Don’t be surprised – We are growing!

Don’t be surprised – We are growing!

We all know the difference in the taste of drinking Tea  - from a pre-mix sachet or hot water infused with a tea bag contrasted with real Indian chai / Tea – made by boiling tea leaves in milk and water for fifteen minutes or more.  The difference in the taste is because of the process that goes into making tea.

Once Jesus explained about how the kingdom of God looks like through a parable and made a point that the growth of the kingdom of God is not instant – it takes time and it is a process.  The farmer / sower goes about sowing the seeds and then he waters every day – he sleeps and wakes up and does not know what is happening beneath the soil – until one day all by itself the seed produces the grain - he first sees the stalk, then the head, and the full kernel in the head – once it is ripe – he starts the harvest (Mark 4:26-29). There is a process.  We see everything of God’s creation and there is a process. Nothing in fact is instant.  Some may be quicker than the others – but a process is nevertheless involved.

The growth of God’s kingdom is a process – whether we see it or not.  If God’s rule has to become a reality in our life – it is a process.  It is not like one day –we hear a sermon –repent and the next day –we are fine.  It is a process – which involves listening to God’s word daily by hearing, reading and obeying – as every area of our life slowly submits itself to the rule of God.

Peter writes in his epistle saying that we have been born again through an imperishable seed – which is the word of God. (1Peter 1:23) He further exhorts us to grow up in our salvation by craving for pure spiritual milk – God’s word like new new-born babies. (1 Peter 2:2)  If we want to grow into maturity - we should not depend on milk only but feed on solid food – training to distinguish good from evil. (Heb 5:12-14)  Finally, James exhorts us that the testing of our faith produces perseverance and that will help us to grow into maturity (James 1:3-4).

God is a gentleman – he does not force His will on us.  He has given us freedom to make choices to grow.  As we make a choice everyday to obey Him we are submitting to His rule.  As we do this we are growing the kingdom of God.  John Amalraj

Hope the Anchor for our Soul!

Hope the Anchor for our Soul!

The football world cup seems to have captivated millions of spectators and fans apart from the players and officials.  As the matches progressed – teams with messiah like stars, hoping to become champions were eliminated disappointing everyone.  Sports, elections, stock markets do not give any assurance to those who put their hope on them.  The hopes of millions of people on these false messiah’s are lost.

 

In 1934, when twenty-eight-year-old John Stam, mission worker to China, was being led away to execution by the communist bandits with his wife Betty, someone on the road asked, "Where are you going?" John Stam laid hold on the hope set before him and said, "We are going to heaven." John Stam and Betty were soon martyred leaving their infant daughter an orphan. Their hope of eternal life spread far and wide as many more workers went to China and laid down their lives. (http://carlstam.org/familyheritage/images/AllianceWeekly.03.02.35.pdf)

When God made his promise to Abraham, he swore by himself and ensured that he kept His promise even though it took longer than his expectations. (Hebrews 6:13-20). Abraham received what he was promised.  The writer of Hebrews goes on to explain that God cannot lie and if He has promised – he will deliver.  Abraham and all those who put their hope in the promises of God have never been disappointed. The ‘hope of Israel’ was the promise of a messiah. Israel waited for centuries until Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms and said “My eyes have seen your salvation”. (Luke 2: 29-32) They all received what they were promised. Therefore we are called to set our hope in a God who has sworn by himself.

It’s like a sailor who throws the anchor into the sea knowing very well that it will hold the ship in its place without allowing it to drift anymore.  The scripture encourages us to cast our hope like an anchor on Christ Jesus who has gone before us to heaven.  This hope we have is an anchor for our soul, a hope both sure and stead fast. (Heb 6:19-20).  Joshua in his farewell speech said “We know with all our heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave us has failed.” (Joshua 23:14-15) We are called to live out this ‘hope’ among a hopeless generation and receive His promises as a testimony to the world.  John Amalraj

Have you seen the clouds?

Have You Seen The Clouds?

It was a typical summer day, hot, hotter and probably the hottest day this month.  But a strange thing happened late in the afternoon; suddenly we saw clouds, dark clouds engulfing the city.  Soon there were strong winds and rains from nowhere that lashed parts of the city.  Many people who were returning home from their workplaces were stranded.  No one was prepared for the sudden rains as it was not the season.  In several places trees were uprooted, drains were clogged and more important internet cables were broken at this sudden rain.  Farmers in the nearby villages moaned the loss of their harvest of seasonal fruits that were damaged by this unseasonal rain. 

The weather reporters and most often farmers are very good in interpreting the weather unlike city dwellers like us. We often rely on our smart phones, televisions and radio for weather updates.  Jesus during one of his discourses commented that the crowds listening to his teachings seemed to be skilled at interpreting the weather. When they see the clouds, rising in the west, immediately they say ‘it’s going to rain,’ and it does.  And when the south wind blows, they say, ‘it’s going to be hot’ and it is.  He then calls them as ‘hypocrites’ who knows how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky but don’t know how to interpret the present times. (Luke 12:54-56)

We are all guilty of failing to interpret the present times in God's perspective and find out God’s purpose and will for our own lives and for those around us. We live in a world where almost on a daily basis we hear of wars, natural disasters, accidents, crimes, violence and at the same time promises of peace and prosperity with very little change on the ground realities.  These are the signs (clouds) of the end times as Jesus himself teaches us as recorded in the gospels. The only way in the midst of all the noises of this breaking news is to seek God in the stillness of the day. 

We need to learn to discern the unique voice of the shepherd calling out our name and follow Him. The world is looking for interpreters and it is the calling of each one of us to fulfill this ministry.  Let us not become ‘hypocrites’ but follow Jesus to become His disciples who will obey God’s calling. Let us to see the clouds, interpret the times and obey the voice of God!

                                                                                                            John Amalraj, May 2018

Father, not as I will, but as you will!

There are many prayers in the scripture that do not seem comfortable for us to use in our spiritual journey of praying.  The prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed is one such example.  It was like a stress test that is conducted during a medical check up to determine whether your health is good or not. 

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was under extreme spiritual stress.  He told his close disciples “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). Jesus knew he was about to face the betrayal by one of his chosen disciple. He knew that he will face denial by another chosen disciple, while the rest of them will simply desert him at his most critical moment.  Jesus knew he was going to face false accusations, false witnesses and an unjust trial that will lead to his physical torture and death sentence.

The Gospel writers Mathew and Mark comment that Jesus began to be sorrowful, troubled and deeply distressed. Luke adds that being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. This happened after an angel appeared to him and strengthened him. (Luke 22:43-44).

The climax of the spiritual stress test for Jesus was on the cross, when he cried out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).  Jesus came through all these tests and on the third day, God raised him to life.  Therefore we have a reason to remember the sufferings and death of Jesus and celebrate his resurrection that brings new hope to the world.

Jesus taught his disciples that this is how they should pray: “……your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We repeat this prayer in liturgy almost daily without really saying it from the depth of our heart.  It is because our will is often in conflict with the Father’s will.  The day we learn to truly pray and surrender “Not my will, but your will” is the day we pass our spiritual stress test and grow to receive the hope of resurrection.  

May the Lord enable us to follow the example of Jesus in full surrender to the heavenly father’s will!                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                       John Amalraj, April 2018

Lord, Don't You Care?

Prayer is not just a “To Do List” to be given to God every day.  Prayer is a conversation with our maker, our father, our saviour and our friend. We often say it in our mind silently or sometimes aloud “Lord, Don’t you care?” in our own privacy, but never do we use this phrase or rather a cry from the depth of our heart in a public or even private prayer time.  We seem to be stuck with the traditional liturgical prayers that are in flowery language and often betray what our heart really wants to say.  The prophets of the Old Testament often made such prayers.  For example both David in the psalms and Habakkuk cried out “How long, Lord, must I call for help…?” (Psalm 13 & Habakkuk 1) 

When Jesus was on this earth, his disciples once had to wake up a sleeping Jesus and ask him “Lord, Don’t you care if we drown?”  This was when the disciples were in the midst of a storm and at risk of being sunk in the sea.  Jesus responded to them by calming the storm and also rebuking his disciples saying “Why are you so afraid? (you of little faith) Do you still have no faith?”(Mark 4:35-41) On another occasion, Jesus was in the home of his family friends Mary and Martha in Bethany.  Martha was busy with preparing the meal while Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to his teaching.  Martha asked Jesus “Lord, Don’t you care?” Jesus responds to her by saying “Martha has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Jesus while teaching his disciples said “So do not worry saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ……your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-32).  He further assures them by saying that “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered”. (Matthew 10:29-32).  Peter encourages in his letter saying “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. (1 Peter 5:7).

Let us learn to pray from our heart casting all our anxieties on him, because he cares for each one of us.  And after praying let us seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  May our father, continue to show His loving care on each of us as we serve Him!  John Amalraj, March 2018