Tag Archives: God

The Word

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“Yet not withstanding this, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth of scripture and its divine authority is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts.” ( The Baptist Confession Of Faith)

The word is alive, The word is real, The word is Spirit, The word is power.

“ So is my word, that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty but will accomplish that what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” Isaiah 55:11

God’s word came from God’s mouth , The words that came from God’s mouth came from God’s heart, In the heart of God is the spirit of God therefore logically speaking the word of God is the spirit of God in writing.

Now how does the Spirit of God bear witness with the human spirit?

When a person accepts Jesus in his heart the spirit of God comes to indwell his heart and as a born again individual reads the scripture the spirit of word in written form begins to bear witness to the Holy Spirit indwelling the person and reveals the truth of the scripture to him. This enables the individual to grow to a higher level of glory illuminated by the Spirit of God. The spirit of God that is the Holy Spirit is our mentor, our teacher, our guide and also our conscience.

A born again Christian is able to distinguish right from wrong through that inward witness in his spirit. Therefore the individual must store up in his heart and in his mind the scriptures. So if the sub conscious mind is full of the word the individual is able to move to a higher degree of illumination and intimate level of communication with the creator. The word that stood through time, space and history because the word was above the human degree of authorship as it emerged from divine inspiration on earthly vessels as they try to grasp the comprehension of the divine authoritative word. This comprehension is not to be sought by human reason but by divine intervention of Holy Spirit revelation.

The word that came forth from the triune God of Divinity that spoke forth His word in creativity that it brought forth life and still brings forth life spiritually when the word is read objectively with sincerity.

JOB

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JOB

Job 1:21  “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised”.

This one verse tells us about the most blameless upright man that ever lived.  A man who lost all, yet gained all, because he won the favour of God.  This man lost all yet he did not blaspheme God in self righteousness;  he praised God.  In other words, he was victorious though he lost his worldly possessions.  He was victorious spiritually.  For me, 1:21 is the key verse because he first of all realized all that he had belonged, not to him, but to God.  Secondly, when he lost all his materialistic and worldly possessions, Job praised God.  It must have been extremely difficult to say and do;  yet Job placed God on a much higher pedestal than his materialism and family.  This key verse gives us insight as modern day believers on how we, as Christians, should react in difficult circumstances.  I recently read the book by Terry Law in which he related the death of his first wife, Jan.  The most painful, yet the most illuminating process, was getting up early and praising God shortly after the death of his wife when he was left with three children.  But Terry Low tapped into the reservoir of God’s love, healing, comfort and deliverance.  The simple key was praise and worship.  Praise God, through thick and thin;  praise God, through wind or storm.  Learn to praise and watch Him lead you through the difficult situation or process in your life.

Authorship: The authorship of Job is uncertain and under an immense amount of speculation.  According to Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, p. 171 “the contents of the book indicate that its author was a profound thinker who treats some of the most crucial and difficult problems of human existence from a mature spiritual perspective.  According to Jack W. Hayford, p. 130, “perhaps even Solomon himself”.  According to the book, Old Testament Survey, p. 562, “the author of Job hides nameless in the background of his work while demonstrating overwhelming sensitivity to the human plight, capacity for massive theological understanding, group of vast areas of culture and learning, insight into deep struggles among opiniated persons and skill in literary craftsmanship”.

Date: According to Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, p. 171, “suggestions for the date of the book’s composition range from the patriarchal era to the post exilic period.  Most scholars today date the book between the Solomonic and exilic eras.  According to Hayford’s Bible Handbook, “the manners, customs and general lifestyle of Job are from the patriarchal period (about 2000-1800 BC).

Structure: According to the Old Testament Survey by William Sanford, David Allen and Frederic William, p. 564, the structure can be divided into;

“Prologue (prose), Chs 1-2

Job’s lament (poetry) 3

Dialogue between Job 4-27

.. and friends (poetry) in three cycles

.. Eliphaz (Job replies to each)

.. Bildad

.. Zophar

Poem on Wisdom (poetry) 28

Job’s complaint (poetry) 29-31

Elihu’s speeches (poetry) 32-37

Yahweh’s speeches 9poetry) 38-42:6

Epilogue (prose) 42:7-17

Comparison between Job and Jesus: Was Job a shadow of what was to come?  Was Job a type of Christ?  W. F. Albright has interpreted the name Job as “where is (my) father?”  (taken from Old Testament Survey, p. 560)

Job: Job was a blameless and upright man.  He feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1, Job 1:8).  There is noone on earth like him.  Job 1:21 “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised”.  Job 1:12 “Very well then everything he has is in your hands but on the man himself do not lay a finger”.  Job was the most blameless and upright man on earth.  Job 1:12 tells us that God allowed the devil to bring trials and tests into his life.  Job did not deserve it;  yet he went through physical pain (2:7), emotional pain (1:200 and psychological pain (3:1).  Job, through no fault of his own, was allowed by God to be severely tested by Satan, yet Job did not retaliate;  he did not curse God (2:9,10).  He went through his pain;  he went through his suffering.  Job didn’t deserve it, yet it came upon him.  Why?  Because I believe there is a reason behind it.  Nothing that is in the Bible has happened by chance.  The story of Job for me has a deep prophetic connotation.  Job 42:10-16, 42:12  The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.  At least it has a happy ending!!

Jesus Christ: Matthew 27:23  What crime has he committed, asked Pilate, but they shouted all the louder, crucify Him.  Matt. 27:30  They spit on him and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.  Key verse:  Matt. 27:46  Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which means My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.

Jesus was innocent, yet God allowed Jesus to endure immense pain, pressure of our sins, physical and psychological anguish for no fault of his own.  Just because of his love for us.  When Job, the most blameless, upright man that lived in his time, went through that suffering, did God just see Job .. or did God see Jesus in Job, knowing that one day his only son would go through suffering far worse, through no fault of his own.

Job, the meaning of his name is where is (my) father.  Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.  I would like to conclude this comparison with a rhetorical question – Was the suffering and name of Job symbolic to what took place on Calvary?  But what took place on Calvary carried immense magnitude – the enormity of the deity dying for us on Calvary.

Application: This book tells us that God allows tests and trials in a person’s life.  This transaction stage or process stage, as I heard in a seminar, is called “liminality”.  Job went through a liminality stage in his life in which he endured excruciating pain.  But in the end, he came out victorious and the latter part of Job’s life was blessed even more than the former.  I believe Job is an example of a victorious liminality survivor.

We, as Christians, are in the liminality process, just as Job was in the process.  We are waiting for the second coming of Christ.  We are in the sanctification process awaiting the time we will be fully glorified in Christ.

Main themes: According to the Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, “the basic question of the book is ‘why do the righteous suffer if God is loving and all powerful?’’  The second theme for me is God’s hand on Job’s life during his suffering and God blessing Job because Job stood strong in his faith in God.

Theological Truths: God is in control.  God who is omniscient or all knowing knows about everything, whether it is good or evil, and He is in control.  God has a higher plan, a higher purpose in mind.  The devil needed God’s permission to attack Job, yet God preserved his life and blessed him more as he came out of his suffering, completely victorious.  Isa 48:10 “see I have refined you, though not as silver, I have tested you in the furnace of affliction”.  God refines and tests us.  We, as His children, go through difficult situations in our life many times, but God never leaves us nor forsakes us.  God never tempts us but I believe God allows us to go through hard times in our life so that we come out stronger, ready for His divine call.

Distinctive Pentecostal Beliefs: A distinctive Pentecostal belief here is spiritual warfare.  Satan brought about oppression in Job’s life yet Job stood firm.  In Job 1:10, it tells us that God put a hedge of protection around Job.  In Eph. 6:10-20, the armour of God is our protection.  When we, as children of the most high, live to please God, the devil brings about opposition.  The devil brings about all kinds of oppression.  The devil can attack our mind, our emotions, our finances, our family;  but, what I learnt from Job is that the devil cannot take the life of a child of God unless God allows it to happen.  The devil has come to steal, to kill and to destroy, but God has come to give us life and give it in abundance.  Spiritual warfare is real.  I have experienced it in my life but our God is far greater, far mightier.  Jesus is our deliverer and redeemer.

Another distinctive Pentecostal belief is the prosperity of Job and the latter part of Job’s prosperity was greater than the former (Job 42:42).  Contrary to a pentecostal belief that I have read here in Job is suffering.  Many of our charismatic and Pentecostal churches are so caught up in the prosperity and spiritual warfare teaching that they fail to train and help people going through suffering.  Many charismatic churches talk about the bed or roses, but those roses have thorns.  So I would urge the Pentecostal churches to talk about trials and tribulations or the so called “laminality” process that every person endures during some time of their life.

Application: This book of Job has immensely helped me in my life.  I went through a difficult time in my life.  In fact, I suffered from depression but this book has given me a hope for the future.  I would like to close with a poem I wrote:

Who am I?

That thought in my heart I ponder

What am I meant to be

Oh God, the future I just can’t foresee

Yet you care for me.

You didn’t just let me be,

You have a place and purpose

Thy Word is the key.

I came into the world a little seed,

Curious about the world so mysterious,

Bombarded with emotions hilarious,

At times delirious, at other times, furious

As I started to grow and mature to the tree I was meant to be,

I faced the storms of life

Into temptations I was tossed,

Yet through thy divine grace at Calvary

To temptation I was no longer held in slavery,

You set me free, enabling me to grow in sanctity,

Your word says, You shall bear fruit in season,

Seasons have come, seasons are gone,

Oh God, I feel so alone, why was I ever born,

Yet you on me never did frown,

The veil to enter the holy of holies was torn

By thy divine blood on the cross which was no loss,

At thy feet I place my supplication,

Oh Christ, on me make a divine transformation,

This season, let me see my life has a reason

Let me bear fruit at a dozen

Change my heart, my attitude

As I grow and mature in thy attitude,

As I pray I feel thy presence come as a ray

I feel the power of thy awesome presence like rain on me does spray

Father, when will you use me

Is it today?

I feel the rain come on me washing all my doubts and fears without a trace

Speaking to me through a gentle breeze

Thy love for me will never cease

I hear they voice saying my plans for you will be fulfilled come what may

All your have to do, daughter, is to pray.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hayford, Jack W., Hayford’s Bible Handbook, Nashville, 1995.

Nelson, Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, Nashville, 1996.

Sanford, William, Allen, David, William Frederic, Old Testament Survey, Michigan, Zondervan, 1982.

Tenney, Merril C., Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Michigan, Zondervan, 1963.

A hypothetical discussion between a Messianic Jew and a Pentecostal Irish Belfast Bible College graduate regarding their views on the Old and New testaments of the Bible

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“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” John 1:1,2

Before time ever existed one thing existed and that was the Word. Jesus was the Word made flesh and dwelt among us. Before time existed Jesus existed therefore logically speaking the Word made flesh which is Jesus existed before time existed.

The play unfolds:-

There are two very important people I would like to introduce to you. One is Methuselah middle aged with salt and pepper hair, a big moustache and a bigger tummy with five children four girls and one boy and a wife named Hannah. Names of children are Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Abigail and a son named Isaac. Methuselah has recently come to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour and so has his family they are Messianic Jews who have come to Northern Ireland on holiday.

My next friend is Paul, who likes to think of himself as apostle Paul because of the prophesies he has received from his Pentecostal brothers and sisters from the Elim Pentecostal Church. He is six feet tall, blue/grey eyes with glasses, very thin and scanty blond hair. He is in his late thirty’s. Paul is single and has a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Belfast Bible College. He is hoping to go to Israel as a missionary. Paul met Methuselah in Jerusalem when he went there on holiday and is hoping to get to know Sarah as a prospective bride. Paul and Methuselah have arranged to meet for coffee at Star bucks.

Their conversation begins :-

Meths:- Shalom Paul ( gives Paul a warm hug)

Paul:- Praise the Lord brother and stretches out his hand to shake hands but is overwhelmed by Methuselah’s big hug.

Meths:- How are you Paul? When are you planning on coming to Israel, the land flowing with milk and honey as Psalms 48:1,2 says “ Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. In the city of our God. In His holy mountain beautiful elevation.  The joy of the whole earth is mount Zion on the sides of the North. The city of the great King.”

Paul:- Can’t imagine why God would send Jesus to that wee little land to fulfil his purpose in all the earth. He could have come to Northern Ireland ya know it is so green and welcoming, ya know man I am not patriotic but why the Middle East?

Meths:- Laughs out loud Oye ,Oye ,Oye, now you want to turn Jesus Irish. Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem in that wee little land of Israel, through Him all the nations of the earth will be blessed as it says in Luke 2:30-32 “ For mine eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before all the peoples. A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory to your people Israel.”

Paul:-Jesus is all that matters, once we have Jesus who came to save the world from sin and sickness and we thankfully, glory to God, do not need the law. As Martin Luther says (Ahem clears his throat and puts on his most important look) We are saved by grace and  not by the law.

(Just then a beautiful blond waitress comes up to take their order, Paul adjusts his glasses and stares at the waitress unable to speak.) So Methuselah gives the orders of two cappuccinos. Paul keeps staring at the waitress till she goes back.

Meths:-Paul you might as well hang a sign around your neck that says ’single and looking intently’. Now coming back to what you said about the law, A.G. Herbert in his book ‘The Authority of the Old Testament says “ it is never said that the Mosaic law is now seen not to have been the law of God at all, on the contrary it is God’s law and it is holy and righteous and good. It is never said that the prophets are right and the law wrong, nor is the moral law endorsed and the ceremonial law repudiated, on the contrary Jesus has come not to destroy but to fulfil both the law and the prophets.”

Paul:- That’s good, Aha, Jesus never came to die for our sins in  the Old Testament. In the Old Testament they had sacrifices ,the Mosaic law and of course the prophets. But I says I like the apostles filled with the Holy Spirit doing signs and wonders in Jesus’ name.

Meths:- ( shakes his head) My dear boy let me take you through a journey back to the time of prophets and prophesies and how the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament. The prophets filled with the Holy Spirit played a very significant role in the life of the Jewish people and therefore in our lives as well. As I said earlier Jesus is the fulfilment of the Law that was prophetic. Now let me take you to I Samuel 16:13 ( Methuselah takes out his Bible from his brown brief case) ‘Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.’ How did David kill the Lion and the bear 1 Samuel 17:49 ? The answer is simple dear boy because the Holy Spirit was on David. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was not a free gift to all people only a chosen few were filled with the Holy Spirit and they were the Prophets, Priests, and Kings. The moment Samuel anointed David with oil, David had a change in perspective from David the Shepherd boy to David the King. Now lets go to your favourite part of scripture Luke 3:22 ” And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him and a voice from Heaven which said “ You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased”.  From that significant moment in Jesus’ life, Jesus had the ability to work miracles and now this is my point dear boy, which portion of scripture did Jesus read at the synagogue in Nazareth after being endowed with power from on high?  He read Isaiah 61:1,2 and if the Old Testament was just the Law and Jesus just came to give us amazing grace why would He read Isaiah 61:1,2 ? A prophecy concerning Himself. Now lets go to Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, Shout daughter of Jerusalem, See your King comes to you righteous and having salvation gentle and riding on a donkey on a colt, The foal of a donkey.” This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 21:7,8 where Jesus sat on the donkey as He approached Jerusalem and the crowds lay their cloaks before Him on the road and Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on the donkey just as the law had foretold. Jesus fulfilled the law and the law was prophetic. Therefore dear son you cannot have the new without the old. Like two sides of a coin ( as Methuselah flicks a coin in the air and catches it)

Paul:- Sips his cappuccino, looks at the young couple who have just entered Star bucks and gives a gives a big sigh. He pauses for a moment, takes a big gulp of cappuccino and chokes as it is really hot, he gulps a mouthful of cold water wipes his eyes, puts his glasses back on and continues. According to J P Fokkelman in his book Reading Biblical Narrative

“ The narrative art of the New Testament can be found in the four gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. These books have been written in the Greek of the Hellenistic world of the first century. All of them move around two land marks, Firstly the person of Jesus Christ and secondly the group of texts that for Jesus, His disciples and the writers of the gospels and the letters constitute the Holy scriptures, The Hebrew Bible. Paradoxically, we can  only speak of the Old Testament after a New Testament has been written and recognised as a canon.

Meths:- Dear boy, what are you trying to prove? We had the law first Exodus 20 :1-17, the prophesies, example Isaiah 61:1-3 and Isaiah 53. The Old Testament foreshadowed the New. The Old Testament was the foundation on which the New Testament was built. The New Testament is a prophetic fulfilment of the Old Testament. Jesus is the Word made flesh who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins to fulfil the law and the prophets. Now coming back to a more personal level, You remember the time Rebecca was sick with typhoid I just prayed the Psalms with tears especially Psalm 42. ‘Tears have been my food’ when we did not have enough food in the house for our children to eat but by praying and fasting ( not optionally) God took us through that time when we were in Russia and brought us to the promised land of Jerusalem. Those prayers from the Old Testament worked and now we are here in Northern Ireland on holiday drinking Cappuccino.

Paul:- Takes of his glasses and wipes the tears from his eyes and blows his nose loudly on the Star Bucks serviette. Well Methuselah, it is great having you in Noren Ireian…. I agree with you dear  brother that we need the Old Testament to have the New Testament,

Let us pray, Paul clears his throat and prays with the loud voice that people turn around and stare “ Dear God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Thank you for the privilege of knowing Yahweh, Emmanuel God with us and at the same time have the sweet communion with the Holy Spirit. He then pauses and says God give me a wife soon, with a hint to Methuselah, adds someone from the Holy land he again pauses and says in the words of the song  by Keith Christianson  “ We believe in the Father, who created all that is and we believe the universe and all there is is His. As a loving heavenly Father, He yearned to save us all to lift us from the fall we believe. We believe in Jesus the Father’s only son existing  before time had begun a sacrifice for sin, He died and rose again to ransom sinful men we believe. We believe in the Spirit who makes believers one, our hearts are filled with His presence the Comforter has come. The kingdom unfolds in His plan, unhindered by quarrels of man His church upheld by his hand we believe. Though the earth be removed and time be no more these truths are secure, God’s word shall endure whatever may change these things are sure we believe. So if the mountains are cast  down into the plains when Kingdoms all crumble this one remains, Our faith is not subject to seasons of man with our fathers we proclaim. We believe our Lord will come as He said, The land and the sea will give up their dead His children will reign with Him as their head, we believe, we believe.

Amen

Bibliography

1.Herbert A. G. The Authority of the Old Testament, Faber and Faber Ltd

2.Fokkelman J.P Reading Biblical Narrative, An Introductory Guide, John Knox Press 1995

3.Walter C Kaiser Jr. The Old Testament Documents, Inter varsity press 2001

4. Harrison RK Introduction to the Old Testament , The Tyndale Press 1969

Interview with a Presbyterian Pastor from Australia

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As I interviewed Pastor Don Kennedy, I was able to comprehend the Presbyterian approach to Jesus and how the Presbyterians view Jesus in this present time.

To the question, what was the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross, Pastor Don states that Jesus bridged the gap between us and God caused by sin and provided a way into the holy place of heaven by the shedding of his blood.

This is true.  I agree with Pastor Don that Jesus is the bridge that connects us to God.  Jesus is our mediator.  According to Pastor Brian Mulheran, Jesus’ death on the cross has laid the axe to the root of the tree of sin that was within our lives and in its place He has put His tree of righteousness and life.  Even though this has transpired, you and I still find ourselves committing the very sin we don’t want to commit.  We have this new nature within us that desires to do right, but often we do wrong.  The way we have lived in the flesh has been by aligning ourselves with our sin nature.  Once we have Jesus’ new nature placed within us, we can now realign our lives with it.

According to Pastor Mulheran, Jesus changes our sinful nature to realign us to divine nature.  Jesus is still the mediator but in a different view.

To the question, what does the baptism of Jesus signify?  Pastor Don Kennedy states that the baptism of Jesus is the beginning of the special ministry time of Jesus of 3-1/2 years.  Why was this baptism so significant?  Why was this baptism the commencement of Christ’s ministry?  I believe the holy spirit came down on Jesus with power and it was only then that Jesus went about with supernatural power from on high to do signs, wonders and miracles.  Jesus was no longer God/man;  I believe Jesus became complete God when He came up from that water.  According to Pastor Don Kennedy, he states that Adam was federal head of the rebel race of people.  We were identified with Adam and he identified with us.  Jesus died and we moved from being lost to being saved.  We move out from federal headship of Adam and come under federal headship of Jesus Christ.  Solidarity of Adam in Jesus Christ?  So therefore the baptism of Jesus was not just an example for us to follow, it was significant for God Himself as it was only after the baptism that the ministry of Jesus commenced, accompanied by miracles.  It was also prophetic in nature for the visible infilling of the Holy spirit who came on Jesus in the form of a dove.  In the second chapter of Acts, the Holy spirit came on the people in the form of tongues of fire.

To the question, what are the characteristics of Christ?  Pastor Don states that “He was begotten in the womb of Mary and therefore he received characteristics of God.  She bequeathed it to him”.  I disagree with this statement because I believe that these characteristics of God were bequeathed by God Himself and Mary was an instrument used and empowered by God for bringing Jesus Christ into the world.  According to J. Rodman Williams, “the truth is that the son of God had actually come in the flesh”.

When I asked Pastor Don the question, what is the authority of Jesus Christ he stated that Jesus is our prophet, Priest, King;  the head and Saviour of his Church, the heir of all things and judge of the world.  I agree with his answer but I also believe that there is more.  Jesus is omnipotent and all powerful;  Jesus is omniscient and all knowing;  and Jesus is omnipresent and his presence is everywhere.  This awesome Lord Jesus is the One who loves us, died for our sins and forgives us;  Jesus has the authority to forgive our sins.  According to Pastor Brian Mulheran, Jesus was preaching “change your thinking and believe in the good news of my salvation which brings the remission of sins”.

I, as a strong Charismatic (hopefully), believe the great authority of Jesus over evil spirits and the satanic realm which is very real and Jesus states in Ps. 91, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm you”.  Praise the Lord.

In conclusion, I would like to state that Jesus, the word of God, Son of God, Light of the World, our Creator, came into this world with a unique purpose and Jesus fulfilled this purpose for our lives.

This interview has helped me to realize that whatever our views in theology, as long as we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, was crucified for our sins and rose again from the dead, we will be saved.  Not everyone is a Baptist, not everyone is a strong charismatic, not everyone is a Methodist, not everyone is an Anglican, but everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved as John 3:16 states “that God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life”.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams, J. Rodman, 1990, Renewal Theology, Michigan, Zondervan

Is God’s Calling Like Tennis?

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Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

God Almighty is Omniscient all knowing, Omnipotent all powerful, Omnipresent present everywhere.

What I am trying to say could be a bit controversial but I am going to say it anyway. Omniscient God knows who will accept Him and who will reject Him and our Omnipotent God speaks to individuals in very many ways.To give them an opportunity to accept Him as Savior of their lives but it is up to the individual to either accept Him or reject Him.

God never gives up on those who reject His call.Like a tennis ball God keeps hitting the next player with opportunities to accept Him and it is up to the player to accept God and serve God with prayer or he can just let the ball go out of bounds and reject God.

So you learn two things through this illustration accept Jesus when He speaks to you and the second is very important I know nothing about tennis but it was a good illustration anyway.

John3:16 says For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.

God wants none to perish and all in heaven.Like Reinhard Bonnke says” Plunder hell and populate Heaven”

It is up to us to make a decision to where we want to spend everlasting life. Never underestimate God’s power and authority. If we are stubbern in our old sinful ways there is nothing God can do.

So give God a chance to change your life around and watch Him transform you and make you  a new and righteous individual.

Lets pray

Dear Heavenly Father we come to you in the name of your son Jesus please come into my heart, change me, mold me and make me the individual you want me to be. Please do forgive me of my sins and help me to forgive those who have sinned against me.I accept your call in my life. Thank you for choosing me before the foundation of the world. I love you and honor you as Lord and Savior of my life. In the name of your precious son Jesus I pray.

Amen

Why I feel called to serve God

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I want to be a servant of God,

You may ask me why,

That is between God and me and nothing can destroy,

The love of God for me.

He saved me from the pangs of death when I was about to die,

For He has a purpose and this purpose is I

I wrote this poem on August  1989 when I was 10 years old.

My father Rev Rajkumar Sathyaraj in 1989 was the spritual co-ordinator to about 2000 students in an engineering college called Karunya in Coimbatore India. This college was started by one of the greatest evangelists that India had ever known  Late Bro D. G. S. Dhinakaran. This college was situated in a beautiful country side surrounded by mountains and lovely green fields.

Dad usually spoke at the Sunday evening service. That remarkable and special sunday in August my dad urged the young people to give their lives in serving the Almighty to go out to the communities, to their cities, to the mission field and as many teary eyed young people re- dedicated their lives in serving God I was one of them. From that moment on the passion to serve God grew in my heart.

As I grew up I got involved in serving God at the Sunday school of our church called St Mark’s Cathedral in Bangalore India, I also got very involved in Campus Crusade for Christ in Bangalore India and I went about to little huts trying to explain the four spiritual laws to the people living in these huts  in my broken tamil always fitting in an English word now and again to the words that slipped my mind in my language.But God was merciful and many people asked me to pray for them so in my broken Tamil with English rushing to my rescue to words that evaded my bilingual mind.They understood my prayer and I had to hope that God touched their heart.

God brought me through failure in my final exam in school when I failed by 5 marks in mathematics they sent my paper for re-evaluation but it did not work I got A’s in English, Home science  and History but because of this failure in maths I had to redo my exams it was a terribly humiliating process but I spent more and more time at the feet of Jesus and sometimes I would be be awake almost the whole night talking to Jesus I had a prayer mat as big as a carpet in my room and I had two pillows I gave Jesus the better pillow to rest on and I would kneel on the not so soft pillow and just talk as I would talk to my best friend and confidate.And I would hear God speaking to my heart or being urged to read a particular verse in scripture.I eventually passed and moved on to university and then to Sweden.

In Sweden I joined the street mission and sang on the streets alone with my British friend Natile Chen and I aslo devoleped a  few fans during my street mission and was able to minister to a lot of people on the streets in the cold swedish climate. I remember one time singing in the street and this couple was kissing right in front of me I guess they liked my music 🙂 but it was difficult to sing with a straight face.

So I still feel called to serve God and He knows the future and the commitment I made at 10 years of age 20 years ago has not gone waste. God still remembers me and I know that He the Mighty God will open the right doors at the right time.

Romans 8 :28 says For we know that all things work togather for good to them that love God to them that are called according to His purpose.

A lot of bad too had happened in my life like my depression that struck me out of the blue but you know what God has been faithful and helped me through it and has healed me and still is healing me of the residue of the roots of this sickness.

Jer 29 :11 For I know the plans I have for you plans for good and not for evil plans to give you a future and a hope.

God has a plan , a purpose, and a call in every believer’s life it is up to us to either accept his call or reject it.

I urge you accept His call and watch Him use you and bless you for the extension of His Kingdom on earth.

Amen

To Isaac with Love , A love story

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I grew up in Mespotamia in the town of Nahor. I was always a curious girl, curious about the world around me, curious about the God who made man and woman, cattle and sheep and camels. Curious about well…I will tell you later. I loved playing games with my maid servants and playing with my brother Laban. My mother always tried to tame my wild streak as she called it. I always wanted to travel, to see places that were different to my own. My favourite time was to climb up a tree close to my home and dream. Dream about travelling, dream about the man I would one day marry, believe me I had no clue who or where he was, but it was nice to dream any way. People used to tell my mother I was beautiful as they saw me running around the well with my maid servants but she only shook her head and said’ if only she were more tame’. I loved animals, my father had a lot of sheep, cattle and camels. I would spend a lot of time playing with them .As I grew older I felt a sense of destiny, I felt that one day life would offer me more than just playing hopscotch with my maids.

I had a cousin from my mother’s side who was now beginning to show a great interest in me but he was not the prince charming I was dreaming about. I think it was his greasy hair yet I was now sixteen and some of my friends were already married. Would I ever meet the man of my dreams? Would I ever bear children? Would I travel? Would I find God who created the earth? Would I? Would I? Suddenly I heard my mother calling Rebekah, Rebekah. I ran towards her. I usually ran and seldom walked. She asked me to go and fetch some water for her. I loved going out so I put on the new purple garment that my mother chose for me put the jar on my shoulder and of I went. I learnt many things from my mother but one thing I knew I possessed was the gift of hospitality.

I went towards the well with two of my amid servants who were teasing me about my greasy haired cousin, suddenly I saw this old man with about four younger men and ten camels. The man looked very tired, he looked at me and I looked back. He looked at me some more and I smiled, I was used to people looking at me but this was a look of destiny. I felt a tugging in my heart that something big was about to happen. Then he smiled came up to me and asked me for a drink. I then looked at the camels and the four men and they all looked pathetically back at me so I ran to the well and drew some water for the men and the camels. Now the camels and the men looked very happy and I was glad.

I looked into the eyes of the old man and they were bright with a sense of purpose he then took out a beautiful nose ring and two lovely bracelets and put them on me. I always loved jewellery especially earrings and bracelets and I did not understand why he put this jewellery on me, I did not think he fancied me he was more like my grandfather. He then asked me if there was room in my home in my home for all of them to stay and my maid servants who were eyeing the four younger men on the camels looked at me and nodded so hard that I thought their heads might fall off. It was then I introduced myself, I was never the one to keep a secret, always spoke my heart out so I told him, I was the daughter of Bethuel. Betheul my father was the son that Milcah bore to Nahor. The old man had tears in his eyes, he held my hands and he then bowed down and prayed to a God, a God I wanted to know about so much more. I could not wait to run home and show my mother the jewellery and introduce my parents and brother to this man. Once we got home and the supper was laid out the old man started telling us about our great uncle Abraham and his son. I was excited, could this be the man I dreamed about the past six years on the tree next to my home .I now knew that this was the sense of purpose and destiny that tugged at my heart.

I was going to travel. I was going places. I was going to marry this unknown man in a far off place. The man I dreamed about since the time I was a little girl on the tree, my mother and my brother Laban wanted me to stay another ten days before I left but I felt an urgency in my heart and in my spirit that this was my destiny, this was my purpose and this was the man I was going to marry. I felt excitement and curiosity, what will this man look like? Will he find me attractive? What will my first kiss be like? I got ready for travel. I would miss my parents and my brother Laban yet I knew I had a destiny to fulfil. This was my life. This was my destiny. This was meant to be and this was my call. We had a long journey then from a distance I saw a tall man with strong shoulders coming towards us. I asked the old man who he was, he said this was Isaac, his master. As he said the name Isaac my heart skipped a beat .Being brought up with the values and culture of my family I covered my face with a veil. Isaac came towards us ,he held out his hand to help me down the camel. Our eyes met for the first time, there was chemistry I blushed as I got down ,I slipped and his hands held me tight. It was then that i knew that I belonged  I belonged to Isaac .Isaac took me into a beautiful tent which belonged to Sarah his mother he gave me some goat’s milk and some dried fruit .He said a prayer holding my hands as we sat on the soft crimson cushions .He told me about Yahweh that his father Abraham had told him about and I believed. He then took a golden goblet and poured wine into it .we both then made a covenant with Yahweh that we would love Him, serve Him and follow Him. Isaac then promised to love, cherish and honour me. I promised to love, cherish, honour and follow him wherever he would go, obey him and be the best wife I could be for him  .I now knew I belonged to Isaac ,he took the veil of my face and kissed me. It was then I knew what God had prepared for me. God had prepared me for Isaac. That was my destiny. I have never looked back since. Yahweh be praised.

Why did the authors write the Bible

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In the beginning was the  word and the word was with God and the word was God. John 1:1

The authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote these books. These books were written so that man might read the word of God and be inspired.
Hear the word of God and interpret. Interpret the word of God and receive revelation.

The bible inspired by the Holy Spirit written by mortal man so as to build a bridge of revelation between man and God. This bridge being our Lord Jesus Christ. So that man might comprehend the word and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of their lives.

The whole word revolves around one significant figure that is the Messiah Jesus Christ . Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of prophecy.

Why did the authors write ?  God knowing the heart of man, knowing the troubles of man gave us the gift of His word through His servants to write this awesome word called the Bible.

The Bible is for every individual offering the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Christ. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16
God wants the world to enjoy eternal life in His presence in out of His manifold love. The Bible signifies one word that word is love .  Love for the world given to us through His word . Why did the authors write ? The author wrote because of God’s love for mankind . That  love came in the form of His Son Jesus. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life in Christ.

Breaking Down Barriers

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Pre-suppositions breaking down barriers

Man is born into this world with pre suppositions.Ps51:5 “ surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

I would interpret this verse” surely I was born with pre suppositions from the time I was born moulded with pre suppositions by my parents, my society, my culture, my world. My all in all existence is based on pre suppositions. Jesus came into this world to break down the pre suppositions that the Pharisees moulded and imbedded into society. Jesus was not a conformist but I would actually say a rebel to break down the rigid laws enforced by society especially the pharisaic society.

Race, Religion, Culture, Environment puts us into a box of pre-suppositions in a way we view the outside world.

Jesus did not stay at the mountain top with the rulers of that age and the Pharisees but he was the friend of the sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes and adulterers. Jesus loved and cared for those despised by society.

He touched the leper. Asked the Samaritan woman for water, washed the feet of his disciples, went to the house of Zaccehus for a meal. Jesus cleared the temple area of those who were turning God house into a market, desecrating the house of God.

Jesus was a non conformist in very many ways. He only conformed to His heavenly father and submitted to the government. Jesus was radical.

God is looking for radical Christians not tied down with pre suppositions but with an open mind and heart to change the world.

Paul came as a Pharisee with pre suppositions about Christ. Paul murdered Christians but once he met Christ, those scales of presuppositions fell from his eyes(Acts9:18) and he could now see the light of revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. There was a paradigm shift from the past life of Paul to the time he met the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? because the pre suppositions of his past fell off. He now viewed the world in a different light.

God is looking for radical Christians who can shape history. Martin Luther took out the lens of pre suppositions that the catholic church enforced on the people and brought about the light.

Martin Luther King took out the lens of pre suppositions that the black man was inferior to the white man and fought for and brought about equality.

We as Christians are to take out the lens of our prudent, self righteous, cynical selves and meet the people in the valleys, in the prisons, in the brothels and tell them about the love of Christ and more so show them the love of Christ by listening to them, caring for them, helping them and reaching out to them.

See the world in the eyes of our Lord Jesus Christ. Learn from Him. Have you the courage to change the world? Jesus defied the pharisaic authority, Yet he conformed to the divinity of our omnipotent authority.

( Yet not my will but yours be done)

A God that walked this earth tearing down presuppositions of society yet walked this earth with total humility.

My Bible

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MY BIBLE

This book that I carry won’t tell me whom I will marry,

Yet this book that I carry brought me through life’s sorrows, joys, laughter, tears

The list too many

This book that I carry, the words never left in a hurry

This book that I carry brought me out of depression,

Depression some sort of satanic oppression or just some sort of psychological phenomenon, whatever…

This book that I carry brought me through that difficult phase in my life when my emotions were all at strife,

I met a wise old man, a protestant monk who told me to kneel and read five Psalms a day aloud, it was in these times of solitude that I knew and felt the presence and peace of God’s grace in altitude.

This book that I carry has travelled through time, space, history and longitude,

Yet it is so appropriate for me and has filled me with hope and a future to foresee

The future that seemed so dim and bleak and when I felt the roof full of water only on me did leak, the power of that word of this book that I carry, which is so magnificently holy, these words never did tarry,

This book that I carry has now given me healing, His omnipotent presence in me indwelling yet day by day as I study this book, it nourishes me be it Psalms or Acts

This book that I carry has power to change, heal, and gives me a purpose to live and a destination to fill. This book that I carry is my life, my purpose, my all.

This book is my call