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