Reflections

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION:  EQUIPPING THE PEOPLE OF GOD Psalm 99:1-9  v5 Exalt the Lord your God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! This psalm is a proclamation of God's Holiness. This is a fundamental attribute of God. In our worship we chant “Holy, Holy, Holy” while praising him. He is a reigning King. Because of His holiness, creation should tremble before Him in awe. People of God are reminded to equip themselves to exalt him in His Glory and majesty.  The awesomeness and holiness imply that we must bow before him in submission, obedience and reverence. Our knowledge of this infinite God is very limited for our finite mind.  God instructed Moses to make a mercy seat of pure gold with two cherubim at both ends facing one another with wings covering the mercy seat.  In the Old Testament, God told Moses that He would meet with him there from above the mercy seat between the cherubim. (Exodus 25:17-22). The Lord reigns with justice, righteousness and mer...

Theological Education – Equipping the people of God Ephesians 3:1-13 v10,11 - His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.                What if the church is more than the weekly forum to meet and worship together, where the usual songs are sung, pleasantries are exchanged, and where folks think they may have encountered their Maker?  Paul says that the church is to convey the mystery of God's grace. The word mystery stems from the Greek  musterion  which has several implied meanings – revealed secret, mystery, and matters of a different realm that required teaching.  Paul teaches his reader the  musterion , the simple fact that God’s grace had no boundary, and was open to Gentile and Jew alike.  It was...

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION: EQUIPPING THE PEOPLE OF GOD Jeremiah 1:1-10 V2. “ Before I formed you in the womb  I  knew you, and before you were born I consecrated  you ;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”                  In today's world many  people suffer from depression  along with a feeling of  inadequacy, worthlessness,  and  an inability to find a purpose in life. Jeremiah chapter 1 gives us a sense of hope in that context.  We see a mandate given to Jeremiah as well as to each one of us, a calling, and to walk in a path that pleases God.  Are we able to listen to God's call and respond positively?  We need to remember that our vulnerabilities will not be a hindrance in fulfilling His purpose.                  Jeremiah was a special child separa...

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION: EQUIPPING THE PEOPLE OF GOD 2  Timothy 2:1-13 V  1,8.  You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.    Remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel for which I am suffering. Do you consider yourself as a strong person in life? What does it mean to be strong?  Someone who is strong is one who can overcome adversity, challenges and hardship; he does not avoid  difficulty but endures to the end. Apostle Paul  in this epistle is admonishing his protege' Timothy to  become strong in the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Paul was locked up in prison during a time of severe persecution of Christians, and only a few like Onesiphorus  was not  afraid of  helping Paul being in chains. Timothy was also an ardent faithful servant of God through his strong family background. Paul was concerned of the church as well as, the wel...

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION: EQUIPPING PEOPLE OF GOD Deuteronomy 6:1-17   v5-6 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you, keep them in your heart.                   This bible portion gives us a glimpse of God as holy and our only response should be love, honor and worship him in reverence. It also gives a chance to examine ourselves, and to make sure that we are yet to grow in personal holiness. God entrusted Moses to remind Israel of the God's commandment and a warning, in order to teach and equip them well, at a time when they are about enter Canaan.  Moses reviews the ten commandments, the Lord gave him and emphasizes the meaning of the first commandment, calling the people to worship the Lord alone.  This is the same commandment that Jesus called the greatest of all commandments.(Matt  22:...

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION: EQUIPPING THE PEOPLE OF GOD John 12:20-26 v23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” In verse 20, we read about a few Greeks who were likely converts to the Jewish Faith. They approached Philip to meet with Jesus. This was right after they had heard about his miracle in raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus responds by announcing that the hour has come for the “Son of Man to be glorified”.  The subsequent verses 23-25 paint a beautiful picture of the necessary sacrifice of Jesus. Unless a grain of wheat dies and is buried in the ground, it will not become a blade of wheat producing many more seeds. Jesus had to die to pay the penalty for our sins and to show his power over death. God does not demand our death for salvation, instead he saves all those who have accepted the glorification of Jesus. His resurrection shows that He has eternal life. Jesus can give this same eternal life to ALL who believe in HIM. ...

ST. JAMES APOSTLES DAY                Mark   10:35-45     V 44-45 “If any one of you wants to be first, you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served; he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people”.                                James  the son of Zebedee, along with his brother John, was one of the 12 disciples of our Lord. He was greater than the other disciple James the son of Alphaeus. James the greater was distinguished as being a member of the Lord's inner circle of  three disciples, along with Peter and John.  St. James apostles day is celebrated on July 25 th   every year  remembering his martyrdom. He was put  to death  by  King Herod Agrippa I, in A...

Ambassadors for Christ:God’s chosen people Jeremiah 26: 10-15 v14 “Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you.” All of us want to achieve success, particularly if that includes labeling ourselves or our work as unique. Being “chosen” means to be selected as the best or most appropriate option, and in our minds, we define it as a task/purpose no one else can be qualified for, and upon completion, we will gain the admiration of our peers, be well-recognized, and receive more good things. That sounds great but may not biblically accurate or consistent. The Bible is full of chosen people who did not achieve “success” the way we measure it today, and one of those prominent examples was Jeremiah. He is known for his laments and pleads to God on behalf of his people who were often disobedient, idolatrous, and antagonistic towards God’s law. As a result of the...

PEOPLE OF GOD: AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST Psalms 18:1-6 v2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”    Through this bible passage, we are going to meditate on the power of trusting in God and his promises. To start off, we know that this is a psalm which was written by David along with many other ones throughout this book. David was definitely a man who went through many trials and tribulations in his life. Such as Saul plotting his death due to jealousy and so many other roadblocks in his life. Regardless of what he was going through, he never gave up hope in God. He knew that somehow God would hold him and get him through his tribulations. As human beings when we go through a problem in our lives, some people generally cry out and tend to even angrily question God with things like, “why would you let this happen to me? or what have I done to deserve this?” But eve...

God’s People Philippians  1:12-21 v21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.   A Christian soldier who was home on furlough was rushing to catch his train when he ran into a fruit stand on the station platform. While the young boy who operated the fruit stand desperately tried to pick up his scattered fruit, the apologetic serviceman put down his luggage and started collecting the apples. He polished each one with his handkerchief and put it back on the counter. So impressed was the boy that he asked gratefully, “Soldier, are you Jesus?” With a smile the soldier replied, “No, but I’m trying to be like Him.” (Source: Our Daily Bread – 2009 Annual Edition) The Apostle Paul was under house arrest, waiting to appear in court before Caesar, when he wrote this letter to the church in Philippi around A.D. 61. Even at this time, when the future is so uncertain, he tells them joyfully in verse 13 - “As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard a...

Understanding His True Plan Judges 6:11-24 v14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”                         Within our world, we are often consumed in what we are doing, or worried about how to deal with our present that we forget that we have to trust in God to move forward. We constantly question Him and think that we know what is best, even though our understanding is far from it.  I know that in my life I am often overwhelmed with difficulties whether it is in school, friendships, or family. Yet through His teachings, I have realized that we must have faith to find our path. In Judges 6:11-24, it presents the story of Gideon, who had a great amount of faith in God. Gideon was just a young timid Israelite who was called upon by God to defeat the Midianites that were attacking Israel...

AMBASSADORS OF GOD 2 Corinthians  5:16-20 “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)   After his conversion, the way Paul viewed people changed radically. From then on, he did not recognize anyone according to the flesh; he no longer evaluated people based on external, worldly standards. In this passage Paul admits that ‘we’ i.e., all the people, had beheld Christ ‘according to the flesh’ based on mere human parameters. In Christ and New Creation:  In Christ implies unity with Christ through faith in him and being committed to him (Romans.6:11). New Creation is the realization of God’s work in us, using our will and choices. So we must both receive the gift of being a new creation and be challenged to live the life of a new creation. This takes place in Christ, through whom all things are created anew. Ministry of Reconciliation:  Reconcili...

PEOPLE OF GOD/AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST Joshua 1:1-9 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go."(Joshua 1:7)   After wandering in the desert for forty years, God prepared both Joshua and the nation by teaching them the importance of being courageous and having consistent faith. God appointed Joshua as the ambassador to lead the liberated people of God to Canaan. The nation then miraculously crossed the Jordan River to begin the long awaited conquest of the promised land. Just as an ambassador represents and communicates the desires and will of the head of state, so are we to represent and communicate the desires and will of Christ to others. Like Joshua, we too need faith to begin and continue living the Christian life.  God calls Christians to follow Christ and be the light to the world. We are to become ambassadors of Christ and His...

People of God : Ambassadors of Christ  Mark 6: 7-13 v7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. Today's text deals with the basic qualifications of Christ disciple. Jesus sends out the disciples as a delegate or as an ambassador. What are the parameters required for the sent. There are three basic qualifications to the disciples. 1. Simplicity To a disciple of Christ is denied the inevitable precautions before undertaking a journey. Less luggage and more comfort is a guide line for a traveler . Once a Guru said " I have a habit of receiving another cloth only when the one I wear is not usable any longer. Today I needed a meal , I got it and that is enough". Again the old man said " Whatever you give to others is your saving. What remains with you is disease, fear and enemy". It is not what you need to live a luxurious life. The question is how you can manage to live without much possession...

Holy Ordination- Priest: Called for a Divine Ministry John  21: 15-18 v17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” In this well-known passage, Simon Peter already denied Jesus three times but Jesus purposely goes on to ask Peter whether he loved him three times. How terrible Peter must have felt after He denied his teacher! But how does this Bible portion relate to divine ministry? Many often say, “What a coincidence!” and the next day say, “God has a plan.” As Christians, the Word teaches us coincidences don’t occur. God has every finite second planned out from the womb. (Jeremiah 1:5) Likewise, Jesus did not ask Peter these questions three times because he could not hear him. He knew what Peter was feeling and consciously asked him to feed His she...

Holy Ordination: Priest- Called for a Divine Ministry Deuteronomy 5: 20-33 v24 "...Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them."  This week we have been reflecting on the idea of priesthood. Peter declared us to be a royal priesthood. Yet what does that really entail? What would it look like for us to really live as members of that royal priesthood? An aspect of that I want to call us to is the privilege of speaking to and hearing from God. It’s something that we take for granted and often neglect. However, it is the foundation of priesthood and one the most pivotal gifts we have received through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In Deuteronomy 5: 23-27 the people express their shock and wonderment at the idea of a human being like Moses conversing with God. The fact that a human being in their lowliness could somehow witness the presence of God and hear his voice completely blew them away. Think about how today there is no space between us a...

The Purpose & Mission of Ministry Ephesians 4:7-16  v12"... to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."    Practice what you preach- this is how the disciples lived. Matthew Chapter 4 is where the disciples first meet Jesus. During Jesus’ life on Earth, he called twelve special men who immediately got up as soon as Jesus said “Come, Follow Me”, left all their possessions and followed Christ diligently. Jesus prepared the hearts and minds through the Holy Spirit to spread the Word and love of our Father. Each of the disciples went out in the world to preach, to tell the message of Jesus to every person they could have reached to. The disciples didn’t just learn about the Word, they also practiced what they preach. As individuals prepare to work and serve in church, they should do it with joy and determination to ensure everyone receives the Good News. In Acts 5: 41-42 it states: “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoic...