Biblical Management: An Introduction

We are happy to announce that starting tomorrow, we will be introducing work life concepts, principles and practices from the Bible, for individuals - whether students, professionals, home carers et all. 

A common notion that exists is that our professional and spiritual lives are separate. This is not true. many do not know that Biblical teachings can be practiced in our work lives as effectively, helping us to grow in both.

So do watch this space from tomorrow where we will draw on teachings from the world bestselling Book - The Bible, reflecting on our work life, whether at home or in the office. 

Stretch towards the Light

 

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path..."

Epipremnum aureum – a tropical vining plant, in the Araceae, found in Northern Australia through Southeast Asia into China, Japan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan , also known as money plants are very popular indoor plants in these countries. Like all plants, they need water and sunlight.

Recently, one made a strange discovery: a money plant in the room, next to the windows, turned and strained its stems and leaves towards the window! We turned its direction and in a few days it turned back towards the light.

At least to us, this was a strange phenomenon. What was obvious was that the plant would strain to get life, from the sun and get energy through the process of photosynthesis, which is the process by which plants get life and spread oxygen for our benefit. 

What gives us life? Food and water, yes, but like what the sunlight was to the plant, Gods word is for us. It converts negativity into positivity, fear to hope, love to hate. Light is used to symbolize God, faith, and holiness throughout Scripture. As Christians, we are called to not only walk in the light but to be the light for others. Use these Bible verses to gain a better understanding and interpretation of the positive notion light has in the Bible.

Like the plant, we need the word of God to live and grow. And not only that, like the plants spread oxygen which is our mainstay, we will spread the outcome of His word to the world around us, through the way we live, work and treat people around us.

In Matthew 5:16, the verse states the following: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

But we need to make the effort and stretch towards the word. Stretch Towards the light.

The Bottom of the Pyramid

For many economists and marketers the concept called Bottom of the Pyramid is like the ultimate market. Essentially it demonstrates that the least economically enabled people are the vast majority located at the bottom of the pyramid. As you go up the pyramid towards the apex, economic power starts increasing with the most powerful at the top of the pyramid.

It is interesting that the Son of God, sitting at His right hand, chose to be born into a family at the bottom of the pyramid of those days. How do we know this? When Mary had to make the offering for the atonement after the birth of Jesus, according to Leviticus 12:6–8, she could choose between a lamb, pigeons and turtle doves, which were the cheapest and affordable by the poor. Mary chose pigeons, as described in Luke 2:22–24 where Luke explicitly says that Joseph and Mary take the option provided for poor people (those who could not afford a lamb; Leviticus 12:8), sacrificing "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Leviticus 12:1–4.

Cornelius a Lapide comments on Mary and Joseph sacrificing a pair of turtledoves: "...because they were poor; for the rich were obliged to give in addition to this a lamb for a holocaust. Although the three kings had offered to Christ a great quantity of gold, still the Blessed Virgin, zealously affected towards poverty, accepted but little of it, that she might show her contempt of all earthly things. The couple offered two turtledoves or two pigeons (Luke 2:24) presumably because they could not afford a lamb.

The question which comes to mind is: why was the Son of God, placed into a poor family? Throughout His ministry Jesus referred often to the poor.

There are some very logical reasons for this self accepted poverty. 

A. Acceptance in and with the masses at the bottom of the pyramid
B. The poor totally depend on God.
C. He connected to them in a way that He otherwise could not have

And finally His mission statement in Luke 4:18. When Jesus stands before the synagogue and announces he will bring good news to the poor, he is effectively saying that he will give them the opportunity to make choices with their lives, to overcome economic depression, oppression and fear they lived in. He is also talking about the poor in spirit -  people who are beaten by life. 

Today Jesus asks us to help Him in His mission: reach out to a brother who needs help. Feed the hungry. Support the broken hearted. Bring cheer to the hopeless. Let the world see His light in a follower of Jesus.

His mission is ours as well. They will know we are Christians by our love. We don't have to preach Jesus' gospel. We have to live it first.

The Secret Disciple

* Picture credits: The Chosen

Read John Chapter 3 

John 3 is a very familiar chapter to most Christians which talks about a very senior Pharisee named Nicodemus. While John 3 has many teachings for us, one question that does come up is who was Nicodemus? Was he a follower, believer, enemy or what? Being a very senior Pharisee, one does wonder about his interest in Jesus.

Nicodemus did believe in Jesus but his beliefs were safely hidden away in the night. It was only after Jesus death that he came into a public demonstration of his faith and belief.

Sometimes one wonders, are we like Nicodemus? Do we practice our faith in safe privacy in the dead of the night? Do we get too carried away with our professional duties, professional friends and other worldly demands and Jesus takes a back seat while our other priorities take the driver's seat?

Sadly I think it does happen that Jesus becomes a guest in our life, relegated to the night, when no other priorities take importance.

We learn a big lesson from Nicodemus. Like us, he did not deny Jesus. Like us, he believed in Him. Yet he did not acknowledge Him in the light of day. But, one day he did, when he could not hide his faith and belief any longer. 

And that is how Jesus calls us. He does not force us to convert our thought process but He gently changes us. He knows an instant conversion may not be a lasting one, it's a slow, laborious thought and life change. The only true qualification Nicodemus had was that he was truly seeking God. And that is the qualification we too need. To earnestly seek Jesus. Everything else follows.  

By the time of Jesus's crucifixion, Nicodemus had grown bold enough to publicly reveal what he now believed. His older habits and adherence to the Passover laws took a backset when he tended to Jesus dead body, thereby becoming unclean and unable to participate in the Passover meal, according to the Mosaic law. (Numbers 19:11).

At one point in time Nicodemus realized that his professional position in the Sanhedrin and his position in society did not matter at all. What mattered was Jesus. 

When religion is out of fashion (which it normally is) there are many "Nicodemites" and "Josephs". But though they came by night, Jesus bids them welcome, and  encouraging good beginnings, although weak. Like Nicodemus, may we all go through that change and seek to  become true believers.

What if there was no Easter - II: Concluding Message from Pastor Rajiv

(Contd.)

Why did Paul address this question with such urgency and you can hear that urgency in his words.

It was because some false teachers in Corinth were preaching that there was no resurrection of the dead. They were of the view that once you die that was the end. The reason for this line of thinking is that some people treat god’s word arbitrarily. They take parts that they like and reject others that they don’t. And mind you some preachers do that even today.

But if God’s word is the authority then all of it must believed even if there are some parts which may be difficult to understand. 

Paul’s message to the Corinthians and to us is that to deny our own resurrection is to deny Christ’s rising from the dead.  And denying the resurrection of Christ destroys the very essence of the Christian faith which is eternal life through the risen and ever-living Jesus Christ.

In verses 14 to 18 Paul makes 4 very crucial points.

A. Denial of the resurrection destroys the essence of the Christian message and the validity of the reality of faith.

B. It also brings into question the truthfulness of Paul and the other apostles preaching the resurrected Christ.

C. Denial of the resurrection also questions the forgiveness of sins and the assurance of eternal life.


Dr. David Jeremiah in the Jeremiah study bible puts it this way.

Paul says the resurrection is not merely a doctrine for the future it affects how Christians live in the present. If the message of Christ is for this life only à then life has no purpose.

You know come to think of it ‘what if there was no Easter is not really a hypothetical question. 
It is a very critically relevant question and this passage is a very elaborate answer to that question. If there was no Easter we would be living carrying the burden of our sins on ourselves.

If there was no Easter we would be living without any hope for the future.

If there was no Easter the word of God would be irrelevant.

Because, there is an Easter we worship the risen living Christ our sins are forgiven as he paid the price with his death.

Because there is an Easter we have the hope of eternal life because Christ lives we will live with him eternally.

And we celebrate and worship our risen lord not just on resurrection Sunday but on every Sunday.

What if there was no Easter: Pastor Rajiv's Mid Week Message

Bible Reading 1 Corinthians 15 verses 12 to 22

If you like to listen to politicians and world leader interviews the journalist interviewing the leader will sometimes ask the leader a question around what he or she would do if faced with a certain situation.

The political leader in most cases dismisses the question with this response ‘that is a hypothetical question and I do not want to answer it’.

That is because the politician does not want to be led into making a public statement that could hold him or her accountable in the future.

But today we are going to consider and seek answers to a hypothetical question a question that is extremely critical to our Christian faith.

Last Sunday we celebrated Easter which is also resurrection Sunday. We celebrate the rising of our Lord from the dead never ever to die again.

The question is:  what if there was no Easter? What if there were no resurrection? 

Most people would refuse to consider that possibility and like the politician, put it down as a hypothetical question.

But even though it may be a hypothetical question it is a question that must be considered and the answers contemplated, because if there were no Easter, we, you and I, will be irrelevant!

This question is critical and was important enough for Paul to have addressed it in our bible passage today.

what if there was no Easter? Where would we be today? What hope would we have had for our own future? If there was no Easter would not the entire word of God be irrelevant? Would not our own faith be in vain?

All these questions may very well be hypothetical, but they are extremely critical for our faith and, most of all, our hope.

So let us look carefully at how Paul dealt with this question in these eleven verses, over the next two days.

God Bless you. 

The Hypocritical Tree

The word hypocrite comes from a Greek word that means “play actor.” A hypocrite is someone pretending to be something that he or she is not in order to receive recognition or gain.

Matthew 21 18 and 19

18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

This passage is a shocker! To anyone who reads the Bible, Jesus, son of God comes across as a meek, non-aggressive, unselfish person who would not be harsh to anyone, especially if they showed harshness to them. After all he said blessed are the meek. That same person who, when beaten, humiliated and crucified did not react and in fact prayed for the forgiveness of His torturers and murderers. Now how is it that such a person curses a tree, simply because He was hungry and the tree had not produced fruit, though it had a foliage of leaves and seemed perfectly healthy? And curses it to the death?

Well for one thing we see a human side where He was hungry, got misled by the trees health into thinking He would be able to eat some fruit, and got angry or maybe frustrated when He could not. On the spiritual side we see an inverted miracle.

We see precisely, the stakes not only of failing to produce fruit, but of giving a fruitful impression and failing to back it up, popularly called "hypocritical". 

Thus, it is with us: as followers if we do not produce the expected fruit, but only a show of it, we will bear the outcome of such a hypocrisy just as the scribes did.

Jesus condemns hypocrites (as He did the tree). Read Matthew chapter 33 to understand the damning result of being a hypocrite. All in all, it's a very serious offence: 

Hypocrisy deceives the hypocrite, damages unbelievers, and dishonors God. The Biblical yardstick is to judge others, not the hypocrite himself. While we are all guilty of this at times, one must recognize it's seriousness as a fault and consciously overcome it as a weakness to be overcome. 

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Luke 12:1

The Red Sea Experience

One often wonders why God took the Israelites to the "land of milk and honey" or the Promised Land, through such a circuitous route for 40 years when a shorter route was available?

In our modern minds it is difficult to grasp this as it is difficult for us to accept the wait for deliverance when we are struck by our own problems, or our own red sea. But God had His reasons then as He does now.

An analyses of the red sea experience throws the light on this and we quote from the Messianic Bible.com for a wonderful and thought provoking article, helping each one of us to go through our own waiting period and our own Red Sea. 

We urge our readers to do read this HERE

OR

click to read below. 

https://free.messianicbible.com/holiday/crossing-red-sea-god-brings-us-long-way/

Holidaying from Easter

Easter Monday may not be the first thing you think of when you remember the Easter calendar, but it highlights an important part of the Easter story: what happened after Jesus got out of the tomb?

(Today we will refer to Jenna Brooke Carlsons article in Christianity.com)

While Easter Monday is really not a mandated celebration, it's importance and practice started somewhere in the 15th century. Christ had risen, Easter was celebrated, and now what? If easter was the resurrection of Christ and a new life for us, then Easter Monday is the first day of our new life. Easter eggs signify that new life. 

Christ was active pretty active during the 40 days but more than that, Easter Monday is a continuum of Easter itself. What happened on Easter does not remain in Easter but to be continued in our lives.

Easter Monday has different names, including Bright Monday, Renewal Monday, Wet Monday, and Dyngus Day, but why Easter Monday at all? Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He took our place as the perfect, blameless sacrifice. Anyone who believes in him can receive this gift of salvation and be with him forever. This is a continuing sacrifice, and does not stop on Easter. Monday underscores the conviction that Christ is alive today and every day.

"On Easter Monday and each day that follows, Christians can celebrate the new life in Jesus. Jesus ascended into heaven, where he still sits. He sent the Holy Spirit, who still comes. After the miraculous events of Easter Sunday, Easter Monday reminds us that joy continues in our everyday life. The celebration isn’t over after Easter. Jesus’s invitation to follow him is available to anyone who believes, today and everyday." 

The point is, we all may have had some best practices during Easter and what we need to ensure is that there is no backsliding. One is not talking about fasting from food, but fasting from negative habits, talking to God everyday, inviting His participation in our daily lives, respecting and loving others, service to mankind and so on. All that we read, studied and experienced during lent and Easter, needs to be practiced after Easter as well. 

Therefore, Easter Monday is that comma, with which we continue Christ's resurrection in our lives. Every day. Remember, Easter Monday is not a holiday from Easter. 

The Silent Saturday

Easter weekend acrivities mostly dont include Saturdays. Friday and Sunday get the press. The crucifixion and resurrection command our thoughts. But don’t ignore Saturday. You have them, too.

Much happened on Friday. Man rejected God. A d God He made himself heard on Friday. He tore the curtains of the temple, opened the graves of the dead, rocked the earth, blocked the sun of the sky, and sacrificed the Son of Heaven. Earth heard much of God on Friday.

But what about the silent Saturday "the day between the struggle and the solution? God knows Jesus is in the tomb, why doesn’t He do something?

Think about this: if God had resurrected Jesus in 15 minutes after His death, would you have believed in resurrection? Or would you doubt He ever died? Saturday underscores the full conviction of death and underscores the resurrection.

Or, in your case God knows your career is in the tank, your finances are in the pit, your marriage is in a mess. Why doesn’t He act? What are you supposed to do until He does?

In the words of Max Lucado,
You do what Jesus did. Lie still. Stay silent. Trust God. Jesus died with this conviction: “You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay” (Acts 2:27 NIV).

Jesus knew God would not leave him alone in the grave. You need to know, God will not leave you alone with your struggles. His silence is not his absence, inactivity is never apathy. Saturdays have their purpose