Table of Contents
1.
Mixed Motives
2.
Reality or Virutal Reality ?
3.
A Presumptuous Motive
4.
Problem of Evil
5.
God, Taken for Granted ?
6.
Pretentious Motive
Vol.14/Issue 1 S ept-Oct. 2016
Managing Editor Rev. Joshua Dhanabalan
Publishing Associate Ms. Rita Dhanabalan
Published by :
DISCIPLES FOR CHRIST C/o. Rev. Joshua Dhanabalan No. 3, 3rd Cross Street, Kanthakottam Nagar, Kallikuppam, Ambattur Post, Chennai - 600 053.
Mobile : 93807 09875 Email : joshbalu@yahoo.com
MIXED MOTIVES Editorial…….. We have been trying to grapple with some vital issues in these columns over the years which concern our life of faith as believing Christians. We began this year with a theme: Goals & Priorities. Then on, we pondered our thoughts on Kingdom's Forgotten Values. Further, we dwelt on the subject: Connected To Christ. Our last issue carried articles on Conquering Faith. I hope we are thinking it right Scripturally. It is my prayer that even as I write and share my thoughts, readers everywhere may be united in spiritual understanding and of sanctified thinking. In this issue, I am burdened to write on the subject: Motives which I hope, may help us together understand Biblically what this means in the life of a Christian. The very first question which pops out of my mind is this: Why do I follow Christ? In other words, What is my motive in following Him? It may be true perhaps, that most of us may not have given a serious thought to this before. Some would quickly retort to say: “Well, I have been a Christian for generations. How dare you raise such a silly issue? There is no such a thing as you say. We just follow a good old religion.”
True! Christianity as a religion is 2000 years -plus old! What did it make out of us? We are not trying to move on with a negative note. Here is a positive statement. Not only were there heroes of faith as recorded in the Bible. All through these 20 plus centuries, the Church had men and women who exhibited heroic faith. We said quite a bit in our last issue about this. Now, we are digging deep to discover ourselves. Why do I confess Christ? What motivates me? Please come along with me as we focus our thoughts on this. You will agree with me that people follow Christ for more than one reason. Recently, I had a conversation with a friend of mine. At a certain point I asked him if the faith of someone in his family is based on a certain need. “In a sense, yes!” he said. In India, majority of non- Christians do not have problem with Christ. They go into Churches to pray for healing. On occasions, they are healed. To them, Christ is their healer. That is it. They have nothing more or nothing less to do with Christ. They go away. Their needs are met at a certain point of time. The need based faith includes financial security, health and so on. Sim1
ply put it, the motive behind them following Christ is a particular need. I have seen young men coming to Christ from non-Christian backgrounds only to be converted to a Christian culture which is predominantly western. Some one had presented to them a muddled-up gospel. There appears to be so much confusion between the gospel and culture. Many in India, tend to follow Christ because of its tentacles so firmly connected to Christianity in the West. Many well educated non-Christian youth have a fancy for the contemporary gospel music. Places where Christian music concerts are held are favourite hot-spots for many of them. These young men ( may be women too), are well placed in IT sector and other companies and there is an inner craving for social acceptance within them. Quite a few of them having come from a not- so-well-to-do backgrounds are financially doing well now. A bit of psychological analysis would show that some of them suffer due to low self-esteem. In my limited experience working with a few of them, I discovered that many of the ultra-modern urban Churches seem to provide external acceptance, and a spring-board to social respectability in the name of religion. Such men and women with their quick-earned money give generously to the Churches too. Churches that aim solely on generating funds target such youths.
When quality discipleship is compromised for money and is neither tested nor observed, Churches invite with open arms such young men and women into positions of leadership. Personally, I have asked a couple of young converts if they still have their dual identification – the one in their church and the other in their work place. Sam is a Christian in the church on a Sunday, but continues to show himself as a non-Christian through the week in his work place. His work-place records show him not as Sam but Shanmugam! One guy was so clever that he cut the name Shanmugam into two halves. Shan and mugam. He kept the first name which sounds a bit more western! (He safely removed the second half of his name – mugam which means face!) Do you see the point? There is nothing wrong if one has passion for the English language. But why does anyone make Christ a westerner? We must also think of those at a certain level of the social strata getting converted to Christ, because they had been branded as the 'oppressed community' in their own religion. To appease them, our theologians evolved a theology for the Dalits in order to champion their cause. And then there are the feminists. They too have their needs and demands. Their complaint was such which echoed for long in the Christian Church saying that the 2
canonized Bible favoured only the male and the Church-at-large is predominantly male-chauvinistic. After much discussion and scholarly debate in our Christian summits, leaders are out there to appease the feminists too. Therefore, in some of the mainline Churches, they begin the Lord's prayer by saying: “Our Father and Mother in heaven….” Some denominations have gone a step further to ordain women pastors and bishops. Are we not following Christ out of our earthly needs which are merely socio-economic? By saying this, we are not simply ruling out the socio-economic needs of every society. The argument remains: Is this why we follow Christ? I am writing this with pain and it is not my intention to confound anyone in particular. The Gospel of Christ has suffered dilution with the growing culture of our times and had given birth to a hybrid religion of syncretism. We have come to a point where we cannot explain the gospel in clearer terms. At most, we have become experts in explaining away the gospel. No doubt, the Old Testament theology of Redemption was purely one that was initially socio-political. But the Israelites simply forgot the moral law which superseded all of these. Here is what God had to tell them:
“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humbled you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart (motive), whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers have known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut.8:2,3). Let's get this right. The political and social liberation which God provided His people was just a means to an end. Instead, they considered the land flowing with milk and honey to be their ultimate utopia. Today, many Christians use the gospel not as an end, but a means to fulfill their own ends. The Apostle Paul comes on heavily on those who take the gospel to their own advantage. a)“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power“ (I Cor.4:20). This means that we do not spend our time debating on trivialities. Instead, our theology must be put to work. We are called to live with God's power in this world of decadence and darkness as salt andlight b)“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom.14:17). 3
Do we recognize where we have ended up? We get pretty serious about our food and clothing and earned Jesus' rebuke. He called us little short of pagans and as men and women of little faith. c) For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. (Phil.3:18-19). The gospels record that even during the time of Jesus people followed Him for different reasons. For He himself had said this of those who followed Him: ”I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs
but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. (John 6:26). At a certain point of time, Christians in India were referred to as “rice and milk powder Christians.” We are simply part of the material world and our motives also seem to cover the physical, social and economic concerns. There seems to be a conflict between the “here and now,” and the “hereafter.” We strug gle trying to serve two masters. The entire issue of regarding our motives in following Christ boils down to our earthly nature of behaving so contrary to that of a higher calling. We tend to follow Christ with mean motives. What are they? Can you identify some of them? - Joshua Dhanabalan
An Irrelevant Religion: The only value of religious service is that they concentrate into an hour or so of public, vocal, congregational activity the devotion of our whole life. If the sayings or songs in the Church which have no corollary in our every day life outside Church, at home and work, they are worse than worthless, their hypocrisy is positively nauseating to God. Dr. John W. Stott. Intellectualism A Stumbling Block:Too many of us have lost the joy knowing Christ in simpler means and His truth in practical ways. We have become too philosophical and theologically complicated. Concepts are considered to be important than constructive faith. Intellectualism with worldly knowledge makes us proud and seldom provides us with spiritual well-being.
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REALITY OR VIRTUAL REALITY? Here are some quick thoughts which might expose our motives in relationships. If you happen to visit a typically Indian house to pay homage to someone who had passed away, you would probably notice the following: The Opening Scene:There may be close relatives who would be wailing, while a group may engage itself into singing a dirge. There may be some others trying to fall down on the pyre or coffin, rolling down to weep. The Photo Session: An enlarge photo of the “departed soul” may have been beautifully framed and adorned with fresh flowers. There may be those who would gaze without a wink as if the dead person would come back to life. They may be those who had never paid a visit to see the dead man or woman when he or she was alive. They had never saw eye-to-eye when the real person lived. Now they attach much attention and sentiment to the dead person's picture! Never did they express words of love and warmth . Now comes the time when they can show-off themselves in the 'photo session'. What an irony! Next Stage: Now comes the kissing of the dead body. Before the entire group of mourners, there comes someone who would show his/her true love for the one who had gone. He/ she stoops low and kisses the corpses. What love, what respect! Publicity Stunt: Now comes the time for someone to speak about the 'departed soul.' The spokesperson eulogizes to a point of canonizing and calling him/her a saint. Settlements: While all these are going on, some concerned members of the household are busy trying to discover where the person had kept his
property documents, and the ladies in the house frantically searching for the jewelry left behind by the departed soul ! We are saying this in the context of human relationship. All the appearances are so deceptive. Motives……they are very subtle, yet diabolic! Our Lord Himself demands that our relationship with him remain true and faithful. He expects unequivocal and undivided commitment in terms of submitting to His Lordship. Jesus knew our motives, for he said: “Those who call me Lord, Lord, will not enter the Kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:21). If our relationship with Christ is intact, then our love and relationship to our fellow human beings too will be genuine. When we fake our faith, this will be reflected in all our relationships at the human level. Here are some tips which might help us better our relationships. ** Never to be carried away by mere outward sentiments or emotional outbursts ** Never venerate a person when he/she is dead and gone. ** Show love and kindness to people when they are alive. ** By expressing all outward stunts of 'good deeds' never try to earn the appreciation of unwise people who will shower praises to you and call you as the epitome of all virtues. The Bible says all our righteous ness is as filthy rags. ** God knows all our hearts' intention and inclination. They are often times evil. ** Do not win the favour of people by your pretense and outward piety. ** We should be concerned about what God has to say about the motives of our heart. J.D.
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A PRESUMPTUOUS MOTIVE It is a dreadful thought and a reminder lest we fall into the hands of a holy God. (Heb.10:31). God never permits His holiness to be bartered through unholy means by any man. The purpose of this article is one that should awaken the reader as to how we approach a God who dwells in unapproachable light. God's word can be understood either way. Yes, we are exhorted to approach the throne of grace with confidence. This is not to mean that we take this privilege lightly. We have number of events and incidents recorded to this effect in the Old Testament. The people of Israel, time and again realized their blunder and learned it through hard the way. Here is what God says concerning His glory. I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. (Isa.42:8). As Christians, we need to remind ourselves that we are not worshipping a popular deity. Much of what we see around us in a pluralistic religious society make a strong influence and impact in our spiritual thinking. For most of us Christians, there is not time to think about these things. Recently, a person died in one of our families. The young man in that family immediately asked: “Why did God do such a thing to us? We make God responsible for things that He is not at all connected with. How often that young man acknowledged God in all of his life, one
does not know. We fail to realize that we jeopardize ourselves even through such a question posed against God. Questions posed against God which are haughty and arrogant attempt to tamper with the holiness of God. We may never know through what means or measure the displeasure of God would be returned to us sooner or later. We must get it right to understand the holiness and graciousness of our God. Both attributes are true. But we cannot consider one granted at the mercy of the other. As those with the emphasis of the New Covenant, we tend to ignore the holiness of God and His wrath which often times accompanies it. It is a Scriptural truth that God forgives the penitent sinner. Again, the Bible implies that sin has its effects. For example, an all-time drunkard mercifully cleansed by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ may not get healed in his liver! He is guilt-free, pardoned and set free from past sins. But he might still have to seek the help of Alcoholics Anonymous! Yes, there are times when God according to His Sovereign will and pleasure removes the scum which may cover one's body, mind and spirit, let alone one's material curse. We should do tell to remember this: God's wrath is sudden, His patience long-lasting.
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We may not understand or argue for or against it. Here is a study of a presumptuous motive of two men who died in the presence of God supposedly due to their service to God. Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense. And they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them and they died before the Lord. (Lev.10:1,2). Historical Background: Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders form part of the divinely chosen representatives (Ex.24:1). When God called Moses to meet with Him at Mount Sinai, He gave the following instruction. God commanded that the community of the people of Israel to stay at the foot of Sinai, while the representatives come up and ascend part of the way. Moses alone goes into the clouded fiery summit. When things were 'technically in order' as God commanded them, the representatives enjoyed the blessedness and beheld the glory of the Lord (24:9). We read of something which is quite striking here. Verse 11 reads like this: “But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites, they saw God and they ate and drank.” It appears that God was pleased with them. Exodus chapter 24 gives us some
important spiritual lessons. **Preparation to meet with God. **Waiting **Prolonged period of time. **Receiving His Instructions **Learning God's plan and purposes Sacrilege And Its Consequences: The exact nature of the sin of Nadab and Abihu is not fully explained in Leviticus chapter 10. But note the words: “Now Nadab and Abihu…took.” Nothing also has been said in chapters 8 & 9 about the offering of incense. It appears as though they were acting entirely on their own initiative and not at the command of Moses. “Offered un holy fire,” apparently this means fire not taken from the bronze altar (Ex.30;9). Both of them did it. The offering of incense on the golden altar was the duty of the high priest (30:9) or of one of the priests (Luke 1:9). For them to take the precedence over their father in the first performance of this solemn function was an act of presumption. For the two of them to undertake it at the same time suggests rivalry and jealousy. Their act may also been presumptuous because the time for offering incense (morning and evening) had not arrived. These and still other element may have entered into this act of sacrilege. The occasion was so solemn and the ritual had been performed with such care, everything being done 'as the Lord commanded,' that such impulsive and arbitrary departure from it as Nadab and Abih were guilty of must have been highly 7
presumptuous and sacrilegious (The New Bible Commentary p.150). There are a couple of more instances in the Old Testament. Miriam and Aaron grew jealous of Moses and about how he had been commissioned by God to lead the people of Israel. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn't he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this. (Num.12:2). Just for a question such as this by Aaron and Miriam(and probably it was Miriam who initiated this), she had to bear the brunt of God's displeasure. Again, it is not up to us to wonder why God did not punish Aaron in some way. Here is what the Scripture tells us: “The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them” (V.9). Though she escaped death sentence unlike Nadab and Abihu, Miriam had to be confined outside the camp for seven days, stricken with leprosy. Some lessons in life have to be learned through the hard way. Until something striking happens to us, we become numb, senseless and arrogant.King Nebuchadnezzar became too proud and God had to make him just like an animal for a period of time (Dan.4:33). Have we not read of the man called Uzzah who was stricken dead by the Lord just for his seemingly good intention of protecting the Ark of the covenant? (2 Sam.6:7; 1 Chron.13:10). Here is a comment on this by Mike Willis from Truth Magazine:
When God gives man a pattern, he expects men to follow that pattern. God had given Israel a pattern for transporting the ark of the covenant. The sons of Kohath, the son of Aaron, were given the responsibility of transporting the ark of the covenant. The high priest was to cover the ark of the covenant with a veil and the sons of Kohath were to carry the ark on their shoulders (Num. 4:1-15). For whatever reasons, the ark was not transported according to the Bible pattern. Perhaps, because the ark had been away from the Tabernacle for so long, people were ignorant of the law. Perhaps the degree of reverence which God required of the people was missing. For whatever reason, they did not obey the Lord's law and the Lord punished them, impressing David with the message that God expects his pattern to be obeyed. When the people placed the ark of God on their new cart they committed a serious trespass: they ignored the divinely appointed order and substituted their own arrangements. David acted without divine orders and substituted something in the worship and service of God for which he had no "Thus saith the Lord." Three months later, when David brought the ark from the house of Obed-Edom, he had learned the lesson of following the Lord's pattern. As he planned the moving of the ark, he said, "None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for
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ever" (1 Chron. 15:2). When instructing the Levites in bringing the ark to Jerusalem, he reflected on the sin committed by Uzzah saying, "Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order" (1 Chron. 15:12-13). What do these incidents teach us? It tells us that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God ‘(Heb.10:31). It is such a terrible thing when people presumptuously getting into the ministry and trying to preach and make claims that appear to be so contrary to the dictum of the Scriptures. No doubt, God is a God who calls His people to serve Him. But the prerogative of “Who is on the Lord's side” and “W ho is not” rests with God. He alone has the prerogative to separate the wheat from Chaff and the goat from sheep. Arthur W. Pink comments on these lines: “There are many who are anxious to see the pews occupied and their treasury well filled, and so "socials," "ice-cream suppers," and other worldly attractions are employed to draw the crowd. There are many preachers who are anxious to hold the young people, and so "athletic clubs," social entertainments, are introduced to secure that end. There are many evangelists who are anxious to
"make a good show," secure "results," and be able to herald so many hundreds of "converts" at the close of their "campaigns," and so fleshly means are used, high pressure methods are employed to bring this about: "decision cards," the "sawdust trail," the "penitent form" are called in to their aid. There are many Sunday school teachers who are anxious to hold the interest of their class, and so "prizes" are given, "picnics" are arranged, and other devices are resorted to. Apparently it does not occur to these "leaders" to challenge their own actions, to weigh them in "the balances of the sanctuary, " to inquire how near or how far they measure up to the divine standard: so long as such means and methods seem right to them, or are in general vogue in other "churches," and so long as they appear to "succeed," nothing else matters. But in a coming day, God is going to ask of them "who hath required this at your hand?" (Isa. 1:12)! None of the devices mentioned above have one particle of scriptural authority to warrant their use-, and it is by the Scriptures that each of us will yet be judged! All things must be done "according to the pattern" (Heb. 8:5; Ex. 25:40) which God has furnished us; and woe will it yet be unto us if we have disregarded His "pattern" and substituted another of our own”. I think enough is said on the consequences a believer might face when he goes around with a presumptuous motive- of handling too
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lightly of those things that are sacred. We have long forgotten to distinguish between the holy and the profane, between the unclean and the clean. Being a mere Christian is not suffice. If we wear a better- off tag as 'believers,' then the Bible tells that that even the demons believe Jesus as Lord in that sense! Whenever the whirlwind of this world – through its ideology, philosophy, superstition or even denominational dogma supersedes or replaces the foundational truths of the Scripture, we are risking ourselves with the wrath of God. Being presumptuous literally means an attitude of self-exaltation (even over the things of God), an acting of supposing, even justifying oneself to be behaving or doing good and an impudent boldness of behaving because of an exalted opinion of one self. Watch Out For God's Wrath: There is a dangerous religious energy which can drive a man or woman to indulge carelessly into spiritual things. More often, this happens out of mere human impulse – even out of desperation. Are you a spiritually desperate person for the wrong reason? It is alright to be spiritually desperate for the right reason – say, to know and seek God intimately. When it comes to laying our hands on the things of God – much waiting, patience and prayer is required. We all fail in this. Today, everyone is quick to ascend to the pulpit than to
wait in order to learn from the pew. It seem to be human nature that we all love to speak than listen. I spoke to young man – a recent convert whose Christian discipleship appeared to wobble and his own presumption on matters of faith were found not be in conformity with God's word. He was caught up with too many “Christian activities” that were prompted not by God but by his own self-will. He began to publish many “Christian Books” that were biblically errant. At thirty, he goes around and claims that he had contributed 'much' to the Christian world! I invited him to join us for a time of fellowship and Bible study. He was a bit offended and said: “Well, I do not want to sit at meetings. I shall go only when I am invited to teach or preach!” A wise man who is humble acknowledges that godly matters cannot be attempted through pride, arrogance or self-will. One must know that it back-fires! Our service to God or ministry of any kind should not arise out of inner-void, or spiritual dissatisfaction. Are you that someone holding a position of Christian leadership? Do you serve as a principal, or a professor in a seminary? Are you a CEO in a mission agency? Have you been substituting the substance of the word of God for mere style? Did you ever compromise Biblical standards in order to please others or to receive favours for yourself ? Here is a comment by C.H. 10
Spurgeon on this: “How accursed must the life of a minister who profanes the pulpit to the dignity of eloquence. How desperate his deathbed will be when he remembers that he made an exhibition of his powers of speech rather than the solid things that make for the winning of souls.” Unless otherwise conscious effort is made, we all can slip into every spiritual activity – say, Bible teaching or preaching, even into hypocritical prayer as that of the Pharisees. Are you a Pastor/Bible Teacher becoming too familiar with God's Word that Sunday after Sunday you tend to lose the seriousness of handling it? Perhaps, Nadab and Abihu felt that way. It is the most dangerous thing to act on the insistence of one's familiarity. They were all part of the family clan of Moses and their father after all was the chief priest. The young men may have thought that theirs was the clan chosen by God to serve Him and therefore, no untoward thing could happen to them. One may be a son or daughter of either a Pastor or a servant of God.
That does not stop the wrath of God against such a person if he/she dares to violate the will of God. When God's people misbehave, the stakes are oftentimes very high. Let us keep this in mind. Many Christian homes are going through misery and heartache because of Isaac like fathers who gave into fleshly appetite or Rebekah like mothers who showed favouritism. While dealing with sin, the love of God and wrath of God operates in keeping with the Sovereign will of God. That is the picture of the cross on which our Lord paid the price for our sins. This nature of God is like two sides of a coin. Let us not mix up one with the other. When enjoying the abundant grace of God, let us not lose sight of what it is know the wrath of God. To know what it means, please read Romans chapter 9. Have you been in the habit of acting or behaving presumptuously before God? The sooner, it is better for us all to repent and find grace. J.D.
. Christians - Potted Plants? Like a potted plant, most of us have carved Christ out of our denominational mould – the Catholics' depiction of Christ, the Anglicans, the Presbyterians, the Methodists, the Baptists, the Brethren and the Pentecostals have all given a shaded image to Christ. How different each image of Christ is from the other! Even after looking at the Scriptures, how prejudiced we are even in matters of truth. J.D.
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PROBLEM OF EVIL The problem of evil is so complex that it is not possible at times to put your finger and say it is due to this or that. It is same as any medical complication in our body. The fact is that evil is present – almost everywhere. It is hard to find some good or goodness amidst so much of evil which pervades the universe. When we switch on the television – we see evil. There is rape, murder, looting or violence. This is even shown in the name of entertainment. Truly speaking, it does not entertain but entwines one's nerves! We are living in hard times when just living under the protection of one's own roof becomes all the more dangerous! For evil is lurking everywhere. And for addressing evil, one has to pay a huge price. The righteous are punished while those who honour God with their lips safe-guard their interests. Often times, it works this way: One can be a Christian who regularly attends weekly Bible-study and safely leaves the truths he learned then and there. He can pray in the comfort of his home – for that prayer does not shake the foundations of hell – and the devil just doesn't care. Instead, the devil goes to those who take the Word seriously in their lives. There comes evil. Whenever an individual takes Christ and His Word seriously, watch what happens. Evil is the perversion of all that is normal and natural. Of late, evil has masqueraded as an angel of light – and we might see such things
happening in our homes or Churches – among every other Christian groups or their activities. This form of evil is so subtle and crafty which expresses itself in the form of spiritual deception. Evil makes you fear men more than you fear God. Abnor mal symptom isn't it? Evil produces jealously which consumes you from inside. It produces a burning effect – the heart-burns every time you see the other person either blessed or prospered. You may have become the most miserable, unhappy man or woman, dissatisfied with everything you possess, but always look at others and compare. Evil has a power to manipulate, evade and exploit others. You keep others under your control – as bonded men and women. It may be that you snatched others' freedom given to them by God. If you say that you have no enemies, then it is probable that you are maintaining very good terms with the world. For the way of Christ is strongly objected to by the way of the Evil one. That is why we pray: “Lead us not into the test (meaning, that God may permit any situation to test us and not tempt us), but deliver us from evil” (Evil one– means the devil). The personification of evil in its form is often angelic and beautiful. Many have followed course with the Evil one and have wandered away from the fold of Christ. Evil companionship and friendship is diametrically opposed to true meaning and purpose of Christian 12
fellowship. Evil is so subtle and crafty that it can creep and slither into our homes, Churches and society-at-large. Initially, its presence is not felt or observed, until its diabolical act results in catastrophe. Some areas of evil outlined here: ** Tolerance to evil and sinful life-style ** Pretending to be the epitome of good virtue, whereas you oppress the weaker people ** Evil habits – lying, deception, fear of rejection by men ** Sexual immorality –taken captive by the devil, driven to bondage
** Emotional bondage- imprisoned by a spirit of insecurity, guilt, unable to experience true joy and happiness. ** Anxiety- Uneasiness, uncertainty etc. It is quite possible to find baptized believers or confir med Christians being caught up with these kinds of evil. The truth is yet to make them free. There is nothing wrong with the truth. But those who are under the dominion of evil had not permitted God to deliver them from their slavery. They just wallow themselves in the muddle and would not want God to help them out. J.D.
Report On Chattisgarh Mission/Pastor's Training Anugraha Prarthana Bhawan is a church in Kanker with over 200 believers situated around 200 kms from Raipur. Disciples For Christ had been associated with this church for over 7 years. We have provided both spiritual and material resources whenever possible. Pastor John arranged 2 days of pastor's meeting. About 30 pastors participated and were blessed through the teachings. Two days of special Church meetings were also held. God provided journey mercies and met all our needs. We praise and glory Him. We also travelled to Mumbai for a pastoral visit to be with a loving family who love God and His people. We were associated with the elderly couple for over 20 years. It was a refreshing time of renewing our fellowship and love. (Rita & Joshua Dhanabalan). Christian Thought Series reaches you as God enables us each time and provides the needed financial resources. At times the stream runs dry! In Christian life, we learn both experiences – “to be in need and to have plenty” (Phil.4:12). From time to time, we consider It a healthy thing to make our needs known to God and His people. If you are one of those who had been blessed through these messages, consider supporting the cause of extending God's kingdom through this ministry. More details of Disciples For Christ ministries are given in the last page. Contact us for prayer or for ministry resources. Emai:joshbalu@yahoo.com/09380709875. S.B. A/C No.32694836912/ State Bank Of India, Kellys Branch, Chennai 10. IFSC: Sbinoo11736/ Branch Code 11736 NB:-To enable us to acknowledge you duly, you may kindly notify if you have transferred money through on-line. 13
GOD, TAKEN FOR GRANTED? “These things happened to them as examples, and were written down as warnings for us…” (1 Cor.10:11).
Almost everything that goes on in Christendom in the name of “God”, “Christ” “Church” “Serving God” “faith” “love” – somehow seem to displace and disregard Jehovah God. In other words, we have taken God for granted for very long. Let us imagine this: what happens in a worship service? I sing or engage in various other spiritual activities. Do these things just happen because of “auto sug gestion? ” Am I being “conditioned?” to do this or that? Or, do I do something as a result of my love and reverence to God? But then if nothing happens on the inside after all the 'religious activities', then naturally the question arises as to what went wrong. “What is central” and “Who is the centre of focus in all our spiritual activities?” How much of sense does it make when we simply use words – and words? Does my worship work the way a mathematical principle or formula works? We memorize tables. Everything in multiplication depends on knowing tables! In that order, let us say for example, our recitals, or reading of Scriptures, our praise and worship may all be considered appreciative and good initiatives to worship a holy and awesome God. But the question still lingers on: “Have we taken God for granted?” Is our life hooked up or hung upon, or focused and fixed on God and
nothing else? Is it alright to speak or write that way? Would the world and the Church-at-large recognize, accept or appreciate if we do that? Or would they say, “Do not talk too much about godly things. You will become eccentric, in sane, unstable?” Are we being taught how to keep up with the world? The spirit of the world is fasting catching up with the Church. J.I Packer, the author of “Knowing God” says that God's name is flouted, and the child of God feels acute distress. God's Presence Taken For Granted: (1 Cor. 11:1-5) The first five verses of 1 Corinthians explain to us that God was with the people of Israelites, but was not pleased with them. Though there was the cloud of pillar and the cloud of fire accompanied them in order to lead and direct them, they had taken God for granted. There are those believers or assemblies even today who talk about the presence and power of God in their midst. It might be true. But when holiness is absent among God's people while His presence and power are seen, then God begins to act not out of grace but out of His wrath. Today, God's displeasure and consequence of sin may be evident in a believer's life or in the life of a congregation. We may seldom recognize it. The set parameters of God's holiness must never be flouted. When God is taken for granted by His 14
people, they pay much too heavily. It may not be obvious to others. But the disobedience and the sin of taking God for granted is to be definitely paid for in some form. God's Provision Abused (6-10). Every blessing provided by God to nourish the body was simply perverted by His people. They were provided with manna and water in the desert. Verse 7 says: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” There had always been immorality coupled with pagan idolatry. Israelites followed suit as Egypt was very much in their mind-set. Though they were set free, in the true sense, they were not liberated in their attitude. Given an opportunity, they could revert back to the old ways of sin. It is human nature that people's bahaviour can go berserk in a strange place other than our own. Some might behave rather weird in a different place thinking others may not find their odd behaviour. But there was Daniel who, even though he was transported to a foreign land as a captive, had never forgotten to honour God even in the matter of eating his food. Lesson For Us: If we consider ourselves as New Testament believers, then we must take all the 10 commandments quite seriously. For it says: “Do not use the name of God in vain,” “Do not commit adultery,” and “Do not worship any other God.” Some might teach that we are into a new dispensation and we are not bound anymore by the law or the commandments. New believers might
says, “We enjoy freedom and grace through Jesus Christ”. But Jesus said: “I have come to fulfill the law.” The God of the Bible is same yesterday today and forever. He says: “I am God, and I change not.”(Mal.3:6). We are exhorted not to take God for granted. We must simply remove the concept wrongly taught to us that there is the God of the Old Covenant and the God of the New Covenant. God's character and attributes are eternally unchangeable. Paul says this in 1 Cor. 15:33: “Come back to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God – I say this to your shame.” Again in Galatians 6:7, Paul says: “Do not be deceived- God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Sin and its consequences work parallel to that of forgiveness and God's grace. They do not contradict each other. We must never take our grace for granted. It is as good as we take God for granted. All kinds of such cheap and careless God plays – both within and without the Church of Jesus Christ will be accounted and paid for. We need to identify those things that do not accord what is due to be the glory of God. It may be our family, our Church or our ministries – 1) Recognize Them 2) Root Out 3 )Repent Let us beware of the consequences of taking God for granted. J.D.
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PRETENTIOUS MOTIVE “You have not lied to men but to God (Acts.5:4b) Spiritual deception is both fund raising programme. The passages dangerous and a serious threat to what indicate that they had lands as their is otherwise a genuine faith. All through primary resource. Sale proceeds from the history of the Church, the devil had land were pooled in and funds were sown seeds of dissention, division, generated to meet urgent needs and distortion of God's word. Counterfeit day-to-day requirements of the religion and religious experience are all believers. inventions that appear to be There were two kinds of successfully spearheaded by Satan. All believers who were engaged some of the schisms, heresy, and groups of philanthropic work, but with mixed cults have all gone out into the world motives. One was called Joseph, nicknamed as Barnabas and the name from within the Church. Many gullible Christians, who thereby means Son of Encouragement had neither crucified themselves to the (Acts 4:36). cross of Christ, nor have rooted Character Of Barnabas: It themselves in the purity of God's word appears that by nature he was a have always had serious difficulty when straightforward man. The Book of Acts the devil tried his hand on such people. presents this man as a model of Therefore, the working knowledge of integrity and character the Scriptures is essential for day-toThe text gives no indication that day life than possessing mere textual Barnabas' gift responded to a call from knowledge. Again, it is not merely church leadership for money. Unlike experience without the frame-work of other New Testament situations (1 Cor. God's word which must be avoided. 16:1, 3), there seems to have been no The Word of God must always pressing need for a large financial confirm our faith experience and living contribution. Instead, Barnabas' gesture with Christ ought to be confirmed sparkles with spontaneity and joy. through the Word must go hand in Barnabas gives the gift without hand. stipulations and for the use of the Dealing With Needs : Chapters community. 4:32-36 & Chapters 5:1-11 present to Evidently, the field's sale and the us the needs of the early church donation of its proceeds put Barnabas believers. With all their knowledge, in an immediate leadership position, education or expertise they formulated even though he is not part of the strategies to meet such a contingency. original twelve disciples or a member They had a resource management team of the Seven, the Greek-speaking consisting of the apostles. Obviously, servants of the widows who dealt with Peter was their CEO. They initiated a the daily distribution of food (Acts 6: -2, 5). 16
However, his single act of generosity unquestionably earned him lifelong favor and standing in the community. Through his action, he acknowledges the apostles' authority and submits to it. Ananias & Sapphira: This chilling account of the sudden deaths of Ananias (Hebrew, "the Lord is gracious") and Sapphira (Aramaic, "beautiful") makes us face the fact that God deals with sin, especially Church members' deceit and lack of integrity. If God acts to preserve the integrity of the community that the gospel produced, we can have increased confidence in the truthfulness of the message itself (Lk 1:4). That's the good news for the inquirer. This narrative is bad news, though, for any who would take a casual approach to entering the kingdom of God. Living out their unity with the believers, Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold real estate (see 5:3), brought and placed money at the apostles' feet. This action paralleled Barnabas' (4:37), with one significant difference. In collusion with his wife, Ananias kept back part of the money for himself. Literally, he embezzled from the sale price. This is paralleled in the Septuagint report of Achan's sin (Josh 7:1). Peter Exposes The Fraud. He knows the truth, whether by hearsay, reading Ananias's face or Spirit-empowered insight. By asking Ananias why Satan has filled his heart for the purpose of lying to the Holy Spirit and embezzlement, Peter exposes the spiritual battle that is raging (compare Lk 4:1-13). Satan now attacks Christ's
mission from within as he had done through Judas and Peter (Lk 22:3, 31). The "father of lies" (Jn 8:44) starts in the heart, the source of all decisions concerning possessions and their relation to God (Lk 12:34; 16:14-15; Acts 8:21-22; contrast 2:46; 4:32). Ananias shows not simply a lack of honesty in bringing only a part of the sale price but also a lack of integritybringing only a part while pretending to bring the whole. Peter now exposes Ananias's full responsibility. He had full control over the property before it was sold, and over the sale price before he contributed any portion to the common fund (5:4). This statement can help us understand the arrangements of having all things in common (2:44; 4:32) and the practice of selling property and bringing the proceeds to the apostles as a contribution to a fund for the poor (4:34-37; compare 2:45), for it shows the voluntary, even periodic nature of the process. Peter again asks the piercing question "Why?" This sin, like all sin, is finally not against human beings but against God. Sin blinds us to the true nature of the offense: All our sin is committed against God. Sin also blinds us so that we choose short-term gains in this life, heedless of the long-term loss in the next (Lk 9:24-25). For Ananias it was the possibility of being praised for his generosity while holding back part of the money for his own security. As Ananias listens to this expose, suddenly he falls down and dies as a result of divine judgment--Acts 5:10; 12:23; Judg 4:21). God, the knower of 17
all hearts, has assessed Ananias's unrepentant heart and immediately judged him for his sin (contrast Acts 15:8). Such a punishment, "death at the hands of heaven," was a recognized penalty in Old Testament and Jewish law. The punishments for partaking of the priestly tithe while ritually unclean and the strange fire of Nadab and Abihu are the closest parallels (Lev 10:1 -7). No wonder great fear comes upon the Jewish Christian bystanders (compare Acts 5:11; 19:17). Such discipline certainly has its deterrent value. The hasty, unceremonious burial of Ananias shows the believers recognize that God's judgment has fallen on one who by his embezzlement had violated the transparent unity of the Spirit-filled assembly (see Lev 10:6; ). The young men (young in age, not office) cover his eyes and wrap his body in a shroud, referring to a functionary related to burials, has been discovered on an inscription in a synagogue in Beth Shearim. Without the traditional rituals of mourning, Ananias is taken outside the city and buried. Three hours later Sapphira arrives. Luke, given his mention of her ignorance, probably intends us to understand Peter's question to be about the agreed-upon false price, not the true price. Either way, his inquiry gives her an opportunity to confess or persist in her sin (compare Lk 22:48). In response, Peter again uses the penetrating "why" question. The NIV emphasizes Peter's disbelief by
phrasing it “How could you . . . � He reveals his knowledge of the crime and points out its implications for their covenant relationship with God. In the wilderness the Israelites through their unbelief and murmuring against God were actually putting him to the test to see if he would indeed punish sin. At Kadesh Barnea they discovered that he does (Num 14:20-23; Ps 95:7-11; compare Deut 6:16). Thus Sapphira too experiences divine judgment by immediate death, and the believers again respond with dishonorable burial. The lack of reference to wrapping the body may reflect the Jewish custom that women could wrap both men and women, but men could wrap only men Through the death of Ananias and Sapphira we learn that in this life God can, and when He chooses will punish sinners either by immediate death or by some other means. This can happen to those who claim to be, and may truly be, a part of his covenant people, enjoy his salvation blessings and yet deliberately sin and remain unrepen tant (1 Cor 5:5; 1 Jn 5:16-17). For Christians today this is still a temptation: to so luxuriate in the love and grace of God that we do not take seriously the consequences of our deliberate sinning. But God will not be mocked (Gal 6:7-8). Great fear comes on the whole church. This is the first reference in Acts to the body of Christians as the "church" (ekklesia). This term, though used in secular Greek to describe citizen assemblies (compare Acts 19:32, 18
39), derives its special theological meaning from its use by the Septuagint to consistently translate the Hebrew ‘qahal’, the assembly or congregation of God's people. For Christians to use this word to describe their corporate identity was to claim to be the true people of God, the rightful heirs of God's promised salvation blessings. To find it at the climax of this passage only heightens the seriousness of Ananias and Sapphira's sin and gives explicit justification for the severity of their punishment. And Luke lets us know that the dread extended to non-Christians as well. The message of this for Christian and non-Christian alike is self-evident. Christians must realize that the selfless, transparent fellowship of the church must never be violated by selfish hypocrisy. Further, it is proper to employ discipline to guard the church's integrity, unity and purity. For the non-Christian, this account is a warning: Think twice before joining this holy fellowship. Are you willing to pay the price--fully renouncing wicked ways and full-heartedly embracing Christ and other believers in his body, the church? (IVP N.T Commentary). Problem With Hypocrisy: Someone said: “The Church is full of hypocrites!” It may be fully true when we include the person who said it! We all struggle with this sin. It might cover areas such as giving to the Lord (Luke 21:1-4/ 2 Cor.9:7), our worship, prayer, alms-giving and even fasting . Do I pretend to be spiritual than the other
person. Or, do I tend to imitate someone else's spirituality ? God sees the motive of my heart. Like the Pharisee, I might pretentiously ask: “Who is my neighbor?” Do I present myself as someone very spiritual and godly while on the inside I am very deceptive? I might get people's applause and appreciation. We must take a warning from this incident that God does not tolerate hypocrisy. God wants us to be what we are and not like someone else. Paul said: “I am what I am by the grace of God.” (1 Cor.15:10). There were those who tried to outsmart Paul. They even preached Christ out of jealousy. These kind of things happen in the ministry and among ministers. A sad thing indeed! Let us recognize who we are in Christ. We must be glad of our worth and value because of Jesus Christ. A Christian truly born of God need not suffer from low self-esteem. One need not pretend to be somebody when he is not. The man or woman with low self-esteem often behaves like a superior person before others as a mere cover up. We must be aware that he gospel transforms and transcends every bit of human ill-will. “Salvation is God's way of making us real people”, said St. Augustine. The following thoughts might be helpful to us: * Be yourself ! * Be Original ! * Be what God wants you to be ! * Do not copy this or that manor woman ! * Do what God wants you to do!. J.D. 19
Rev. Joshua Dhanabalan, No. 3, 3rd Cross Street, Kanthakottam Nagar, Kallikuppam, Ambattur P.O., Chennai - 600 053. Mobile : 93807 09875 Email : joshbalu@yahoo.com