Other

Think of someone grating a coconut , throwing the edible part away and trying to eat the shell with all difficulty and getting nothing out of it ! You will say to me: ” Brother, no one will do that foolishness”.
But I’ve found satan trying to fool even  children of God by making them throw away the ‘edible part’ of the promises of God and making them ‘eat the shell’!

Look how  some so called ‘scholars’ were fooled by satan in Jesus’ time. There were some among the Jews who were thoroughly studying the scriptures to learn about the coming of the promised Christ while He was on earth, very near to them, but could not acknowledge Him while many of the ordinary  people were enjoying the Messiah ! See Jesus telling them about their pitiable condition.
“You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.”(John.5.39,40)
Don’t allow satan to make you a ‘ shell-eating scholar’.

While the wise men from the east came to king Herod and enquired where the king of the jews, the Christ was born,he called forth the jewish scholars and chief priests and asked them what is written in their scriptures concerning that. Without any delay their scholastic answer came:”in Bethlehem”. And they were very smart in quoting the scriptures to back their answer(Mathew.2.1-6). But we learn that baby Jesus was of two years of age at that time and none of these scholars and priests who were studying about the coming of Christ could see Him. Ordinary people like the shepherds and the wise men from the east beheld the Saviour. Yes, the true wise men, the true scholars, reach Jesus !

The most funny part of the story is that when baby Jesus was of fourty days of age, His parents had brought Him in to the temple of Jerusalem for the dedication of the child,and it was these priests who performed the sacrifices for the child and the mother according to the commandment of the law of Moses without knowing that the baby was the Christ whom they were expecting! But see,an old man named Simon and a very old prophetess named Anna who not only had the knowledge concerning the coming of the messiah, but also the Spirit of revelation could behold Him and embrace him (Luke 2.22-39). Those who were known as the scholars and researchers could not enjoy the blessing. The Word of God says:

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1.22)
Jesus came down not just as the Saviour, but He is a healer and deliverer too.
In Luke 10 we read the narration of Jesus sending out seventy ordinary men to preach the Kingdom of God and  to heal the sick. They went out without questioning or doubting or researching on their Master’s Words and did a marvelous ministry. They came back reporting:” Lord even the demons flee in your name”. See how joyous Jesus was on hearing this. He started praising the Father with joy.
“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.”( Luke 10.21)
See, the so called wise could not enjoy the real blessings of the Word of God!
Now a days also there are many people who are studying and commenting the scriptures and not enjoying the simple blessings in it. Eating the shell!

It is good to have an understanding about the chemical composition of sugar. But don’t forget that sugar is something to be tasted. So let us taste and enjoy our Lord and His promises for us.

Concerning the marvelous experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit, some say, ‘It is not for us now, it ihas stopped, it was only for the early church’. But thank God, many millions who have simple faith believe and enjoy it even today. For them it has not stopped! They are eating the real good part of the promise of the Holy Spirit. Really, they are the true scholars.
Dear ones,all the promises of God are good and they are ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ for us.
“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Corinthians 1.19,20)
Jesus is for you. Salvation is for you. Heaven is for you. All the spiritual  blessings are for you. Healing, deliverance, prosperity, multiplication, all are for you in Jesus!

“…For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”(1 Corinthians 3.21-23)

– Thomaskutty Bro

When Peter rejected Jesus three times, wasn’t it the biggest mistake Peter could do after all what Jesus did for him?
As Jesus said, the rooster crowed, and that’s when Peter came to his senses and understood what he had done.
That guilt which got into Peter could have destroyed him forever. But the thing here is, didn’t Jesus know that Peter was going to do it? He had even told Peter about it and Jesus could have easily stopped him from doing it too. But Peter did it.
Was it the end of Peter? No! That was the real start. That moment when he denied Jesus, he saw that loving, humble look from Jesus and that just changed him forever. It made him even more fervent for Jesus. It made him more trustworthy. It made him more stable.
That one look from Jesus changed him forever and later he was appointed to lead the ministries and all other followers.

This happens to us also. We get into trouble not because we don’t love Jesus but because of the deceiving Satan. Mostly we also come to our senses only after we do it. Why didn’t Jesus stop us from doing it? Maybe He wanted us to learn something out of it instead of crying for it.

Just the way Jesus used Peter’s mistake to transform him into a more fruitful person (a stronger person who even gave his life without any regret for Him), he is going to use what you call your failures or the things which you are afraid will destroy you forever, to bring out the best in you.

Not even a mistake in your life is gonna be a mistake if you get a hold on Jesus. The things which you thought were going to destroy you, which you thought was your end, is going to be transformed into a new beginning, making you stronger, more passionate and above all, transforming you as the most fruitful person.

So the bad memories you have, which disturb you all the time, the mistakes for which you are ready to get punished for is not going to be for your end but for your beginning.

The only thing we shouldn’t forget is to see that love of Jesus for you. The moment His love starts activating in you, your bad memories turn to useful chapters. Your mistakes turn to lessons. This brings out the best in you so that you are will be a tree full of fruits, making you the biggest blessing for heaven.

Yours mistakes, big or small, it’s not the end. Let His love work, and watch how Jesus transforms it as the beginning of a new and exciting life.

As told in the bible,
I BOAST IN MY WEAKNESS, FOR WHEN I AM WEAK THEN I AM STRONG!!

Chill… because YOU HAVE JESUS IN YOUR LIFE and I guarantee you, WITH HIM YOU’RE GONNA MAKE IT IN LIFE!!

– Written by Ben Thomas (Monu)

As I had mentioned earlier in part 1, the Word of righteousness gives us the confidence to call God, ‘Abba Father’. Jesus became sin for us so that we would become righteous. The Holy Spirit always makes us righteousness – minded while satan tries to make us feel guilty. Satan always accuses us but Holy Spirit always corrects us and brings us to repentance. He always assures us that we will never be a failure and makes us stand before God with confidence. So, a righteous-minded person will always have the confidence to stand before God and the courage to rebuke the devil. Ephesians 6:14 says that righteousness is a breastplate for us who believe in Jesus Christ.Yes! A righteousness man is like a lion…bold in all circumstances.

Romans 1:16,17 says, ” For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

In the above verse, it says, ‘salvation for everyone who believes’. All the believers believe in Jesus Christ. So, what is Paul referring to here? He is referring to a strong faith that Jesus died for us and that there is forgiveness of sins in His name. Also, to a faith that because of what Jesus did for us, we don’t have to do anything now in order to please God. We have been delivered from all the dead works and we don’t have to offer anything to God because heaven has made the ultimate sacrifice and that is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God! When you believe that that sacrifice was made for you,you are made righteous before God. Bless you!

-Tangu Bro
(to be continued…)

To everyone who has Jesus as their Lord and Saviour,

#March Ahead with Confidence!! There is no other race on planet Earth who can walk with their heads held high and with confidence. Just think about it! You have the Holyspirit who is living in you, Jesus who is with you and the Father God giving assurance that nothing can snatch you away from them. The Word of God which is with us has countless promises, blessings and truth,giving us a clear picture that we only need to hope for the good in our tomorrows. ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ says,“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

The one who started the good work will complete it. It says good work, which means all things will work out for our Good. Which means, the Faithful One, who started the work in you is responsible to complete it and His work, you can be sure will be perfect in all ways. Just imagine, if us as humans try to do our best in what we do, how much more will Father God, who created us in Christ Jesus aim for excellence.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”- Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭

We were created for good works which He himself will do through us. He has preordained the good works in us before the foundation of this world that when we trust and love Jesus, the Holyspirit will make us walk in them without us trying on our own. Just like how a carpenter takes pride in his works,the Father God is pleased to see His work which is us, His Precious Children, His Bride in all Glory and Power.
You have your personal Friend and Lover for intercession and an Advocate on your behalf at the throne of grace, at the Father’s right hand and the Holy Spirit here on earth to help you in every step.
So #March Ahead into the Year Accomplishment with all Confidence!

– Raunaq & Sara

Nothing in this world stays for long. People will come and go. They might take you for granted, they might ignore you most of the times, they might talk ill about you in your absence, they might also leave you.

But there is a person who will be there always, standing next to you and His name is Jesus. Jesus is the only person who can love you more than anyone else in this world.He was beaten up for you, He was naked for you on the cross, He was crucified for you and He gave his own LIFE for you.
He died on the cross for you to walk without sin. That was the only time when Jesus was helpless. The moment when the Father turned His face away from His begotten Son Jesus because He became sin for you and me. Even when He was crucified, it was not that painful, but when the Father turned His face away when His Son became sin for us, Jesus could not handle the pain. All the things in this world have several conditions to love you but Jesus loves you without any condition. Even if we forget to pray, even if we don’t have time for Him, His love for us endures. Never think that you are alone in any situation. Jesus is there for you. You are His beloved and nothing can ever separate you from His love for you. Whatever you may do, nothing can ever reduce the unconditional love Jesus has for you. And with Him, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

All your heart’s desires will happen, and you will not lack anything. Whatever you need or want just ask it in His name.
Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them”

Your Father is extremely rich and everything in this world belongs to Him. You being his beloved child,don’t have to worry about anything. You won’t lack in anything. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says,”And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work”

All He needs is, YOUR 100% LOVE !

– Roshna Grace Mathew

We can sing praises without actually giving glory and praises to God!
“These people honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from me,” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:8‬ )‭

Our fallen nature, namely the flesh is in enmity with God. ( Romans 8.7) It will never give glory to God, but instead wants all the glory. It always says, “If I wasn’t there, nothing would have worked out”. But the reality is that God could do everything without me. All what is done through me at home, in church or at the work place is just because God used me as an instrument. A pen can never take the glory of the composition of a book! After doing far more than all other apostles, Paul came to the understanding that it is just the grace of God!
“… In fact, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:10‬ ‭)

This understanding is the true worship. By singing praises to God with this understanding, we can put to death our flesh and we will be more empowered to do even greater tasks. Be a true worshipper and be victorious!

Have you ever thought why the Holy Spirit has placed the book of Romans in such a way that it comes after the gospels and spearheads the epistles? The reason is that the gospels give us a detailed account of what Jesus did while He was here on earth and the book of Romans tells us about the finished work of Jesus i.e.; the righteousness of God and its impact in our lives.
Romans 1:16, 17 say, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith. So, through the gospels, the righteousness of God is revealed”. His righteousness is the crux of the gospel.
At the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished”. What exactly is the finished work of our Lord? The following verses clearly tell us what Jesus did for us.

Colossians 1:13 says, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,  in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins”. So, Jesus Christ has redeemed us, forgiven our sins and brought us out of the power of darkness and taken us into His Kingdom. We are already in the Kingdom of God not because of anything we have done and that is the righteousness of God! We have entered God’s Kingdom by grace through faith.
In the book of Hebrews, Paul says that we who are in the Kingdom should now grow in the Word of Righteousness. Let’s read Hebrews 5:12,13 where it says, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the Word of righteousness, for he is a babe”.

The Word of righteousness means the Word that reveals righteousness to us. It edifies us in many ways. It helps us to grow out of our spiritual childishness. So, each time we hear the Word of righteousness, we realize more and more what Jesus has done for us and that knowledge gives us the freedom and the confidence to stand in God’s Presence. Through the righteousness of God we get the same ability of God and it has made us able to command and change our circumstances. His righteousness has given us the freedom to call God, ‘Abba Father’.
2 Corinthians 5: 21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”. Jesus did not carry our sins. He became sin for us so that you and I could be made righteous!
Not only did He make us righteous, but He also put His Spirit in us so that we may call Him Abba Father! His righteousness made us the righteousness of God in Him.

(To be continued…)

– Dr. Mathew Kuruvilla (Tangu brother)

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY
Republic Day honours the day when the constitution of India came into effect on 26th January 1950, replacing the Government of India Act as the governing document of India. On this day I am reminded of a famous quote of Shri B.R.Ambedkarji, who was the chairman of the drafting committee of the constitution, “IF YOU DON’T KNOW HISTORY YOU CANNOT MAKE HISTORY”. Yes, let us look back this day and remember those who paved way for India that is today and be proud of our rich heritage and values and keep it by honouring the constitution. I salute all the army jawans who are at the borders guarding our nation. Bless you all on this day! Not to forget to pray for all those in authority who rule over us as it is good and acceptable to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let us have a mind that we are first Indians, and then whatever we are. Proud to be an Indian!!

-Tangu brother

Agape is the highest form of Love, the purest as it can get. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives us a small idea of this Agape Love. The word Agape being Greek in origin, means unconditional and sacrificial love unlike Philia( love for family and friends), Eros( affectionate Love between lovers), and Storge( parents’ love for their children).
Agape is on a totally different league, where it’s totally independent of us. It’s GOD’s Sacrificial, Unconditional, Unlimited, and Inexpressible LOVE.

When we look at God’s creation itself, there are fragments of His Agape Love. A beautiful flower does not live for itself. It buds and blossoms, it lives so that it can look appealing to our eyes and its death also turns out for our benefit once it goes back into the soil. Human minds can’t fathom this Love because we have not felt it in our lives.

Love is Who God is! He cannot be anything other than that. When humans were created, God, not being bound by time or space, knew that we would rebel against Him, but still chose to make us and made the best provision to redeem us forever.
This Agape Love – JESUS, put on flesh and dwelt among us enduring the worst for us because that’s how HE is…asking his creation (you and me), ‘Do you love me more than this world?’.

Many of us search for this Real Love. We search for it at the wrong places and meet the wrong faces, and realize later that what we have found is selfish.

OR

WE CAN SET OUR EYES ON THE ONE WHO IS LOVE. JESUS!

He is the Love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

God is patient. God is kind. He does not envy. He does not boast. He is not proud. God does not dishonour others. He is not self-seeking or easily angered. God keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes and He always perseveres. God never fails!!

– Raunaq & Sara