Good Friday

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” – John 3:17 (NKJV)

Summarize in a Word: Message of the Cross

Key Principle: Today is the day of Salvation

Key Application: Proclaim the message of the Cross

Main point of the Passage: There are two inevitable effects of the message of the Cross – Judgment, and Salvation. Behold! Now is the time of Salvation.

Exhortation: Would you please proclaim the message of the Cross anyhow by print, voice, or pictures and most importantly by your lives?

Good Friday is about the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is not the Cross itself that matters, but the message of the Cross. Jesus was nailed to death bearing the wrath of God upon himself, that which is supposedly ours. It is true that God created each one of us in His image, but we (all) have become corrupted because of sin. Even our own personal sins reveal that we (all) have failed the standard of God. None can help us for all are in need of help. Nor can we help each other to overcome, for none can bear his own haplessness. We (all) need an able helper, the Savior who will take away our sins, and reconcile us to God.

God in his exceeding love sent Jesus Christ, the very God in human flesh, perfect and holy to save us from the wrath of God, and from our own slavery to sins. Jesus Christ completed His mission by bearing the wrath of God at the Cross. Moreover, He sent Holy Spirit to set us free from the penalty and power of sins.

John 3:17 reveals to us the two inevitable effects of the message of the Cross for everyone (no matter who, what, when, and where you are): Judgement or Salvation. Those (and only those) who keeps clinging to the message of the Cross will be saved from the Judgment of God and power of Sin. Those who neglect or reject the message of the Cross will fall into the Judgment of God when Jesus comes back as the Judge of the Universe (cf. John 5:27; Acts 17:31).

Good Friday is not to condemn sinners to hell; it is to save sinners. However, none of us has any ability to condemn nor to save any sinner. It is the prerogative of God. We are to proclaim the message of God – the coming Judgment, and the presently offered Salvation. For, there is no mercy and no salvation when the Day of Judgment comes. Behold! Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of Salvation. Tomorrow may be too late.

Sinners, are you delivered from the wrath of God (to come) and the power of sins (presently enslaving you)? Would you please consider the message of the Cross and be saved? Redeemed-Saints, do you live worthy of Salvation (Philippians 1:27; Ephesians 4:1)? And would you please proclaim the message of the Cross that saved you? If and since it saves sinners like us, it can save anyone who believes. Don’t you think today is the best day for sinners to be saved? Would you proclaim today anyhow by print, voice, or pictures and most importantly by your lives?

Image Scripture: John 3:30

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

For Audio in Greek click here
For Audio in English (ESV) click here

An opportunity to fail

Have you ever taken an opportunity to fail an exam? You might think I was crazy, but I did twice. On both the occasions the teachers were very angry to the point one teacher cried (oh! yes), and the other teacher said I was the record holder in her teaching career. They thought I was disrespecting them or insulting them, which of course were never my intention. I was not a schoolteacher of anyone, and never knew what it meant to teachers when a student failed willingly. Now, though I still am not a schoolteacher, I understand and stand corrected.

Who are your friends?

Whose company do you enjoy most? What do you do together? What do you talk about? Where do you go together?

Is he/she a believer? Is he/she interested in spiritual things? A Christian is a spiritual person, being born of the Spirit. He talks of spiritual things. He lives by the Spirit.

Friends influence each other. Are you being influenced by more matured friends?

Listen to Steve Lawson about making friendship

The Great Redemption

“being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” – Romans 3:24 (NKJV)

Summarize in a Word: The Great Redemption

Key Principle: Justification is through redemption alone

Key Application: Cherish the gospel

Main point of the Passage: We are made right with God freely because Christ paid for it dearly.

Illustration: Professing Christians bored with Gospel

Exhortation: Thank God for the (free) gift of divine Salvation

One of the challenges of preaching the gospel to our community is that almost everybody “understood” what gospel is. We can define the Gospel factually – the birth and death, and resurrection of Christ for our sins according to the scripture. We even profess to believe it but hardly live out its fruit. Everybody claims to be Christian by birth, but (many) with either false assurance or no assurance. They look beyond the gospel for assurance. To them, to listen to gospel again has become boring. Gospel looks very dry, simple, cheap, available and irrelevant. Some think they “know gospel enough” for them to escape hell, whereas other people think Christ will let them enter heaven if they continue to live a moral life, and attend church, and pray for forgiveness.

In Romans 3:24, we see very clearly for the basis of our assurance.  Sinners those who put their trust in the redemption accomplished through Christ are justified freely before God. That means he is counted righteous before God. His sins are forgiven. It also means he has peace with God, being reconciled to God. Justification is free in the sense we do not do anything in order to be justified. No works of human – good works, penances, sacrifices, fasting, religious duties – nothing we do can justify us. It is the sheer grace of God.

However, it is neither cheap nor frivolous, because it takes Jesus Christ to justify us. He bore the wrath of God, which was ours to redeem us from the guilt, penalty, and power of sin. Apart from Christ, there is no mercy and deliverance of God. Once we were under the slavery of sin, darkness, guilt, spiritual deadness, spiritual slumber, and under Satan. Christ bought us with His blood to set us free that we might live in holiness, light, assurance, eternal life as children of God. We are made right with God freely because Christ paid for it dearly.

God does not justify us because we know the Gospel intellectually. It is for those who put their faith in the person and work of Christ, being conscious of their sins and the justice of God. There is never a moment we stop needing the gospel. Gospel (Justification) is not just about deliverance from hell but also from the practice of sins to repentance and holiness. Thank God for the gift of divine Salvation. Cherish the gospel of the great redemption.

Image Scripture: Psalm 73:14

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

For Audio in Hebrew click here

For Audio in English (ESV) click here

For Audio in Hindi click here

Trusting God amidst doubt

Dedicated to all my friends, of

Shillong South Evangelical Union (2010-2013).

It was a joy growing together with you there!

I cannot compare my anguish to others,

For I believe theirs are greater than mine,

But even mine, I cannot handle it,

Yet I long to help carry others’ burden.

With all my being, I want to please Him,

With all I am, I strive to please Him,

Everything that He has given me,

I surrender all to Him for Him.

For my desires are You, oh Lord!

Yet Lord, I don’t know how true,

How far have I practiceed what I’ve said!

Whatever the circumstance may be–

I never want to go astray from You,

I want my life to be pleasing unto You,

Do not lead me into temptation.

Deliver me from the Evil one.

God really cares and understands us.

He always loves us and is just and good.

He is faithful, He is wonderful!

Let every creation of Him praise the Lord!

We Never Graduate from the Gospel

Are you bored with the Gospel? Do you feel like you know the Gospel enough? Watch the video clip down below.

Is the Gospel only about going to Heaven? Is the Gospel only about escaping Hell? Listen to what Piper has to say in this video clip down below

What is the scope of the Gospel? Do I need every day? Do I need to listen all the time? When do I graduate from the Gospel?

Let’s ask Piper, one of the most passionate preachers alive now. . .

For more click here

Cultivating Godliness

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25 (KJV)

Summarize in a Word: Cultivating Godliness

Key Principle: Church is necessary for all believers

Key Application: Never abandon the church

Main point of the Passage: We provoke one another to godliness in the church.

Illustration: Pastor John MacArthur urging a struggling woman to join a church.

Exhortation: Make friendship with more godly people. Talk, listen, and pray for one another.

Our Lord has called us into the church, which is his body. However, we do have a local church, a fellowship of believers. It is the institution build by Christ with a promise that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” There is no lone Christian outside the church. I remember listening to MacArthur urging a struggling woman to join the club (church) for sanctification and godliness. Where could we go than the church to cultivate godliness in our lives?

Image Scripture: Ephesians 3:20-21

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

Love expressed through Gifts

In this fallen world, there are times when we feel very disappointed because we are unable to understand people, especially dearly loved ones. We wish they understand us – how much we care for them, how much we love them or how much we value them – and our wishes hardly fulfilled. Sometimes we fear that people will misunderstand us, feel that we are insensitive and we wish that they would understand our in-depth nature or feelings. Why? It is because we cannot tell someone what reality really is! We find ourselves hapless to express it. We just ran out of words.

Can a Christian sin?

In the light of 1John 3:9, Can a Christian sin? How are we assured of our Salvation?

“Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” – 1John3:9

 “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” – Eph.1:4-6

Watch the video clips below.  They are produced from different settings at different times. However, there is a connection between them concerning the struggles of the heart.

Can a Christian continue to live in sin?

How do I know if I'm saved?

Prayerful evangelism

“Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.” – Ephesians 6:19 (HCSB)

Summarize in a Word: Prayerful evangelism.

Key Principle: The schemes of the devil are eerily daunting.

Key Application: Arm yourself with prayer supporters.

Main point of the Passage: Always soak in prayer for effective ministry.

Illustration: Apostle Paul in spiritual warfare.

Exhortation: Learn to share your prayer request with fellow Christians.

Gospel has been around the globe yet only a few are saved. Millions of people can articulate the gospel intellectually, yet with no effect to their souls. Indeed Gospel has the power to Salvation, but without the work of the Spirit, evangelism, ministry, everything is in vain.

Image Scripture: Psalm 78:16 & 35

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

BU (The Moon) - A poem in Rongmei

Ooops! This post is redirected to "A Quest" Blog

https://rwangmei.wordpress.com/2018/08/27/bu-the-moon-a-poem-in-rongmei/

Lost phone in Delhi, found comfort in Christ!

Years ago, I lost my Phone (along with my precious Memory card and 2 SIMs). I was pickpocketed in the hustle and bustle of Delhi’s street. I remember myself walking silently to the metro station in deep thinking, why such a thing happened in the world. You know, there is nothing good to have lost anything. There is no reason for losing anything.

Can a woman take the role of Pastor in the Church?

Perhaps this century is the century of feminism. Even in India, we hear again and again about “Women’s Empowerment.” In America, we have seen the “Me Too” movement going very wild. Sad to say, even an influential denominational leader like Paige Patterson was hunted down by this “Me Too” movement.

Christians are called neither to be feminist nor to be chauvinist. God created us in His image, male and female. We have different roles as man and woman of God. It is an issue of “Role” and not “Competence.”

Christians are called not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the word of God. We do not want to dictate our life by culture, but by Scriptures.

 Listen to what these people have to say regarding this question.

The questioner (Moderator) is Chris Larson.                 

Steve Lawson (answering exegetically/biblically)

          Derek Thomas (answering theologically/culturally)

          Robert Godfrey (answering historically/practically)

Surpassing Love

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” –Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

Summarize in a Word: Surpassing Love

Key Principle: God loves you surpassingly

Key Application: Rejoice in all circumstances

Main point of the Passage: We can rejoice in Hope when we contemplate the love of God demonstrated for us.

Illustration: It is unthinkable to die on behalf of a criminal, a pervert, or a terrorist.

Exhortation: Be hopeful as you witness His love towards you and others. Love God, Love one another.

It looks like we have been baptized in the juice of bitter gourd because we tend to be bitter in lots of trying circumstances. Is it not because we are more concerned about the things around us than the things God has done for us. Who brings sadness to our experiences - God or the world? As long as our cares are all upon the things of the world, we will remain moody instead of being joyous.

Where there is love, there is a joy. We love to experience love and hate to experience hatred. Many people commit suicide because they are not loved. When we understand the love of God, it compels us to love others, yes to even our enemies. In Romans 5:8, we see the Love of God, which surpasses all our imaginations. It is the Love that God loves us, the sinners. It is not a feeling, nor a noble thought, nor gentle words, but an action. It is a love demonstrated towards us. This is an effectual love, which transforms us to love God and others.

This love is demonstrated surpassingly 2000 years ago when Christ died for sinners. God’s love has no condition. We often love others because we have a reason, maybe because they are our family members, or because they are gracious to us. In fact, we often tend to not love those who hate us. God loves us not because of who we are or what we do. He just loves us because of who He is (Eph. 2:4; 1John 4:8).

There is nothing that God hates more than sin. How can holy God love sinners who know nothing but to continually sin? In fact, Psalmist records (in Ps.7:11) that God is angry with the sinners every day. The wrath of God is upon sinners. God's love for sinners is evident when Jesus Christ, the Son of God bore the wrath of God on behalf of us and died on the cross. In our experience of life, it is hard to give one’s life for others. It is unthinkable to die on behalf of a criminal, a pervert, or a terrorist. Yet, Christ died for such as us. What is more loving than this demonstration that Christ died for us when we were still sinners? (cf. John15:13)

When Christ was raised again, He lives to intercede for us and imputes His holiness on us. Is it not enough that God loves us? Is it not enough that we have peace with God now? Is it not enough that we are reconciled to God? Is it not enough that nothing can separate us from the love of God? (cf. Rom 8:31-39) Is it not enough that we would be perfected in love? (cf. 1John 4:12) Rejoice in all circumstances because the surpassing love of God endures forever. Be hopeful as you witness His love towards you and others. Would you be compelled to Love God, and to love one another?

Image Scripture: John 1:12-13 (Computerized and Handwritten)

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

John 1:12-13 (Computerized)