A testimony to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He is no respecter of a person's lineage, level of education, social status, financial status or anything else with which this world defines an individual. The Bible says that ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is pardon for ALL in the blood of Jesus Christ and ALL are given the privilege of sons & daughters of the Most High God. Through Jesus we are heirs to all the promises in the living Bible.
Are we Cadaver Christians - presenting a decorated external appearance to the world, but dead and decaying inside, or living daily by the Holy Spirit's power? Apostle Paul advises us in Galatians 5:16-24 that all throughout our life we will continue to face conflicts, but what choices are we going to make. As we make the right choices, Holy Spirit will strengthen us and transform us.
Paul teaches us to live according to our new life [born again] in the Holy Spirit. Then we won't be doing what our sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when we are directed by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer subject to the law [this is not a rejection of the law, rather an emphasis that when we are born again, Christ's Holy Spirit will enable us to live according to the law under his grace and mercy].
When we follow the desires of our sinful nature, our lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in our own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before , that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce these fruits in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law [reaffirming the parenthetical note earlier]. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to this cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:16-24.
Are we alone in this struggle? The man whose heart the Bible says was fashioned after God's own heart, king David, pleads with God, "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep me from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and redeemer." Psalms 19:12-14.
God's not going to abandon us in our daily conflicts and struggles and Paul assures us, in Philippians 1:6 - And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.So let us not be cadaver Christians, but examine ourselves, ask God to help us in this walk to live in the power of his Holy Spirit.
The all-seeing, all-knowing, all powerful God.
Your power is absolute!
Your understanding is beyond my comprehension!
Thank you for you are my ABBA-father.
He frees the prisoners and opens the eyes of the blind!
He is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the refugees back!
Thank you for you are my King and Savior.
I have been fasting and praying since October 20th for a month, that came about from a very personal conversation with a friend who confided in me some specific life challenges. As I fast and pray for her and her family, the process has helped me re-evaluate where I stood with respect to my personal faith and walk with Christ. Sometimes I wonder what all this is about, especially when doubt creeps in, a feeling of loneliness sets in, when I don't have someone in whom I can confide. But such instances have also been a place of strength, which forces me to look back in life, where I came from, how I got to where I am. These instances have also been the times when I have heard the gentle whispers of my God, a reminder of his promises that he has faithfully carried out, that gives me the courage and strength to keep on, and have in me the expectation of God's glory that I will see.
As I have been fasting and praying, I have been reading random sections of the Bible, and the theme I see is evangelism: build God's temple one person at a time. It's not in grand structures that God resides, but individuals. It is not just through ordained ministers or priests or preacher's who have critical acclaim that God works. God works through everyday walk of life people, like ourselves, whom no one knows, if we are willing to allow him to work in us and through us.
Evangelism is the duty of every christian. Each person, regardless of their faith, is the temple of God. God only wishes that the temple is prepared for his glory to descend and transform the individual life. We read this in the book of Ezekiel 33. Here is a God who wants to have a relationship with each one of us, a God who is passionate about you and me.
My desire has been for God to give me opportunities to speak to people about how Christ has transformed my life, and what he has done in my life. During this fast, meditation and prayer, I have also come to realize that I have to defend my faith not just on experiences, but on facts about Christ and the reason for my faith in him. That was the reason for my previous post. Getting back to evangelism, as I read through the random sections of the bible, Psalm 132, where the psalmist talks ofpriests who are the agents of salvation caught my attention. And Psalms 134 reads, "Oh, praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, you who serve as the night watchmen in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift your hands in holiness toward the sanctuary, and praise the LORD. 3 May the LORD, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem." The key was "lift up your hands in holiness."
Do the agents of salvation, the night watchmen in the house of the LORD, lift up their hands towards the LORD's sanctuary in holiness, as prayers for others are lifted to the LORD? Being right with God while conducting his business is a very serious matter. We read in Numbers 3:2-4, "2 The names of Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These sons of Aaron were anointed and ordained (Exodus 29) to minister as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the Lord’s presence in the wilderness of Sinai when they burned before the LORDthe wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded." In Leviticus 10:10, God gives instructions for priestly conduct, "10 You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. 11 And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.” There is a command from God to make a conscious decision to distinguish between right and wrong and do that which is right. Only then do our prayers have results. Only then can we as Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, as we walk in obedience to God's commands, say in God's name, claim in God's name, pray in God's name, and miracles will happen, and hearts transformed. For the Bible says that God will do what his servants ask for, even if he has not foretold it to them, to prove to the world that they are indeed his servants.
During these random readings, I came across Exodus 30, and Aaron's task to tend to the trimming of the wicks on the lamp stand, morning and evening; and as he trimmed the wicks, God's command was to burn fragrant incense on the incense altar, with specific instruction to not burn just any incense. This was a command to be carried out generation to generation. The lamp stand and the incense altar stood in the proximity of the ark of the covenant, where God met his priests giving instruction for his people.
The trimming of the lamp peeked my curiosity. I came across this in Wikipedia: in the more modern times, the lamp trimmer was a specialist on board ships that involved maintaining oil lamps. The crewman needed to constantly care for the lamps. Trimming the wicks helped draw oil up from the storage reservoir, so that the flame would be clean and bright. The lamp trimmer had to be skilled to trim a wick in such a way that it would burn evenly without hot spots, so that it would not need attention again for sometime. A poorly trimmed wick creates a flame which is dim and smokey. A properly trimmed wick when lit should burn cleanly all the way up to the highest flame it can make. The flame should be at least the width of the wick and even, not ragged.
Evangelism requires us to be the light of God, that others can see. In order for God to act on our efforts to evangelize, we need to make sure that we tend to the wicks, connected to the lamp stands that we are, individually, personally, on a regular basis, morning and evening, continuously, to ensure that the flame is properly casting the light with an intensity that's at its full potential, while our lives are a sweet smelling offering in God's presence. Then, we can proclaim like Elijah, Elisha and Samuel, and God will do mighty works building his temples.
As I pray for my friend, who is not a believer, but who accepted a challenge on October 20th to pray to Jesus Christ for her deliverance, I put my hope in him. As Solomon prayed following the building of the LORD's temple, "And when foreigners hear of you and come from distant lands to worship your great name -- for they will hear of you and of your mighty miracles and your power -- and when they pray towards this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. Then all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They too will know that this Temple I have built honors your name." and God answered, "I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart." (1 Kings 8:41-43; 9:3) I pray for God's love, mercy and grace upon our combined prayers. To God be the all the glory!
11-30-2017 Update: I finished my month long fasting on 11-20-2017. Not one of my prayer requests was answered. Actually, it seems they are worse off than when I started. Since November 21st I have been asking God, WHY? Today, I have the answer from the book of Matthew, and it's true. God taught me something about myself - I had the right purpose, but my heart was not right. Sometimes we think we are doing God's work, helping others, but God uses those experience to teach us more about ourselves. Today, I ask for forgiveness and recommit myself to God's mercy and love - God wants your obedience more than your sacrifices!
It's been more than a year since I posted. It has not been because God has not been active in my life over this time. Every day I experience his hand holding me up, his spirit encouraging and guiding me on, and his prophecies coming true. But, I don't know why I have not posted. Recent conversations with couple of friends with whom I had a chance to share what Christ has done in my life leads me to write this post.
I believe in the Bible and the God of the Bible. I have always supported my faith in the Bible and the God of the Bible through my experiences. I believe the Bible to be God inspired. This was fine for my personal faith enrichment, but how was I going to explain and support this to reason with someone of a different persuasion or just did not believe in the existence of a God. That's where books written by professor John Dickson (The Christ Files: How Historians Know What they know about Jesus; and Life of Jesus: Who He Is and Why He Matters) and Lee Strobel's The Case For Christ,where references to historical facts and attestation by non-christian historians, present and from antiquity, documenting the birth and person of Jesus Christ is crucial. The Bible is a collection of articles by many different authors written over a period of time all pointing to the same theme - a passionate and compassionate God who loves his creation, (wo)man! The Bible has been the most studied, discussed and dissected collection of articles by both folks who believe and do not believe it to be God inspired. Yet they are unanimous in their conclusion to the truth about the person and life of Jesus Christ; that cannot be denied.
Prof. John Dickson, a professor of archeology, who became a believer in Christ, persuaded by the evidence presented through his own research that started out to test the veracity of the Bible and its historical context, wrote, "I remain a devoted theist rather than a common sense deist because I'm convinced that the great mind standing behind the rational order of the universe has entered into human affairs in a concrete way in the life of Jesus." Voddie Bocham, a Christian minister, who did not start out as a Christian, posed this question to an audience: Why I chose to believe in the Bibleand answered it in a most succinct manner... "It is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eye witnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed their writings were divine rather than human in origin."
Apostle Peter, the first disciple of Christ, an eye witness to the life and works of Jesus Christ, writes in 2 Peter 1:16-21,
16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
In conclusion, the historical evidence for the bible, the life and person of Jesus Christ and my personal experience of the promises in the Bible lead me to believe in the Bible and the God of the Bible. In the Bible you will find the answers to all life's questions. I continue to find that to be true. If you sincerely want to find this God, you will find him I am certain. For the Bible says that the God of the Bible is passionate to have a relationship with you.
PS: I want to thank my two friends, Magda and Binu, for the conversations that rekindled the fire in me to get back on my knees and be in the Word in prayer. And as Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15 if someone asks about our hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. Let's build God's temples, one person at a time.
