Monday, September 27, 2010

Mind vs Heart

The kingdom of this world is in our mind.
The Kingdom of God is in our heart.

Law is in our mind.
Grace is in our heart.

To do right or not to do wrong is from our mind,
Abundant life is in our heart.

Our mind prompts us to do.
Our heart prompts us to rest.

Work is from our mind,
Faith is from our heart.

The devil speaks and prompts us through our mind,
Our Lord speaks and prompts us through our heart.

Worries are from our mind.
Shalom peace is in our heart.

Self righteousness is from our mind.
The Righteousness of God is in our heart.

The nature of condemning is from our mind,
The nature of compassion is from our heart.

Doubt is from our mind.
Believe is from our heart.

Our mind seeks knowledge,
Our heart seeks wisdom.

Knowledge is from our mind.
Revelation is from our heart.

We obey the letters with our mind.
We obey the Spirit with our heart.

Ezekiel 11.19I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

God's Abundant Provision of Grace and the Gift of Righteousness


Last Sunday during the English Service, I was holding the Bread on my left hand and the Cup on my right during the communion time … In the flick of a second; I saw in my spirit the abundant provision of Grace on my left hand and the gift of Righteousness on my right. At that moment, I was quicken and started to receive a fresh insight from the Lord in respect of His Body and Blood.

Romans 5:17 ~ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 

The verse from Romans 5:17 is a very special verse in my grace walk with the Lord. Many months ago, I first received a revelation that before the cross, Jesus reminded the Jewish people to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all that they required will be added to them. As for us believer, the Kingdom of God is already in our heart and we are now not in the position of seeking but  receiving. So with this verse, receiving God's abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness became alive in my walk with the Lord. It is an encouraging verse that when we receive this abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness, we will reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ and we can never exhaust these divine provisions in His grace!

As I looked at the Bread, I remembered what the Lord said. He said: "Take eat, this is My Body broken for you.” Oh hallelujah, He is God and whatever He spoke of came to pass. But at this moment, He briefly said: “Take eat, this is My Body broken for you.” He did not mention anything in particular like headache or poverty, because if He spoke specifically,  only what He had spoken would come to pass. Look at His heart for us, He does not what to restrict us when come to receiving His blessing.

In this instance, I  began to see His ABUNDANT PROVISON OF GRACE… In whatever areas that we are in need of, just say it out… because this is His body, broken for us! WHATEVER, WHENEVER and HOWEVER...!

i) Our well being: Through His punishment at the Cross, we have Shalom peace!
ii) Our health: By His strips, we are healed!
iii) Our wealth: Though He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor that through His poverty, we might become rich!

As for His blood, He is very specific by saying: "This cup is the NEW COVENANT in my blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins…. " His blood is for the New Covenant and for the forgiveness of all our sins! We are made righteous by His blood not our good deeds. What a gift of righteousness from the holy blood of our Lord Jesus Christ! Wow… we have wonderful and awesome God! Indeed it is because of Him that we are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 

He has placed these divine provision in our hands, the abundant provision of grace on our left hand while the gift of righteousness on our right! We are blessed... and irreversibly blessed! 

Praise Jesus for He is our wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

There Is Life When You See Jesus In The Word

Pastor Joseph Prince


The old is the new concealed, the new is the old revealed!

Monday, September 20, 2010

A Man In A Hole


You and me were once in this hole, it was GRACE that saved us...

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Promises


There are more than 14,000 promises in the Bible – God has not broken one of them. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 

The Bible is full of God’s promises to provide for us spiritually and materially. Because of the finished work of Christ, God promised to never forsake us, to promise us with prosperity and health, to give us shalom peace in times of difficult circumstances, to cause all circumstances to work together for our good even though they might look bad..., and finally to bring us safely home to glory. Not one of these promises is dependent upon our performance but Jesus’ performance. They are all dependent on the grace of God given to us through Jesus Christ. They are all unearned and unmerited favor from Father God. 

Satan lures the world or even Christians with promises of the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays with pain; he promises profit, and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death. But Father God pays as He promises; all His payments are made in His Begotten Son at the Cross….

The Bible says there are more than 14,000 promises from God and not 14,000 VACANCIES!!!! So stop WORKING to deserve these promises but BELIEVE and RECEIVE what God has already promised...!!!

2 Corinthians 1:20 ~ For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 

So if we really want to glorify God, we better don't labour but BELIEVE in HIM with our spontaneous shout of Amen...!

Thursday, September 09, 2010

A Wise Gardener and His Trees


I love my church SIB Grace… and I honor her pulpit, not because of the height of 9th floor at Crown Tower, but this is a well guided pulpit that only the message on the grace of God can be ministered through this pulpit.

I also respect my Elder… he is a skillful gardener faithfully looking after the trees that are planted by Father God in this garden called SIB Grace. He is not the kind of gardener that emphasize on fruits bearing … He does not stand under the tree, with one hand on his hip, the other pointing to the tree, going from tree to tree, scolding the trees for not bearing fruits. He is more concerned on the roots rather than the fruits. At this point, I just cannot help myself but to add in this phrase… Grace deals with the root while religion deals with the fruit!

Week after week, he would concentrate on loosing the ground and taking away all the “STONE” that are hidden in the ground. He makes the ground loose and gracious for the trees to grow. He would allow the "RAIN" of the Holy Spirit to water the trees and he is also making sure that the trees have sufficient “LIGHT" from the Son of righteousness. As the strong light of Righteousness continue to shine on the trees, the self righteous leaves will dry up and fall on the ground. With these self righteous leaves falling to the ground, they make good fertilizer… because according to Apostle Paul, our self righteousness is nothing but smelly stuff called DUNG! With these elements of gracious soil, sufficient “WATER” and “SON” light, plus the organic fertilizer, the trees just cannot help but grow and bear fruits… thirty fold, sixty fold and hundred fold.

I am one of the trees that grow in this garden. For the past four years, I have grown to be quite a big tree. Why do I know that I am quite a big tree...? This is because from times to times, I can see people coming to me looking for shade as resting place and to be ministered to by my fruits. I have also notice that the Word of God has come to past in my life and I have already been blessed to be a blessing.

I am writing this not to boast about my glory but to boast about what my Father God has prepared for me in this garden. As a tree, if I do not have such a good and gracious environment, I would not be a fruitful tree at all. As a fruitful tree, I am just a witness to the ministry that bring everlasting righteousness.

Before this, I was once a fruitless tree… but then, I was also a witness, a witness to the ministry that brings condemnation. Though that ministry of condemnation has glory, its glory is fast fading away. Therefore, I was a victim of that condemning ministry which glory is fast fading glory.

If that ministry of mixture of law and grace which brings confusion is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of grace that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory from the ministry of grace. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! Therefore, since I have such a hope, I am very bold...

Psalm 92
12 ~ The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 ~ Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 ~ They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 ~ To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

So let this fruitful tree who boasts boast in the Lord.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Aroma Of Grace From India


I received an interesting e mail from my friend Cajetan two days ago. It was about an article written by Thomas Chahhalackal  in India. This article is a witness that the Gospel of Grace is taking root in India. It carries the same aroma of grace which points it readers to Christ... So, sit back, relax and enjoy the aroma of grace from India.

Our Role In The New Covenant

Romans 5:17-19

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)   18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.   19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Growing up in a Christian home and in a religious country like India, I heard this slogan repeatedly “If we do our part, God will do His part”. There is some truth to it, but if you don't understand the error in it you will never be able to get the revelation of the new covenant. The good news of the gospel is that "God through Jesus did His part on the cross and resurrection, our role is to just believe Him".  I mean believing is the only part that is left for us do after the cross.  According to the new covenant, we are called as "believers", not called as "doers".

Many are perplexed by the question, to gain eternal life what must we do? And what must we believe? Let us deal with the believing part first.

Would believing in the existence of God make you a believer? No.

Would believing anything from the Bible will make you a believer? No.

Can I be a believer because?

1.    I am born in a Christian family, No.
2.    Read bible every day, No.
3.    Took water baptism, No.
4.    Attend church regularly, No.
5.    Pay tithes and give offerings, No.
6.    Following all the church rules and regulations, No.
7.    Living by the principles of Jesus, No.

Would believing in the death and burial of Jesus will make you a believer? No. Even the historians also believe the death and burial of Jesus; but the Christianity started with the resurrection of Jesus. None of these things will make you a believer.

So what must we believe to become a believer? A believer is somebody who is born in the kingdom of God, by believing that he also died and buried along with Jesus 2000 years ago, and is resurrected with new life when he accepted Jesus as his personal savior. The Christianity started with the resurrection of Jesus.

•         He believes that he was born in the earth as a sinner. If we don't believe this truth, we don't
understand the need of a savior. 
•         He believes that he needs a savior to escape from his sins. Our own good works can never save us from this sinful nature.
•         He believes that he is born again as a righteous person created to do good works. 
•         He believes that Jesus already died and resurrected on his behalf two thousand years ago.
•         He believes that everything what Jesus did on the cross was for him, and he claims it personally. 
•      He believes that all his sins (past, present, and future) are forgiven forever, believes that there is no more condemnation from God. Many believes that their sins are forgiven only until the day they are born again, and every sin they commit after that point of life is forgiven based on their sin confession and repentance, it is a lie.

•         He believes that no longer him living; but Christ living through him.
•         He believes that Jesus met all the requirements of God for him to have an abundant life in this earth.

•     He believes that Jesus is his prosperity, treasure, offering, tithes, holiness, health, wealth, wisdom, righteousness etc. Jesus' work on the cross for him, and the resurrected life of Jesus in him is the center piece of his life.
•         He believes that God is expecting him to produce the fruits of the spirit.

By a careful examination of this belief system, we can see that this belief system is centered on two incidents, Adamic sin in the Garden of Eden and Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. If we don’t believe in the Adamic fall in the Garden, we don’t believe in the need of crucifixion and resurrection Jesus. 

My friend the important piece of  Bible is our participation in the Adamic disobedience in the garden of Eden and our participation in the obedience of Jesus through His death on the cross and resurrection. Both these incidents happened long before we were born, and our belief or unbelief on these two incidents have an eternal consequence, I know this truth does not make any sense to your natural mind.  A true believer is somebody who builds his belief system around these two incidents.

Now let us focus on the first part of the question, what must I do to have eternal life?

This is the age old question of the religions of the world. This was the question of the rich young ruler to Jesus (Luke 18:18). Actually this rich young ruler is a representation of the religions of the world. The rich young ruler presented himself as a perfect man who observes all the laws, and he thought that he could attain the eternal life by his own perfection. Jesus' answer to that question is always being the same for all generations “one thing that you lack". What Jesus meant here is, if you are trying to get to the eternal life by your own good works, you always lack one thing and never be qualified.

The one thing that we all need is our trust in Him for our eternal life. I know many are interpreting Jesus' answer incorrectly by saying that Jesus told the rich young ruler a list of things he must do to have eternal life. Actually Jesus was telling him to get rid (sell) of all the list of qualifications he earned by observing the law and follow Him for eternal life.

Later on Apostle Paul mentioned that he consider everything as garbage to gain Christ (Phil 3:8). What are the things that he considered as garbage? The preceding verses were talking about the list of qualifications that he earned as an observer of the Mosaic Law.

The disciples also asked a similar question in John 6:28 what shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” 

Again the answer to the disciples is also the same “Believe Him”.

The true Gospel teaches us "Only believe"? Because Jesus did a perfect work for us on the cross and we are living after that perfect work; believing is the only option that is left for us. Any work that we do to please the father is an unbelief revealed on the perfect work of Jesus on the cross. If we are fasting, praying, tithing, giving, going to church, conducting prayer meeting with an intention to please God the father, you are revealing your unbelief on the perfect work of Jesus on the cross.

God is no longer expecting us to do any more work to please Him; but He is waiting for us to believe in His Son's perfect work for us and manifest fruits of His life in us.

What must I do to have eternal life is an obsolete question after the cross of Jesus; The correct question should be “What must I believe” to have eternal life.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

This Is The Jesus I Know


Pastor Joseph Prince 

 Jesus created time and time cannot confine Him. He lives outside time, that is why He says "I Am!".

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Jesus Gave Me My Prison Break 11 Years Ago!

Dead To Sin? How? - 29 August 2010 Message Excerpt



Romans 6:17~18   But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.