Reflections

  Christian Stewardship 1 Timothy  6:17-21 “Guard what has been entrusted to your care.” 1 Timothy 6:20 Christian stewardship, simply put, means we must take care of the things that God has entrusted to us. In our passage for today, Paul is writing to Timothy to give him advice on how to handle the issues transpiring in the church of Ephesus. As a leader of the church, it was Timothy’s responsibility to practice Christian stewardship by taking care of the church that God had placed under his ministry. Though many of us may not be working directly in ministry today, this passage underscores how Christian stewardship includes being responsible with the good things that God gives us. Let us further explore what this meant for those in the Ephesian church. Many people in the church of Ephesus were very wealthy. As such, idolizing money was a prevalent problem. Paul addressed this issue earlier in the chapter by describing the love of mo...

  Be an Influencer: A template for serving others Mathew 20: 25-28   V 27-28: “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” “Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character.” William Arthur Ward Influencer, as it is termed is shorthand for someone who exerts a degree of influence to affect the market habits of a consumer in a quantifiable manner. Although it is inextricably tied to modern consumerism, its intrinsic nature is of paramount importance in all walks of life. For today’s discussion let us channel our thoughts on how we influence others by serving one another.   Our Faith journey calls for us to serve one another in love. Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:13 says, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to...

  Christian Stewardship Malachi 3: 6-10   “Return to me and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. In the Bible passage of the day, we see God charging Israel that they have not kept His commandments and have in fact turned away from them. He continues to exhort Israel, through the prophet Malachi, to return to Him. And He singles out an issue in which He wants them obey His teachings – ‘To Tithe’.   The term ‘tithe’ literally means one-tenth. The Israelites were required to give a portion (one-tenth) of their crops/income to the temple and for the sustenance of the priestly tribe of Levi.  Fast forward to the 21st century, and . . . as a Christian, the term ‘tithing’ would be a familiar albeit a confusing one. We know that we are saved by grace and are no longer under the rule of Moses hence we don’t give importance to this term. But the principle of this concept of ‘tithing’ is still relevant as it was 2000 years ago. We are called to be stewards of the res...

  CHALLENGES OF DISCIPLESHIP Acts 7:54-60   (v. 59-60) While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died. Life was not meant to be a comfortable journey.  Life’s journey enables us to understand that our life does not belong to us but rather to God.  So many times, we see ourselves or people around us desiring to “live life to the fullest”, usually when we hear this phrase, it is said on a selfish basis.  Many times, we think it is our life and it belongs to us.  How much are we able to realize that our existence belongs to God?  Along with that, the time we have, do we know that belongs to God?  We are created to have a purposeful life surrendered to God. Psalm 24:1 says: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it”.  We should surrender ourselves ...

  CHALLENGES OF DISCIPLESHIP St. John 10: 11 - 18   V. 12-15: “ The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.   “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” We live in a world of fake leaders and unreliable promises. We get fascinated by their motivational speeches and sugar-coated words. But later on, world realised that many of them were not genuine. We could see a few leaders who could influence & inspire the lives of a group of people through their speeches and leadership. But there is only one leader who could come down to earth and live among his people, understand their struggle, comfort their minds, transform their lives, res...

  THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP Titus 2:1 - 10  V.7: "In all things, you yourself must be an example of good behavior. Be sincere and serious in your teaching." A hen and a pig approached a church and read the advertised sermon topic: “What can we do to help the poor?” Immediately the hen suggested they feed them bacon and eggs. The pig thought for a moment and said, “There is only one thing wrong with feeding bacon and eggs to the poor. For you, it requires only a contribution, but for me, it requires total commitment!” The term “cheap grace” can be traced back to a book written by German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called The Cost of Discipleship, published in 1937. In that book, Bonhoeffer defined “cheap grace” as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” The emphasis is on the benefits of Ch...

  THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP Colossians  3: 12-17  V.12: You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience A Dangerous teaching was threatening the church at Colossae, one that lessened Christ’s role and undermined the new identity of believers “in Christ” (1:2, 28). Paul wrote to warn the Christians in Colossae against this false teaching and to encourage the believers in their growth toward Christian maturity. He emphasizes Christ’s authority over all evil powers. Christians are united with the risen Christ, and therefore they share in his power and authority. Paul also encourages these believers to fight against sin, pursue holiness, and live as distinctively Christian households. The list of five virtues in verse 12 compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience are found also in other Pauline epistles to designate actions and characteristics...

  THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP Daniel  6:10-23  V.22: My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king I have done no harm. The word ‘Disciple’ in the New Testament is derived from  the Greek word ‘Mathetes’, which  generally means one who is engaged in learning through instructions from another person . A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, who adheres to His teachings. Jesus Christ said in Luke 9:23 , “ If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  This makes it very clear that a disciple is someone who learns from Jesus and live like Jesus, for which  we need to bear the cost of discipleship. Otherwise we cannot be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.  A disciple is someone who because of God’s amazing grace, conforms his or her words and deeds to the words and deeds of Jesus Christ.  ...

  THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP 2 Corinthians 11:27  V.27: I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” This was a quote by missionary Jim Elliot who was killed attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador. His quote was challenging for me in my perspective of sacrifice and my giving to the kingdom. Jim lived by the quote he had in his journal and ultimately his death led to the people coming to know God later on. My mentor at the Christian fellowship would often quote this line to students and it has become a motto for me. As we read throughout Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we get a glimpse into  just some of the many trials he faced in his journeys to preach the gospel.           The church in Corinth had grown in numbers but strugg...

  THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP ISAIAH 56:1-8  V.6: Unto them will I give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and daughters: I will give them an everlasting name: that shall not be cut off. The cost to follow Jesus is very high and has not changed from time in memory. The cost is the same as before when the apostles decided to follow the carpenter abandoning their nets and water to the present, to those of us who think are very sophisticated and, in a dilemma, to follow Him or see Him from far and know about Him only. We live in a highly technologically advanced world, and we still pursue and keep our personal ambitions and look for worldly gratifications and transient fames of the world that fade away like grass of the field. Jesus said in Luke 9 :23 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. To live as a true disciple of Christ, to live as a Christian in today's troubled world involves a lot...

  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...