Blog Archives
Fasting without guile
When you are fasting unto the Lord Jesus you might be doing it to spend with him. You might want to get closer to him. Sometimes fasting is just so that you want to be undisturbed by the needs of the flesh so that you can concentrate on the Living God our Father. There’s always a good reason to fast. The Holy Spirit may lead you to fast and pray or sometimes require you to only pray without fasting. Listen to him and discern.
Never fast out of legalism or trying to earn salvation or forgiveness of sins for it won’t actually save you. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save you from your sins. Fasting therefore must be done without guile and hypocrisy.
In Isaiah chapter 58, the Lord God condemns unworthy fasting but also sets the precedent on what fasting is considered pure. Lets read the following:
58 “Cry aloud; do not hold back;
lift up your voice like a trumpet;
declare to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness
and did not forsake the judgment of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,
and oppress all your workers.
4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.
Jesus himself did not do away with fasting. In fact he set the standard for all of us who believe in him in Matthew 6:16-18
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Related articles
Jesus Christ Immanuel God is with us
When you have Jesus Christ you have God our Father with you through Christ. Yes God is with you as promised in the scriptures. It was prophesied about Jesus being born of a virgin and its a sign from God himself.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Even the New Testament confirms this. Let’s read:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-23)
Though we normally don’t call Jesus as Immanuel (or Emmanuel, depending on the Bible version you use), our Lord Jesus is indeed the Immanuel of prophecy. I heard a few Christian songs and sermons which refer to Jesus as Immanuel. Now, there are many prophecies that attribute various titles to Jesus. However the titles are not his name, so sometimes title are not mentioned. To this effect, though Jesus is the Prince of Peace he was not actually named the Prince of Peace as that’s his title. In our prayers we generally say ‘Jesus let your Father’s will be done in our lives’ and rarely do we say ‘Prince of Peace let your Father’s will be done in our lives’. Suppose by God’s good graces you are ordained as the ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ your name doesn’t become the Duke of Edinburgh unless you at birth were named so. (The current Duke of Edinburgh is Prince Phillip, I think)
The union of Jesus with God our Father was strong even during the time of Jesus on earth. This is because he came not on his own authority but because our God and Father in heaven had sent him here to do his holy will. No wonder he carried the presence of the Lord God our Father with him. No wonder he said “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. (John 14:6-11)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it….And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5,14)
Related articles
Related LINKS:
Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away our sins
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)
Jesus appeared on earth to take away our sins!
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5)
The prophet Isaiah prophesied about Jesus coming as the Lamb of God to take away our sin. Let’s read Isaiah 53:6-11 which goes as follows:
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
It is Jesus who take away your sins and not your good works. Your good works are simply your duty towards God. You duty does not make atonement for your sins. It’s Jesus who set you free by his death on the cross and by his resurrection. Happy are those to who put their mind to Jesus above anything else in this world!
Jesus came to earth for you and me. His purpose was and is to reconcile us to God and save us from our sins. God himself sent his Son Jesus to save us.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16-18)
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost (Matthew 18:11)
Salvation is free for all those who believe in Jesus the Son of God. You never have to pay for it. As Jesus has once and for all paid the price for your sins. Therefore hold on to Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
No matter how bad you are. No matter how many mistakes your made. If you are willing to repent and believe in the Gospel there is hope for you through Jesus Christ.
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:35-40)
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)
Related articles
30 things to pray for your children
30 things to pray for your children which can change their life for good. Pray for your children. If you have nephews and nieces pray for them. Pray for your grandchildren, if you have any. Some people may not yet have children but can always pray for children of others keeping their parents in mind. Pray as much as you can for them. Be regular and don’t fear. Pray to the Lord Jesus in faith for he will truly hear those who put their trust in him. Don’t stop at that, pray for every child who is need of your prayers!
- Pray that they love the Lord God.
- Pray that they keep the commandments.
- Pray that they are protected from all dangers.
- Pray that temptation doesn’t overcome them.
- Pray that they desire the word of God.
- Pray they do not give into the evil ways of the world.
- Pray that they recognize their talents and work them out.
- Pray that they accept Jesus and believe in the Gospel.
- Pray that they are free from all sickness.
- Pray that they are able to study well.
- Pray that they grow up well.
- Pray that they are led by the Holy Spirit.
- Pray that they make right choices and decisions.
- Pray that they are blessed by God.
- Pray that they are a good example to others.
- Pray that they remember the things of God.
- Pray that they become more wise daily.
- Pray that they keep away from bad examples.
- Pray that they develop good hobbies.
- Pray that they don’t waste time.
- Pray that they prepare of the future.
- Pray that they are heavenly minded.
- Pray that they are strong in body, mind and spirit.
- Pray that they understand the will of God.
- Pray that the peace of Christ is always with them.
- Pray that you are a good example to them.
- Pray that you are able to provide for them.
- Pray that you speak encouragement to them.
- Pray that they overcome their past sorrows and failures.
- Pray that they learn to pray.
Related articles
Never make money your pet, it may become a monster
In the world there are people who eat to live and then we have the self-indulgent who live to eat. The same way there are those who are obsessed with money. I mean there is the legitimate use of money to provide for your basic needs, payoff debts and help others. And then is there a wicked way of life where a person’s main purpose of existence is to get more and more money by any means.
Now anyone obsessed with money won’t necessarily say they make pets of their money but they surely act that way. And in the due course of time that little pet who likes to be fed and patted often. But later it turns out to be a hideous ugly monster. And mind you, this monster isn’t bothered if you progress physically, all it will seek is that spiritually you are blinded and on the road to damnation.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Let me make it real to you. A person who betrays his nation for the sake of money is on his way to hell. He may be safe on some island resort for the rest of his natural life but when he dies, he won’t make to heaven.
Remember Judas Iscariot. He betrayed Jesus in the most vile way by using an act of greeting as a sign to single out the Lord for his crucifixion. After this Judas did have remorse but never repentance, due to which he committed suicide. Right now Judas is highly tormented in hell without any mercy.
It’s not that everyone who is obsessed with money is a traitor. It could be that the person doesn’t pay attention to the things of God. He may attend church regularly, help out with the orphanages and be nice to family. But deep within his heart his loyalty is not with God but only to money. The Lord is aware of the thoughts of every persons heart and doesn’t like such obsessions that are evil.
People tend to think that they can cheat the Lord God and his church and still be blessed. This assumption is extremely dangerous. Ananias and Sapphira (click here for a related article on them) tried to get fame and honor by lying to the church they sold of their property and gave all of it to the church. While in fact they retained a part of the money they got.
Nobody in the church would have known, except that the Holy Spirit revealed it to the Apostle Peter. So then Peter spoke words of judgement to them as they lied to the Holy Spirit. They cheated God. As a result both Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead immediately by the Lord God. This caused great fear in the church at those times.
No wonder, I say that never make money your pet, it may become a monster which turns out to be your nemesis!
Scriptures for reflection:
Proverbs 15:26 The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight.
Exodus 23:8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.
Proverbs 1:19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.
Proverbs 11:29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.
Related articles
Legalism won’t make you righteous
Legalism is a fake version of righteousness. It affects men, women and children in various forms from the cradle to the grave. Even preachers entertain this without realizing the dangers of it.
First things first, legalism is not the same thing as righteous living, praying methods, living by faith, obedience to God’s will, desire for purity and genuineness in one’s relationship with God. The Bible doesn’t promote legalism. Legalism is not be confused with following the teachings of the Gospel. At this point its imperative to get a clear idea of what is legalism. Let’s start with the dictionary meaning:
Legalism : strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code ( Merriam-Webster online dictionary)
Now in Christianity legalism is the excessive and improper use of the law. By excessive, it means overzealous following of the laws of God while not giving glory to God. It can also promote self-righteousness as it makes a person focus more on self than the Lord.
By improper usage, it means that it stealthily becomes a ‘earn your salvation‘ technique instead of getting your salvation truly and freely from Jesus our Lord. This can make you very unsure of your salvation and thereby keep you dependent on the church authority structure to say whether are you saved or not. It’s good to obey church leaders but you must keep it balanced in the light of the Gospel.
During the course of my life I was unwittingly taught legalism though I didn’t understand it at that time. However, after a few years I realized that is an energy drainer. This affected my relationship with God and I was not sure of my salvation. So decided to re-learn the teachings of the Bible directly by myself and praying to the Holy Spirit to lead me. It’s a big relief to be out of it and be sure of one’s salvation that comes through Jesus Christ.
Legalism can happen in non religious settings such as work or college. Since, I’m speaking of legalism in a spiritual context, I will give you a few examples of how things can go legalistic in the religious world. Here we go:
- Lydia is trying to make ends meet for her little child. Her husband is working but is not getting enough due to the bad economy. So she decides to do part-time work as a nurse to supplement their income due to which she misses on a few church services. She is worried that her actions have jeopardized her salvation and keeps crying out. This continues until a preacher convinces her of true salvation and helps her with the timings of a church that has worship services all through the week.
- James is taught to always wear a tie to any church service as every man in church who doesn’t wear it is seen as not sincere about salvation. He keeps doing this regularly. One day he forgets to wear a tie and enters the church. He is then denounced by everyone in the church and eventually leaves it. He then enters another church where there is no requirement to wear a tie (to his pleasant surprise) and continues to go there regularly. (the first 2 examples are just indicative examples, the next one is a real one)
- I would attend a place of prayer where people got healed by the power of Christ. However, the preachers in the due course of time started acting legalistic and would say the following statements, “If you have AIDS or HIV its God’s Gift to you for sinning and God will NOT heal you” and would also say “I sense God is healing some person of this and this disease but I say to this person, come up and testify on the stage right now or you will LOSE your healing”. I was totally horrified at this legalism and started avoiding them lest I too learn their ways. As time passed by, many people stopped going to this place and started going to other places to get prayed over. However, the preachers over there are still adamant on their ‘God hates people with AIDS’ stance. (I mentioned this example in my earlier post; Learn to understand what comes from God and what comes from man)
A very sure way to realize legalism is at work is when things are added or removed from the actual wisdom and practices mentioned in the Bible. Basically these are rules of men and not of God.
This make me recall the words of a wise preacher, ‘The farther away from God you get, the more rules and regulations you’ll come up with in an effort to maintain what you once had. And what was once living will soon become mechanical and artificial. (Take the machinery out of the church.)’ No wonder, I say that your righteousness must come from Christ. alone. You must have the right attitude of the heart, not just good external actions.
Here are few scriptures on what the Bible speak about Legalism:
Isaiah 1:11 “The multitude of your sacrifices– what are they to me?” says the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
Matthew 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 23:1-4 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
Some videos on the reality of legalism. These make good sense, so are worth a watch as well.
Related articles
Psalm 1 (The two ways of life)
Let’s read Psalm 1 which speaks of the two ways of life that are available to mankind. Here we go:
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,nor stands in the way of sinners,nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
The above Psalm has great meaning. It speaks of the way of righteousness and the way of wickedness. It speaks how blessed are those who do not take wicked counsel. There are many people who give wicked advice like against attending the church service and being obedient to God and so on they ramble on. These are not be entertained by the righteous and must be rejected.
This also speaks about how blessed are those who don’t stand in the way of sinners nor in the seat of scoffers. Standing or sitting here is that a person is being still with them so that he can listen to their nonsense. There are people who are so sinful that they won’t keep their sinfulness to themselves but try to pass their wicked opinions to others who don’t sin or even more so those who don’t sin like them.
A person determined to please God must have delight in the law of the Lord and must keep it in highest regard. Now this law for Christians is not necessarily the law of Moses and definitely is not legalism. Because Jesus has already fulfilled the law of Moses. We have something greater, which is to love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength and also to love one’s neighbor as ourselves. In other words, we must follow the Gospel. It wouldn’t be possible to follow all of the laws of Moses because there is much animal sacrifice in it. We must remember that the perfect sacrifice of Jesus shedding his blood on the sacrifice is the greatest sacrifice of the New covenant and this does away with the need for animal sacrifice.
Now, the righteous are like a tree planted by streams of water. You may be living in a desert or in the prairies but that is only your physical surrounding where you are based. Spiritually it’s much different. For Jesus gives to all who ask of him the living waters so that you are spiritually satisfied for eternal life.
John 4:10,14 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”..but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 7:37-39 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
No wonder the righteous prosper being filled with the living waters that Jesus gives. I can speak a lot on true prosperity but let me tell you this. True prosperity is to be in a relation with Jesus in this life and in the next. True prosperity is to be in heaven after you pass away from this earth.
A measure of how successful you were in life is what happens of it when you are at the end of your life on earth. A wicked person may have achieved a lot in life. They may have made a lot of money and received a lot of fame in the process. But what happens of it when they die. This all turns to no use because receiving their punishment of this in hell due to their sins they don’t get out. I mean they never get any relief. Their achievements simply testify against them in the fires of hell. Like the chaff that is driven away by the wind so is their prosperity.
The Lord won’t let the wicked and the righteous have the same fate after death. This is where the difference becomes very clear. God keeps track of those who are righteous in Jesus. God is personally interested in each and every believer. He also is very aware of the sins of those who don’t believe in Jesus. He is a loving Father but remains a just God. Happy are those who choose to be righteous in Jesus Christ for the love of God. Amen.
Related articles
Beware of bad attitudes at the Church service
There always comes a time when you attend a Church service. Usually this is on Sundays in most places while some follow a Saturday schedule as per local custom etc. What matters is your attitude at such times and places. You need to beware of bad attitudes at the Church service. Let me make this clear before I elaborate on this topic, that the church is not limited to a physical structure but in fact is every person who believes in Jesus Christ. Also a church service can happen even outside the walls of the church building.
A bad attitude at the Church service won’t do you any good. Having lack of faith and trust in the Lord is not helpful. However, this can be corrected as your faith can increase while hearing from the preaching of the word of God. The problem is some people don’t want to listen though they appear to be listening. Earlier people would keep talking among each other during the service. But now some couples keep staring at each other as it that the first and last time they would see other. Someone is busy texting on the phone or playing games. Not a wise thing at all.
Church of Transfiguration, Mount Tabor (Photo credit: Christopher Chan)
Then there is the dress policing crowd, whose sole aim is to make faces at those who are not dressed up well enough as per their standards. They won’t focus on the preaching but instead will keep judging everyone who enters the church, even the kids. Some people have the habit of walking out right in the middle of the service. I can understand if you have a genuine emergency but what I find weird is that this walking out of the service before it ends, happens every time you come. This speak volumes on how people put a wrong precedent on themselves.
Also some people party like there is no tomorrow and come to church totally groggy. I mean they are very sleepy and have no clue what is going in the service. There is the crowd which sometimes includes the preachers who are paying more attention to the clock instead of waiting for God to lead them.
Since I spoken about the preachers I will say the following things too. Some preachers only want to please the people. The follow the concept of “Vox populi vox Dei” meaning the voice of the people is the voice of God. What a crazy concept because the Bible mentions that Aaron listened to the Israelite’s of his time and then created a false idol to worship as the Lord. And then God’s judgement came down very severely on them. This is mentioned in the Bible.
So these people fearing preachers will avoid all the ‘controversial’ topics like adulterous living, drug addiction, child abuse, hell and divine judgement on an argument saying that they need to keep ‘peace and unity’ in the church. Pastors need to protect the church from evil doers and not from the word of God. Don’t water down the message of the Gospel even if the people ear’s are itching to hear an ego boosting sermon on how great they are. Avoid preaching sermons on donating to the church for the thousandth time and instead preach other topics that are not yet preached in church.
Also the worst attitude to have in the church is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 which speaks about having the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
Hebrews 10:29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
There is also a sizable number of people who don’t seem to have any noticeable bad attitude at the church service but all I can say is that the Lord Jesus can see through everyone heart for their true intentions. For some people have a Pharisaic attitude and consider themselves the best in the world as they don’t have any of the above bad attitudes. What they fail to realize is they too are deceived as a result of their pride in their own character instead of the grace of God. One must be thankful to Jesus that one is free from sin but not start looking down on others who lack discipline for even once we lacked discipline but Jesus still gave his life for us.
I pray that you have the mind of Christ wherever you go and especially in Church services. That the Lord is adored and glorified in your thoughts, words and actions. Amen.
Related articles:
Prudent living can keep you from danger
Prudent living is vital factor that keeps you from danger. The Bible from beginning to end speaks about prudence. We are advised not be take everything at face value but check for hidden signs of danger. Jesus too has spoken of being prudent. As a follower of the Gospel, its important for you to follow the words of Jesus and also what God has mentioned in the Bible.
Proverbs 27:12 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; But the simple pass on, and suffer for it
We are to keep silent at certain times in life.
Amos 5:13 Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time.
We are beware of whom we are speaking to.
Matthew 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Psalms 39:1 I said, “I will guard my ways That I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence.”
Speaking should be about doing what is right.
Proverbs 12:23 A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.
You need to control your temper.
Proverbs 14:17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.
Proverbs 25:23 The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
You need to be prudent in your planning.
Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your work outside And make it ready for yourself in the field; Afterwards, then, build your house.
Proverbs 6:6-11 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.
Luke 14:28-32 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, `This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
You need pay attention and seek knowledge.
Proverbs 18:15 The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
You need to keep the word of God.
John 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
Proverbs 15:5 A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
You need to act on the word of God no matter what.
Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Luke 12:42-44 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
The war that is spiritual and yet real
Be blessed and totally delivered from evil in the name of Jesus.
As believers in Jesus we are in a state of constant spiritual warfare with the Devil and his kingdom. There is no opt out, you were born into this. Surely Jesus overcome the death, sin and Satan by the shedding of his blood on the cross and rising from the dead on the third day. Also as the Devil who was originally a great angel, was cast out of heaven along with his angels for rebelling against the Lord God.
Christ will come again on Judgement day to permanently judge all workers of evil especially the Devil and his angels. The Devil however still wants to continue to engage in war against Jesus and his followers because he is a gambler. Somehow he is highly self deceived, thinking that he can still sneak out a victory against God. But let me tell you that the Devil never has and never ever will win against God and his holy angels.
So the Evil One tries to harm people who are still on earth by some trick or the other.
Remember he even tried to tempt Jesus but couldn’t make a sinner of Jesus! Now after the resurrection of Christ, he can’t tempt Jesus but he surely keeps trying to undermine your faith by various means. He even today tries to oppress who so ever he can take down most easily whether an unbeliever or an ignorant believer.
Satan is full of hate against all humans even those who are non-Christian (even atheists) because man was created in the image and likeness of God (read Genesis 1:26). Now with the preaching of the Gospel of Christ and the New Testament, we must understand that the Devil hates Christians even more because they are a new creation in Christ (read 2 Corinthians 5:17)
Jesus had a lot of to say about Satan and his evil ways. You’d like to know at this point what Jesus said about Satan (click here). One thing that the Bible teaches is that the Devil knows his time is running short. Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
We therefore must not be ignorant of the Devils plan of hate and murder. He is the original terrorist and is the father of all terrorists. With Jesus on your side you need not fear him. However what is important is that you exercise your faith in Christ. Being willing and then actually participating in spiritual warfare against the Evil One is a sure sign of faith. Our enemies are spiritual, who at times deceive humans to do their bidding on earth. So instead of being hateful of sinners pray for their conversion and if they don’t stop sinning then pray for deliverance from evil.
Pray for wisdom from Christ and then act on it. Pray that evil doesn’t overcome you. Stop crying about corrupt politicians and instead pray for good governance. Don’t worry about your children’s health and education, follow wisdom and pray for them. Pray alone or pray with your church against the powers of darkness but most importantly pray in faith.
Here are a few sermon videos on Spiritual warfare that help you be good at fighting for the Lord Jesus Christ:
Related articles
Disciples of hope 