Reflections

  Sanctification Of the Church  Nehemiah 1 :1 - 11 V4 : "As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven." Even though it happened in the 5th century BC, the book of Nehemiah is still just as relevant today. The Babylonians had taken over the Jerusalem temple and razed it to the ground. In the book of Ezra, we learn that King Artaxerxes had given permission to the Jews to rebuild the temple. However, even after many years, the walls of the temple were still broken down and there were no secure gates to the city. Nehemiah was a God-fearing Jewish official in the Persian king’s palace who had risen to the trusted rank of his cupbearer. When he learnt about the dire state of Jerusalem, he was devastated. He was burdened and was greatly concerned about his people because he cared deeply for his nation. He wept and mourned for Jerusalem. But Nehemiah wasn't just stuck in his grief. He fasted ...

  Sanctification Of the Church St. Mathew  21:12-17 He said to them, ‘‘It is written, ‘ My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers”( v.13). What we see in this biblical portion is about the activities and practices in the church of Jerusalem which was against the will of God. What we observe here is the pungent response of God against these practices. They shattered all the moralities and the sanctification of the teachings of God and the Jewish religion by keeping appropriate silence to the activities of king Herod and by staying along with the ill teachings and practices of the Roman Empire. In addition to these, they had undertaken all the buildings and other materialistic possessions by creating a false notion that they were creating space or room for the pilgrims who were visiting Jerusalem. They also gave a spiritual make-over to the injustice. Besides this injustice, they also made provision to appoint officials from their own families ...

           Sanctification Of the Church Hebrew  9:11-23 V20 – “This is the Blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” The emphasis in Hebrews 9 and 10 is on the cleansing efficacy of the blood of Jesus Christ. The author Hebrews draws a strong contrast between the sacrifices of the old covenant Levitical system with its animals and the perfect self-sacrifice of Christ. Jesus was undefiled, morally perfect, who of His own volition made the decision to die in the place of the sinner. The image we draw from this passage is about the Sacrificial blood of Christ to bring Sanctification. The blood of Christ is so much powerful. The sacrifices in the Old Testament showed that it only freed the outward man from ceremonial uncleanness, but it was Christ who offered himself without any sinful stain in his nature or life. It cleanses the guiltiest conscious from dead or deadly works, to serve the living God. God is merciful and forgiving. He created us an...

  SANCTIFICATION OF THE CHURCH Psalm:127 Vs 3: Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.        Sanctification is the Holy Spirit's work of making us holy. When the Holy Spirit creates faith in us, he renews us in the image of God so that through his power we can produce good works. These good works are not giving merit but showing faith in our hearts. It is a process and gift from God which makes every willing member holy, according to their repentance and righteous efforts through the Savior Jesus Christ.   Vs 1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain”.   Whether we are running a home or building a house, working at an office, or supporting a ministry there is one vital principle that is all-embracing, all our undertakings that require a total dependence upon God, without which all our efforts will be frustrated, and all activities will be rendered unsuccessful.  Irrespective of dev...

  Sanctification of the Church 1 Peter  1: 13-19         The author counsels steadfastness and perseverance under persecution. He also inspires the faith community to obedience to God. Some thoughts are given below:  1) Preparing for Obedience In vs 13. We are called to gird up the loins of our minds being ready to obey God’s commands.  Girding up the loins of our minds means that we must do what is necessary to be ready mentally to move forward in obedience. Our minds are saturated with untruths and not ready to obey.  We must purposely take in Bible truth, renew our minds so that we are ready to act. We must be obedient because time is drawing near for our salvation to be made fully manifest at the coming of Jesus Christ.  When Christ returns, we want Him to find us obeying God’s commands. Be diligent now because Jesus is coming again. 2) Looking to the Perfect One to Obey In verse 14, God tells us through the Apostle Peter that we are...

  Sanctification of the Church  Jonah 3:1-10         “The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them from the  greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.” – Jonah 3:5   Sanctification is the work of God. Christ the head of the Church has set the Church free from the reign of Sin. The Holy Spirit leads us to the sanctification that God the Father desires. St. Paul say, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Gal.  5:16 )  God commissioned Prophet Jonah to proclaim His Judgement against this great city called Nineveh (Jonah 3:4). But what saved Nineveh from God’s wrath was their immediate response to the call for repentance and sanctification. Nineveh’s  sinfulness can be compared with the city of Sodom, but what is different here in  Nineveh is that they treated God’s message to them with great urgency (Vv. 5-9)  Justification is entirely God’s work, but Sanctificat...

  Sanctification of the Church  Acts 7:44-53         v51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit" The Church is the extension of the incarnation. It is expected to be holy. Being holy is not just desirable, it is a commandment. God commands "Be holy as I am holy".  What or who constitutes the Church? The word 'church'  comes from the Greek word 'ecclesia' which means a called-out company or assembly. We often think of the church building as the holy place where God dwells. But the New Testament teaches that 'Your body is the temple of the living God ---- you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body'. (1 Cor  6:19-20 ).  Does the Church need sanctification? Sanctification means the action of making or declaring something holy. The need for sanctification implies that what is existing is unholy or impure.  In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus teaches us clearly abo...

            FAMILY -THE REPLICA OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD   I JOHN 2:7-17 Vs 17 “ And the world passeth away and the lust thereof. but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” Family is the God-established small unit of His kingdom on the Earth. God started the institution of a family starting from the garden and He has given rules for the family to live and succeed. We are all created for a purpose and that is to praise Him and worship Him. Idolatry is forbidden in His eyes and He have given specific commandments for His people to obey and follow. We are all kingdom seekers. We are in the pursuit of finding a kingdom where we are known and loved. We are looking for a kingdom where there is peace, joy, and happiness. Heaven is a place where Bible says there is no suffering or pain, and life is eternal. what happens here in this earthly life is important as all that we do, see and perform are measured by heavenly values and standards. Our heaven...

  FAMILY: Replica of the Kingdom of God St. Luke. 2:41-52        Family is a gift from God. It is a fellowship of obligations, responsibilities and privileges. It is a meaningful sharing community. Family must be a a group of people who are dedicated and obedient to God's will. The family is a place instituted by God for God to dwell in. The family should share God's love in joyous relationships. Through our families God wants faith to be manifested. If that is God's will for our family, then our faith should rearrange everything else in our lives and control the decisions and direction of the family. If we want our children to have a long spiritual life, we must train them in godly devotion. How we can practice faith in the family? 1. Speak the faith Our conversation reveals our interests. The importance of our faith, both spiritually and personally, is reflected in how much we talk about it. As parents, we have the opportunity to talk daily about our faith thr...

  FAMILY: Replica of the Kingdom of God 1Corinthians.13        Once upon a time Clay and Dry Leaf went to Kashi together. Shortly after leaving, a very strong wind came up. Realizing that the wind would blow the leaf away, the clay sat on the top of the dry leaf and rescued it from the wind. Soon it was raining and the dry leaf sat on the clay and saved it from dissolving in the rain. Marital life is a journey like this. Family relationships give shelter and support in times of crisis. Family is the covenant of love and the means to the realization of love. God, who is in love, will transform the family into a platform for sharing His love. The family should grow in the spirit of Christ's love, which uproots the human selfishness and the 'self' within them. The family is called to complete God's purpose, not to maintain the authority of the husband or wife. 'Married people must have the patience of a teacher, the ingenuity of a psychologist, the sense of justice...

  FAMILY: Replica of the Kingdom of God  Colossians 3:18-25         Verse: 23  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  Family is the fundamental institution of the society ordained by God. Being a part of the family of God is the greatest blessing bestowed upon believers and that should drive us to our knees in humble adoration. Apostle Paul defined the Kingdom of God in his letter to the churches. The Kingdom of God is within you.  For it is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God is also called the Kingdom of Heaven, it is the spiritual realm,  over which God reigns as the King, and where the fulfillment of His will prevails.  That is why when we utter the Lord's prayer, we repeatedly say,” Thy kingdom come”.      ...

FAMILY: Replica of the Kingdom of God   Psalm 127: 1          This week we celebrate Family Week. I would like to share some reflections related to it. May God bless our families. The well-known Bishop, Fulton Sheen is famous for what he said about marriage. 'Three to get Married'. God is the essential element of the family, the one who brings us together and blesses us for the rest of our lives. The family was established according to God's purpose. Without him, it would not be complete. According to Dr. KM Tharakan, the family is based on five things. "Deep faith in God, deep love between family members, willingness to enter into the heart, the ability to live without being poor or rich, a spirit of love and respect for others as we love ourselves ". The most important of these is faith in God. "Unless Yahweh builds the house, the builders work in vain" (Psalm 127.1). God's presence must always be evident in the family established by Him. Joshua...

  FAMILY: Replica of the Kingdom of God   GAL 6;1-10           Vs 2. Bear ye one another burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ In Mathew  7:21  it reads Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of God, but he who does the will of my father in heaven. Jesus in His three and half years of ministry on the earth taught his disciples and preached about the kingdom of heaven at length through sermons and parables. He has told Nicodemus the Pharisee to be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven. In Mathew 18:3 Jesus says unless you are converted and become like little children you will by no means enter the kingdom of God. It is evident by these statements that a person can enter God’s kingdom but there are certain requirements that must be met. Today’s topic for devotion is family, the replica of God’s Kingdom. Can we meet those requirements while we are members of God instituted family? God created man and put him in the...

  FAMILY: Replica of the Kingdom of God Psalms 128 Vs.1: “Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him"  Family is the foundation where society is built, that which forms the basis for the values that an individual carries with them in their entire life. But retaining the sanctity, fellowship, love, care, and security a family gives has become so challenging these days. Our families are far from the replica of the Kingdom of God. Psalm 128, known as the Song of Ascents, begins with the reason why we fail to build the replica of the Kingdom of God in our families. 1) Fear of the Lord Many thinkers have expressed that we are not supposed to fear our Lord but love Him, which is right to a significant extent. Yet, let me ask you all. When is it that we feel the emotion called FEAR? Either when there is a life-threatening situation or when there could be a negative consequence for an action of ours. So when we say that we fear our Lord, it is an acknowledgment ...

   Youth: Search for a meaningful life Psalms 111   In Psalms 111 we see the psalmist declaring that he praises God, and he wants all of God’s creatures to give praise as well.  He begins by giving an example of praise, in which he says (v1)“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart”.   The question posed to us,  is when is the last time we gave thanks to the Lord with our whole heart.  Do we dedicate time in our lives to give thanks on a daily basis?  As Thanksgiving fast approaches, I hope we are not a people that reserve thanks for one day of our lives.  The Psalmist explains that he can only praise due to being thankful to God.   We might want to do things for God or bring our concerns or those of our fellow brothers and sisters before God, but many times we don’t just sit in wholehearted thankfulness. Personally, I am quick to bring my prayer concerns before God but slow to bring my thanks.   We need to go deeper into ...

  Where is our treasure? “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” St. Mark 10:17 We all are very familiar with the game Treasure hunt. It is an outdoor game for kids which encourages them to be active and explore. A treasure hunt is all about looking for something hidden and then finding it. This passage is about a young man also looking for something. That something is eternal life. He was in the prime of his life, as St. Mathew tells us; a ruler of the synagogue, as St. Luke tells us, an exceedingly rich man as St. Mark tells us. All three of the synoptic gospels relate. St Luke tells us he was very rich, and St. Mathew and St. Mark tell us that he had great possessions. He was outwardly moral and observant of God’s law. In the scripture, we see that he was approaching Jesus and asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He felt the need for something better. He had cravings for something higher. His wealth, with all the facilities it afforded, all the profit...

  Youth: Search for a Meaningful Life 1 Timothy  4:12-16    Paul in this specific section of his first letter to Timothy was making sure that he was ready to take on church leadership of the Ephesian church and other churches in Asia Minor. Timothy was a man under the age of 40 and at that time many elders did not consider this to be of an age of maturity. Paul was stating to Timothy that his age was not what made him fit to lead but his character. A servant leader must be an example or model to others in the church. Paul gave Timothy 5 areas where he should be a model to the church. These areas included his speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Paul had recommended Timothy dedicate his time to reading Scripture and preaching publicly. He should in turn not focus on those who were critical of him. If he held these areas to a high moral standard, the church would not question his authority. This demeanor of character will also allow for more to come to belief and ...

  The Armor of God Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” One thing that is certain, we know that adjusting to change can be challenging. Be it planned or unplanned, gradual, or sudden, change is inevitable and very much part of being human. Over the past few years, we have experienced an unprecedented shift in our way of life due to covid. We took precautions and protection to guard against the covid virus and its variants. There’s something much more dangerous and deadly than a virus going around. As St. Peter puts it, “Be alert and sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. That’s more dangerous than the virus but I don’t think people are concerned about this threat as they are about the virus.  The Armor of God, described by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10 -18, is our spiritual defense against attacks by Satan. Paul urges us to guard against “the sc...

  Youth: Search for a Meaningful Life Daniel 1:1-17 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he may not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8 NKJV). When we read into the story of Daniel, we see a perfect example of young men striving to serve God in the midst of great adversity. Young and old alike, we can all draw many parallels from the life of Daniel and his friends to our lives as followers of Jesus Christ in the present day.      In the book of Daniel, God’s judgment on the Israelites manifests in Babylon’s invasion of Judea. The Israelites were given chance after chance to repent and turn from their wicked ways, but they stubbornly refused to do so. Thus, we are given the story of Daniel. He and his three friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were selected to be trained for service in King Nebuchadnezzar’s pa...