Jottings

2009-04-28T02:05:00.001-07:00

Just joined Ping.fm and I hope it's going to be a cool experience.

Psalm 2

2008-08-03T06:56:00.001-07:00

The first question we ask ourselves as we read this Psalm is: 'Is there any word of grace in this Psalm?' How terrifying! We see the rebellious nature of man displayed in the uproar of the nations. The world wants to go its own way, as Cain went his own way 'out of the presence of the Lord', Gen 4.16! The nations will not bow down before Christ the King, God's Son, God's Anointed.

God has made a decree: 'I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.' He is the unchanging God. Jesus Christ is King. He has been given the nations as His inheritance. The Meek shall inherit the earth.

And He is going to put down this rebellion with a mighty hand. Break them, shatter them - how strong is the language here! How terrible is God's wrath and judgment!

But this is the gospel of the Messiah. He is not only Saviour, He is Lord. He is not only the God of grace, but also the God of justice and judgment. Therefore 'Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling.' How can we reconcile this statement with what modern evangelists have been saying? How can we reconcile the God of heaven with a God who has created hell?

Because He is the eternal and immutable God. He is the Most High and Holy God. We must bow before the King. May God grant us a vision of the majesty and glory of Jesus Christ our Lord and King! How else can we worship Him? How else can we bow down before Him? We who are so prone to reducing God to our own puny level, to making a travesty of the One seated on the Throne by reducing Him to a babe in a manger, by creating a false sentimental Christ - we need this shock treatment! It is by knowing the terrors of the law that we can understand the value of mercy and grace.

How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! The cross takes on a new meaning after reading this Psalm.

Fruit of the Holy Spirit

2008-08-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

In Revelation 22, we have a reference to the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life gives both medicine and food. It yields 12 crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. There is a continuous succession of heavenly blessings.

Jesus Christ is that Tree of Life.

The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of nations. If we look into the Internet we can see how sick the world has become. The leaves of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ can heal whole nations. There are so many parts of the world that remain in darkness. There are other so-called 'Christian' parts of the world, which are a travesty of Christ. The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the health and healing of all parts of this weary sin-ridden globe.

But the thought that struck me is that if we have that Tree of Life within us, as surely all born-again believers believe that Christ lives within them, then the sure sign that we are true believers is that we will bear Fruit. The Bible specifically talks about the Fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5.22, 23. We may be involved in much ministry, many souls may be saved through our preaching, we may receive name & fame, people may look up to us. But God's word judges us by our fruits. 'You will know them by their fruits.' Matt 7.20

Am I producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

First: Love, Joy, Peace.

Next: Patience, Kindness, Goodness.

Finally: Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.

We are so carried away by outward show, we neglect the divine warning. Does a Christian exhibit love & truth? At home or in the office, are we patient & kind? And what about faithfulness & self-control? [Surely we must be disciplined to become His disciples.] And gentleness? The imperishable quality of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God, 1 Pet 3.4

I have still a long way to go. But one thing I know, if I have the Tree of Life I must produce the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Orange Appeal

2007-03-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

orange appeal
Originally uploaded by Robertson the Bruce.

This is a fabulous shot.
Because you can reach out
And touch the peel.
You can feel its texture
And the oil in its skin.
It is still fresh.
Amazin'

Black Cherry and Biscuits

2006-12-06T02:26:00.000-08:00

Black Cherry and Biscuits
Originally uploaded by Prato9x.

Found these bottles on my dining table and decided to take a shot with my Canon point-and-shoot digicamera.

The South Indian palate prefers 'savouries' [salted and spicy stuff], but occasionally would not mind having a go at biscuits with a sweet spread!

Of course, the idea was to make a poster used fd flickr toys!

Girl Surprised

2006-12-04T23:49:00.000-08:00

Fruit-bearing

2006-06-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Fruit comes from living in God. It is the result of His life flowing in us, of our yielding to His power; not of our trying and struggling to be good. In the Waldensian valleys in Italy some of the vines are grown on huge wooden crosses – and in September they are a beautiful sight, laden with grapes. The branches are stretched out on the cross, and so get every drop of rain, every ray of sun. I do not suppose these branches are conscious of the cross, as much as they are of the warmth, and life, and joy of fruit-bearing, and is not that a parable of the Christian life? It explains the joy and peace of the early Church, even in persecution. They had utterly given themselves to Another; self was crucified with Christ, and joy and fruitfulness were the result, as it will be with us today, if our lives are hid with Christ in God. -- S.T. Fraser.

[From ‘Streams in the Desert’ Volume 2, by Mrs Charles Cowman.]

How Harry Ironside met the Agnostic's Challenge

2006-05-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

[This is how the man of God, Harry Ironside, describes the event which took place in San Francisco. I have edited it somewhat for easier reading in this blog.]

One Lord's Day afternoon as I was walking up Market Street, I saw a large group gathered at the corner of Market and Grant Avenue. When I heard the sound of music and singing, I realized in a moment that it was a meeting of my old Salvationist friends, and went over to enjoy it. There were perhaps sixty soldiers in all, who had formed a large circle round which some three or four hundred people were gathered. I was immediately recognized by the little lassie captain who asked me to give a testimony. Of course I was pleased to do this; so I stepped into the ring and tried to give a gospel message based on my own personal experience of Christ's saving grace.

While I was speaking, I noticed that a well-dressed man who was standing on the curb took a card from his pocket and wrote something on it. Just as I was concluding my talk, he stepped forward and handed me the card. On one side I read his name. I realized at once who he was, for I had seen his name in the public press and on placards as one who had been giving addresses for some months all up and down the West Coast from Vancouver to San Diego. He was an official representative of what was then called the I. W. W. Movement — that is, the "Industrial Workers of the World". He held meetings among laboring men, seeking to incite them to class hatred and to organize with a view to overthrowing the capitalistic system.

Turning the card over, I read the following challenge: "Sir, I challenge you to debate with me the question 'Agnosticism versus Christianity' in the Academy of Science Hall next Sunday afternoon at four o'clock. I will pay all expenses —."

I read the card aloud, and replied as follows: "I am very much interested in this challenge. I will be glad to agree to this debate on the following conditions: namely, that in order to prove that Mr.—— has something worth fighting for, he will promise to bring with him to the Hall next Sunday two people as proof that agnosticism is of real value in changing human lives and building true character. First, he must promise to bring with him one man who was for years a 'down-and-outer' -- a man who for years was under the power of evil habits from which he could not deliver himself, but who on some occasion entered one of Mr.——s meetings and heard his glorification of agnosticism and his denunciations of the Bible and Christianity, and whose heart and mind were so deeply stirred that he went away from that meeting saying, 'Henceforth, I too am an agnostic!' and as a result of imbibing that particular philosophy he found that a new power had come into his life. The sins he once loved, now he hated, and righteousness and goodness were henceforth the ideals of his life. He is now an entirely new man, a credit to himself and an asset to society — all because he is an agnostic.

"Secondly, I would like Mr.—— to promise to bring with him one who was once a poor, wrecked, characterless outcast, the slave of evil passions, and the victim of man's corrupt living." I added, "Perhaps one who had lived for years in some evil resort on Pacific Street, or in some other nearby hell-hole, utterly lost, ruined and wretched because of her life of sin. But this woman also entered a hall where Mr.—— was loudly proclaiming his agnosticism and ridiculing the message of the Holy Scriptures. As she listened, hope was born in her heart, and she said, 'This is just what I need to deliver me from the slavery of sin!' She followed the teaching until she became an intelligent agnostic or infidel. As a result, her whole being revolted against the degradation of the life she had been living. She fled from the den of iniquity where she had been held captive so long; and today, rehabilitated, she has won her way back to an honored position in society and is living a clean, virtuous, happy life — all because she is an agnostic.

"Now, Mr.——," I exclaimed, "if you will promise to bring these two people with you as examples of what agnosticism will do, I will promise to meet you at the Hall at the hour appointed next Sunday, and I will bring with me at the very least one hundred men and women who for years lived in just such sinful degradation as I have tried to depict, but who have been gloriously saved through believing the message of the gospel which you ridicule. I will have these men and women with me on the platform as witnesses to the miraculous saving power of Jesus Christ, and as present-day proof of the truth of the Bible."

Turning to the little Salvation Army captain, I said, "Captain, have you any who could go with me to such a meeting?" She exclaimed with enthusiasm, "We can give you forty at least, just from this one corps, and we will give you a brass band to lead the procession!"

"Fine!" I answered. "Now, Mr.——, I will have no difficulty in picking up sixty others from various Missions, Gospel Halls, and evangelical churches of the city, and if you promise faithfully to bring just two such exhibits as I have described, I will come marching in at the head of such a procession, with the band playing 'Onward, Christian Soldiers,' and I will be ready for the debate."

I think Mr.—— smiled rather sardonically, waved his hand in a deprecating kind of way as much as to say, "Nothing doing!" and edging through the crowd he left the scene, while that great crowd clapped the Salvation Army and the street-preacher to the echo, for they well knew that in all the annals of unbelief no one ever heard of a philosophy of negation, such as agnosticism, making bad men and women good, and they also knew that this is what Christianity has been doing all down through the centuries.

Our gospel proves itself by what it accomplishes, as redeemed people from every walk of life, delivered from every type of sin, prove the regenerating and keeping power of the Christ of whom the Bible speaks.

Daniel Chapter Four

2006-05-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

These are extracts from Chapter Four of the book, 'The Overcomers' Secret', by Bro. Bakht Singh. It will do us good to reflect over them and pray that God will plant them deep in our hearts. It is worth reading this small book, especially in times of trial.

1. God is not depending upon the multitudes to fulfil His great purposes. It is true that eternal life is a free gift offered by God to all men... But if you want to be an overcomer, you must be willing to be brought fully into the possession of the Lord Jesus Christ, and kept under His Lordship and Kingship in every small detail of your life and ministry.

2. More prosperity brings more pride. Men become slaves to prosperity, and with a desire to continue in it, they are ready to please and honour men rather than God. This increases their blindness. Even believers fall into this snare of pleasing men.

3. When we fail to honour God, we also become spiritually blind. Times of worship are helpful in preventing this condition. When we cut short this time of worship and fail to thank God sufficiently for all that He has done for us, we will not be able to enjoy His fellowship fully. We may read the Bible and attend meetings, but we will not be able to enjoy God's presence.

4. The divine law is that only by humbling ourselves will we be exalted. If we are overcomers, we will know how to humble ourselves. Nebuchadnezzar had to become like a beast before he could learn the lesson of humbling himself. From the time of Nebuchadnezzar's first dream [Daniel chapter 2] till the time he learned to extol and honour the King of heaven [Daniel 4.37], it is reckoned to be about 47 years. It took so many years for Nebuchadnezzar to extol the true God. Do not be like Nebuchadnezzar. Do not wait till you are chastised. Do not wait till you become like a beast.

5. It is better to give all the glory to the Lord and extol Him at every opportunity. This is the secret of an overcoming life. You must be able to extol God by your words, by the testimony of your life, and by your ministry. Refuse to be honoured by men. Run away from people who flatter you and magnify you.

6. There seems to be a real danger in this matter, especially in European [I would now say, all] countries. When they arrange campaigns or special meetings, they display large posters extolling the speaker. They put his picture on handbills which are full of his praise... They think this is the best way to draw crowds to the meetings. But they forget that our God is a jealous God. He will not allow His glory to be given to another.

7. The Lord Jesus will surely reveal every secret to us at the right time. There is no need for us to worry before that time... You should remain humble and at every opportunity extol, magnify and glorify our Lord, knowing how great He is. Do not depend upon your own human wisdom... Believe from your heart that human glory will soon pass away. In all humility thank God for the honour He has given to you to serve Him and for the joy to see the fruit of your labour. It is by His grace alone you are what you are. [1 cor 15.9,10].

8. God never forgets what we do for Him. All our labour will be amply rewarded. It is only when a man refuses to humble himself, even after every chance which the Lord gives him, that he will be cast away. May the Lord save us from all these pitfalls and make us true overcomers.

[This book, which contains studies on the book of Daniel, is a must-be-read in times of trial. It has been a great source of comfort and encouragement to me in my present trial.]

Divine Love

2006-04-12T02:33:00.000-07:00

This is the love that must break
What it must take
And in the breaking, bless;
This is the love that will press
Us out of measure
And lay our treasure
In the dust.
This is the love that must.

There is no other way,
We all have gone astray
With hearts hardened and blind;
And we will find
The glory of His grace
In His loving, shining face,
When the fire burns out our dross.
There is no way to God
except through the cross.

Tom Prato

English Architecture, Darjeeling

2006-01-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

The Blood of Christ as it operates Manward

2006-01-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

The Blood of Christ operates manward also in the cleansing of our conscience...In the Epistle to the Hebrews we find that our 'hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience' [Heb 10.22].

The Blood does not cleanse our hearts. The heart is 'desperately sick' [Jer 17.9] and therefore God does something more fundamental than cleanse it: He must give us a new one...
The 'flesh' is too bad to be cleansed; it must be crucified...So God says, 'A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.' [Ezek 36.26]

The cleansing work of the Blood...is in relation to the conscience. 'Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience'... There is something intervening between myself and God...constantly reminding me of the barrier that stood between myself and Him. But now, through the operation of the precious Blood, something...has removed that barrier. My conscience is cleared and my sense of guilt removed.

Everyone knows what a precious thing it is to have a conscience void of offence in our dealings with God. A heart of faith and a conscience clear of any accusation are both equally essential to us, since both are interdependent. If our conscience is uneasy, our faith leaks away and we find we cannot face God. In order to keep going on with God, we must know the uptodate value of the Blood. God keeps short accounts, and we are made nigh by the Blood every day, every hour and every minute. It never loses its efficacy as our ground of access if we will but lay hold upon it. We enter the Most Holy Place only on the ground of the Blood [Heb 10.19].

By the Blood. I approach God through His merit alone and never on the basis of my attainment...A clear conscience is never based upon our attainment; it can only be based on the work of the Lord Jesus in the shedding of His Blood.

What is the basis of our approach to God? Do we come to Him on the uncertain ground of our 'feeling'? Or is our approach based on something far more secure, viz., the fact that the Blood has been shed, and God looks on that Blood and is satisfied? Our approach to God is always in boldness, because the Blood is ever-efficacious; it has never changed and it never will! Boldness to the throne of grace is ours through the Blood and never through our personal attainment or 'feeling'.

The matter of access to God has two phases, an initial and a progressive one. The initial is presented to us in Ephesians 2, where our standing with God is secured by the Blood, for we are 'made nigh in the blood of Christ' [Eph 2.13]. But thereafter our ground of continual access is still by the Blood, for 'having... boldness to enter into the [Most] Holy Place by the Blood of Jesus...let us draw near [Heb 10.19, 22].

Our prayer should be: 'Lord, I do not know fully what the value of the Blood is, but I know that the Blood has satisfied Thee; so the Blood is enough for me, and it is my only plea. Whether I have really progressed...or attained to something, is not the point. Whenever I come before Thee, it is always on the ground of the precious Blood.' Our conscience is cleansed by the Blood and we have boldness to enter into the presence of God.

[Extracted from the Normal Christian Life by W.N. with some abridgements.]

Old Bungalow, Relli Road, Kalimpong

2005-12-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Jericho - Sinister Background behind Civilization

2005-12-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

We are continuing our series on Jericho, keeping in view the study on 2 Kings 2, the journey of Elisha and Elijah from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and finally to and across the river Jordan. You may find the earlier studies in other blogs in the htt://procyon6x.blogspot.com and procyon7x sites.

Jericho speaks of the world. In fact, Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. Achan put his hands upon the sinister things of the world. It was not just a beautiful garment; it had the touch of 'Babylon' upon it. See Joshua 7.

Babylon is the great city that rules over all the earth. There is a political Babylon, a religious Babylon and a commercial Babylon. Check out Rev 13, 17 and 18. We know that Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, Gen 4.16. He never came back into the Lord's presence. He built a city, Gen 4.17. He was a man of much skill and talent. His progency were the inventors of music and technology. He himself was an expert farmer and his descendant was the father of animal husbandry. Eve appears to have been struck by his external appearance, Gen 4.1.

Cain's descendant, Nimrod, was the author of Babylon. In Gen 11.4, they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to heaven!' That speaks a lot about man's civilization - his pride and his [vain]glory. O what a wonderful piece of work is man! With his skill and talent, he has created the arts, and science and modern civilization. Politics, education, philosophy, religion, science, art, music, law, commerce, culture - all have evolved from man.

What a politician was Pilate, Luke 23.12, but in the end he committed suicide. Today's favorite child of education [coming from the Tree of Knowledge itself] is psychology [the study of the psyche or soul of man, without any understanding of the spirit and spiritual things!]. Colossians 2.8 warns us of hollow and deceptive philosophy, depending on human tradition and the basic principles of a world alienated from Christ. As for religion, it is "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth", Rev 17.5. Today's god is Science, which has deified evolution and descended into the horrors of cloning and chemical bombing. Art has been depraved by idolatry; so-called Christian art is mostly idolatry. We have law and jurisprudence, without justice or equity. How can commerce and business flourish without dishonesty? Even music, for all its brilliance, cannot satisfy the spirit; contemporary Christian music is a great snare of the enemy.

We are living in a worldly atmosphere. We have to be careful of the 'earth touch'. [No wonder in the presence of God we have to take our shoes off our feet!] We have worldly conversation [chitchat, gossip], worldly friendships, wordly customs and traditions, worldly fashions, etc. The smallest 'touch' of the world can grieve the Spirit. How many of us spend more time with the newspaper in the morning than with our Bibles!

Jesus warned us of the cares of the world, Matt 13.22, Mark 4.19 and Luke 8.14. The seed was sown among thorns [thorns and thistles produced by a cursed world]; thorns that speak of worries and cares, riches, desires and pleasures; thorns that choke the 'word' and kill the spirit. As Watchman Nee rightly said, the question we should ask is not 'Whether it is good or bad?', but 'Is it of the world or of God?' Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks, Matt 18.7. The cares of the world weigh down upon us; we worry and have no time to rejoice or worship. The world's 'gravity' pulls us down. Jesus warned, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Read the entire section from Luke 12.15-34. What happened to the life of the pilgrim? the tent-life of Abraham?

In the last days, it is going to be like the days of Noah and Lot. People will be caught up in eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. [In the West, nobody believes in the institution of marriage, but they keep changing 'wives'] They will be obsessed by buying and selling [speculation?], and planting and building. Sodom, in Ezekiel 16.49, had abundant food and careless ease and much arrogance [NASB]; [not very different from America or Canada or any of the prosperous West]. But she did not care for the poor and needy [a growing problem in China and India, even as these countries prosper].

Remember Lot's wife, Luke 17.32. Remember Demas, 2 Tim 4.10. More than anything else, remember our Lord's warning that the world will hate the children of God.

We have been warned; but will we listen?

Horse-drawn Cart, Calcutta

2005-12-09T01:33:00.000-08:00

Jehoiachin

2005-11-11T22:56:00.000-08:00

The last five verses of the Book of Jeremiah. The release of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the 37th year of his exile. Was he in captivity for 37 years? Jeremiah, a book of judgment, ends with a wonderful note of grace.

There was a curse on Jehoiachin. Read Jeremiah 22.24-30. 'This is what the LORD says: Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime...' But he did prosper. He is included in the lineage of Jesus Christ, Matt 1.12. Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. He produced several sons. God can turn a curse into a blessing. There is nothing impossible for Him!

Evil-Merodach released Jehoiachin from prison on the 25th day of the 12th month. [Well, that is not December 25th!] The king of Babylon spoke kindly to him. He gave him a seat of honour higher than those of the other kings who were in Babylon. Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life he ate regularly at the king's table. [Reminds you of Mephibosheth, doesn't it? But even more, it reminds us of Joseph who came out of prison in Genesis 41.]Moreover, Jehoiachin got a regular allowance from the king of Babylon every day, as long as he lived, till the day of his death.

There is obviously a deep message here. From prison to throne, from barrenness to fruitfulness, from curse to blessing. This is the work of the Cross. This is the experience of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

St Andrews Church, Darjeeling

2005-11-02T01:19:00.000-08:00

Loreto Convent, Darjeeling

2005-11-02T01:12:00.000-08:00

Psalm 146

2005-10-10T01:04:00.000-07:00

This is a copy of a worship message given on Sunday morning, October 9th, 2005.

Psalm 146 begins with heart-felt praise. 'All my life I will praise the Lord!' Four times in the first two verses we find the Psalmist praising the Lord. The Psalm begins and ends with praise. The book of Psalms ends with heaps of praises to the Lord. Our Christian journey must end like that.

The Psalmist has proved God by faith and experience. He has also proved man by experience. He says categorically, 'Do not put your trust in princes.' The best of men will fail. Man is incapable and useless; he cannot even save himself! Man, by thinking [and vain imagination] puffs himself up, presuming that he is wise and powerful. But his very thoughts perish, the day he dies! He has no control over his own life!

The Psalmist shows that if we trust in man, we cannot trust in God. We have to depend entirely on the Lord, or our faith is defective. Blessed is the man whose help and hope is in the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not upon yourself or upon anybody else or anything.

God is our Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth and the sea - and all creation. He is the One who gives life to us. God is our Redeemer, who restores to us the life we have lost. He is the God of all grace. He is our Saviour, our Deliverer, who delivers us from every difficult situation in life.

Seven examples are given. He executes justice for the oppressed [eg. Israel in Egypt]; gives food to the hungry [feeding the 5000]; sets free the prisoners [whether Joseph or Jehoiachin]; gives sight to the blind [not only Bartimaeus]; lifts up those who are bowed down [as we can see in so many Psalms, which begin with pain and end with praise]; protects the alien [like Abraham in Canaan]; and supports the orphan and the widow [like Ruth & Naomi in Bethlehem]. In fact, God does much more; He delivers and He blesses. There is that extra blessing in whatever God does. It is always 'much more'; 'exceeding abundantly'.

But though He is a God of grace, who is faithful to His promises [6c] and who loves His children [8c], He is also a Righteous Judge, who executes judgment upon the wicked. He frustrates the way of the ungodly. History has many examples of divine judgment in the recent past, such as the overthrow of Communism in Russia, the growth of Christianity in China [despite persecution]; and the spread of the gospel in Nepal [a Hindu kingdom]. It is as if God allows the ungodly to build their tower of Babel, and then 'with the breath of His mouth' He brings it down! Vanity is writ large on the way of the unrighteous [unbelievers].

God is in control. He is not only the Creator God, but a Redeeming God and a Reigning God. His Throne endures forever.

All this is of great comfort and assurance to the family of believers, to Zion - which speaks of the church!

Therefore, trusting in this Faithful and True God - God of mercy, God of grace - believing in this proven Psalm, let us by faith worship Him.

Father and Son, Foreign Style, Darjeeling District, Summer 2004

2005-10-06T05:13:00.000-07:00

Garden Sheds, St Joseph's School Grounds, Darjeeling

2005-10-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

Evening Light, Across the Town, Darjeeling, Summer 2004

2005-10-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

Circuit House Annexe, Darjeeling

2005-10-06T04:30:00.000-07:00

Like a Toy House, with a Toy Car in front of it!

House on the Hill, Relli Road, outskirts of Kalimpong

2005-10-06T04:22:00.000-07:00

Six Youngsters, Cloud and Rain, Jhor Bunglow, Summer 2004

2005-10-06T03:50:00.000-07:00

Crossing the Main Street, Kalimpong, Summer 2004

2005-10-06T01:30:00.000-07:00

Market Place, Takdah, Darjeeling District, Summer 2004

2005-10-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on the Resurrection

2005-03-29T01:58:00.000-08:00

Read Mark’s Gospel chapter 16:9-14. The women saw the angels, the women met Jesus. Rather, He first appeared to them. He responds to love and devotion. It is all a matter of the heart.

Now look at the men, the disciples. They did not see the angels. And Jesus had to come to them, and when He came to them, ‘He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart’. The women did not have a hard heart, they had a loving heart. They loved Jesus, they came to anoint the body of Jesus.

The problem with the men, the disciples, was that they allowed their heads to rule over their hearts. Nothing wrong with this; but they allowed reason to over-rule faith. Nothing wrong with reason either; but they refused to accept the evidence of the ‘open tomb’. Only John the beloved disciple says that he believed, John 20.8. Now John was one of those few who stood near the cross, when the rest fled and remained at a distance.

The men refused to believe the report of Mary Magdalene, Mark 16.11. They refused to believe the news given by the women of Galilee, Luke 24.11. They refused to accept the evidence of the two disciples who walked the road to Emmaus, Mark 16.12,13. No wonder the Lord rebuked them.

Now that rebuke is meant for us also. We have to meet Jesus in a direct way. Like Mary Magdalene we must say, ‘I have seen the Lord.’ Second-hand reports will not do. The resurrection is a historical fact. Yes, it really happened 2000 years ago. But we need something more, an experience that will touch our hearts and change our lives.

Jesus has to meet us. In John 20.20, it says, ‘The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord.’ Nothing less than ‘I have met the Lord’, ‘I have seen the Lord’. Our head may accept the historical fact, even the evidence of the women of Galilee; but our heart rejoices when we meet the Lord. There has to be a fresh resurrection in our hearts, in our spirits, when the Lord comes and meets us deep inside. Then we know the power of His resurrection, we experience His resurrection life, our eyes are truly open, our ears are open [as He calls us by name, John 20.16], and, yes, heaven is open also – and we can see the angels of God in all their glory.

More than history, more than doctrine, more than what satisfies the head and the reason – is the spiritual experience of resurrection [and redemption], when we can say boldly, ‘I have met the Lord’, ‘He came into my life with the power of resurrection on such-and-such a day’. We rejoice because we know in an inward way, an intimate way, a living way. Others may not understand us [their eyes are still blinded], but we can say, ‘Yes, I am born again. And Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life!’

Tropical Beach

2005-02-09T00:41:00.000-08:00

He answered nothing, Mark 15.3

2005-01-30T21:24:00.000-08:00

There is no spectacle in all the Bible so sublime as the silent Saviour answering not a word to the men who were maligning Him, and whom He could have laid prostrate at His feet by one look of divine power, or one word of fiery rebuke. But He let them say and do their worst, and He stood in the 'power of stillness' - God's holy silent Lamb.

There is a stillness that lets God work for us, and holds our peace; the stillness that ceases from its contriving and its self-vindication, and its expedients of wisdom and forethought, and lets God provide and answer the cruel blow, in His own unfailing, faithful love.

How often we lose God's interposition by taking up our own cause, and striking for our defence. God give to us this silent power, this conquered spirit! And after the heat and strife of earth are over, men will remember us as we remember the morning dew, the gentle light and sunshine, the evening breeze, the Lamb of Calvary, and the gentle, holy, heavenly Dove.

A.B. Simpson

Rest in the Lord

2005-01-29T02:32:00.000-08:00

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
He is the God of the open door.
He is the God of the gentle breeze
that blows you into a haven of rest.
He is the God who holds you with His righteous right hand.
He will never fail you or forsake you.

He will lead you by the still waters.
He will feed you in green pastures.
He is the Shepherd who cares for His sheep.
He will fight your battles for you.
He will fulfil the desires of your heart.
Keep trusting in Him.
Delight in Him.
Worship Him,
Our El-Shaddai God.

Mark 2 - The Paralytic Man

2005-01-27T02:50:00.000-08:00

What does this story teach us?

2.1 Jesus was in the house. Whose house? Was it Peter's house? Jesus was residing in Capernaum.

2.2 We notice that He preached the word to them. Our Lord always gave priority to the word of God.
2.2 It was a good crowd. They gathered to hear the word. [Today you would find huge crowds gathered not to hear the word, but to see miracles. And signs and wonders.]

2.3 The paralytic was carried by four men; in toto they were five. Five, in the Bible, speaks of grace.

2.4 They uncovered the roof. They must have done it very carefully, because Jesus was standing right down below them in that room. It must have taken much time, because they had to make a hole large enough to let down the bed [pallet] in which the paralytic lay. [The owner of the house allowed them to make a hole in the roof and did not protest, considering the plight of the paralytic man.]

2.5 Jesus saw their faith. Not just the faith of the four men, but the faith of all five. It was a group effort.
2.5 Jesus gave priority to the spiritual condition of man. 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.' Perhaps, He knew what was going on in the man's heart. The man longed for spiritual healing, while his friends might have sought a physical cure. Our Lord met the primary need of the heart. He went to the root of the matter. There is nothing greater than the forgiveness of sins. That is the first and foremost aspect of redemption, Eph 1.7

2.6,7 The scribes were sitting there. They were reasoning in their hearts. They had Bible knowledge; they knew the Scriptures. No one can forgive sins, but God alone. How can this man utter such words? He is blaspheming God. This is what they reasoned in their minds.

2.8 Jesus perceived in his spirit. Jesus lived by the Spirit. He was led by the Spirit. He asked, 'Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

2.9 'You might be thinking that it is easy to say, Your sins are forgiven. You might think it is impossible to heal this man physically. You want a sign? I will give you a sign. I am the Redeemer, not only of the spirit, but also of the body.' God of our spirits is God of our bodies also.

2.10 Those are words of authority. He said, Arise. Take up your bed. Go to your house.

2.11 The man arose, took up his bed, and went out. He didn't stay; he left for home. So that his own people could witness the dramatic change that had taken place in him. With what joy he went out! He went out praising God!

Three times we notice the word 'immediately'. The Lord is seen as a Man of action, the One who responds immediately to our needs. He forgives our sins; He heals our bodies also. He is the God of spirit, soul and body. The God of our salvation.

[This has to be further updated. As we keep meditating on God's Word and preaching it, God reveals further light on the subject. September 2005.]

Four Beatitudes

2005-01-27T02:18:00.000-08:00

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, not the proud.
Blessed are those who are truly humble,
Who have no inflated opinion of themselves,
Who realise that they are nothing but empty vessels
To be filled by the Spirit of God.

Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who mourn
Over the wickedness of this world,
A world without God;
Where sin ripens into rottenness,
And the spirit yearns for God.

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Yes, blessed are those who are broken
In the hands of the Lord,
Chastened by the Father,
Disciplined by an inward cross.
Only such will enter the kingdom of God.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
How we long for the return of the Lord!
Evil is rampant, lies abound.
Oh, that we might be purified by the fire of God!
Lord, give us a hunger for truth,
And fill us with heavenly love.