”…the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets…” Ecclesiastes 12:5 We moved to Adelaide in June 1992. One of the lasting memories about our move here is the blossoming almond trees we were seeing as we … [Read more…]
The majority of people, unfortunately, live their lives in these two realms: biological existence and social environment. The prevalent view/attitude is, “Let’s eat, drink and be merry…for tomorrow we’ll die” (Luke 12:19; 1Cor.15:32). People live/make use of their bodies to this extent. Our spiritual birth is not the result of a natural process or the … [Read more…]
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection…” Philippians 3:10 In the immediate context of our passage, we find Apostle Paul saying that for the surpassing value of knowing Christ, he now counts all things rubbish and a loss. In other words, whatever achievements and accolades that earned him a type … [Read more…]
“Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons” (Luke 15:11). Why would Jesus start His parables/teaching like this…so earthly…so story like. You could almost hear, “Once upon a time…” Why didn’t He begin His teachings something like, “See friends, where I come from…” or “There are sooo many stories where I come from. Listen … [Read more…]
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection…” Philippians 3:10 Before the Lord met him on the road to Damascus, Apostle Paul was quite confident that he could attain eternal life on the basis of his circumcision, his pedigree (he was an Israelite, of the tribe of Benjamin), his position as … [Read more…]
”The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people” (Titus 3:8). As we are born (again) into God’s family our hands receive a new functionality: hands … [Read more…]
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us” (2 John 1: 4). Faith in God brings about a significant transformation: a complete rebirth. Jesus used the term “born again” or “born from above”. With spiritual birth comes spiritual growth; With spiritual … [Read more…]
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalms 4:8). Too often, we find ourselves in need of help. At times help is readily available. Other times, help is nowhere to be found. And, often we realise that there is but one place our help … [Read more…]
“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8:8). The Bible has quite a lot to say about hearing. Today we will explore some of … [Read more…]
“Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink” (Genesis 21:19). The OT has two parallel functions: -the history of the Jewish nation and a pointer to Christ (Galatians 3:24). No doubt, we are more familiar with … [Read more…]
”And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts…” (Acts 2:42; 46). This is a “classic” passage, giving us a vivid picture … [Read more…]
“When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it. He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16, 17). The present reality and the … [Read more…]
“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoplesa feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Isaiah 25:6). One important aspect of the future kingdom of God is a banquet…a feast…a table (Matthew 8:11; 26:29; Revelation 19:6-10). The table: … [Read more…]
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12-13). Is the Christian life … [Read more…]
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1John 3:2). As soon as we are born again/born from above, we start the growth process … [Read more…]
“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know” (Acts 2:22). Let us have an exercise in imagination. Imagine: You live during those eventful times following Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. … [Read more…]
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…” (Philippians 1:27). It looks like … [Read more…]
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3). Mary’s motherhood was a gift from God – God’s favour to a humble young woman. It came with moments of … [Read more…]
“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Happy mother’s day to all mothers reading this newsletter. Given the special day – Mother’s Day – … [Read more…]
The resurrection event, “forced” the disciples to “make sense of it”; to find out where it fit in God’s great plan; and so on. The cross event dealt with the past….once for all, a sacrifice was offered for all sins (Hebrews 7:27). The resurrection event dealt with the future…forever became accessible. The cross brought us … [Read more…]
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into…an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you…” (1Peter 1:3, 4). Some build it. Some fight for it. Some migrate to it. Some talk about it. Some dream … [Read more…]
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you…” (1Peter 1:3, 4). For the … [Read more…]
Throughout his letters Apostle Paul wrote about many foundational truths and doctrines of the Christian faith such as justification by faith and grace alone, the two natures of Christ, the human condition before and after regeneration, about the present and future things, and the list can go on. A theme is always present in every … [Read more…]
The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the central event of human history. Nothing like that happened before and nothing like that has happened since. Paul, the apostle, places the resurrection at the very pinnacle of the Christian proclamation and teaching; or to put differently, the resurrection is the foundation on which Christianity stands (1 … [Read more…]
When it comes to the cross, we look at it retrospectively…that is we “look back” at the events which were unfolding in Jerusalem. As we look back at the cross, we can’t see it clearly…we have to use our imagination extensively. And even if our imagination works perfectly, our view of the cross is still … [Read more…]
Jesus was making his way toward Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-44). This time the journey was made openly (John7:10). It was a special journey, a symbolic journey – a fulfilment of an ancient prophecy. The King was to come surrounded by joy and shouts of acclamation. He did. The crowds were shouting, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of … [Read more…]
For those familiar with the Bible, Nicodemus is the “man who came to Jesus at night”. He was an important man of the Jewish society (John 3:1ff). People were talking a lot about Jesus. There was no better way to separate fact from rumour than to talk with Jesus personally. Perhaps Nicodemus was afraid of … [Read more…]
“For Yours is the kingdom and power and the glory.” (Matt 6:13). We often read about great prayers and the great things that have been accomplished as a result. OT: Moses prays with his hands lifted up and the Israel’s army is winning; NT: The church prays for Peter’s return. As they pray, he knocks … [Read more…]
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt 6:13). Two words stand out in the first part of this petition. The word “lead” seems to imply that God intentionally and actively “leads” the believer into situations which may be harmful to his/her body and soul. The word here translated “temptation” … [Read more…]
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt 6:13). Reading a few verses prior to this (v.13), we can imagine the Pharisees of the day, standing at prominent places, all dedicated to a prayer that was meant to catch the people’s attention. Jesus had something to say about them and … [Read more…]
Every country has its own important days, which are celebrated often with a nation-wide holiday – a day of rest and merriment. In our country we have Australia Day as a national holiday. It celebrates the process that led to the formation of Australia as a country. That process began in 26th January 1788 with … [Read more…]
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us” (Matthew 6:15). Praying for “daily bread” – or means for our sustenance, affirms our dependence on God. He is the un-failing Provider – Jehovah-Jireh. Our Father in heaven is providing generously and faithfully for our daily bodily needs. But man doesn’t live on … [Read more…]
“Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:15). Today’s part of the Lord’s Prayer is clear and easy to understand. There are no theological or interpretative difficulties present. Simple as it is, it provides for us a path which as we follow it we discover the wonderful and rich blessings of God. What path? The … [Read more…]
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:14). As God’s children, we ought to live our lives under the “umbrella” of God’s will as it has been presented to us in the Bible. Last Sunday, the Old Testament reading contained the (well known) verse: “He has told you, O man, … [Read more…]
“Your kingdom come…” (Matthew 6:14). One of the ancients observed that God “…has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). (Actually it was a divine inspiration rather than observation…). What is eternity? … [Read more…]
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). There are … [Read more…]
“This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” (Matthew 6:9) Making New Year resolutions is a tradition, most common in the Western World “in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change undesired behaviour, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behaviour at the beginning of … [Read more…]
“…Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). A picture is worth a thousand words. The “Christmas picture” is a mundane/common picture: it represents a normal life event. A baby being born is a normal life … [Read more…]
“From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16) Let us use our imagination, shall we? This is the challenge: What would Christmas look like – without the Gospel stories about Jesus’ birth? No visiting angels; no heavenly host; no star… Without the well-known ‘nativity scene’? Without the … [Read more…]
”And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David…” (Luke 2:4) The promise of a deliverer – “the serpent’s head crusher” was made to “cancel” the evil one and his plans. … [Read more…]
“The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery” (John 8:3, 4). In the Gospels (and in real life) Jesus “leads” a movement towards God…Jesus calls people to be … [Read more…]
When we focus on the “little things” or on the “small picture” of worship, wemay end up, at one point, just like Asaph. “Surely in vain have I kept my heartpure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence” (Psalms 73:13). When it comes to God, “truth and Spirit” (John 4:24) form the very … [Read more…]
The book of Daniel is both familiar and unfamiliar to most of us. The stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and Daniel in the lion’s den, fill the pages of many Bible story books and Sunday school classes. These stories are not just familiar to us but also loved and cherished. … [Read more…]
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD… where the tribes go up…to praise the name of the LORD…” (Psalm 122:1, 4). Coming to planet earth, Jesus revealed to us the heart of God. We came to know that God desires a certain kind of worshipers … [Read more…]
“You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” (Isaiah 40:9). Do not be afraid! God encounters can be a … [Read more…]
God “moved heaven and earth” in order to make salvation available to everyone who believes. The good news has the “power” to open the hearts of the hearers unto salvation. Don’t be ashamed: spread the good news!