Discipline & Discipleship

Matthew 28:19-20 New International Version 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age

Matthew 28, 19-20, quotes Jesus as instructing us to make disciples. Verse 20 goes onto say how and what they are expected to do. But before that, we, ourselves need to observe and follow verse 20 before we preach to others and expect them to follow Christ. Titus 2:11 tells us how.

Pastor David Jacobs opens up on this in a transparent manner. While we, and as churches, blindly believe and follow verse 19 we seldom understand that verse 20 is a qualifier and a responsibility and forms the discipline of discipleship for ourselves.

Here is what he says -

"This verse tells us how to conduct ourselves in a holy manner. Titus 2:11 says: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." God has given us salvation, and we must honor his salvation by doing what he asks. God's grace is involved in the teaching of us to turn away from godless actions. Living devoutly and avoiding sin are part of Paul and God's plans.

Paul writes this letter to Titus, often emphasizing the importance of living a disciplined life. Think about how important this would be: what kind of person do you think would attract more followers of Christ? Do you think it would be an ungodly one, one that pursues his every bodily desire, drinking and hurting others along the way? Of course not. Leading by example, Christ showed us how to live a disciplined and pious life. Christ has attracted followers based on his example for thousands of years, the vast majority of whom were not alive during his time. Disciples of Christ should see his life as the ultimate example of discipline and attempt to follow suit. This is Paul's aim in his letter to Titus.

Paul writes the letter knowing full well that the conduct of the early church members will go a long way in determining the impact of the church. Think about the churches in your own communities. Churches have fallen on hard times and been devastated by scandals, some never fully being able to recover. By resisting the temptations of the flesh and being delivered from evil, we protect our own immortal souls as well as show others how God hoped that we would live."

In short "We should exhibit self-control. We should live soberly, righteously, and godly. The rest we should leave to God."

Do We Still Need the Commandments?

We’re all familiar with the idea of laws. We know the Ten Commandments, and we understand all of the rules that have been built on top of them. They spell out what how we ought to live, but they really provide no recourse. That recourse came from Jesus, when He took on Himself the penalty of the sins of the entire world, then and in the future.
But now that we have received grace from Jesus, are we done with the law?
The growing feeling among people is that with the belief in, and grace of Jesus, that being in the grace of God means that they don't have to do some of the things.
that God has told us to do. In fact, while we may not admit how we lessen their priority in our day-to-day life, as adults, some may not even remember the 10 commandments!
Rather, we should see how the law has pointed to Jesus all along, revealing His character, and helping us see our need for His grace, by which he empowers us to live for Him, for without the law we would not even know how deeply in trouble we are, such is our affinity to rebel.
We should realize though that the Commandments provide a moral framework that guides believers in living out their faith in practical ways. They are not followed out of fear or obligation but as a response to God’s love, helping to shape a life that
reflects His grace. The fact is that we, each one of us, are so prone to straying even after receiving His Grace that we need a reference to return back to, if we truly
love and believe in Christ and our Father.
To be clear, "the Ten Commandments are not optional for believers in Jesus Christ, nor do they become irrelevant when we get saved. They are the pathway of knowing life to its fullest and living life to its limits" - says Pastor Jack Hayford who served as Chancellor of The King’s University (formerly The King’s College and Seminary) in Southlake, Texas.
He goes onto to say - "The same that was true of Egypt is true of our culture; only the idols have changed. No longer the sun god, Ra, now the idol is sex or the great god of science and many more". This could be as simple a thing as a car, our children or anything we may give more importance to.
"Every one of the ten directives God spoke are for our blessing, not to show His muscle, intimidate people, or badger them with His greatness. They represent God’s heart toward man’s deliverance and destiny and are given to make possible the prospering of our lives".
Lastly, the question is why do we believe in the need for Jesus or His grace? It's only because we know we have fallen way, way short, of the Law and the only recourse is Jesus.
How will we know that if we don't even know the Law and its importance?

The Truth About the Trinity: Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message

 

When the Walls Start Closing In...

Refer Luke 7:22

Anxiety and worry are crippling issues for many people. In this age of technology, it is easier than ever before to compare ourselves to one another, which can lead to a lot of thoughts of inadequacy, insecurity and worthlessness. "The two listeners" in their book called God Calling, describe this feeling as below:

How can you be "joyful when days were rain-packed, nights tortured by chronic insomnia, when poverty and almost insupportable worry were our daily portion, when prayer went unanswered and God's face was veiled, and fresh calamities came upon us...... Disheartened, one of us would gladly have ceased the struggle and passed onto a another and happier life". 

In truth many, if not all, some of us go through such times and feelings.  What do we do about it?

Pastor David Jacobs has this to say and suggest- Consider  Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7 - 

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

"What does Paul say in this verse: don't worry about anything! "Be careful for nothing." NOTHING! If only it were that easy...but can it be?

"I would like you to try something the next time you feel anxious or worried: immediately mention it to God when it happens. Notice the feeling, mention it, and see what happens. I think you will be surprised by the results. I often feel most anxious in the morning: I think about the things that I need to do that day, the things I didn't do yesterday, and the things I will think about tomorrow. Basically, I am a nervous and anxious wreck. I have a habit that has helped me greatly with this issue, however: every morning, I wake up and pray.

Immediately. I don't toss and turn in bed, I don't check my phone, I don't make coffee...I go immediately to pray. The effects have been tremendous in terms of dealing with my anxiety.....

The first reason I like to pray in the morning is because it quiets my mind. Suddenly the day ahead of me becomes more clear. I know what things I want to deal with immediately, what things I can put on the back burner, and what things I might not have to deal with at all. Second, although you might think I would be sleepy as a result, I have found that I actually wake up. My mind is fresh and free to wander a bit, and I have a nice conversation to start the day. Third, and I believe this is the most important, I am given an opportunity to thank God for all that I am grateful for. 

This prayer of thanksgiving starts my day on a positive note, and it trickles down into all the things that I do that day." 

According to His Will: Pastor Rajiv's Mid Week Message

 

He Hears AND He Answers 

Homeless: The Chained Baby

Today is the 12th of March 2024. 

Today, at 12 am, 2020, 4 years ago, the world officially went on to face a pandemic, of proportions unknown by these three generations which are present here today. The pandemic called Covid. 

Worse than the Spanish flu, it went on to claim 7,004,732 lives as of March 2024. That is more than 7 Million! 

To give you an idea of the depth of the tragedy, on November 5, 2020, Neapolitans woke up to discover a provocative white marble sculpture placed at the center of their most important square, Piazza del Plebiscito (Plebiscite Square): a chained baby lying down in a fetal position. Naked, with closed eyes and looking tired, the baby’s name is Homeless. Appropriate for this time of COVID lockdowns, the sculpture is called “Look Down” and invites each passerby to stop and look down at the human condition, chained by the health emergency and by the economic crisis heightened and exasperated by the ongoing pandemic. (Sage Journals)

And yet, here we are. Survivors. It changed the way we lived, isolated, masked, sanitized. It also changed the way we died. 

During this time, we tried all sorts of things to survive, facing shortages of food & supplies, were locked into our rooms / homes, were always masked and always FEARFUL. 

And every day, we gave thanks. And praise. Today, I would like to suggest we pray for those we have lost, and praise and thank God for those we still have.

As the world went into complete lockdown, God, gave us all the grace and strength and faith as promised. And though we lost loved ones or good friends and neighbors; though we lost our businesses or jobs and livelihoods, everyone, everywhere did gain someone: Jesus. 

A survivor family who got caught in lockdowns in foreign lands for all those years says this: 

"We have learnt two things: First, Christ Lives! and second, all resources we are blessed with are meant to be shared". 

Today, once again, after 3 years we are sharing with you this song, which was recorded during Covid lockdowns, across 2 continents of India and Australia, and 5 states and multiple cities, by these young people, bringing a message and assurance of hope and calling on His promise to save and protect.  As we hear this song, can we say simply say - Thank You Jesus. 

                           

(The credit for organizing this amazing rendition goes to Mr. Peter Baker from Bethel Methodist Church (BMC) in a city called NOIDA in India, and all these singers are the youth who at one time were part of the Praise and Worship Group of this church, led by Mr. Baker. Their names are given at the end of the video).  

The Wind and the Sail: Partnering with God

 

A sailing boat is an ideal example of a partnership between man and God. Even the law recognizes and divides actions into two parts - act of man and act of God.

When God works for us to provide various blessings, it is through a combination of actions - act of God combined with an action of man. Unlike the law it does not separate but combines. Much like a sailboat which sails when a sail is hoisted by man to use the wind sent by God.

In our earthly life, we have been destined to work the ground with labor to eat and live. Every action of ours, unless supported by God is useless. A farmer tills the ground, breaks his back to plant but unless the right weather conditions exist, he won't get a crop. Likewise, a factory worker will flourish when demand for that product is high which will happen if economic and natural forces are positive, both of which depend on nature which depends on God.

Yet, we try and solve our own problems, find our own solutions. How much more foolish can we get? Therefore, to overcome we need to partner with God. Listen to  His directions. If He needs us to perform an action, well, that is what we must do. But to do that we need to first "hear" Him.