This Week With Jesus

Acts 5:12 states: “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch)” This verse highlights the miraculous works performed by the Apostles. But what about us? What can we do?  Knowing your role in God's plan is a deeply personal and ongoing journey. There isn't a single, definitive answer that will be revealed in a moment, but rather a process of seeking, learning, and growing. Your role may not include performing signs and wonder like the Apostles did, but we will have a role all the same, albeit a silent one.  A KJV Bible study comments on Acts says that the early church was marked by these miraculous events to conform the message of the Gospel and draw people to faith in Christ.  Today we may not see the same kind of dramatic signs and wonders that the Apostles performed, however we can still experience the power of God working in our lives and in the lives of those around us. G...

  It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it. -  Vance Havner Let me remind you that this is God's universe, and He is doing things His way. You may think you have a better way, but you don't have a universe to rule. -  J. Vernon McGee "When we share Christ, the Truth behind our transformation, we are offering people an opportunity to be transformed." ~ David Jeremiah "When the Lord's white sheep become dirty gray, all black sheep feel more comfortable." ~ Vance Havner "If you see a Bible that is falling apart, it probably belongs to someone who isn't!" ~ Vance Havner "God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way." ~ Aiden Wilson Tozer "The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now." ~ Rick Warren "God is not just s...

The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer.    R. A. Torrey Too many Christians live their Christian lives inside their heads; it never gets out through hands and feet and lips. - Vance Havner God gives us people to love and things to use, not things to love and people to use. - Max Lucado There is no sweeter manner of living in the world than continuous communion with God - Brother Lawrence Real true faith is man's weakness leaning on God's strength. - Dwight L. Moody The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.' - Billy Graham Creative words generate energy; negative words drain out energy. - Robert H. Schuller It is not the bee's touching of the flower that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time upon the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates mo...

 

                           "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. " - John 15:13 In a small village in Japan, there was an old house that had been abandoned for many years. One day, a man decided to renovate the house. As he started to remove the wooden wall panels, he noticed something unusual. A small lizard was nailed to the wall by one of its feet. The man felt sad for the lizard, which must have been trapped there for a long time. However, as he examined the lizard more closely, he noticed something even more surprising. Another lizard was bringing food to the trapped lizard, ensuring that it didn't starve. Despite the hardship of being nailed to the wall, the trapped lizard had been sustained by the unwavering care of its companion. The free lizard had dedicated itself to feeding the trapped one, showing an incredible level of devotion and compassion. This story serves as a...

Inspiring Christian quotes serve as beacons of hope, faith, and encouragement in our daily lives. They remind us of God's unwavering love, the strength found in Christ, and the beauty of living with purpose and compassion. These quotes, often drawn from Scripture or the wisdom of Christian thinkers, provide guidance during challenges and celebrate the joy of faith. Whether uplifting the spirit or deepening one's connection with God, they resonate with timeless truths that inspire believers to walk in love, grace, and perseverance. “Satan is so much more in earnest than we are—he buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost.” (Amy Carmichael) “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” (John Wesley) “If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.” “Every temptation, direc...

Psalm 23 There is an old story about Psalm 23 (though we can't say if it is true) and which teaches a beautiful lesson. It goes like this: Once there was a fund raiser in which a famous actor was the Chief Guest. He gave his speech, did a couple of performences of his famous dialogues and then invited questions. Someone in the audience asked him if he knew Psalm 23. To this he replied in the affirmative saying he had to memorise it as a child. Another person piped up and asked him to recite it. The actor then proceeded to recite Psalm 23, in his deep baritone voice complete with facial expressions and voice modulation. Slowly, deliberately serious and with actions. When he finished there was thunderous applause and a standing ovation. After the applause died down, someone spied an old priest sitting in the corner. He raised a call for the priest to recite Psalm 23 as well, a call which caught on till the the entire hall was echoing with that demand. The priest slowly got up, so slo...

In an earlier post about following Jesus, we talked about making idols in our lives, contrary to the 1st commandment. We think we don't, but we do. Rev Francis says - "Every time we put our needs before God, we set ourselves up as gods. Every time we choose pleasure, money, sports before God, we have created idols for ourselves." Is it any wonder that Jesus said that we need to forsake what the world gives us to be able to follow Him? He never said that we should not enjoy the good things we have - but let not those things become "Gods" and give them priority over that one true God. It could be something as simple as time. We can't serve Jesus because our job takes up too much time. It could be our family or a party or TV or sports. This does not mean we should not have or do these things. It simply means we must develop a habit to consciously give priority to Jesus over everything else, which comes second. Today, let's review our life, and without a bia...

Did you know that the Early followers of Christ were called followers of "the way" ? The term "Christianity" came much later. Let us pause and think why were they called that? What was "the way"? The answer will open the door to another basic question: why should anyone follow Christ? Because Christ offered true followers a pathway to salvation. Jesus was and is the way to our salvation. Thus, our ultimate goal to follow a resurrected Jesus is because He is the way to salvation.  How may you ask? Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him - essentially symbolizing the end of our earthly self and a new beginning. When a person carried a cross in Jesus’ day, no one thought of it as a persistent annoyance or symbolic burden . It was literal! "To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by crucifixion. To carry a cross was to face the most painful and humiliating means of death human beings could develop. Two...

  "Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come" - Rabindranath Tagore "When I fall sick, I am taken to a hospital where I surrender to the nurses, attendants and doctors. They put me in a wheelchair and take me where I do not know, put me on machines I do not recognize and do tests which the doctors have ordered. I am completely in their hands. Then I wonder, when I can trust the doctors, nurses and attendants for my well being, and surrender myself, why do I have a problem surrendering to God? Why cant I let God push my wheelchair?" - Pastor Jolly Raj, Bethel Methodist Church, India. " Faith is the bird that feels the light, when the dawn is still dark". - Rabindranath Tagore "Pray; and as you pray, surrender; and as you surrender, believe". - Aiden Wilson Tozer It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they ge...

  The Bible features many amazing women who played significant roles in various narratives. On this International Women’s Day , we would like to highlight one such woman – Rahab, a Canaanite woman who helped Israelite spies and later became part of the lineage of Jesus. Rahab is a significant figure in the Bible, known for her bravery, faith, and role in the Israelite conquest of Jericho. Her story is primarily found in the Book of Joshua, chapter 2, a powerful example of faith, courage, and redemption. Her actions had a lasting impact on the Israelite history and the lineage of Jesus Christ To understand the importance of her role, we must first understand why Jericho was so important to the Israelites? In the biblical account, Jericho holds significant importance as the first city the Israelites encountered after crossing the Jordan River into Canaan around 1,400 BCE. The story highlights the miraculous destruction of the formidable Wall of Jericho, which fell after the I...

If you were told to empty a bathtub and the choice was to use a bucket, a glass or a spoon, which would you use?  The answer of course is none of the above. The smart way would be to simply pull the plug, because using any of those above-mentioned alternatives would never completely empty the tub. There would be a remnant of water remaining.  Similarly in our spiritual life, if you don't pull the plug there will always be remnants of our previous sins which will remain.  The problem is when called upon to pull the plug, our strength fails us. We are unable to empty that tub completely because of our attachments to our earthly desires and possessions. But Jesus can!  He sacrificed himself to pull the plug and drain out sin from the world, including for you and me.  Today, as we fill our own tubs, let us be careful that we fill it with what Jesus wants, not what we desire from this world.  Reply Forward Add reaction

  Play to Win or Play Not to Lose! 

                  You will never be saved against your will; God drags nobody to heaven by the ears.  Charles Spurgeon This life is the only hell believers will ever know. But for those who die in their sins, this is their only heaven -  Ray Comfort Let me remind you that this is God's universe, and He is doing things His way. You may think you have a better way, but you don't have a universe to rule -  J. Vernon McGee When we share Christ, the Truth behind our transformation, we are offering people an opportunity to be transformed -  David Jeremiah Too many Christians live their Christian lives inside their heads; it never gets out through hands and feet and lips -  Vance Havner When the Lord's white sheep become dirty gray, all black sheep feel more comfortable -  Vance Havner If you see a Bible that is falling apart, it probably belongs to someone who isn't!  Vance Havner God often hides His blessing in t...

As in the past, we would like to humbly request all our readers to pray, not only for their own needs but also for some people whom we know to need your prayers. Your prayers can make a powerful difference in the lives of those who are struggling, seeking strength, and hoping for a better tomorrow. Let us come together in faith and compassion, offering our heartfelt prayers for healing, comfort, and guidance for those in need. Your continued support and prayers are deeply appreciated. Prayer Needs Grazia requests prayer saying: Thank you God for blessings favor victorious wins protecting my children family home and I. God I pray for an amazing job where everyone prospers I am earning twice what I'm earning now. Send unexpected income from unexpected positive resources so I can provide for my family. Thank you God for family healing health prosperity and financial abundance . allanrking requests prayer over his Finances, Permanent Housing, Wisdom, Discretion & for a Hedge of Pr...

Today we going to continue our series of messages on prayer based on O.S. Hawkins’ book the prayer code. How many of you have heard of the term “prayer partnership?” Prayer partnership is when two people tie up and make a pact to pray together at the same pre-decided time even though they may be located at different places. Now we may not be practicing prayer partnership in our own lives even though it is a practice that brings considerable blessing but all of us each one of us who are believers in the lord Jesus Christ has a prayer partner. Surprised? Yes, the holy spirit is our personal prayer partner. He is with us all the time, he searches our hearts & helps in our weaknesses and, above all intercedes for us according to god’s will. The Holy Spirit lives in the life of every believer who has called on the name of our lord Jesus Christ. Hawkins explains that our bodies are the holy spirit’s Holy place and because he is in us, he does on our bodies what our lord Jesus Christ...

Once upon a time, in a place called Heaven, a curious scene unfolded. The old king sat at the head of the round table, with His head bowed and deep in thought. Around Him sat His closest advisers, Sir Michael, Sir Gabriel and others and His Son stood next to Him. “You know why we are here,” said the king. The earth is in shambles, people are rebellious, and no one wants to live in peace with each other, let alone listen to me. In fact, some of them openly hate me “ “I made the earth and created humans to have a relationship with me. This relationship characterized by love, worship, and communion. I wanted Humans to live in harmony with me and each other.” “I wanted them to take care of the planet and all its inhabitants, love me and love each other. But most of all I wanted them to do all of this of their own accord – so I gave them free will. And what did they do with that great power of free will and choice?? They rebelled against me! I gave them laws but they broke them. I gave them...