Reflections

Community Formation Around the Resurrection Experience Isaiah 65:17-25 Vs. 17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.  A community is a group of people living in a specific geographical area and sharing the same benefits. Christian communities share the same free gift of salvation through faith in Christ and Christ alone. We were lost and dead in our sins, but now we are found and made alive in Christ. The curse brought by sin is completely reversed. Now we live in newness of life.  We can grow together in our spiritual journey as a community plugged into His power outlet. Resurrection is the exhibition of God’s power and sovereignty.  God called Abraham out of his father’s house and increased him and formed a community and nation out of him.  The nation of Israel strayed away from God and God scattered them all over the world. Here Isaiah is prophesying the restoration of Israel as we...

Community Formation Around the Resurrection Experience   Acts 4:32-37 Vs. 32 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. Resurrection is the central point behind Christianity. We may hear about resurrection quite often, but can we truly comprehend the power that it brings? When we look at the Early Church, we see how significantly resurrection impacted the lives of the early followers of Jesus. Characteristics of the Early Church: As a side note, the early followers of Jesus were not called Christians. In fact, they were often referred to as “Followers of the Way.” The community of early followers that made up the Early Church did not live in a favorable time period. Jesus’ initial followers were considered a threat to the Roman government due to their uncommon practices and unwillingness to take part in Rome’s pagan rituals. For such reasons...

Encounter With the Risen Christ 1 Thessalonians 1:3-10 VS. 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul forms his real experience of his encounter with the Risen Christ in Acts: 9 as he was talking to people of Thessalonica. Thessalonica was one of the wealthiest and most flourishing trade centers in the Roman Empire. Many pagan religions and cultural influences that challenged the faith of the young Christians existed there. The Thessalonian church stood firm when they were persecuted. Paul commended these young Christians for their work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, and endurance inspired by hope. These characteristics are the marks of effective Christians in any age. The true confrontation with risen Christ will change us and strengthens us to move forward to face challenges. 1) Faith is moving The gospel came with “power”. Effect of that power will change a person and e...

Encounter with the Risen Lord Genesis 32:22-32 Vs.30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.”  This passage is a familiar one to some and it depicts the moment when Jacob wrestles with God. In order to fully grasp the intent of this story, it is important to reflect upon the life of Jacob from the beginning of his birth. With a name such as Jacob, “he grasps the heel”, to Israel “he struggles with God”, his name signifies his consistent struggle in life. Life was not easy from the time of his birth and it continued as he grew with struggles with Laban, the work he did to marry the woman he wanted after 14 years, and his struggle with his brother. For a long time in his relationship with God, he only referred to God as the God of my father Abraham, the God of my father Isaac (Gen. 32:9), but then he finally through God’s promises to Him, he comes to realize who God was to him personally and not just to his an...

Believing in the Risen Christ 1 Kings 17:17-24 Vs. 24 So the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” Recently, I read a story in “Our Daily Bread” about a mother who tragically lost a teenager. She said, “I can’t figure it out, I don’t know if I can believe anymore. What does it all mean?” There are no easy answers to such concerns, but for those who have trust in the risen Christ, there is hope.   In I Kings 17 the widow’s son fell ill and died.  The widow’s reaction was similar to the mother in the above story. Elijah, however, trusted God and cried out to Him in prayer “my God, return this child’s life into him”. God rewards Elijah’s faith and the boy is revived.  The widow reaffirms what we see in verse 24, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth”. The fundamental principle of Christian faith is the belief in the risen Christ...

Believing in the Risen Christ 1 Peter 1:3-12 Vs. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  We have a rebirth in and through the risen Christ. God gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. The Holy Spirit always brings us to unite in Christ so that we enjoy the spiritual blessings and strength. We are called into a living hope of eternal life. Our hope is not only for the future but eternal life begins when we trust Christ and join God’s family. No matter what pain or trial we face in this life, we know that it is not our final experience.  1) Faith is kept safe by God’s power.  God will help us remain true to our faith through whatever difficult times we must face. We may have to endure trials, persecution or ...

Encounter With the Risen Lord Acts 9:1-18 Vs. 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  The Damascus road experience is a great event that we see in the Bible. This is when Saul, a staunch Pharisee had an encounter with the risen Christ on his way to Damascus. Damascus is about 150 miles away from Jerusalem and after Stephen’s death many Christians fled Jerusalem seeking refuge in other cities and countries. Saul was so zealous for his Jewish beliefs that he was keen to bring to chains anyone who was “following the way “. We see 5 reasons why Saul even went to Damascus to persecute Christians: 1. Saul wanted to advance his career and build up his reputation as a true Pharisee. 2. He wanted to prevent the spread of Christianity as Damascus was a major trading town where many foreigners come daily. 3. He wanted to seize ...

Encounter With the Risen Lord Psalm 40 Vs. 16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”  God delivers us from trouble. The wait may be difficult but we can be thankful for the outcome as we will be able to rejoice and testify to others. Some of the finest men and women of faith found in the Bible were victims of discouragement. David was one of them. Here in this Psalms we see David’s encounter with God and his cry for help. He praises God for His past kindness and help he got from God. David was able to see the goodness of God during the darkest times of his life. David waited patiently for God’s help and received four benefits. 1.Lifted him out of despair 2.Set his foot on a solid ground 3.Steadies him as he walked 4. Put a new song of praise in his mouth. When David cried God reached down with His loving arms and lifted him from the mud and slimy pit and turned his tears t into j...

Believing in the Risen Christ John 11:17-28 Vs. 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  Sometimes we are so consumed with doubt and worry that we often forget about our beliefs. We forget that Jesus is right there beside us while we go through the storms in our life; all we have to do is just believe.  Believing in the Risen Christ is challenging when you have a doubtful mind. Jesus has power over life and death as well as power to forgive sins. This is because he is the Creator of life. He who is life can surely reinstate it. The beauty of God’s grace and mercy is that whoever believes in Christ, has a spiritual life that death cannot conquer or destroy in any way. It is only when we realize h...

Encounter With the Risen Lord Revelation 1:1-8 Vs.7,8 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him..."   “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” When you see your Lord face to face, what do you imagine will happen?  If you were asked to paint a picture of what that initial encounter will look like, how would you draw it?  I have many images in my mind of what that moment will be like - sometimes I imagine I will immediately fall at God's feet; sometimes I think I will just keep on staring at the Lord, weeping with joy; other times, I imagine I will be singing and dancing in praise, or maybe all three will happen.   Perhaps you don't dwell on what heaven and that initial meeting of God will look like because you are too bogged down with worries of your current life. Or maybe you don't think of these things because you are content with your life here on earth. ...

Identifying the Risen Lord at the Work Place 1 King 19:19-21 VS. 21 ..........Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.  A few years ago, we had a meeting at our office regarding personal articles kept at work place. It was communicated to the participants that the office is public place and articles of religious faith should not be exhibited rampantly. It did not have the expected result because most of the participants continued to keep the articles dear to them on the desktop.  We live in a day and age where God is becoming an ignored entity in public place. Several civil debates and court cases have sprung from this very topic. The human race as a whole and Christians in particular, continue to overlook the omnipresence of God. It is in such a context that the presence of Risen Christ becomes relevant as a subject for discussion....