Reflections

Discipleship Galatians 2:1-20 Lincy Issac Parampottil, Kochamma St. John's MTC, NY 19......I have been crucified with Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. Christian Life is not a religion but a way of life. Most of the time we wrongly perceive it as a religion but Jesus presented it as a way of life. Gal. 2: 20 raise three fundamental requirements for being a disciple of Christ.   1. I am crucified with Christ  It means the death of the old self. Paul in 2 Cor. 5:17 say: Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come. So what does it mean, the old has gone, the new has come. We are new, justified by Christ’s death on the Cross, his once and for all sacrifice: Christ died as a substitute for us. He paid the penalty on our behalf. Therefore there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). Along with it demands a new life style or renewed life in Chri...

Son of the Living God Matthew 16:13-20 Rev. Shibi Abraham Youth Chaplain, North East Region 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  When Jesus asked his disciples “But who do you say I am?” Peter’s answer, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:15-16).” When Saul was confronted by a bright light and a voice that said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  Saul asked “Who are you, Lord?”  The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (Acts 9:3-5)” Taking these two passages together, we see that Jesus is the Son of God, but we also see that persecuting other Christians (people) is the same thing as persecuting Jesus, the Son of the living God.    These two lessons were learned by Peter and Paul, and that resulted in the transformation of their lives.  This transformation was not a one-time event, but a continuous and ongoing process.   Peter grew in faith, in boldne...

Son of the Living God Matthew 16:13-20 Rev. Shibi Abraham Youth Chaplain, North East Region 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  When Jesus asked his disciples “But who do you say I am?” Peter’s answer, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:15-16).” When Saul was confronted by a bright light and a voice that said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  Saul asked “Who are you, Lord?”  The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (Acts 9:3-5)” Taking these two passages together, we see that Jesus is the Son of God, but we also see that persecuting other Christians (people) is the same thing as persecuting Jesus, the Son of the living God.    These two lessons were learned by Peter and Paul, and that resulted in the transformation of their lives.  This transformation was not a one-time event, but a continuous and ongoing process.   Peter grew in faith, in boldne...

Cost of Discipleship 2 Corinthians 6:11-18 Asha Sony, Kochamma St. Andew's MTC, NY 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The apostle Paul cautions Corinthians against mingling with unbelievers. There is danger that communion with bad people will damage spirituality of good people. So Paul says we must not join with idolatrous service. Their false worship must not confound together the table of Lord and table of devil. Believers of Jesus Christ creating light in the world but wicked people creating darkness. Christ and Beliar are contrary to each other. They have opposite interest and designs. As a temple of God they are dedicated to the service of God. God has promised to walk with them, if it happens so we should have the right relationship with Christ. There is no compromise between...

Christian Discipleship Mark 10:35-45 Rev. Mathew B. St. James MTC, NY 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” A disciple or a follower is one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of his teacher. Jesus prefers his disciples to be like Him. In Luke 14:26 Jesus explains the conditions of Christian discipleship as " If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes - even his own life he cannot be my disciple. A disciple of Jesus must love Him more than they love any other person, including immediate families or wealth. It is the kind of love that is passionate. This type of love is born from time spent together with him, a bond of intimacy.  In Luke 14:26, Jesus uses the word "Hate" to indicate a lesser degree of devotion or less love towards anything ie parents, self-ego, wealth, position etc. Christian discipleship is a p...

Worship the Lord in Truth and Spirit Isaiah 6:1-8 Marykutty Thomas St. Thomas MTC, NY And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah chapter 6: 1-8 is a special call to Isaiah the prophet and also to all believers of the Faith. Isaiah is a major prophet in the Bible and this chapter opens with King Uzziah dying. King Uzziah was a successful King, but was proud and did only what the priests were supposed to do in the Temple of God. The chief Priest Azariah and eighty other priests opposed him. But he burned incense on the altar of the LORD, which angered the Holy God. Uzziah became a leper who spent rest of his life outside the palace.  His son Jotham took over as King and was righteous in the sight of God (2 Chronicles 27:1). But what a destruction that happened to Uzziah. Isaiah the prophet spent most of his time in the palace with Uzziah so he knew what was going on in the nat...

Worship the Lord in Truth and Spirit Exodus 32:7-14 Lali B. Joseph St. John's MTC, NY 7 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; 8 they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” Even though the Israelites had been freed by the Lord in the land of Egypt, their thoughts were still filled with Egyptian idol worship and its culture. This reflection is seen when Moses went up Mount Sinai to talk with God, and the Israelites did not know what had happened to Moses. They had forgotten how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt, and they immediately started to worship idols. God had clearly stated, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heaven above, or...

Worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth 1 John 5:1-12 Nicole Thomas St. John's MTC, NY 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? What makes us a Christian? Is it just attending church, singing in choir, or having a position? If you don’t have the love of Christ and a drive to do God’s will, you are living a lie. God knows your heart better than you can ever comprehend. Who are you kidding? It is crucial to reevaluate your priorities-who is God in your life and where does he rank? Do we push God aside when we suddenly have it all? To truly worship as a child of God, you must love first. In 1 John 4:12 it writes, “but if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is made complete in us.” The idea of loving unconditionally is extremely difficult. God was capable of such when He sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. This is love (1 John 4:9). By loving God you must obey his commands. We...

Father's Day Ephesians 6:1-4 Rev. Dennis Abraham Youth Chaplain, South East Region “Honor your father and mother,…so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”  (Ephesians 6:2a,3  NRSV) Today is Father’s Day. This is a day that commemorates fatherhood, the work of all fathers and grandfathers. It is also a time to remember with gratitude, the lives of the Fathers who are not with us today. Paul’s letter to the faith community in Ephesus emphasized the importance of living an upright Christian life. This is directly quoted from the Ten Commandments given to Israel (Deuteronomy 6), one of which tells us to honor our parents. We need to understand that our parents are God’s gift to us. This is a privilege. Children honoring their parents will lead to a sustained Christian family life. A family that does not accept the leadership of the parents will have difficulty being sustained. God desires obedience, humility, and respect in the family. ...

Worship the Lord in Truth and Spirit John 4:13-26 Rev. Sony Philip Ebenezer MTC, NY 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  A God who moves is hope for a worshiping Christian Community. We cannot place God in one particular place. Now a days most of the people are trying to place God in one place as deity i.e.; they are not interested in a God who is watching, travelling and correcting them. True worship leads to meaningful participation and existence in Kingdom of God. Worship should encourage people to take new challenges of life. When we analyze the people of Samaria and the people of Israel who are in a conflict about the place of worship, there were so many rivalries between them. Such kind of worship doesn’t lead to fellowship of life but destruction of relationship. People like the Samaritan woman faces so much discrimination at that time, even though Jewish people had cultural and spiritual barriers t...

Creation Proclaims the Glory of God Proverbs 8:22-31 Bently Joseph St. John's MTC, NY 22 The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. 3 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. “In this world it is not what we take up. But what we give up that makes us rich” –Henry Beecher  We wake up each morning getting ready for the day ahead. We step outside and just go about our day, but how many times do we actually take the time to look around and be thankful for the beauty around us? The only time we might take notice is when everything looks so scenic and we revel in its beauty. When we hear about natural disasters around the world we fear its power. When we gaze in the sky, space, or sea we are awed by its mystery because of what we can’t yet see. There are so many emotions when it comes to experiencing God’s creation and it proclaims his glory. “God made all of His creation to give...

Call and Commission of the Disciples Hebrews 10:32-39 Nobin Vaidian St. Thomas MTC, NY 36 For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. Imagine for a moment, that the disciples were just like you and me. In fact, they were just average people that Christ used to develop His church. These were men who were social misfits in their community, people who didn’t fit in or weren’t seen as leaders. Through those men, the gospel was told throughout the world. The disciples had faced many forms of suffering and persecution, but they persevered through it all for the gospel. Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Hebrews 10:32-39 is an amazing portion from the Bible that talks about the call and commission of our Christian faith.  Hebrews pushes us to persevere in our faith, especial...

Call and Commission of the Disciples 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 Jerryl Abraham St. John's MTC, NY 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. Paul wrote his letters to the Corinthians in order resolve issues of conduct within the Christian church. The primary issue in the church was the rise of factions in the church. Certain individuals provided Paul with information about the divisions that arose in the church. Immorality had unfortunately defined the church of Corinth since its inception.  Paul’s success as an apostle of Christ came from his swift response to such issues in the early church. The letters to the church of Corinth reveals Paul’s pastoral heart. Paul’s greatest issue was promoting unity in a church that was largely self-centered. Paul uses a beautiful metaphor by comparing the church to a physical body. In doing so Paul both paints a picture of what the church should be but also puts into perspective the role that the individual pl...

Calm in the Midst of the Storm Luke 8:22-25 Rev. Roy A. Thomas St. Thomas MTC of Delaware Valley, PA 24 They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 historically has been referred to as the “Big Blow”, the “Freshwater Fury”, or the “White Hurricane”. It was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Basin. The deadliest and most destructive natural disaster ever to hit the lakes, the Great Lakes Storm killed more than 250 people, destroyed 19 ships, and stranded 19 others. The financial loss in vessels alone was nearly $119,310,000. While most of the ships caught in the open sea paid the ulti...