Rebuking with a Purpose!

Luke 17:3,4 NKJV
3 Take heed to (watch) yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

'' 'Rebuke!' What? Did I read it correctly? "

As I read the bible and came across Luke 17:3,  I was shocked! Jesus said,  "Rebuke the brother who sins against you." The same Jesus Who said, "If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to him the other," in Matthew 5:39, wants us to rebuke the brother who sins against us here in Luke 17:3 ?

I was confused at first, but after exploring deeply, my doubt cleared. I was able to see it clearly.

We are accustomed to rebuking our own children and family members to correct them and help them walk in the right way. But when it comes to outsiders, like members of our church who are also Christians, we just smile and try to pretend it is OK. We feel that it is impolite to rebuke or correct them. Then we grumble and gossip about what they did, behind their backs. This causes disunity and dissension in the body of Christ.

Here Jesus Who is the embodiment of Love itself, tells us to  rebuke a brother (a believer) when he sins against us. KJV says 'trespasses' against us. That means when we are wronged by a believer, not a persecutor who persecutes us for our belief in Jesus but a brother in faith, we are to rebuke (correct) him. Showing your cheek to someone (an unbeliever) who slaps you, is a topic for another time.

Jesus wants us to rebuke a brother who wrongs us. Why? The reason is simple. So that he will not be stumbled. Look at verses 1 & 2 before that. Jesus says do not stumble the little ones, meaning the young believers. A believer must be shown the right way. If he is not corrected when he does something wrong, then he will continue to do the trespasses in that same way. He who did it to you now, will do it to others some other time.  If we keep quiet without correcting him, we are doing him harm. That is why we must rebuke (correct ) him. Then when he repents we are commanded to forgive him, even if he does it numerous times and repents. Seven is an infinite number here.

Rebuking and forgiving a believer unifies and strengthens the body of Christ when it is done in love and out of a pure motive.

We must grow the attitude of hating the sin but loving the sinner. When someone keeps wronging us again and again and again, it is only human nature to get irritated and say, "You know what! You are incorrigible! I give up on you!" That is exactly what Jesus wants us to avoid doing. We need to rebuke, then forgive readily, without any grouses, when he repents.

Corrie Ten Boom in her book 'The Hiding Place', recounts how she could not forgive her sister's murderer who was repentant after hearing her preach. Only when she asked the Lord for strength a surge of God's love shot through her arm and she was able to shake hands with that person and even forgive him.

Like Corrie, let us ask Him to pour His love and compassion into our hearts to rebuke and forgive with His love.

Rebuking or correcting in selfish anger will become a sin on our part. We must not rebuke to seek vengeance. We need to rebuke in love, with a purpose. What is that purpose? It is to help the offender to change and live a life pleasing to God. We need to build him up and not tear him down by our rebukes.

Before telling us to rebuke, Jesus says 'Keep watch'. Let us therefore keep watch and pray without ceasing, at all times. Let us guard ourselves from stumbling others by our words and actions. Let us rebuke a brother who sins, with love. Let us readily forgive him who repents, no matter what it takes. We can't do it on our own. We need the strength and power of God. Let us therefore ask Him for it.

Remember, love the sinner while hating the sin. Let us do it all in humility. Pride will destroy us.

Mary Augustine
30/03/18

The Keys to Faith!

Abigail Judson and her husband who was a Pastor, raised up their children in the Lord's ways and rooted in the Word of God. But as their son Adoniram Judson grew, he formed friendship with a friend in college and this resulted in him abandoning his childhood faith. He backslided. Abigail saw that her son was hostile towards God. But that did not stop her from believing on God's promises for her son. She never gave up hope but prayed for him in faith. He left home to seek a job in New York. Eventually after several years, Adoniram repented, came back home and gave himself to God's service. He served as a missionary with his wife in Burma. He translated the entire Bible from Hebrew and Greek into the Burmese language. His mother's patience and faith filled prayers were not in vain.

What is 'Faith'? Paul says, that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Here, sight not only refers to our physical eyes, but it includes all the five senses of hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching. Hence, this verse means that we cannot live by the five senses alone; we need to have faith. That is exactly what Abigail did. She did not believe what she saw and heard but believed on the promises of God.

Faith is seeing ourselves and our children as God sees us . Jesus said, “Blessed are they who do not see, and yet believe” (Jn. 20:26-29). “Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible.” Faith is an everyday affair of walking hand in hand with God. If we truly walked by faith instead of sight, our prayer life would be dramatically changed and we and those we pray for will be supernaturally transformed.

If we are anxious about our children, we parents must do our duties as good Christian parents. Then we must let God take over and be patient. We must  learn to trust God, that He will work in our children and transform them into who He wants them to be. If we are doubtful that we can be or do anything at all, we must have faith in God's promises and obey His Word. He is able to transform a cowardly kitten into a fierce lion; a waddling duck into a soaring eagle; a devious vulture into a gentle swan!

Let us now look at three men from the old testament and see how they viewed themselves and how God viewed them. Then we shall see how faith and obedience transformed them.

"Who me? Are you kidding me? Oh no, you must be mistaken! "

This must have been the thought running in the minds of the following folks:-
Moses, Gideon and David.

Moses the murderer of the Egyptian soldier, the coward who ran away from Pharoah, the stammerer who could not utter a sentence without stammering, was called to confront Pharoah and tell him to free God's people from their bondage. His immediate response was, "Not me, send someone else. I am not the right person for the job."(Exodus - Deuteronomy:- the narrative of how Moses was chosen and sent and transformed into a deliverer)

Gideon was fearful of the Midianites and Amalekites who invaded their country and destroyed all their crops and herds.They were terrorising the people. So Gideon, was laying low, hiding in the winepress and threshing the wheat for fear of the enemies. Just then, God's Angel appeared before him and called him a valiant warrior. He was amused. He, a coward, was addressed as a valiant warrior! He must have looked left and right and asked, "Who, me?" He thought the angel called upon the wrong person. (Judges chapters 6-8)

Samuel was looking for the future king of Israel among Jesse's sons. He rejected all of Jesse's tall and stately sons. Then the puny shephard boy, Jesse's youngest son was called in. When Samuel saw David he proclaimed that David was to be the next king of Israel. Everyone including David the shepherd boy must have thought that Samuel was old, demented and was mistaken.( 1 & 2 Samuel)

What they did not know at that moment was, God does not call the strong but the weak. God does not call the equipped but He equips those He has called. He empowers and strengthens those whom He has chosen. 

What they did not realise at that time was, God does not see us as man sees us. He sees us as warriors, deliverers and kings. We and our children are called by God to fight the good fight till the end. We are to do spiritual warfare against the principalities and powers of darkness. Not against one another. We are called to deliver those who are under Satan's bondage and lead them to Christ. We are chosen to reign with Christ forever as victorious kings.

Why then do we see ourselves as inadequate to do God's work? Why do we speak negative words into our own lives and our children's lives?

Faith is believing God inspite of all and any circumstances. Faith requires patience and obedience. When all seems dire and bleak, keep hoping. When nothing seems to change for the better, refuse to accept defeat, be patient.  Jesus said, “The things impossible with men are possible with God. ” (Lk. 18:27). For nothing will be impossible with God (Lk. 1:37).

Hebrews 11:1 says that, 'Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see'.

Moses, Gideon and David, in faith, obeyed God and were  transformed. Moses from a cowardly stammerer to a powerful deliverer; Gideon from a fearful low-laying person to a valiant warrior and David from a puny shepherd to a powerful king.

Abigail, in faith employed patience and held on to the promises of God and prayed non-stop for her son Adorinam Judson. As a result her son who was a deist, was transformed into a general of God.

The keys to employing faith are patience and obedience. It is the ability to trust God and see what only He can see. It is the inner strength to trust God to do what only He can do. Let us therefore step up in faith and see the invisible, believe the incredible and receive the impossible, in and through Christ Jesus, for ourselves and our children.

Mary Augustine
27/03/18

It Will Happen: A Hope for Parents & Grandparents

Suganthi was turning 28 soon. Every girl in her community was married and had at least 4 children at her age, but Suganthi was still single. Her parents and grandparents were worried. They conveyed their concerns to her. Wherever they went, they kept a lookout for a suitable boy. Although they tried their utmost best, Suganthi was not even slightly interested in anyone of them.

Then one fine day it happened! She met someone whom she liked. No one forced her to like him. It just happened because their hearts met. Soon she was married to this gentleman.

Like in the above story, the desire of every faith-filled Christian parent and grandparent would be for their children and grandchildren to love the Lord Jesus and walk in His  ways. 

Can we force our children to love God or pray or even believe in Him? The answer is 'NO'.

Every human being is given a free will. God Himself will not force anyone to believe in Him. It will happen when it happens. It will happen when the hearts of our children meet the heart of Jesus. We can't do it but the Holy Spirit can. Before that there are some steps parents can and should take.

Step 1
Parents must model a faithful relationship with Jesus at home. Pray and read the bible in front of your children. Let your life, your speech and actions be motivated out of love. Ephesians 4:29
'Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.'
Your words must build your children up and not tear them down. Reflect Christ at home and outside. Children emulate 90% of what they see and only 10% of what they hear.

Step 2
Bring up your children rooted on the Word of God from birth. Speak to them often about the love of God the Father and Jesus. Tell them how Jesus died to save them from sin, sickness and eternal death. Tell them what is wrong and right according to God's Word. Teach them what is truly Good according to God's Word and what is deceptively 'Good' according to the world. Teach them the whole counsel of the Word and the commandments of Jesus. Do this constantly when you sit and stand and lie down. (Deuteronomy 6:7)

Step 3
Surrender your children to the Father. Plead the blood of Christ Jesus upon them daily. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill them and light the spark in them to love the Father and build a lasting relationship with Jesus. Ask Him to hover over them 24/7 and birth the 'New Life of Christ Jesus' in them. You cannot be with your children 24/7 but the Holy Spirit can. Never give up praying for your children no matter what.

Now if you have missed out on either step 1 or 2 or even both, do not fret. The Lord knows. Confess to Him and begin anew. Even now you can begin with step 1. Model a Christ like character at home and outside. Feed continuously on the Word of God. Never miss your quiet time with God. When you soak in God's presence you will reflect Christ to your children. Live a life of non-compromise. Never stop praying for your children. Do not worry if you are the only person praying for them. God listens to the cry of even one faithful person.

You can modify step 2 as follows:- Your children may be grown now and may not like to hear you nag or tell them about God. Yet, you can always share the little little wonders and miracles which our Lord does in your life. Testify to the Lord's goodness in your daily situations, without making them feel guilty.  Love them a lot without finding fault. Find an opportune time to point out what is wrong with what they did and talk to them about the consequences without belittling them. Engage in activities they enjoy, with them and find moments to praise and thank God in between. Do it without putting up a show. Give them their space but never stop praying for them.

Finally, the key to receiving answers to our prayer is Praise, Worship and Thanksgiving. Praise and Worship God the Father,  thank Him constantly and let Him do the battle for you. He Who formed them in their mother's womb, cares for them and does not want them to perish. Our children belong to Him first and only afterwards to us. He will take care of them. (Isaiah 43:1 & Psalm 139:13)

Psalm 8:2 (NIV) “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

Praise, Worship and Thanksgiving are important elements to  invite God's presence into our lives and situations.
It adds depth to our relationship with God and allows us to take the attention off of ourselves, our circumstances and our distractions and surrender completely to Him.

The Psalmist here in Ps 8:2 says, praise builds up a stronghold against our enemies and silences him. It silences the voice of the enemy, which constantly yells in our ear that, 'our children are no good, they are lost and nothing is going to bring them back'. It builds a wall of protection around our situations, our children and our family.

Praise raises a throne for Christ to rule in our lives. 'Yet You are Holy,(referring to God) enthroned on the praises of Israel(here Israel represents us believers).'Psalm 22:3

Our praise serves as a powerful witness to those who do not know the Lord ( 1 Peter 2:9).

God will work miraculously through our praises. In the Old Testament, the ancient walls of Jericho came crashing down, giving victory to God's people, as a result of shouts of praise ( Joshua 6:1-21). As you read the account in Joshua 6 notice they were told by God to walk silently around the walls of Jericho. This is a powerful reminder to us, that we must silence our hearts and minds of all negativity and stop our lips from grumbling and complaining. In the New Testament we read that the prison doors shook open when Paul and Silas praised God ( Acts 16:25-26). Praise breaks the chains of the captives.

Praise, Worship and Thanksgiving will release the warrior angels from the Father to fight the battle for us. 
2 Chronicles 20:1-30 Read the account of how praise and worship helped King Jehoshaphat to win victory over his enemies.

Dear parents and grandparents, do not be anxious. Philippians 4:6 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.'
As I told you earlier, it will happen when it happens. When the Holy Spirit lights the fire in them, their hearts will meet the heart of Christ Jesus and they will begin to love and serve Him with their whole being. No amount of cajoling, pestering, scolding nor worrying will set their hearts aflame for Christ Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit can do it.

Hebrews 4:14-16 NASB
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. [16] Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Let us remember and take comfort that our Lord Jesus went through life as a human being. He knows our needs and struggkes of life. He understands us through and through. He now stands at the right hand of God pleading for us and our cause.

As parents and grandparents, let us engage in this warfare to win our children, grandchildren and our loved ones back to the Lord through Praise, Worship & Thanksgiving!

All glory be to God our Father through Christ Jesus His Son. Amen!

Mary Augustine
27/03/18

Reservations Made! ...But!!!

"Dad! Dad!" called out Jamie excitedly. "Dad, the fourth movie, in the series of 'The Chronicles of Narnia',  'The Silver Chair', is being screened this week. It will be shown at the theatre at the Pavilion. We need to make reservations for the exclusive screening dad!"

"Oh, yes dad," exclaimed Julie, "It is only for those who make reservations online."

"Ok then," said their dad, Mr Piper, "Let us make online reservations, for this Saturday, right now."

So dad, mum, Jamie and Julie made online reservations for the movie, 'The Silver Chair'. It was a long awaited movie after 'The Dawn Treader'. These were a series of movies based on the series of novels entitled, 'The Chronicles of Narnia'  written by C.S. Lewis. The children had grown up reading the novels and watching the first three series as movies. They were so excited to watch the fourth.

The year was 2019 and the fourth of the Chronicles was being screened specially for a private audience. 

As the day drew near, there was excitement in the air. Finally the actual day arrived. Dad and mum had gotten ready to go. They were waiting for Jamie and Julie. Dad knocked on Jamie's room door, "Jamie are you ready?"

"Oh dad, I have a soccer tournament today and I can't go," said Jamie. "If you cancel it, you can still come with us Jamie," exclaimed dad. "Sorry dad, although I made reservations, I can't go," said Jamie.

Just then Julie came out of her room all dressed up. "Come on, let's get going Julie," said mum. "Sorry mum, but my bestie is having her birthday celebration today and I have to be there," said Julie. "Julie, why don't you cancel it and come with us? After all you children were so excited and wanted to watch the movie together as a family," exclaimed mum. "Sorry mum, I can't," said Julie.

Therefore dad and mum went for the screening of the movie all by themselves. Jamie and Julie could not make it although they had made reservations. They deliberately chose not to go, even though seats were already reserved for them.

Just like the Piper family, we believers have seats reserved specially for us in heaven. Our seats are reserved because we have accepted Christ Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and have been baptised in His name. Yet we cannot occupy our seats if we choose not to go there. We will lose our seats permanently.

You may ask, "We want to go heaven. How then, can we lose our seats?"

We can lose our seats by being disobedient to God's Word. We can lose our seats by not remembering to keep the appointment(to walk in the way we Christians are to walk) and fixing other appointments(walking in the ways of the world). That is called sin.

The ways of the world are very attractive and pleasurable. But we have to choose what we really need to help us go to heaven. 

We can go and occupy our seats in heaven if we repent and keep our divine appointment(be obedient and walk in the way Jesus taught us). 

In the first place, knowing that they had made reservations for the movie, Jamie and Julie should not have made plans with their friends. Even then, if Jamie Piper and Julie Piper had cancelled their appointments with their friends and had gone with their parents, they could have occupied their seats. But they missed the wonderful opportunity of a lifetime.

Do you want to know what happened to them in the end? Well, there was a thunderstorm that evening and Jamie's soccer tournament was cancelled. As for Julie, her bestie was suddenly taken ill, and the birthday party was cancelled. Both Jamie and Julie spent their time miserably at home, thinking of all the fun they missed as their parents were enjoying themselves at the show.

This is exactly what would happen to us if we miss our divine appointment with God. We would be spending the rest of eternity miserably in hell fire thinking of all the good times we were missing in heaven. We would be thinking, "If only I had not been so foolish to walk in the ways of the world. If only I had repented and walked in the ways of the Lord!" At least Jamie and Julie were still at home. But once we die and go to hell instead of heaven, there will be no turning back. Eternity will have to be spent there.

The bible says, in Romans 12:2 'And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.' We need to discern with the help of the Holy Spirit. He is the Wisdom of God and He will teach us which way to go. 

There is no such thing as, ' Once reservation has been made, I will make it'! No! We have to repent and keep our appointment with God! We must walk in the way Jesus taught us. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling aa Paul writes to the Philippians 2:12

Finally we must obey the commands of Jesus as He taught us in Matthew 22:37-39 - Love God with all your heart and soul and mind and love your neighbour as yourself.

So let's enjoy our well deserved and well 'reserved' place in heaven for all eternity, when we are called home!

*[Footnote for parents] Do take time to explain to your children that all that seems 'Good' in this world may not be good for their soul. They must discern God's will in everything they think, say and do. 

Mary Augustine
11/03/2018

Called To Set The Captives Free!

Who will free My people?

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Isaiah 6:8

Exodus 9:1 NASB/KJV/NKJV
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

Exodus 9:1 NIV
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, that they may worship Me.

The Israelites were in bondage. They lost their freedom to the Egyptian Pharaoh. Once upon a time, these people of God could serve and worship the Lord God freely, but now they were taken captive. They could no longer serve or worship God without being intimidated or punished.

God wanted His people, the Israelites, to be freed from captivity.  Therefore He chose Moses whom He prepared for 80yrs and sent him to speak to Pharaoh. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites to serve/worship God.

Pharaoh's initial response was one of scorn. He refused to free them. He scorned both Moses and Aaron, asking why he must obey their God. He did not want the Israelites to babble about wanting to worship. He felt they were lazy and had lots of time to waste. Thus he increased their labour. He felt working will be more productive than worshipping.

Exodus 5:1-9 NASB
And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.'" [2] But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go." [3] Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." [4] But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labors!" [5] Again Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!" [6] So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, [7] "You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. [8] But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' [9] Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.

Pharoah refused to set God's people free. Therefore God inflicted ten plagues on the Egyptians. Only after the tenth plague did Pharaoh relent and set the Israelites free from bondage. Moses could have felt discouraged and could have given up but he never did. He persisted in his calling, in telling Pharaoh to set the people free.

Let us fast forward to the present...

Today there are many things to captivate people. The Healthy Lifestyle and the Education field are two big areas that are keeping people constantly busy. The Wealthy Lifestyle and the Entertainment Industry are another two giant areas which are constantly luring the young and the old away from what God created them to be and to do. 

The five 'C's are a 'must have' for the present generation. So they work hard for it, not realising that they are seeping deeper and deeper into captivity. 

Although physical slavery had been abolished several centuries ago, people now, are enslaved by their own worldly passions. They don't know that they are in bondage. Slavery to these passions seems like freedom to them. Like Pharaoh, many feel that working & exercising is more productive and enjoying relaxation & entertainment is more crucial than worshipping God or serving Him. They feel that spending time in praise and worship is a waste. They don't know how important praise and worship really is. It is the real key to unlock them from slavery.  

There is nothing wrong with working hard, exercising, eating healthy, enjoying and having fun, if God is worshipped and put first in their lives. There is nothing wrong with all that if they are rooted in Christ and make Him their first love. Then they won't be obsessed by the very things they do. Then they won't be enslaved by the very things they desire to do.

This present world needs a Moses to call people out of captivity into freedom and lead them to the promised land. That is why God sent His only Son to save us from captivity and Jesus has shown us the way to the eternal promised land. It is now our turn as the church to fulfill our calling.

We believers are called to be the salt and light to the world. We are commissioned to tell the world the good news about Christ Jesus and to be imitators of Him. We are commissioned to tell the world that they can be free in Christ Jesus. We are called to set the captives free. If we ourselves are in bondage then who will free those in bondage? They must be freed. How do we free them?

We have been given the authority of Christ Jesus to free those in bondage. In the Gospel of Matthew 16:19, Jesus says to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven." That statement is repeated to all of the disciples in Matthew:18:18. There’s a particular context there and it certainly does not imply that we have the power to command God to do anything we like. No, we only act as his representatives no matter what we do.

What does Jesus mean by the keys to the kingdom of heaven? It would be the gospel.There’s no other way to set captives free and help them enter into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus made that clear to Nicodemus, “Except a man be born-again he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.” So the keys to the kingdom of heaven would be the gospel.

Next, the keys to the kingdom of heaven would be the authority to bind the enemy and its strongholds and loose God's promises from His Word into the people and the situations. Mark 3:27 and Matthew 12:29 tell us that before we can enter a strong man’s house, we first must bind him(demonic spirits). It is biblical to do so. But after binding and casting out those spirits we must loose the healing of the whole person (body, soul & spirit)into them. We must pray for them and teach them to repent and be filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit means to live in submission and obedience to God and His Word.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:43-45
"Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. [44] Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. [45] Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."

Moses had the authority given to him by God to free the Israelites and he exercised it. We have the authority given to us by the Son of God to free the people God sends us to, from their spiritual bondage and we too must exercise that authority. 

Moses spoke to Pharoah who held the Israelites in bondage. We must speak to the spirits which are keeping the people in bondage, bind those spirits and command them to leave the people (let the people go). 

God declares again and again in Job 36:12, Proverbs 5:23 / 10:21 and in Hosea 4:6, that His people perish because of the lack of knowledge ( lack of knowledge and understanding of His Word). If we who are commissioned don't do something about this, we will be responsible for the perishing of many.

Not only those who are outside God's kingdom(unbelievers) but also those who are in God's kingdom (believers) need to be taught the whole counsel of God.

We need not fear because He Who has called us will equip us and use us for His glory. Jesus promised to be with us always, till the end of time, as we go forth and fulfill His commission. 

Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

The Israelites were set free because Moses obeyed God. Today, the captives will be set free to worship the Lord, when we obey God!

Let us first check to see if we ourselves are in any form of bondage. Let us through, praise, worship, repentance, prayer and fasting get ourselves freed from our captivity. Then let us go forth in love and the conviction that God is with us as we march on to set our brethren free.

Let us who are commissioned and called, respond without fear like Isaiah responded, by saying, "Here am I. Send me!"

Let us go forth and set the captives free!

Mary Augustine
07/03/18

Lessons From Gregory the Grandfather Clock - Knowing Your Identity.

Lesson from the clock:- A timely advice for the young and old.

Gregory the grandfather clock had been ticking away for the past hundred and fifty years in the courtyard of the king.

For the first fifty years of its lifespan, Gregory was the talk of the town. It was made of oakwood. Gregory stood tall and looked majestic. The numbers and hands on its face were made of pure gold and they shone brightly when the sun came up. There were many other clocks in the same courtyard but Gregory received the most praise. Yet, that did not deter Gregory from doing its duty. It did not pause to gloat over the praises it received. 

As the years went by, the other clocks were replaced by modern digital clocks. Gregory still stood in the same royal courtyard but was not given a second glance. The new digital clocks were the talk of the town now. Gregory even heard people saying that it was not cool looking, that it was old fashioned and was not as accurate as the digital clocks. This too did not bother Gregory. It did not worry about what it heard or about the false accusation but continued to work steadily just as before. Gregory knew what it was. It was a clock. It knew whom it belonged to. It belonged to the king. It knew what it was created to do. It was created and assembled to show accurate time to those at the king's courtyard. Gregory just focused on what it had to do, and did it well.

One day, everyone stopped to look at Gregory. The old grandfather clock had stopped ticking. All who had spoken ill of Gregory recently,  began to talk about it again. This time, they said, "Gregory, surely was a faithful old clock. It worked till it stopped."

Like Gregory, all of us exist, all of us will grow old and one day we will all die.

Gregory did not simply exist. It existed with a purpose, to provide time for the royalty. Gregory the grandfather clock knew its purpose and identity. Do we know ours? Are we just existing or living out God's will in our lives?

When we are praised and when people look up to us, we feel proud and happy. It really makes our day. We even yearn for more adulation. 

At times, we get frustrated and angry when we slog while those around us are having it easy.

We get infuriated when we are falsely accused or when we hear the fraudulent gossips about us. We lose sleep over it and seek vindication.

A student studies day and night but others get more marks. He does a project all by himself with integrity, but his classmate gets someone else to do his project and is praised and even rewarded by the teacher. The hardworking student gets discouraged and feels unrewarded for his sincere efforts. He wonders why he has to study and do things honestly.

Person A, works till he is exhausted and he is neither promoted nor gets any benefits but his colleague who usually procrastinates gets promoted and gets more benefits than he deserves. Person A's blood starts boiling and he wants to quit.

A young girl exercises regularly, goes on healthy diets but is not able to reach her desired weight. Her best friend does not exercise and just gorges herself with any food she likes and she is the center of attraction in her college because of her ideal weight. This young girl gets heartbroken and depressed.

A homemaker mother works at home cooking, washing and cleaning for everyone. As she grows older she gets tired and needs medical attention. She is not able to work as swiftly as before. She gets frustrated because she gets no appreciation or help from those at home. 

Don't all the above scenarios seem familiar? Yes, they happen daily in the lives of many in one way or another. What is the solution? Is it to throw in the towel and say, "I give up!" Or would griping  and grumbling and swearing make things better?

The only solution is to apply the lesson taught by Gregory the grandfather clock.  Focus on who we are, whose we are and what we have to do.

Yes, we just have to do what we have to do, in the best way we can, without yearning for praises and without bothering or losing sleep over what others say or think about us. Our focus must be on our end goal and not on others. 

Being jealous about others or getting angry about the unfairness going on around us or pining for the appreciation we never got will never help. Even gloating over the adulation received will only pave a downward spiral for us, instead of helping us focus.

As Christians what is our end goal? In Jn 4:34 Jesus said, "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work."

Unlike Gregory, we have someone whom we can imitate. That someone is Christ Jesus. Paul in his letters to the Corinthian church in 1 Cor 4:16 & in 1 Cor 11:1 tells them to imitate him as he(Paul) imitates Christ.

Our goal must be to do the will of the Father Who created us in His image . What is the will of the Father? To make Jesus known, by being imitators of Him and to fulfill the command of Jesus in Matt 28:19-20.

The Pharisees ridiculed and spread hate rumors about Jesus and it didn't bother Him. The people in Jn 12:13 welcomed Jesus with palm leaves, cried Hosanna and proclaimed Him as King and it made no difference to Jesus. He did not bother or worry about what people spoke of Him or thought of Him. He knew Who He was, Whom He was serving and what He was called to do.

When we know that our identity is in Christ Jesus we will begin to realise that we are God's own precious children. We will know that we are a royal  priesthood sent to proclaim the marvels of God. We will know that we have been redeemed from darkness and brought into God's marvelous light. Only then we will begin to shine God's light into this dark world. 

What does God's Word say about us who are in Christ Jesus? Let's look at 1 Peter 2:9 NASB.                         "But you are a CHOSEN RACE, A royal priesthood, A holy NATION, a PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Whether we are students, employees, employers or homemakers, let us  do everything with integrity Now and diligence. Let us not procrastinate. Let God's unconditional love, kindness and gentleness be our disposition. Let us practice patience and self-control at all times. Let us forgive as soon as a quarrel begins. Let us be faithful in our imitation of Christ Jesus and in the discharge of our duties. Let Christ's joy and peace overflow from us and spread all around. Let God's goodness be so evident in us, that people who know us, who observe us and who hear us talk, would want to imitate us as we imitate Christ Jesus and want to  know Him.

Then one day when we are called to be home with our Father in heaven, we will hear these words, "Welcome home, my good and faithful servant!"

Mary Augustine
01/03/18