All about Times and Seasons - in God's hands

 Hi dear brothers and sisters, 

Today I would like to talk about the topic of Times and Seasons which are in God's hands. 

Many a times, we worry and lose our sleep over many things which we cannot control. We think too much and this causes us anxiety and we worry a lot. God is speaking to us today and is asking us to believe that the Times and Seasons are in His hands. 

This situation in Acts 1:7 tells about the time when the disciples of Jesus get panicky and ask Jesus about the time of his return. Then Jesus answers them and tells that the times and seasons are in the Father's hands and we need not worry. 

If we look in to the book of Daniel 2:21 - we read similar text: 'God changes the times and seasons'... How true it is, God has complete control and he has complete authority to change the times and seasons in our lives. We might wonder why things are not moving as we thought, but we need to understand that God is in complete control of our life and He is overseeing everything. 

In the book of Ecclesiastes 3:11, it states that He has made everything beautiful in its time... this is also a comforting word. God has made everything beautiful in its time and we need not worry a bit. 

So, today, be encouraged that Jesus Christ is in control and the Father has everything set to happen in its time. 

May God be with you. 

The Glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ: Hope for the World

 In a world filled with uncertainties, turmoil, and despair, the promise of the second coming of Jesus Christ shines as a beacon of hope. For believers, this event holds immeasurable significance, offering solace, encouragement, and a reminder of God's ultimate plan of redemption. As we explore the profound truths surrounding Christ's return, let us discover the hope it brings and how it should shape our lives.

1. The Certainty of Christ's Return:

Throughout the pages of Scripture, the promise of Christ's second coming resonates. Prophets of old foretold it, and Jesus Himself affirmed it during His earthly ministry. We find assurance in the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:30: "Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

2. The Significance of Christ's Return:

a. The Completion of God's Plan:

Christ's return marks the culmination of God's redemptive plan. It symbolizes the fulfillment of His promises and the ultimate defeat of sin, evil, and death. Revelation 21:4 assures us, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

b. Final Judgment and Justice:

With His return, Jesus will establish righteous judgment over all creation. Acts 17:31 declares, "He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed." The assurance of divine justice offers hope to the oppressed and reminds us that God will make all things right.

3. Living with Expectation and Purpose:

a. Watchfulness and Readiness:

As believers, we are called to live in constant anticipation of Christ's return. Jesus urged His disciples to be watchful, for they did not know the exact hour. Likewise, we are called to live with a sense of readiness, faithfully serving and proclaiming the Gospel to all nations.

b. Living Holy and Purposeful Lives:

The anticipation of Christ's return challenges us to live lives characterized by holiness and godliness. Knowing that we will one day stand before our Savior, we strive to align our lives with His teachings and pursue righteousness, reflecting His love and grace to the world.

The second coming of Jesus Christ is not a distant theological concept, but a glorious reality that fills our hearts with hope and purpose. It assures us that God's promises are true, justice will prevail, and our ultimate home is in His eternal presence. As we eagerly await His return, let us hold fast to our faith, sharing the hope of the Gospel and living lives that honor Him. May the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ inspire us to be beacons of light and agents of transformation in a world longing for redemption. Let us embrace the hope and let our lives shine with the anticipation of His glorious return.

Integrity - What everyone should possess!

 What is the definition of the word 'integrity'? 

Many people give many answers to the word, but let us read this definition which explains it better. 

Integrity is "what you know on the inside matches what do you on the outside."

Let me illustrate this point with a short story:

There was an old make-believe country where only ducks lived. On Sunday morning, all the ducks came into the church, waddled down the aisle, waddled into their pews, and squatted. 

Then the duck minister came in, took his place behind the pulpit, opened the Duck Book, and read. "Ducks, you have wings, and with wings you can fly like eagles. You can soar into the skies! Ducks! You have wings!!!" Then all the ducks yelled, Amen Amen. and then they all all waddled home.

Many people are actually like those ducks. They know the truth, but they don't act upon the truth. In other words, they don't have integrity. 

A person with integrity has the three basic qualities:

1. Faithfulness

2. An uncompromising lifestyle

3. Purity

In today's fast changing world, it is extremely difficult to live a life of integrity, but that is what God is called each one of us to do.

Let us live our lives with INTEGRITY. 

Importance of Holiness in Christian life

 There is a question which many people ask me: 

Can holiness save us? 

Can holiness put away sin and cover iniquities? 

The answer is a big NO. The answer is that ONLY JESUS can redeem you and only HE can save us from all sin. In the book of Ephesians it is written that we are saved by grace alone and not by our works. 

Holiness is very essential once we accept Christ and start living a Christian life. We become the children of God and then we need to portray his image in this world. We cannot live an unworthy life and ask God to be with us. He is a Holy God and he cannot tolerate filth. 

Let me answer a few points as to why one should be Holy:

1. We must be holy because the voice of God in the scripture commands us to be holy. In I Peter 1:15, 16 is says 'Be ye Holy as I am Holy'. It is a direct command from God to be holy. 

2. We need to be holy because this is one grand end and purpose for which Christ came into the world. Jesus died for all so that they may all live a holy life which is acceptable and pleasing to the father. 

3. We should be holy because this the only proof that we love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. 

4. We need to be holy because this the only sound evidence that we are true children of God. 

5. We need to be holy because without holiness on earth, we shall never be prepared to enjoy heaven. 

Holiness - That is what God desires of us

 Let us discuss on Holiness - that is what the Lord desires of us these days. 

There is a verse in the Bible which says "Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" Hebrews 12:14

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the wise man tells that there is a time for everything under the sun, a time to laugh, a time to cry, a time to keep silence and a time to speak,...Ecc 3:4,7, but there is no time, no not in a day, in which a man ought not to be holy. 

We are all busy in this world and each one is after fulfilling their destiny. Let us stop for a moment and consider the matter of holiness. 

A man may go great lengths, and yet never achieve true holiness

Balaam - very knowledgable; Judas Iscariot - had the best teacher; Herod - had zeal for certain matters in religion, and so on.. we see that in Bible many people had many passions, but without holiness, all of them perished. 

Let us understand what is practical holiness and how we can achieve it ?

1. Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God. It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgement, hating what he hates, and loving what he loves, and measuring everything by the standard of His word. 

2. Holy man will hate everything that is called sin. He will have a holy hatred toward sin as mentioned in Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the Lord is to Hate evil. A holy man will hate all kinds of evil, but will love the sinner and will pray for his / her salvation.

3. A holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. In thought and in deed, he would like to be like our saviour. 

4. A holy man will follow after meekness, longsuffering, gentleness, patience, kind tempers, keeping in control of his tongue etc. He will not be in a hurry to do anything, but will learn to wait on God. 

5. A holy man will follow after charity and brotherly kindness. 

These are 5 points which talk about practical holiness. 

We will discuss more about this topic in the following blog posts. 

Lessons from the book of Daniel

 I have been reading the book of Daniel from the Bible since a few days. I have learnt a few lessons and would like to share them here:

1. From verses 8 to 16 in the first chapter we learn that we need to 

    a. Stand firm in our faith and honor God in every decision. 

    b. Look to Him when faced with temptation to deny Him or to turn from His ways. 

    c. Believe that He will either provide a way of escape or the grace to endure. 

    d. Ask God to give us favor, wisdom, and creative alternatives so that we can remain obedient and

        bring glory to Him.

2. From verses 12 - 18 in the third chapter, we learn that we need to 

    a. Refuse to compromise Godly standards. 

    b. Regardless of the consequences, we need to place our trust in God and maintain our stand for                     righteousness.

BAPTISM - THE WHAT AND WHY?

 Why should we get baptised?

When we enter the waters of baptism, we’re proclaiming the gospel message. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and lives again. By joining in baptism, we’re identifying ourselves with Him. Romans 6:4 says we have been buried with Him through baptism into death. We’re now dead to the power of sin. Being raised up out of the water expresses our new life in CHRIST and our union with Him.

What is Baptism? And why is it important?

If the meaning of baptism could be boiled down to one word, that word would be identification. Baptism speaks primarily of a personal, public identification with Jesus Christ.

In Romans 6:3-4 the Apostle Paul puts the matter this way:

Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Notice the strength of the expressions—"baptized into Christ" and "baptized into his death" and "buried with him in baptism." Someone may suggest that the primary reference here is to Spirit baptism. That's true, but at the very least, water baptism is in the background of this passage.

How important is your baptism? It is your personal identification with the greatest act of human history—the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism doesn't save you—salvation comes by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Your guilt before God is removed the moment you trust in Christ. But baptism is your personal testimony to, and the inward assurance of, your passage from the old life to the new life...

Baptism - and what does it symbolize?

1. It means we have turned from the old life of sin to a new life in Jesus Christ.

2. It means we are publicly identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

3. It means we are openly joining the ranks of those who believe in Christ.

When you are baptized, you are in fact visually preaching the gospel. As you stand in the water waiting to be baptized, A, you symbolize Jesus dying on the cross. As you are lowered into the water, B, you symbolize Jesus buried in the tomb. As you are raised from the water, C, you symbolize Jesus rising from the dead.

And since you personally are being baptized, you are also saying, "I died with Jesus Christ, I was buried with him and now I am raised with Christ to brand-new life."

So, what is baptism in one sentence?

In short, in your baptism you are preaching a sermon without using any words at all. And your sermon in your baptism will be more effective with your friends than any sermon the pastor preaches on Sunday morning—more effective because it comes directly from you.

How did we get the word Baptism?

The Greek word translated “baptize” is the verb baptizo. According to most contemporary lexicons, the primary meaning is “to dip, plunge, immerse.” The secondary meaning is to “bring under the influence.” Dr. Merrill Tenney notes that “after making allowances for certain occasional exceptions, such as passages where washing is implied, the etymological meaning indicates that baptism was originally by immersion. (Basic Christian Doctrine, p. 257)

Let's see a few references from the Bible

• Baptism requires water. (Matthew 3:11)
• Baptism required plenty of water. (John 3:30)
• Baptism requires going down into the water. (Acts 8:30)
• Baptism requires coming up out of the water. (Matthew 3:16, Acts 8:39)

Furthermore, the figures of speech used by the Apostle Paul accord well with immersion. Baptism is called a “burial” in Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12. Baptism is “into his death” and involves being “raised to walk in newness of life.” It is difficult to see how sprinkling or pouring could convey these meanings.

Finally, the testimony of church history is that immersion was indeed the mode of baptism practiced in the early church.

Why should I be baptized?

Our Savior commands us to follow His example in all things, including baptism: Matthew 28:19 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." At the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus chose to be baptized. John the Baptist was calling the Jewish people to confess their sins and demonstrate repentance through immersion in the Jordan River. Sinless Jesus joined the crowd at the river and asked John to baptize Him. The Lord chose to affiliate Himself with sinful man. When we follow His example in the waters of baptism, we're publicly confessing our faith in the Savior and identifying ourselves with Him.

Conclusion

Baptism allows us to demonstrate our connection with Jesus and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We're all members of one body under the authority of the same Lord. But it's important to remember that Ephesians 2:8-9 says faith in Jesus Christ is the only requirement for salvation, not baptism. But, to fulfill His command, we're to be baptized following our decision to accept Him into our lives.

Source:  https://www.christianity.com/jesus/following-jesus/baptism/what-does-baptism-mean.html