What's in a name : Pastor Rajiv's Reflections

"You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

What is your name? 

Shakespeare debunked the name theory when he said what's in a name? to quote "What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet" ;

Biblically, names of people were important. So important that God chose them at times. So now, the question is do you determine your name or does your name determine you?

Biblically, God changed names of people to determine who they would be. Consider Abram becoming Abraham, Jacob becoming Israel, Simon becomes Peter the rock.

Names are deeply important to human beings, a crucial way of understanding not just the world around us, but each other. 

A surname roots us in history and family tradition. For example, the name 'Adam' is so common in Western society now that one might not think to enquire about its meaning. However, the Hebrew word Adam doesn't simply mean 'generic first human' but is rather likely derived from the Hebrew word Adamah meaning 'ground'. Adam was formed "from the dust of the ground" and so, his name (and the general Hebrew name for 'man') is rooted in how mankind began.

Jesus Himself is given many names. He is the Christ, which is not his surname, but rather the royal title for the Jewish Messiah – New Testament scholar N.T. Wright translates 'Jesus Christ' as 'King Jesus'. His first name is a common Jewish name 'Yeshua', which is derived from the word meaning 'to rescue/deliver'. 

Matthew states : "You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) Matthew also describes Jesus as 'Immanuel', which means 'God with us', because, familiar though it may be to us, Matthew was highlighting the radical truth that Jesus the Messiah was indeed God himself dwelling with mankind.

Biblically naming was serious business and today we must take our own name - Christians, seriously as well. God has chosen us and given us His own, Kingly name, as we are called "Christians" after Christ,  which means that we are to show the qualities of Christ in our lives. Just as our legal or human names showcase our pedigree, family history or lineage, being a Christian has to reflect Christ's teachings and His love for us, as we live and interact with each other in this world. 

Now you decide who you are! 

Note: References are drawn from Joseph Hartropp

The Inside Job: Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

-Ephesians 5:15-17

Social media has "glitched" our lives. The days of dinner without cell phones or family meetings where people talked and not stared into thier watches and phones are Kong over. There is an incessant demand on our time - from the time we get up to the time we sleep.

In all this it is difficult to spend time with God. Please note I am not saying it is difficult to find time for God. Spending time with God is a little beyond that. It goes beyond daily devotions and adds meditation and prayer. It also involves thinking about our life with God, our failings and our successes. And most importantly it involves speaking to God. Speaking to Him in praise, thanksgiving, sharing problems, asking for solutions... in utmost concentration within  the silence of our bodies and minds. Than and then alone can we hear Him when He speaks through His word or through His Holy spirit.

In this socially networked world, where someone is awake somewhere, our phones never cease to be alive. So how do we spend time with God.

First, know that time is not owned by us. It is owned by God and lent to us. If we use up all the time we have been given in frivolous activities, we have failed miserably in that famous parable of the Talents. Fortunately there is a way we can overcome and that is through one single word: Discipline!

Discipline means to train or develop by instruction and exercise especially in self-control. It's a code of behavior, that has to be followed no matter how inconvenient. And that's how you make time to spend with God. Unburden yourself, rise up early and seek Him. He is always there, represented by His Holy Spirit. Or one could do it at any time of the day by shutting out the world around us and opening the door to Gods word and world. 

It's all within us. Inside of us. And if we are determined, it has to be an inside job. 

Looking up to Power: Lying down in obedience: Pastor Rajiv's mid week message

 How to pray

Isn't Age a number? Reflections by Pastor Rajiv

"Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come".

Do you remember this Psalm? This for all old people of my age... 

Age is just a number as they say. As we grow old and older, our years, spent in experiencing God, are like the chapters of a book for younger people to get motivated and inspired. It is very important to remember Gods work in our lives not just to thank Him and be grateful, but for others to see Him at work in our lives, believers and non believers alike.

Every Storm that comes, every great wave that nearly drowns us, every mountain we have climbed, every weakness we have experienced is a story of Gods strength.

Shall we then say we have lived by a daily abundance of Gods grace?

If we have to be able to say that, we must search and find Gods hand in each day, in each challenge we have faced and in each outcome of those challenges. In each happy time whose memory brings a smile to our face, as also in each sad or hard time when we lay awake and pray for it to pass, no matter the tears. 

And as we search and find, we have to construct that moment in time when we lived and experienced Gods hand in our life, not only for us to remember and be grateful, but for others to see God's work. 

Yes, our life will be in vain if we have not thus reflected. Kind David and others wrote the Psalms as their personal experience of God after a lifetime that  included being a fugitive, living in caves, being exposed to the elements, and fighting hard-fought battles, King David knew every moment when God was at work with him. And he passed on that experience and wisdom for us to follow.

The natural instinct of man is to crib and cry as we age and feel our strength ebbing away, but it is actually a golden time to recall, reflect and reveal God and His work in our life.

How does an old and decrepit man like me show power? Simply by living God's Powers in our life, and showing younger folks how Gods works, not in theory but in practice.

 

God Bless all elders (and me) so that they can show the way forward using their life as an example. 

Your Bill is paid in full! Message by Pastor John Muhammad

Fantastic Message from Pastor John, originally from the Fiji Islands and now a guest speaker / Pastor at the Hilton Street Church in Melbourne. 

If you were a Preacher....

If you were a preacher, you would probably be putting in hours to get one message out which may have a reading or listening  time of 2 mins or a preaching time of 20-40 minutes. 

Yet, when preached, he finds blank faces in the pews, no rejoicing and in fact even when he wishes them a good morning or evening, he gets a very low key, low volume, subtle response. When he publishes,  there maybe a couple of views, no shares and zero feedback or comments.

How do you think that makes him feel? 

The  cause or evangelism as the world likes to call it, will never grow to help people when we have this attitude.  The point here is we do not want social media attention, nor we looking for adulation. 

Or are we? Do our preachers look to solve problems in anyone's life, or do we just preach  on some new theory in life (which we love to do)? . 

Perhaps we forgotten, one mistake in interpreting Gods word leads to death? 

We at "This  week with Jesus"  are for the well being of people, using Christian precepts and Christs teachings. 

Yet,  we do want you to reach out to people, to societies to families who may need some message which may possibly come through you, or me or us, depending on God's grace, because He can talk through anyone or anything. 

God Bless each one. 

It takes 10 hands to score a Basket!

During the 27 years of coaching his 10 times national champions UCLA teams, Coach Coach John Wooden reminded them " it takes 10 hands to score a basket". The basic idea was that team work wins. We, humans, were not meant to be "loners" now or in the beginning, when God said, "It is not good for the man (or the woman) to be alone..."

Yet, loneliness is a major problem today. Be it among the youth, middle aged or old aged people. Loneliness can be a killer. According to a global survey, about 33 percent of adults experienced feelings of loneliness worldwide. Brazil had the highest percentage of people experiencing this, with 50 percent of respondents declaring that they felt lonely either often, always, or sometimes.

Solomon in his wisdom observed in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

Throughout the ages the Bibles has advised a policy of "we" and not "me".  According to Vision Christian Media, to win in life we need to commit to :

A. Resisting the go-it-alone spirit that often characterizes our culture.
B. Cultivate meaningful relationships and learn to treasure friends
C. Reaching out to the lonely and fallen
D. Going out of our way to demonstrate real friendship.

In light of this, you and I can do a lot to address this "killer" phenomenon by simply picking up the phone and talking to someone we haven't for a long time. Or visiting the elder singles/couples, or reaching out to someone we know is down and out for whatever reason. Each1-Reach1. 

Reach today and make someone's day!