These are hard days for a believer in Jesus Christ. All those who choose to practice the weird, immoral, inhuman ways of living get support in the name of human rights while others will be forced to surrender their rights. The world is turning upside down morally and you can’t talk about it anymore. God’s Word mentions these as the signs of the end times. The spirit of anti Christ is at work. The people of God should focus on encouraging one another in their faith as the apostle advises. We can gain courage for ourselves and encourage others if we meditate of the words of the Scripture.

Life does not end at the grave

Contrary to the projection of the fast growing Godless culture of the day life does not end with the grave. The proponents of this culture know very well that they are wrong. The truth is a bitter pill they do not want to swallow. They do not want to be controlled by any kind of moral law. The best way to get rid of their guilt is to deny the existence of that truth. If they don’t fight against it they will be crushed by their guilt. They try to comfort themselves saying there is no God, no life hereafter.

But the Bible clearly tells that there is an eternity after this short period of time. This is the uniqueness of the Christian faith. It offers hope beyond the grave and one can be so confident about it. A Christian can find comfort at the death of his/her loved ones because of this hope.

There is a grand reunion

Some may leave this world early, some may stay a little longer, but there is going to be a grand reunion in the mid air when the trumpet sounds. The Lord Jesus will come in the clouds and those who died in Christ will rise again to meet Him in the air. After them, those who are still living in Christ will be caught up to join them. The Scripture defines the people who will be gathering at the reunion-those who died in Christ and those who live in Christ.

How did they die in Christ? Because they lived in Christ. Those who lived in Christ only can die in Christ. So the challenge is to live in Christ. Living in Christ is to live in union with Him. The Bible says this is possible by allowing Christ to live in you. You should live in Him, in close communion with Him, in His righteousness, in His love and in His power.

The very purpose of God’s redemptive work is that we will always be with Him, living in constant fellowship and communion. In other words, God saves us so that we live in Him. We can be with Him while we live on earth since His presence is with us, He has given us His Spirit. But when we meet Him at His return we are really going to be with Him. God would grant us a transformed body which is incorruptible so that the Lord would have our presence with Him. This time it will be “always”, for ever.

Encourage one other

Because of this hope of what is going to happen, we are admonished to encourage one other while we go through our daily struggles and sorrows. Our day of deliverance is near! We are going to see our Savior face to face!

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Gal.1:10)

Right from the first century itself the Church had to face false teachers and preachers who were people-pleasers. They were selfish power mongers who lusted after worldly glory and fame. They did damage not only to themselves but also to a whole lot of well-meaning, careless believers. Since they had not been given the whole Word of God which they could study themselves they were very vulnerable. Yet, the book of Acts credits the believers in Berea for their diligence in going back to the Scriptures and verifying the teachings they received. But the Galatian Christians were easily and quickly influenced by the wrong teachings that apostle Paul was in a state of shock when he wrote them the letter.

People-pleasers can not be God-pleasers

Paul makes it clear from his own life that those who are led by the flesh will adapt the message to suit their circumstances. They will quote the Bible to justify their misdoings. They would be popular among the masses because their messages are pleasing to them. But those who stick to the truth will not be popular and they won’t be hailed or honored because truth often hurts. Gospel truth would pierce through man’s self righteousness and ego. Paul reiterated that he, in all his ministry, never tried to please people but always remained faithful to God who appointed him as His servant. It is usually the ones that are unsure of their calling that would dilute the Gospel. They are doing the ministry because they were forced by their parents’ oath, or because it is a respectable profession, or because it is an easy way to make a luxurious living. Some of them make big money in the name of God and religion. God has not called them to serve because they have no relationship with God. Paul emphatically puts it in Gal.1:10 that those who try to please people can not be true servants of Christ. In other words, they serve the enemy and are working against God’s kingdom and His purposes.

People-pleasers invite God’s curse

There is only one Gospel. The eternal message of the Gospel is that salvation is a free gift of grace from God through faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior. Saying ‘faith plus something’ is not the Gospel but heresy. Saying salvation is universal by default which doesn’t require faith in Jesus because Jesus died for the whole world, is also not the Gospel. However, the seriousness of preaching such a perverted fake gospel is seen in Gal.1:8-9. Irrespective of the source they come from or the channels they come through, it is counterfeit and the messengers are under God’s curse. They will be judged for adulterating the Good News of God as well as misleading people.

So, if you are a servant of God, remember to stick to God’s Word in your preaching and teaching, lest you come under judgment. Say all what God says and only what God says. Please Him and not people.

When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.    (1Cor.2:13-15)

Worldly wisdom can not fathom God’s Wisdom

Much of the Christian ministry today is being done according to worldly wisdom. They follow worldly principles rather than Biblical principles. They adopt secular strategies than following the Spirit’s instructions. Christian workers want to appear on par with the CEOs and Executives of multinational corporations in their lifestyle but forget the fact that they are called to be different. They are called to suffer for the sake of their Savior. They are sent out like sheep among wolves. Instead, they take cover under ‘prosperity theology’, quoting Bible verses out of context, drawing heavily from the Old Testament. God’s wisdom is available to those who have surrendered themselves to His Lordship, because of the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God.

Being an example of a servant who has absolute dependance on God’s power, Paul makes this clear in his writings (2Cor.1:12). Wisdom of God is foolishness to the intelligentsia (1Cor.3:19). The worldly wise do not realize that it is God who wired their brains and their intelligent conclusions about Him is utter foolishness in his sight. The greatest irony of human history is that man the finite creature, claiming to know everything, is trying to make the infinite Creator a non entity. Man does not even comprehend what is happening to him in the now and here but is trying to discover what happened in the past and draw conclusions about the future. This is true with all those who have not discovered and yielded to the amazing grace of God.

Worldly wisdom can not fulfill God’s purposes

But for men and women called to be His representatives here in this temporal world God grants the wisdom to carry out His mission. They don’t mind the ridicule and the humiliation they receive from the world because their eyes are fixed on their eternal home. Only when they begin to consider themselves worthy of honor and respect from the world, they will have to prove the same to the world. That is when they will begin to employ worldly wisdom to accomplish a heavenly mission. Then, they will begin to copy secular strategies and methods that are foolishness in the sight of God. God has His way of doing His work and He does not allow anyone to teach Him what they think is a better way. God wants His people to follow His strategies and methods in His service. Our work for God has to stand His ‘fire test’ on the day of reckoning (1Cor.3:12-15).

In spite of having credentials that placed him on par with, if not above, many of the contemporary scholars, Paul did not consider himself to be wise enough to handle the God-given mission (1Cor.2:1-5).

“Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.” Joshua 7:11-12 NLT

Sin restricts God’s presence

The defeat at Ai was far more ridiculous than the military strategy employed to conquer Jericho. After the fall of the Jericho wall the Israelites were in a hurry to conquer the next town Ai. There was no instruction from the Lord on how to go about with the attack. God was obviously silent and was holding Himself from helping them. Yet, in their own enthusiasm they concluded that it was like a child’s play and needed just a couple of them. But the result was disastrous. Joshua was instructed to practice the presence of God in their fight against the enemy. He was reminded about the need for obedience and holiness within the community for a continuous experience of the presence of God. Sin was to be taken seriously and never to be over looked, no matter how insignificant and harmless it may appear to be.

Sin must be dealt with before God’s power can be experienced

The entire community had to bear the brunt of one man’s sin. Achan and his family along with all their belongings had to be removed to cleanse the community. This is seemingly harsh as it was practiced during the Old Testament days. We must get rid of things in our lives, habits or lifestyle or temperaments or anger or whatever, that are displeasing to God. Thank God that we have a substitute in Jesus who bore it on His body and died for us. Now we can confess our sins and repent in obedience to experience the power of God’s living presence.

In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple, Josiah appointed Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, the royal historian, to repair the Temple of the Lord his God….

While they were bringing out the money collected at the Lord’s Temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was written by Moses. (2Chr.34:1-18 NLB)

The Christian communities around the world have slipped into a kind of sluggishness. Many have lost the joy of their salvation, struggling to cope up with the world. Several have succumbed to the temptation of following the crowd. The demarcation between them and the world has faded away. The Church has been compromising on the teachings of the Word of God to satisfy those who are trying to satisfy their own flesh. There is more of mammon worship than worship of the true God. (But, glory be to God, there is a remnant spread all over the world, that still honor God and follow His Word.)

There is only one way to experience the joy of the Lord-get back into the fellowship. That is why there is a constant call from God to His wayward children to return to Him. Some of the ancient rulers reinforced this in their kingdom. One of such was king Josiah of Judah. He ascended the throne as an eight year old lad but he desired to follow the Lord like his forefather David. So he destroyed everything in his life and the life of the nation that was an abomination to the Lord.

Get rid of whatever is detesting to the Lord

It is not a literal instruction to the Church today. This does not mean that you go around destroying others’ property, attack religious places or cause inconvenience to others. We need to understand the principle. How do we decide? Go to His Word. As you read and meditate the Spirit will convince you of things in your own life that need to be thrown out or destroyed. Just obey. There is nothing more pleasing to God than to see His children obey Him, because obedience comes out of trust. Josiah did just that. A cleansing is required before the joy of the Lord can reclaim our lives.

Repair and Restore the Temple

The temple of God represents the worship of God. The worship of God has been interrupted, lost its meaning or perhaps stopped in your life. This needs immediate attention, repair and restoration. When the worship of the Lord is restored the glory of the Lord will continue to descend up on the temple in such a way that others would see it.

Seek the Law of the Lord

The restoration of worship will naturally lead to the rediscovery of God’s book of Law, the Bible. The high priest discovered the book of the Law and introduced it to the  king and officials. That revolutionized the lives of the people. Though it did not last for long before the king died and people slipped back into sin, the principle for restoration and spiritual growth remains the same.

Rid your life of every sin. Don’t try to define your actions or justify them. The simple formula is to keep away from whatever that raises a doubt or question in your mind. Read the Bible, meditate on it. Follow the Law of the Lord. And when you fall, gather yourself up and get back on the track as early as possible.

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts.5:29-32) NIV

Ignoring an eye-opener

Peter and John were locked up in prison for doing the ministry as God directed them. God was with them and He commands His angel to unlock and free them, not for a comfortable ministry, but to be booked again. God directed them to the Temple and they start teaching there. Meanwhile the authorities summon the prisoners for investigations and probably with the idea of silencing them. But God has His purposes fulfilled in all these unpleasant situations. The Apostles let God have His way through their lives and the authorities were confused about the missing prisoners. To their surprise they discover that the Apostles are still free and doing what they had prohibited. This was more than an eye opener for any open minded truth seeking individual regarding what the Apostles were proclaiming. However, they chose to ignore it and secure their seats of power.

Opposing God

The authorities obviously recognized the supernatural element in the message of the Apostles. They also realized the influence these men had up on the lives of the people. So the police behaved gently with the Apostles (Acts:5:26). The Council blamed the Apostles for teaching in the name of Jesus while the Apostles blamed the Council for the killing of Jesus. Peter in his explanation asserted that Jesus was the Messiah who rose from the grave and is alive and willing to forgive the nation for their sins when they turn back to Him. However, the Council was not ready to accept the Apostles’ explanation. They wanted to get rid of them because of their stand to “obey God rather than men”. One among the Council was a wise and mature man named Gamaliel. His advise was more of common sense. He said,

Gamaliel probably had the inkling that the Apostles were on a supernatural mission as their message and the attesting miracles revealed. This message had the power to transform lives and opposing it will be opposing God Himself.

The Church has been commanded to proclaim this message of salvation to the entire world. As opposition and threat mounts we must remember that we should be obeying God rather than men. The fear of men will cause us to water down the message or conveniently alter it to suit the situation. Let God’s message be proclaimed as God intended it to be. Allow God to do His work. If you fear men, don’t meddle with God’s business, better keep away. The Apostles were warned and whipped but they never stopped proclaiming the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. They allowed God to work through them. They were happy that God found them worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ.

The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!” (Acts 5:17-20) NLT

The work of God must be done as directed by God, not as deemed intelligent to us. This is what distinguishes a genuine servant of God from a fake one. Today God’s workers are adopting worldly ways to do God’s work. Every serious employer has a specific job description, a standard of performance and service rules for his employee. An employee can not operate on his own whims and fancies. We see this in the lives of the Apostles.

God’s work should be done God’s way

The Apostles were guided by the Holy Spirit in every detail of their ministry. They went where the Spirit led them and preached the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God allowed persecution to scatter them all over the world so that the message will reach far and wide. Sometimes they were asked to leave their thriving congregations to go to deserts and other new places, sometimes to give the message to individuals. They were allowed to be imprisoned so that the rulers and people in authority could receive the message of the Gospel. The Apostles did not chose comfortable mission stations, because they did not have their choice, but went wherever they were sent. That is why they were called “Apostles”. Today, some christian ministers have the audacity to prefix their names with the title ‘Apostle’ without being obedient to the Spirit of God in conducting themselves and doing the ministry.  

God comes with you wherever He sends you

The Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and were speaking the message of God as the Spirit of God directed them. Hence there were visible results. It was God who was adding people to His Church as the Apostles proclaimed His message. There was definite and visible transformation in the lives of those who came to Christ. The influence of these unschooled men up on the lives of the thousands of new believers whipped up jealousy in the minds of the Religious leadership who felt threatened by the popularity of the new Way. They arrested the Apostles and threw them in jail. But God goes with His servants wherever He sends them. He opens closed doors when you do just what He tells you to do.
     
Today, servants of God do not want God to go with them, because they are preoccupied with their own agenda. They do not want God to disturb them in their business. They justify their programs and activities in the name of their ministry strategy instead of following God’s strategy. So we have less and less of God’s ministry and more and more of individuals’ ministries. Wonder who is serving whom? It is to these, who ‘perform miracles and wonders in the name of Jesus’, that the Lord would say, “Depart from me… , I do not know you.”

Some ministers feel threatened by the work done by their co-workers and other ministers. If you feel threatened, it may be  because you are expecting human praise rather than God’s approval. You desire that glory and praise should come to you. It may also mean that you are trying to establish your authority, or your kingdom and not God’s. Then you lose your focus on God and begin to focus on yourself, your ministry, your church and your influence. Serving God as per His directions does not necessarily mean that yours should be the largest congregation in town, or the largest team of missionaries working around the world. There are many unknown servants of God who obediently serve Him in the most unassuming manner undergoing untold sufferings and pain. There is no substitute to obedience in the kingdom of God. 

But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. (Acts 5:1-2) NLT

We are coming across a lot of Christians and even Christian ministers, who cheat on God and people. They put on a show of godliness and undermine the kingdom of God as it says in 2Tim.3:1-5. They are like Ananias and Sapphira. Ultimately, they will bring disaster up on themselves as well as their followers.

Wrong Motives

The motive behind selling their property and bringing the money to the Apostles was to gain social recognition. It was not from the love of God or His people. They want to appear Godly but did not want to make any sacrifice. They were concerned about themselves more than the mission. They accumulate for themselves before they distribute to others. They will see their interests before others’ and will not hesitate to channelize God-given resources for their own benefit and according to their own interests. They build up their own kingdom rather than God’s kingdom and will not allow others to cross their ways. They are demonstrating the characteristics of the anti Christ and are aiding the devil.

Lack of Faith

These Christians are demonstrating their lack of faith in God. They pray “Our Father in heaven…” but they don’t trust God to provide for their daily needs and meet their emergencies. They think unless they take care of themselves things won’t work out. They feel capable of handling the future better than God. They don’t want to take risks with their lives while they play with other people’s lives.   They forget the assuring words of the Lord when He said we are better than the birds in the sky and the flowers in the field.

God attested His Word through the Apostles with accompanying miracles. Even the sick on whom their shadow fell were healed. God’s judgment on the cheating Christians also came immediately. But, through it all, God was glorified and people were brought into His kingdom.

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Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. (Gal.6:12-16)

Do you feel proud about being religious? Do you boast about your achievements? Do you take credit for what you possess that which you can never earn?

Religions tell us to work our way to god. Those who tirelessly follow the “to do” lists of religions often boast about their achievements. They feel they are eventually making god obligated to them. There are also those who think they are equal to god, thus making it possible for the humans to achieve practically anything or everything.

Promoting Rituals

Most people swear by rituals. Every culture is full of them. Rituals are part of religion. Christian Religion is no exception. It is our attempt to find God. Since it is human effort people will take credit for it. But the Bible says that no one can become acceptable to God by being religious or by observing rituals, however faithful they might be.

As long as you encourage others to follow some rituals you are in vogue. You earn name and fame, position and influence, money and perks. Promoting rituals is boasting in self and it will last only till we last.

Preaching the Cross

The Bible tells us that a Christian has nothing to boast about himself. The only thing he can boast about is the Cross of his Savior because he is saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, in what Jesus has accomplished on the cross.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Eph.2:8-9)

Every Christian is commanded to preach the message of the Cross, because it is the power of God unto salvation (Rom.1:16). The message of the cross excludes all rituals and human efforts and is highlighted as the only way to reach God. When you preach this way you will invite opposition, threats and persecution. That is one of the reasons why several people are content with promoting rituals.

However, the ultimate yardstick of effectiveness is the resultant transformation. The real thing is the new life that we receive from God through faith in Jesus Christ, just because of what Jesus has done on the cross. Neither religion nor rituals can do this. And all of it is a free gift from God. Aren’t you glad for the cross of Christ?

So, if at all I boast, let me boast of the cross of Christ, by which I have been transformed in my relationship with all that is temporal.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,  being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (Jam.1:2-8 NIV)

People these days are so outspoken about their faith. They explain all the crazy things they do as the outcome of their faith. Faith means different things to different people, nevertheless every human being who breathes operates on faith. The object of their faith may vary.

As the Bible defines it in Hebrews 11:1,

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

The object of a Christian’s faith is Jesus Christ.

Faith is more than mere intellectual assent, it results in corresponding action or behavior. Faith that is alive moves one to action. If there is no visible transformation in the life of the one who professes to have faith, his/her faith is a dead one. Faith is like a seed planted in the ground, which, if not sprouting, growing, flowering and producing fruit over a period of time, is dead.

Living Faith Rejoices in Trials

James is writing to encourage the Christians of Jewish origin who were scattered all over the world. Since their faith in Christ has effected a change of behavior in them they were being subject to opposition and persecution from their own community. This situation is not uncommon even today in many countries around the world. James suggests that Christian faith is practical and behavior oriented. He raises a few issues in his letter. According to him, Christian faith is a living faith. It is intellectual assent plus action. You do certain things because of your belief and intellectual assent. It is a faith that works.

Attitude in Trials

It may seem crazy, for those who do not have faith, to rejoice when you are in trouble. First of all, it is humanly impossible to do so unless there is some mighty reason behind. Here, there is a purpose with which God is permitting trials in the life of a Christian, the result of which is profitable.  You don’t fake the real joy, it comes from the source of joy – Jesus the Savior who suffered for your sake. The joy of the Lord is our strength in trials (Neh.8:10).

Apostle Paul had more trials than any other Christian, perhaps (2Cor. 11: 22-29). Yet, he confidently said nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom.8:35-39).

Advantage in Trials

The Bible says that trials in a Christian’s life are a test of his/her faith. It is profitable because it helps to develop endurance. Trained in endurance we become perfect and mature in our character.

God allows His children to grow through testing with the purpose of perfecting us in godliness. One has to successfully pass every test before he/she can graduate from the school of suffering. God did the same thing with the man Jesus (Phil.2:6-9;  Heb.5:7-10).

Assistance in Trials

It is humanly impossible to have the right attitude in suffering and grow to maturity by our own strength. We need God’s grace and wisdom to go through it. God knows it and He is promising His assistance in our times of trials. James 1:5 instructs us to ask God for His wisdom. He will see us through as we depend on Him (Heb.4:14-16).

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