The Sacrament: Pastor Rajiv's Message

 

The Hotline: The Professionals Bible

Suppose you had a problem which was so, so, huge only the President or Prime Minster or king or the head of your country could resolve it. So you approach his office and send a mail and weeks later you get a reply that you have been granted an audience and he will meet you for 15 mins six months later. 

Now you wait eagerly for that date, preparing your application, file, arguments and case details. You hope you will get a favorable decision. This is a real-world scenario!

Now think about the heavenly world. I face a problem today, and right now I get to escalate it to the Heavenly king through a personal hotline and even if His answer may take time, He provides interim relief. How great is that!

And He does it day by day, minute by minute, looking after the lives of 8 billion people! 24X7!

I may not meet God in wind, earthquake or fire, but for sure He is with me today and everyday in the simple ordinary events of life. And when I call on Him I know He will always be there to pick up the hotline or open the door, because I need not wait for an appointment to speak to Him; I simply start talking and communicating. 

Remember Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Like Paul our belief stands firm in this verse from 2 Thessalonians 3:3 -

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

You Cannot Manage Time

 

While Time Management is a very popular concept, we believe that we can't really manage "time". Time manages us and we can at best manage our response to time. Our responses further generate reactions which then become a "result". But one needs wisdom to respond to time, a wisdom available in Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 New King James Version (NKJV) where it says - 

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

What is clear is that the process of change is continuous and we cannot stop it. So it is best to have a wise response based on the truth that the various circumstances we go through in life are not by incident but orchestrated or allowed by God with great purpose and intentionality to serve His purpose for us. 

Wisdom is to find the opportunity to serve His purpose, in every circumstance, positive or negative. 

Shameless Audacity: The Professionals Bible

*Image: Addicted to success

One key element of success in all aspects of life is persistence and or perseverance.

Perseverance separates the winners from the losers. Those who persevere understand that luck is something you dent depend on. 

Success in life depends on your willingness to never give up, even when the reward is delayed. Persistence is a force multiplier.

Let's look at what the Word Says about persistence in Luke 11 Ver 5-10

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Mostly everyone is familiar with the quoted verses where Jesus talks about asking and receiving. But we might be missing a very critical element of success - persistence. 

Persistence in efforts. Persistence in prayer. even when the answer is delayed. The gospel states that nothing can be impossible if someone is persistent enough to achieve it. The message is as simple as keep trying, persisting, and praying until you get the desirable result you ask for. We should keep on praying to God, because He never gets tired of hearing our thanksgiving and requests.

But persistence and perseverance is only possible when one has faith in two things-

A. That my desire is for achieving something is for my good and does not contradict any biblical instruction.

2. That God will consider my request in line with His will.

Such should be our faith in ourselves and God that we actually ask and pray with shameless audacity!

A Good Lie: The Professionals Bible

1 Timothy 4: v 2-4 

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

A good lie is usually hidden within the truth. As a citizen of Gods world, it is important to be able to uncover a false narrative. Had Adam and Eve been able to cut through the smooth lies of Satan, man would not be where we are.
We think that if part of what we are told is true, then the rest of it must be as well. Media is a perfect example of how this works whether the lie is hidden in a picture, music or written message. The best example is Satan in the garden of Eden, when he gave a explanation of why God did not want Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit. It was plausible, it was based on an aspect of the truth, so they fell for it. They did not stop to think of the qualities of God: That He did not want them to eat it because He did not want them to experience evil. Because he knew that it would destroy their innocence and purity, introduce shame and guilt, and bring death into their lives. But because A and E did not think it through, nor had a Bible to guide them, they were taken in.
You will know that the serpent did not force Eve to take the fruit. He simply twisted the truth, beautified sin, and left out the horror, pain, shame, and death that would come with their disobedience. He told a good lie. And that is what we face every day at work, at home and even in our spiritual life as we can encounter false prophets as well.
Robert Hampshire in Christianity.com says this- The tree represented the choice between submitting to God’s law or pursuing “moral autonomy.” That is why the serpent said, “You shall be as gods...”
Ironically, God had already made Adam and Eve as close to “gods” as any humans have ever been. He created them “in his image,” positioned them together in complete harmony, breathed into them his own breath, empowered them with dominion over all of creation.
A lie will always have an objective, which one needs to understand. David lied, as is did Rahab and many more. Though their objectives were honorable, they were still lies. Yet the objective of Satan was not honorable as it was the downfall of man.
This is exactly what we need to be able to ascertain, when the deceiver tells us stories, usually to cover up some sin of omission or commission we may have committed or are tempted to commit. When we are tempted and succumb, our minds are fed with rationalization and justifications. These are stories which act as covers, tightly surrounding the lies so that we lose sight of the wrong we have done or plan to do. This is as true in our personal and professional work and relationships as it is true in our spiritual life.
So how does one uncover a good lie? Use the Bible as a yardstick for finding the truth. Build a relationship with God and His representative, the Holy Spirit. Walk and Talk with God as did Adam. Go to His word. Adam did not have that advantage. But we do.

Diligent Planning: The Professionals Bible

 

One of the four pillars of management is planning. It is also a natural outcome of living - we make plans for every minute of our day. For our careers, our families for every aspect of our life, we have a plan. We, each also have a certain vision for our life as well, which we plan to achieve.

Some plans fructify into the desired result, some don't and some actually have the opposite effect. Then we quickly alter our plan to cater to the new realities we face.

What we don't realize is that God, our creator, also has a plan for us and one which does not change (that's the scary part). Therefore, the degree of success of our plan lies in its proximity to Gods plan because we all have a God given purpose and which needs to be fulfilled. End of the day, God is NOT a rubber stamp! 

Incidentally, the word “plan” appears 205 times throughout the books of the Bible. It begins with and concludes with Revelation; such is the importance accorded to that word. 

Proverbs 21:5 says - 

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

So what is this diligence it talks about? 

When we make our plans, we ought to avail ourselves of His wisdom and seek His purpose. It may be a good idea to seek His guidance and help through prayer. For sure He will let us know whether our intended plan is in sync with His will for our life.

The big question is this: How do I know God's will? Well for starters, we need to build a relationship with Him. Christianity is all about relationship rather than just religion.

Secondly we must learn to be observant. We are not animals who go through life either wild or being led. We are humans, with a free will and a mind of our own. The power of observation is one of God's gifts to us and we must use it. God often clearly demonstrates His plan for our lives by lining up circumstances in obvious ways. And He also shows us what His will is NOT for us to do in that same way.

Lastly, God's plans maybe and probably will be tough, but they are never evil. If we believe in Him, and have faith, we must remember that. Its easy to trust when the going is good, the real rest comes when things get tough. Yet, for us to be successful, we must trust! 

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Prosperity to Adversity : The Professionals Bible

The evening and the morning were the first day. — Genesis 1:5

"Was it so even in the beginning? Did light and darkness divide the realm of time in the first day? Then little wonder is it if I have also changes in my circumstances from the sunshine of prosperity to the midnight of adversity. 

It will not always be the blaze of noon even in my soul concerns, I must expect at seasons to mourn the absence of my former joys. Nor am I alone in this, for the sun shines on all and the night darkens all. 

We all have had to sing the mingled song of judgment and of mercy, of trial and deliverance, of mourning and of delight. It is one of the arrangements of Divine providence that day and night shall not cease either in the spiritual or natural creation". (KJV Bible Study)

The fact is we cannot control the good times or the bad, nor their time that we must face. But also true is the fact that what we can manage is how we respond to those times. Good times are an opportunity to show humility, sharing, love and comfort. bad times are also an opportunity - to show grit, determination, faith and hope. 

Bad times do not mean we need to adopt a fatalistic attitude, lay down and believe that God so willed it. Yes, God willed it, but He willed it for a purpose. Find the purpose and we will find the peace. On the other hand, good times do not mean we behave as if we are God's preferred or chosen ones. Again, we need to find the purpose so that we can fulfill it. The tree loses all during the winter but blooms again during spring. 

Remember this: God uses Good and Bad times for His glory. But that is God. Who can understand His ways?

For our part, how we respond to good and bad times, show our character as well as our faith. Good times are an opportunity also to build up our confidence in God so that we are not shaken when we encounter the bad but are in faith that God will help us through. 

Psalm 16:8 says "I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken". 

And that is the secret to contentment, whether it is night or day. 

Is Salvation an Event: Pastor Rajiv's Mid Week Message

 

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

1 Peter 3:15

After an unintended gap of a few months, we once again have Pastor Rajiv with his mid-week message. 

The Little Foxes

"Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes". Song of Solomon 2:15 

Did you know foxes love grapes (among other fruits). In fact, the term "sour grapes" comes from the story of the fox who tried to eat the grapes on a branch but couldn't reach them so after several failed attempts he gave up muttering - "they would have been sour anyway".

Little foxes are smaller animals that cannot reach the hanging grapes, so they gnaw the vines off at the ground, causing the out of reach fruit to fall with the ruined vine. It is one thing to lose some of one seasons grape, but it is far worse to lose forever a vine that took 12 to 14 years to mature.

Like little foxes, there may be little faults and sins in us that seem little but can destroy the fruit we produce. These could be "little" lies, "little" selfishness, "little" greed, "little" envy, gluttony of food, gluttony of things ... it's a long list to choose from, all get justified to us by being seemingly little. But which build and grow till they destroy.

We are the branches and if the Vine which connects us to our life source is destroyed, we too are destroyed.

It's not only the big ones we need to be sacred of but the small ones as well. What are the little foxes in our life? Can we identify the little foxes which are slowly but surely destroying the Vine of our life?

False Evidence Appearing Real: The Professionals Bible

"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD". Psalm 112 ver 7

We are no strangers to bad news. Not one of us. And we are no strangers to fear as well. Fear is the one thing that can undermine our belief and faith in our God. It is well written that fear is the sharpest tool of Satan and which he uses well. When we fear, it is because we see no hope for the future. We depend on man and human power to bail us out. 

If we treat the word FEAR as an acronym, the full form will be "False Evidence Appearing Real". Fear is mostly based on an untruth. The best of sales people use a technique called FUD - Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, wherein they sow the seeds of fear and doubt to "help" you make up your mind about buying their product. 

But as a follower of Christ and God, and with the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, we do not need fear. We need to Trust in God and wait patiently for Him. Our wisest course is to do as Moses did at the Red Sea, “Stand still and see the salvation of God.” For if we give way to fear when we hear of bad news, we will be unable to meet  trouble with that calm composure which nerves us for duty, and sustains us under adversity. How can we glorify God if we play the coward?

This courage is not impossible and needs to be built up through experiences. When we are in fear, we need to look back on our life and remember all those times that God has pulled out of the deepest mire and set us up on a rock. We need to demonstrate to God that we believe in Him, have faith in Him and that we do not have short memories. We need to depend on Him and not our friends and relatives. 

We need to remember our covenant with God, “let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”