This Week With Jesus

When Jesus proclaimed "it is finished" from the cross, he meant His great work was done. He knew He would be resurrected and thus, offer us a new life. But for us it is not finished ; it is the beginning : it's only begun. what does His resurrection mean for us? Does it mean after Easter is done and dusted; we go back to who we were? What does Easter personally mean to each one of us?  The resurrection signifies a new creation and offers us the possibility of living a new life in Christ. Just as Jesus was raised to new life, we too are called to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). This empowers us to overcome sin, live righteously, and follow Jesus' example of love and service. It means we walk away from our old ways and change our ways to His way. If we truly believe in the resurrection of Christ, we will resurrect Him in our own lives, cleaning it out to make a home for Him. Becoming more like Christ is a lifelong journey of transformation that involves intentiona...

Tomorrow is Good Friday and like all Good Friday’s most churches will call upon their elders to talk about the seven words Jesus spoke from the Cross. But to us, those Seven words raise serious questions about the whole Christian experience and life. Today we will briefly, try and understand what those seven words mean to our lives in practical application, so that when we hear our elders speak tomorrow, we have a perspective relating to our own lives. 1. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) Message: Jesus begins His final moments with a prayer of forgiveness for those who crucified Him. Despite the physical agony and emotional betrayal, He intercedes for humanity, demonstrating His boundless mercy. This prayer reflects the heart of His mission—to bring reconciliation between God and mankind. Application : Forgiveness is not easy, especially when we are wronged. Yet, Jesus calls us to forgive, even when it feels undeserved. Are we wil...

                                                      Matthew 13:19 "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side". In the days of old, there was no Bible, no word of God written somewhere. So when God needed to communicate he did so through prophets. They had a calling, were receptive to God's communication through dreams and signs, were blessed with wisdom and knew human nature of those times. Today, we find all these qualities in Gods word, and hence, just as it was critical to listen to what the prophets said then, it is critical for us to read and understand Gods word now - to gain His wisdom, knowledge and His instruction for our lives. To do this we need to go beyond just reading the word. We nee...

A life-changing reality is a profound shift in one's understanding of themselves, the world, or both, leading to a significant alteration in their values, beliefs, and ultimately, their life path. It's not merely a new piece of information, but an experience, insight, or realization that fundamentally alters one's perspective. It is the tipping point, after which one experience triggers change in thought, action and priorities. John 9:25 states: “He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” This verse reflects the testimony of a man who was healed by Jesus, emphasizing the transformative power of faith and healing. The context of this verse highlights the man's acknowledgment of his previous blindness and newfound sight, symbolizing spiritual awakening and understanding. The blind man in this story went through such a change when he experienced a life changing reality: Jesus. And he could not de...

  Every time we deny ourselves in order to serve someone else, we grow in Christ." ~ David Jeremiah "Faith is not limited to affirming the existence of God. No, faith tells us that God loves us and demands a loving response. This response is given through love for human beings, and that is what we mean by a commitment to God and to our neighbor." ~ Gustavo Gutiérrez "Even the best of Christians are troubled by the question, "Why does an almighty God send, or at least allow, suffering?" When you are nagged by thoughts like this, say to yourself, "I am still in elementary school. When I graduate from the university of Christian life, I will understand His ways better and doubts will cease." ~ Richard Wurmbrand "It is my desire, in the office of a Christian minister, to do nothing which I cannot do with my whole heart. Having said this, I have said all." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson "As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement fo...

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...

  Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  This verse beautifully illustrates the daily renewal of God's grace and mercy, offering a fresh start each day to each of us.  Isaiah too gave similar counsel in chapter 43:18-19 (ESV): "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."   This encourages us to look forward to the new things God is doing and a daily spiritual renewal and revival for each one.  So, every day let us be happy for another day to live.  Today is a New Day so thank you for a chance for a new start. Yesterday's gone and with it are our failures, mistakes and regrets. Lets ask God to help us to start again. It's a good day to give thanks for this life. A new oppo...

"God has a time for everything, a perfect schedule. He is never too soon, never too late. The when of His will is as important as the what and the how." ~ Richard Halverson "A grateful heart is like a sponge that soaks up God's goodness." ~ Joel Osteen "God sees in you a masterpiece about to happen" ~ Max Lucado "God loves purity so well He had rather see a hole than a spot in His child's garments." ~ William Gurnall "Harboring unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping your enemy will die." ~ Joyce Meyer "The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays." ~ Soren Kierkegaard "I don't want to play with marbles, when God told me to move mountains!" ~ Reinhard Bonnke "Religion says earn your life. Secular society says create your life. Jesus says, 'My life for your life." ~ Timothy Keller "In reading our newspapers today, we can se...

Despite the actions of Adam and Eve, and Eve's role in those events, God recognized the immense value and strategic importance of a woman as a wife. If Eve possessed the ability to influence Adam toward rebellion, she also had the potential to guide him toward faithfulness and obedience to God. In this light, the modern-day woman embodies a vital role—serving as God’s influencer within the family. A wife has the capacity to inspire spiritual growth and foster faithfulness and godliness in her husband and children. Her influence, however, extends far beyond the boundaries of her immediate family, reaching into society, the church, the workplace, and the broader community. Thus, today's Eve holds a very important position : that of being Gods influencer in the family. The Bible features numerous women who wielded significant influence, demonstrating strength, faith, and leadership. Here are a few notable examples: Miriam: She was a prophetess and played a crucial role in the earl...

There is this story of a man who was asked what he gained by praying so much to God. The man replied nothing. But I lost a lot. How so, he was asked, what did you lose? "I lost anger, greed, ego, insecurity and fear of death to start with". On reading this, maybe fictitious, story, one thinks - what did I gain or lose by praying and spending time with God? For starters we may gain a relationship with the Father. By having that we can be assured that all things, no matter how dismal they may look today, work together for our good. So that builds up faith. We also realize we are under His protection. That builds up a sense of security. We also realize that He is very real, because we see Him at work in our life. Therefore, He exists in a realm which is our destination and therefore death is not final. And till then, we are at peace with ourselves and our fellow men, which adds to happiness Finally, our deep peace comes from not being at loggerheads with God over who's will ...

Matthew 17: Verses 1-9 About eight days after Jesus had made certain statements (likely referring to his impending suffering and death), he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.  As Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. The three of them were looking at God! One wonders how and when and if we too will see God or encounter God in our earthly life. Ms. Francis Taylor answers this question in a simple and beautiful way, and we reproduce it here: "When I asked myself that question (if I will see God), I came up with so many answers they were too long to list! However, I will name a few: looking into the faces of my newborn children and grandchildren, watching the waves break on a stormy day, standing in Denali, looking up at Mt. McKinley, a crocus peeking out of the snow, seeing the sunrise and/or sunset over the ocean, seeing the look of love in the eyes of a spouse or a ch...

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...

Psalm 22:1 " For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" David starts Psalm 22 with this cry from the depths of his despair and our Lord cried it out as He hung on the tree. Like David and Jesus, haven't we all felt forsaken at some point in our lives? Maybe today? When it seems everything is going against us? When it seems even the God we believe in has turned away? There is nothing wrong if one feels like that. Our Christ felt it as well. But what does one do in such a situation? 1. Question God. God is our father, he listens to us, hears us and answers us. If we have some doubt, we should question Him and I believe He will answer. 2. Sit still and listen for His answer. "Be still and know that I am God" is Gods instruction to Israel to stop their frantic war activity and let God do His work. The same ho...