unless our Lord intervenes, there is no possibility of bringing out a change. So fervent prayer is the only answer to drive away the caste evil that is prevailing in modern churches.

[Richard]

Thank you Bro. Lawrence for pointing out Gal. 2:20. Ya, the realization that Christ lives in me gives a new dimension to our lives. We are no longer alone when facing trials or tests or even the temptations fired by Satan. That gives us strength and confidence to face the trials and claim victory in the name of Jesus. We/I can boldly say “I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength”. Phil 4:13.

[Richard]

I rejoice along with you Bro. Lawrence for gaining victory when you were falsely accused by your colleagues. Yes trials come from quite unexpected quarters and we should always be alert to face them.

[Author]

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