EMMAUS FAMILY MESSAGE FROM PG VARGIS
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Live Long And Strong
DEUTERONOMY 34:7 NIV 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.
Old age should not be a time to dread. We can look to God and receive strength, health, and provision for a full and enjoyable life.
God's plan for you is NOT an old age full of sickness, poverty, and loneliness.
Moses and Caleb are examples for us.
JOSHUA 14:10-11 NKJ 10 "And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 "As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.
GALATIANS 3:13-14 NKJ 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3 tells us we are to receive the blessing of Abraham -- through faith -- because of what Jesus has done. Now, read the following verses about Abraham.
GENESIS 13:2 NKJ 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
GENESIS 25:8 NASB 8 And Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.
Because Jesus has redeemed us from the curse, we also should believe God for a long, enjoyable, and productive life. And we should resist the devil who would try to steal it away from us.
We have the promise of God that He will satisfy us with life. (If you are not satisfied with your life, make some changes. God intends for you to be satisfied.)
PSALM 91:16 NKJ 16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."
PSALM 103:5 NKJ 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
God made our bodies to repair and renew themselves. As we walk and talk in faith, looking to the promises of God, the life of God will renew our bodies. (We should also allow God to guide us in the things we take into our bodies -- only putting good things into our mouths.)
PSALM 92:14 NKJ 14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
ISAIAH 46:4 NIV 4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
God is faithful. He will always be our wonderful Father, our great Provider, Helper, and Healer -- no matter how old we are, or what we face.
SAY THIS: Jesus redeemed me from the curse, so I will live a long, enjoyable life to the glory of God.
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Part II –
The Prince of Preachers, Charles Haden Spurgeon
There are few arguments that this man, Charles Haden Spurgeon, is the preacher among preachers outside of the Bible and he was called the Prince of Preachers. Testimony to that are the more than 300 million copies of his sermons and his influence in the formation of over 200 other churches. In my own personal library I have some of Charles Spurgeon’s written sermons that are nearly as powerful as the Scriptures themselves. He preached to some ten million people worldwide and in the church, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, it was always jam packed with five thousand people with an overflow of another one thousand. He tirelessly proclaimed the gospel even though he suffered greatly from depression and physical ailments which neither slowed him down nor stopped him from giving his messages. He was clearly one of the greatest of all time.
Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/10-greatest-preachers-of-all-time/#ixzz4fPT1C7hn
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Your brother in Christ,
P g vargis
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
“Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” - Isaiah 55:13 (ESV)
We often find ourselves not meeting our expectations. Wanting to be farther in our walk with Jesus than we are and desiring the same for those around us. It is so often easier to see our failures than His successes. Thankfully, immense comfort is supplied through this promise. The regularly remembered assurance that God’s Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11) finishes with this statement showing what the purpose of God’s Word will do. When we go to Jesus through His Word and pour it into our hearts and minds, asking the Holy Spirit to instruct us in faithfully applying the Scriptures to our life, God promises a miracle. He will take what is and replace with what should be, what is broken with strength. Let us go to our LORD and be delightfully satisfied in Him when we seek the redemption we truly need from the only One who can truly deliver. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6)
Part II –
FROM PROMISE TO POSSESSION!
> it seems to me that there are two key elements necessary for the exceeding great and precious promises of God to become a reality in our lives. One of those, of course, is FAITH!....accepting as fact....evidence if you please...that God who cannot lie means exactly what He has said. Therefore, we stand upon the promises....believing that God will somehow perform for us, and that we will be the grateful recipients of such grace....pure and simple.
>
> Certainly we cannot do what God can do, but, on the other hand, God will not do what we can do ourselves. Israel was promised a land flowing with milk and honey, but to possess that land involved CONFLICT....the second element. God's promise linked with our obedience equals possession!
>
> Faith without works is dead! God has given His word/promise.....I believe it; Therefore, I move forward into the conflict assured in my heart of ultimate victory! His word and my work! Faith and conflict! Both are necessary! Go in and possess the land...
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
'Then Nathan said to David,
Can you imagine the courage and integrity it took for Nathan the prophet to challenge King David about his affair with Bathsheba? Most of us tend to avoid confrontation because we fear being disliked and rejected. But when you avoid confrontation it often makes things worse. By hiding his sin, David was robbing himself of the blessing of the Lord. Looking back, he wrote, 'If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my...prayer' (Psalm 66:18-19 NIV). The tiny growth you don't want to deal with now can end up becoming a cancer that consumes you in the future. That's too high a price to pay. If you love someone, you'll take your courage in your hand and confront them in love. Confrontation is an opportunity to help develop that person - provided you do it respectfully and with their best interest at heart.
Here are ten guidelines to help you confront someone in a positive way:
(1) Do it ASAP. (2) Address the wrong action, not the person. (3) Address only what the person can change. (4) Give them the benefit of the doubt. (5) Be specific. (6) Avoid sarcasm. (7) Avoid saying 'you always' and 'you never' because they are not true. (8) When it's appropriate, tell them how you feel about what was done wrong. (9) Give them a plan to fix the problem. (10) Affirm him or her as a person and as a friend.
The Bible says, 'The Lord corrects those he loves' (Proverbs 3:12 NCV). So, if you love someone, you'll confront them in the right way.
Part II –
Commitment
People of excellence are those who see through the clutching greed of our times—people who have declared their undivided allegiance to Christ's message, people who have humbled themselves to Christ's sovereign authority.
If you are greatly gifted, you may be able to do marvelous things that would cause the public to be swept up in your skills and in your abilities. In the process of your growing, you will find great temptation to make a name for yourself, to make a big splash, to gain attention, to get the glory, to strut around, to increase your fees, to demand your rights, and to expect kid-glove treatment. You're in authority now! People are talking about you!
Let me remind you that if you're in life only for yourself, you'll have no endurance. On that precarious top of the ladder, you'll always have to maintain your balance by maneuvering and manipulating, lying, deceiving, and scheming. But if you're committed to kingdom-related excellence, when you go through times of testing, you can count on kingdom endurance to get you through.
If you're the kind of Christian who really wants the whole purpose of God, then you dare not leave out kingdom commitment. That means your motives must be investigated. For example, every time you make plans to acquire a sizable possession—a car, an expensive boat, a house, and such like—you must deal with it before God and ask: Is this His will? Would this honor Him? Would this glorify Him?
Am I suggesting that you take a vow of poverty? No, not that. My message is not that you go hungry and give up all nice things. I just say you give up control of them. Give all you have to the Lord God and trust Him to give back all that you need.
In order to wholly follow God, your motives must always be open to investigation.
— Charles R. Swindoll
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Shalom Pg,
Since June is the month of weddings, there is no better time to reflect on the much anticipated gathering of the bride (kallah) and the wedding of the Lamb!
“For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. … Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:7, 9)
While the exchange of covenant vows between a man and woman who love each other is a blessing in any culture, there are aspects of the Jewish wedding celebration that are rich in spiritual truths.
This ancient ritual prophetically points to the coming of the Messiah and the great celebration of the marriage supper of the Lamb. It also teaches us unique lessons about God’s covenant love for His people.
One would be hard pressed to find an occasion more joyous than that of a Jewish wedding. In Hebrew, it’s called a simcha (a joyous occasion).
“Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom.” (Jeremiah 33:10–11)
An Orthodox Jewish wedding in Jerusalem: Traditionally, the chatan
(groom) on the day of his wedding first wears the kittel (white linen garment),
which signifies purity, holiness, and new beginnings. Thereafter, he wears it
on special occasions such as Rosh Hashanah (New Year's), Yom Kippur
(Day of Atonement), and Pesach (Passover).
Help the Jewish People Meet Messiah Yeshua, click now
Since Yeshua (Jesus) used the model of the ancient Jewish marriage ceremony to refer to His future second coming, to recognize exactly what He was talking about, it’s helpful to understand the nature of marriage during His earthly ministry in Israel.
There are three distinct parts to the ancient Jewish wedding:
• shiddukhin (mutual commitment),
• erusin (engagement), and
• nissuin (marriage).
Shiddukhin: A Time of Mutual Commitment
“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” (Genesis 2:18)
Shiddukhin refers to the preliminary arrangements prior to the legal betrothal.
Signing the ketubah (marriage contract): in ancient times, the ketubah
protected the rights of the wife by specifying the groom's responsibilities in
caring for her, and the amount of support that would be due her in the event
of a divorce.
In ancient times, the father of the groom often selected a bride (kallah) for his son, as did Abraham for his son Isaac (Genesis 24:1-4).
In Ultra-Orthodox Judaism today, many marriages are still arranged by a marriage broker or matchmaker called a shadkhan. It’s considered an exalted and holy vocation to find and arrange a good marital match, called a shiddukh, between a man and woman.
In ancient times, marriage was looked upon as more of an alliance for reasons of survival or practicality, and the concept of romantic love remained a secondary issue, if considered at all. Romantic love grew over time.
Rebecca at the Well, Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini
Of course, the consent of the bride-to-be is an important consideration. Rebecca (Rivkah), for example, was asked if she agreed to go back with Abraham's servant to marry Abraham's son, Isaac. She went willingly (Genesis 24:57–59).
Likewise, we cannot be forced into a relationship with the Son, Yeshua (Jesus).
In the same way that Rebecca was asked if she would go with Abraham’s servant, the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) asks us if we are willing to follow Him to be joined in a covenant of love with Yeshua.
Traditionally, in preparation for the betrothal ceremony, the bride (kallah) and groom (chatan) are separately immersed in water in a ritual called the mikvah, which is symbolic of spiritual cleansing.
In Matthew 3:13–17, we read that Yeshua has already been immersed (baptized) by Yochanan (John) in the waters of mikvah at the Jordan River.
As the Bride-to-be, we are also asked to be immersed.
“Whoever believes and is baptized [ritually immersed] will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
A groom rejoices by dancing with his friends after immersing
himself in the mikvah. The water for this mikvah bath is outside
and fed by a spring from which the natural water runs down a
hill into the mikvah, just outside of Jerusalem
Part II –
THE VALUE OF CRITICISM
Winston Churchill exemplified integrity and respect in the face of opposition. During his last year in office, he attended an official ceremony. Several rows behind him two gentlemen began whispering. "That's Winston Churchill." "They say he is getting senile." "They say he should step aside and leave the running of the nation to more dynamic and capable men."
When the ceremony was over, Churchill turned to the men and said, "Gentlemen, they also say he is deaf!"
Criticism. Nobody enjoys being criticized, even if it's done in a kind, loving way. But it's even more difficult to accept when the criticism is harsh or unfair. The fact is, however, that we all find ourselves from time to time in a position of being unfairly criticized.
Criticism -- even destructive criticism -- may serve a useful purpose. We need to listen to it and, if possible, profit by it. We ought to be humble enough to recognize that some criticisms are justly deserved. Even when critics are unkind and when they exaggerate our failures, there may still be some truth in what they say.
So, when faced with criticism, we need to look at the situation honestly and ask these questions: Is it true? If so, how can I overcome the condition that caused it? If not, is there something I can do to eliminate future criti¬cism of the same type?
It was reported to Abraham Lincoln once that one of his cabinet members had called him a fool. Having verified the fact that Mr. Stanton had indeed referred to him in this manner, Lincoln said, "Mr Stanton is a wise man. If he said I am a fool, then I had better look into the matter."
It has been said, "We learn much from the disagreeable things people say, for they make us think, whereas the good things only make us glad."
For Christians, criticism should be a stepping stone to spiritual growth! It's an opportunity to learn what we're doing wrong and what we need to correct. It provides us with the motivation we need to change and mature.
"If you listen to correction to improve your life, you will live among the wise. Those who refuse correction hate themselves, but those who accept correction gain understanding." (Proverbs 15:31-32, NCV)
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Have mercy on me, and be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am weak (faint and withered away); O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. Psalm 6:2 (AMP)
Let this be your prayer today and every day. “Confusion takes over, and I don’t know what to do. I’m ready to give up, I know I’m a shell of who I used to be, and I feel I am wasting away into nothingness. Take this feeling of panic away, please, before it destroys me. Return joy to me.
I’m in uncharted territory, God. I have to make some decisions, calmly. Is it really true that I can take a backseat, and You can be in control? If this is true, I seek Your holy face and trust You. Show me what Your will is. Lord, Thank You, God, for always having time in Your schedule for me.”
Part II –
Stumbling Blocks
When we moved into this house six years ago, I found many parts of the new yard quite pleasant. We put a fence up out back for our pups and adjusted a few flower beds, one of which was in their section. If you want dogs with three-inch legs to stay out of something, then the best thing to do is eliminate it ,so a flower bed out there didn’t seem like the best idea, at least for the time being. I did, however, appreciate the square patio stones that made a path from the deck over to the other side of their section. It is especially helpful to have those stones there when it might snow, so there’s a specific path they have to go, and I have to get to the trashcan. Just outside the fence, they put down are a few more stones that stop over by the driveway, which extends along the entire side of our house. Now those patio stones have been more of a source of contention. Due to settling over time, the stones have settled or risen on their edges, and when I push the mower out there, I often get hung up on one or more of them. Before I had thumb surgery, the arthritis was so painful when jarred by them, and now afterward, it can still be frustrating. So to me, that group of them is more like stumbling blocks rather than helpful walking stones.
We all have stumbling blocks put in our way, from time to time. Or even worse, we can become one for someone else. I have most often worried about the latter. However, there is something we can do about it. We can do our best to try not to be a stumbling block for someone, and we can keep our minds ready for any that might be put in our way. Personally, in the case of the stones in the yard, it somehow just occurred to me that the ones outside the fence causing so much trouble could, in fact, be removed from the ground.
Have you ever had an epiphany and wondered why it took so long to realize it? I must have carried on, and complained to myself about the stupid things, for at least four years - and then suddenly, this thought came: “why don’t you just pull them up, Deb?” I know it isn’t always as easy as just removing things, yet sometimes, it actually is much easier to make a change, but we just get so used to the problem that we forget there might be a solution.
A similar thought happened for me when I realized I could just do a little of my laundry a couple different times, rather than bogging myself down with all of it at once. We had a laundry day when I was growing up, and we just did ours on the designated one. Well, it’s my own house now, and that really isn’t necessary, and so I can do something different – something that reduces my stress about doing the chore. Point is, don’t be afraid to change something you are able to, in order to either keep from stumbling or to keep someone else from doing so, as well.
“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.” (Romans 14:12-14 NIV)
“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:9 NIV)
“We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.” (2 Corinthians 6:3)
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts,” (Haggai 2:9).
Dare To Dream Again. Wake up the Dreamer within you. Stop looking at where you have been and start looking at where you are going. Tomorrow is not here yet. Birth it. Seasons change, but God’s promises to you have not changed and won’t change. Your miracle is just ahead. Your Mind Is Your World----------.
Part II –
What are the Dangers of Lying?
You would think the question of what are the dangers here would be self-evident. But how often do we, even as believers, find ourselves justifying so-called “little white lies?” We can all come up with examples where we feel the truth wouldn’t be helpful. How often do we get around blatant lying, by simply avoiding the truth?We tell the truth, but we do this in such a way as to lead to a conclusion that is completely false. (This sounds a lot like advertising, doesn't it?) As I’ve mentioned before, in the past, I’ve caught myself doing something like this. Someone called my office - someone whom I didn’t want to talk to - and so that my assistant wouldn’t “have” to lie, I stepped out into the hall. Then she could say I was out of the office. The words were true, but the intent was a lie.
Are there any similar examples you can think of? One of the most obvious dangers of any lying, is that it is addictive. If we lie in the small things, it becomes to easier to lie in important things. Often problems arise in relationships, because of lack of communication. Sometimes we chose not to communicate at all. This is a way to avoid telling the truth, another way of lying. If children are not encouraged to tell the truth, they may not be able to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Whom do you think we can be guilty of lying to, the most often? I think we lie to ourselves more often then anyone else. The most phenomenal thing about this, is that we can reach the point of believing our own lies.
What do you think are some of the other dangers of lying? Stop and think about this before giving a “snap” answer. Are there situations where telling the truth would be a greater
wrong than lying? Often we are told when someone is gravely ill, maybe even dying, that it maybe better to not tell them, the truth being the wrong thing for them. But the major fallacy with this is the last days may be the only time when they may have an opportunity to set things right with the Lord. Again, the main point is worth repeating. If we serve the God of Truth, then how can we justify lying? Christ dealt with people in all sorts of difficult circumstances, but we will not find any time where He lied to them “for their own good.”
There once was a day when a handshake was all that was needed in business relationships. A man’s word was his bond. Today, there seems to be no concern as to whether the truth is told or not. It seems a major part of our culture is founded on lying, and there is no question society suffers for it. (The IRS isn’t targeting conservatives.)
It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about advertising, politics or the press; much of what we hear is not truth, only someone’s idea of what they want truth to be. Aren’t major industries founded on the fact many people don’t want to accept their age? Don’t you feel that this problem carries right on into the church, especially in the area of gossip, flattery, and white lies for someone's own good?
We must carefully watch our own words. We need to depend on the Lord to give us the Spirit of Truth, because it seems so natural to lie under pressure. When we are pulled over for speeding, it is amazing how many of us are on the way to an emergency.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Create Your Prayer Circle. One cannot multiply. Increase begins with two. Even God is trinity. Jesus promised results from the Prayer of Agreement. Make a list of 3 or 7 effective intercessors for your life. Make a covenant that each one will pray for the other at least once a day. May be one line prayer – but become an intercessor for each other. (b) In the same manner make a list of 3 to 7 people you know who needs prayer and pray for them – yes even a one liner prayer. We can become their protection force. You must have a protection force and you must be one of the protection force for another. Finally we become a part fo a protection force of God.
“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them,” (Matthew 18:19-20).
Part II –
Dr. Jerry Falwell (1933-2007)
Dr. Falwell had a vision to train young people for Christ. He was a faithful husband, father and grandfather as well as a servant for the Lord. In 1985 he hoped to see Liberty University train 50,000 students. Today more than 70,000 students are enrolled in onsite and offsite classes, thereby fulfilling his vision. Dr. Falwell often took heat for his pro-life, pro-family and favor for a national defense stance, but stuck to his guns. He was a strong supporter of seeing Ronald Reagan elected as President of the United States.
• Dr. Falwell was best known for his radio and television ministry “Old Time Gospel Hour” and as the Founder of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.
• Dr. Falwell was also the Founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA.
• Dr. Falwell often said that his heart was to “train young Champions for Christ”John Leland was a faithful minister of the gospel for sixty-seven years.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
See The Big Picture. Nothing Is Ever As It First Appears. Pain passes. Adversity passes. As time passes and God works, the whole scenario will change. Look beyond your current hardships. Something incredible is being produced. The resurrection followed the crucifixion. Promotion Follows Adversity. So, get your eyes on the bigger picture. Today is not the end. Believe in your God who is a caring Father. He knows your pain. Talk to Him about your pain and your trust in Him. Go forth expecting change as the invisible angels are working for you. Remember the words of Joseph,
As for you, ye devised against me evil -- God devised it for good. Gen 50:20. The same God is working for you.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Part II –
Stuart Townend Keith Getty
How to Meet with God
In 1949, one of the greatest revivals in the history of the United Kingdom took place in the Hebrides. Duncan Campbell, the preacher at the centre of the revival, later described how it began.
Seven men and two women had decided to pray earnestly for revival. One night, at a prayer meeting held in a barn, a young man took his Bible and read from Psalm 24 (the psalm for today): ‘Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart’ (vv.3–4a).
He shut his Bible and said: ‘It seems to me just so much sentimental humbug to be praying as we are praying, to be waiting as we are waiting here, if we ourselves are not rightly related to God.’ He asked God to reveal if his own hands were clean and his own heart was pure.
That night God met with them in a powerful way. As they waited on God ‘his awesome presence swept the barn’. They came to understand that revival is always related to holiness. A power was let loose that shook the parish from centre to circumference.
‘Three men were lying on the straw having fallen under the power of God. They were lifted out of the ordinary into the extraordinary. They knew that God had visited them and neither they nor their parish could ever be the same again.’
Four miles away, two sisters aged eighty-two and eighty-four had a vision of God. They saw the churches crowded and the youth and the community flocking into the churches. They had ‘a glorious assurance that God was coming in revival power’.
Duncan Campbell was invited to come and speak to them. When he arrived in the parish church it was packed out, with hundreds waiting outside. No one could explain where they had come from. Within ten minutes of the service starting, men and woman were crying out to God. They were meeting with God in all his holiness.
There was such a sense of the presence of God on the island that a businessman visiting said, ‘The moment I stepped ashore I was suddenly conscious of the presence of God.’ God was meeting with his people.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Stuart Townend Keith Getty
How do we meet with God?
PSALM 24:1-10
1. Awesome privilege
David starts this psalm with a reminder that God is a mighty creator: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it’ (v.1). He ends with a reminder that God is a glorious King. Five times he is referred to as ‘the King of glory’ (vv.7b,8a,9b,10a,10b). He is ‘The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory’ (v.10b).
In light of the awesome nature of God, David asks the question, ‘Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?’ (v.3). The answer is only those who are totally pure: ‘The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol’ (v.4).
Yet, we know that no one lives like this. It is only through Jesus that we can be made holy and approach God with confidence, ‘For by one sacrifice he has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy’ (Hebrews 10:14).
Lord, I want to meet with you today. Show me whether my hands are clean and my heart is pure. Thank you that through the blood of Jesus I can be made holy. Forgive me, cleanse me and fill me again with your Spirit.
MARK 5:21-6:6A
2. Act of faith
Are you struggling with a long-term problem in your life that does not seem to be getting any better (5:26)? Have you ever been ‘seized with alarm’ and ‘struck with fear’ (Matthew 5:36)? We see in this passage how Jesus responded to people in these situations.
In the New Testament, we have the extraordinary sense of people meeting God through Jesus. St John (1 John 1:1) writes about ‘the Word of Life’ whom ‘we have heard’ (Mark 5:27), ‘we have seen with our own eyes’ (v.22) and ‘our hands have touched’ (vv.27,30–31).
People who came into contact with Jesus seemed to have a sense of coming into the presence of a holy God. Jairus ‘prostrated himself at His feet’ (v.22, AMP). The sick woman ‘fell at his feet’ (v.33).
This woman had suffered from a chronic disease for twelve years, which was incurable at that time (v.26). ‘She heard about Jesus’ (v.27) and she responded with faith. She ‘touched his cloak’ because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed’ (vv.27–28). ‘Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering’ (v.29).
Contact with Jesus had a profound impact on people. Jesus says to the sick woman, ‘Go in peace and be freed from your suffering’ (v.34). The pain of the past twelve years is replaced by peace and freedom. Whatever you are struggling with in your life and however long it has been going on, like this woman, reach out to Jesus for help.
Jairus’ daughter experiences the ultimate impact of meeting with Jesus as she is brought back to life. When Jesus arrived, there was anything but an atmosphere of faith. There was a commotion and wailing. They said, don’t ‘bother’ Jesus (v.35). But Jesus said, ‘Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing’ (v.36, AMP).
Jesus said, ‘The child is not dead but asleep’ (v.39). Since Jesus was going to raise her up, her death was no more permanent than falling asleep. The apostle Paul, like Jesus, used the term ‘falling asleep’. When you fall into a deep sleep, the next thing you know it is morning. When you die in Christ, the next thing you know you will be with the Lord.
Jesus took with him just three of the disciples whose faith he could trust (in addition to the parents). He appears to have wanted there to be an atmosphere of faith as he prayed for her to be raised from the dead.
There was nothing ‘super-spiritual’ about Jesus. He is very practical. He told them to ‘give her something to eat’ (v.43). Again, the account starts with fear and ends with faith.
When people saw what Jesus did they were ‘completely astonished’ (v.42b) and ‘amazed’ (6:2b). Of course, as today, not everyone had that reaction. Some ‘laughed at him’ (5:40) and some ‘took offence at him’ (6:3). In his hometown Jesus was ‘a prophet... without honour’ (6:4). Those closest to him failed to recognise him. Sometimes we find it hard to take things from those we know best.
As today, some recognised Jesus and some totally missed out. The key distinction was whether or not they had ‘faith’. He said to the sick woman, ‘Your faith has healed you’ (5:34). He said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe’ (v.36b). In his hometown he was ‘amazed at their lack of faith’ (6:6).
Through his death on the cross, Jesus fulfilled the criteria for meeting God. Now it is by faith that you and I encounter Jesus and, through him, meet with God.
Lord, thank you that it is by faith that I encounter you. Lord, increase my faith. When I am ‘seized with alarm’ or ‘struck with fear’, help me to ‘keep on believing’.
EXODUS 27:1-28:43
3. Access through Jesus
We cannot fully understand what an amazing privilege it is to be able to meet with God without seeing the Old Testament background. Here we see a description of the Tent of Meeting (27:21), (where God meets with Moses and the priests: 30:36; 28:30). It was an awesome thing to enter into the ‘presence of the Lord’ (28:30a). Aaron was entering the ‘Holy Place before the Lord’ (v.35).
The writer of Hebrews explains how all this points to Jesus. The tabernacle was just ‘a copy and shadow of what is in heaven’ (Hebrews 8:5a). Even so, the priests were only allowed to enter the Holy Place, and not the Most Holy Place. ‘The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning’ (9:8). This was an illustration (v.9a).
As the writer of Hebrews shows, this passage forms the background to Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf – making it possible for you and me to meet with a holy God through the blood of Jesus, offered ‘once for all’ (v.26).
Lord, thank you that you have made it possible, through the blood of Jesus, for me to enter the Most Holy Place and to come into the presence of the Lord. Thank you that I have access through Jesus ‘to the Father by one Spirit’ (Ephesians 2:18). Thank you that I can meet with you.
Part II –
Our private battles produce a public reward. It is the battle on our knees that enable us to stand with victory.
What God blesses, no man can curse. What God delivers, no man can bind. And what God saves, no man can condemn.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Rebellion Is The beginning of fall, failure and Seed For Loss.
Rebellion is punished. Always. It may not happen today, but it is inevitable. Each Seed of disobedience is like a magnet attracting tragedies into your life. God Will Never Advance You Beyond Your Last Act of Disobedience. Joshua learned this at the Battle of Ai, when Achan attempted a cover up of his sin. The Israelites lost the battle. God is not stupid. He is not blind. He sees everything. Sooner or later…He reacts to it. You cannot afford the losses your Rebellion will create. Today in prayer ask God to show you the rebellion in you whether visible or hidden – rebellion to parents, authority and God. Don’t keep it. Deal with it in prayer and get rid of it.
“Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices,” (Proverbs 1:28-29, 31).
Part II –
Bad breaks can’t stop you. The only thing that can stop you is you. If you get knocked down, get back up and go again.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Sermon on the Problem of Evil | Why Do People Blame God?
Sermon on the Problem of Evil
PROPOSITION: To look at several reasons why people blame God.
Objectives: Each should understand why people blame God.
Aim: To encourage everyone to praise instead of blame God.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Read: Job 10:1-13
2. About the Text:
1) We’re all familiar with the story of Job.
2) Job is a righteous man, but Satan doesn’t like that.
3) So Satan challenges God to see if he can get Job to curse God.
4) God allows Satan to do as he desires to so tempt Job to curse God.
5) Job’s friends come to console Job, but instead say that God has punished him.
6) While Job never says that he has sinned, he does attribute his condition to God instead of Satan.
7) Job blames God for his difficulties.
3. Today
1) Are men any different today?
2) When trouble comes, who do men usually blame first? God.
3) Why is this?
4. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.
DISCUSSION: People blame God because…
I. THEY DON’T KNOW THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE TO BLAME.
1. Satan is and always has been man’s adversary. The word “Satan” means adversary.
2. Jesus said of Satan in John 8:44 “He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.”
3. We must resist him because he is on the prowl for us. 1 Peter 5:8,9 “Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.”
4. Satan is ultimately responsible for all of the evil that is in this world, not God.
II. PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CREATION OF THEIR OWN PROBLEMS.
1. Abortion, Divorce, Euthanasia, Murder, and Theft all have one thing in common. They are ways in which people try to escape the responsibility they have for their own situation.
2. The truth is that we are each responsible for the quality of our own life.
3. Galatians 6:7,8 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.”
4. We can take responsibility for our own problems and recognize that we often get ourselves into hurtful situations or we can deny it and blame God.
III. GOD IS AN EASY TARGET.
1. Seems that when we find ourselves in difficulties we always want to blame the one who’s in charge.
2. God is in charge of everything, so ultimately, we reason, He’s to blame.
3. Moreover, God won’t argue with us, at least, not immediately.
4. Those who think in this manner forget God’s longsuffering.
5. 2 Peter 3:9-12 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
6. Yes, God won’t answer us immediately, but one day He will answer.
7. Acts 17:30,31 “The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
IV. SOME PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE IN FREE-WILL, SO GOD IS TO BLAME.
1. Died in the wool Calvinists believe that God has specifically determined everything.
2. For them, God is responsible for all men’s choices.
3. The truth is that men have the freedom to choose between right and wrong.
4. Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.”
5. Joshua 24:15, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”
6. Matthew 7:13,14 “Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.”
V. MANY BELIEVE THAT GOD MUST IMMEDIATELY FIX THEIR PROBLEMS.
1. They reason that since God hasn’t fixed my problems, He must not want to and so they blame God.
2. This is based upon a false understanding of the promise Jesus gave to the apostles in John 16:23 and similar passages: “And in that day ye shall ask me no question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name.”
3. But these fail to realize that God hasn’t given us a blank check.
4. James 4:3 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures.”
5. John clarifies in 1 John 5:14 “And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”
6. God never promised to give us anything and everything that our heart desired.
7. God never even promised to deliver us from all troublesome situations.
8. Paul asked three times to have his thorn in the flesh removed, but God said His grace was sufficient. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.
VI. SINCE GOD CREATED EVERYTHING, HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING INCLUDING BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO ME.
1. God did create everything that is in existence (Genesis 1:1).
2. But someone else modified some of those things for evil purposes – Satan.
3. Everything that God created was good. See Genesis 1:1-25.
4. Even man was created good and sinless, but man sinned and ruined that which God created.
5. God is responsible for all good that is in the world (James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning”).
6. But he is not responsible for evil.
7. Man is responsible for his own behavior; Romans 2:6-11 “who will render to every man according to his works: to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: for there is no respect of persons with God.”
VII. PEOPLE ASSUME THAT “BAD THINGS” DON’T HAPPEN FOR A GOOD PURPOSE.
1. When bad things happen to us, we automatically consider it “punishment.”
2. But the fact of the matter is that not all “bad things” are inherently bad.
3. Consider certain medical procedures to eliminate disease in the body.
4. Consider the athlete that undergoes tremendous physical stress to improve his performance.
5. Jesus told his disciples to rejoice when they are persecuted. Matthew 5:11,12 “Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.”
6. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 “And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
VIII.PEOPLE FORGET TO PRAISE GOD.
1. When people forget to praise God, then they criticize Him.
2. God is never worthy of criticism. He is only worthy of praise.
3. In Job 35:9-15 Elihu says that no one praises God when they ought.
4. Psalm 18:3 “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”
5. Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
CONCLUSION:
1. Why do people blame God? Because…
1) They don’t know there is someone else to blame.
2) They don’t want to take responsibility for creating their own problems.
3) God is an easy target.
4) Some don’t believe in free-will, so God is responsible.
5) Many believe that God must immediately fix their problems.
6) Since God created everything He is responsible for everything.
7) People assume that “bad things” don’t happen for a good purpose.
8) People forget to praise God.
Part II –
Wounded Warriors Christianity is not just the home of the sanctified saint but even more, Christianity is a refuge for the wounded warrior. We're in the middle of a battle and in every battle soldiers suffer wounds. Your wounds don't disqualify you. Wounds say you're in the front line. Wounds say that you are a warrior. Do you know what my wounds say? My wounds say, that the latter glory will be greater than the former glory. My wounds says, if God be for me, who can be against me. My wounds say, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. My wounds say, the promises of God are still YES and AMEN! If you really want to give the enemy a migraine, learn to worship with your wounds, praise with your problems, shout with your chains, move your mess, sing through the sorrow, and dance in the midst of your desperation! Romans 8:17, Indeed we share in His sufferings so that will may also share in his glory.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Friends and coworkers,
I hope this sermon outline will help you to make your own sermon outline.
Enjoy God.
pgv
====
TITLE: Sermon on the Ten Virgins | The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1-13.
OBJECTIVE: To help each of us be ready for Christ’s return and judgment.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Read: Matthew 25:1-13.
2. Regarding the text:
1) This parable divides itself into four parts, naturally.
2) These are:
a. Preparation;
b. Participation;
c. Preclusion; and
d. Pronouncement.
3. Reference to S.T.P.O.
DISCUSSION: In this parable we have —
I. PREPARATION, 25:1-10A.
1. Wisdom is adequate.
1) Five virgins took lamps and oil.
2) This preparation required foresight.
2. Foolishness is not adequate.
1) Five virgins took only lamps.
2) This preparation was for only here and now.
3. Do you desire your children to be leaders, in any realm? Teach them to deny self.
1) Why did the foolish not take extra oil?
a. They might be tired by the extra weight.
b. They might save some money.
c. Who knows?
2) Those who were wise denied themselves to the extend that:
a. They bore the extra burden; and
b. They paid the extra price.
4. The wise could not share with the foolish.
1) No one has enough righteousness to share with others.
2) The wise ones did the only thing they could do in suggesting that the foolish go and buy more.
3) The problem for the foolish virgins was that it was too late to make proper preparation.
4) There is NO repentance after death.
II. PARTICIPATION, 25:10B.
1. It is so simple.
2. Those who prepare go to heaven.
3. Those who are unprepared will not go to heaven.
4. Preparation for heaven involves:
1) Believing in Jesus, John 8:24;
2) Repenting of sins, Luke 13:3;
3) Confessing faith in Christ, Matthew 10:32-33; and
4) Being immersed for the purpose of receiving remission of sins, salvation, Mark 16:15-16.
5) Providing extra oil for the time of waiting:
a. The Christian life of service to God and man;
b. Striving for perfection; and
c. being truly and constantly penitent and gaining daily forgiveness from God.
5. With this preparation we will truly participate in heaven.
III. PRECLUSION, 25:11-12.
1. There are several sad things in this part.
1) The girls came and called out, “Lord, Lord.” Matthew 7:21.
2) These girls requested that the Lord open the door.
a. What right did they have to make this request?
b. They were part of the original parade,
c. Only those who were invited could be such.
d. These foolish girls were part of the kingdom,
e. But they were shut out of the wedding feast, heaven.
3) The Lord replied, “I do not know you.” Confession must be more than mere words ONLY, Matthew 10:32-33.
2. The saddest thing is that it was SO unnecessary.
1) God’s word is available to all, Acts 17:30;
2) God’s grace is for all men, Titus 2:11;
3) Being unprepared is inexcusable.
IV. PRONOUNCEMENT, 25:13.
1. The whole parable is this point.
2. Watch!
3. Be ready!
4. Why?
5. The day and the hour is unknown and unknowable to humanity.
6. Jewish rabbi, “Live any way you want, and the day before you die get right with God.
CONCLUSION:
1. In this parable we have seen:
1) Preparation;
2) Participation;
3) Preclusion; and
4) Pronouncement.
2. Be alert! Be watchful! Be Prepared!
Part II –
Dear pastors and Leaders,
I am glad that I could preach different subjects as God inspired me though it was never preached from the pulpit, like:
God is a blessing God. (My book Key to Miracles preached it better.)
Some curses can follow you and your next generation. (My teaching CD Shapam Vittozhiyuka and Shraap se Chudkaara did a better job.)
Give a child for Christian ministry. It is a command from God.
Take care of your health so God can use you. Lest you die young which is not God’s plan.
I openly said that I go once in a year for health enhancement somewhere.
I gave you the address:
Heart block cleared: a Pentecostal believer in Kannur Brother Babu Gurukkal. 09446771361. (5 days treatment.)
Weight loss and health enhancement: Agape Naturopathy center at Mylapra, Pathanamthitta. 14 days treatment. 09847082773
Heart block: German treatment called Chelation Therapy. Cherian Ashram, Manarcaud, Kottayam. You can go there, I will suggest when you can two days a month and get this treatment as long as you are alive. It takes only 3 to 4 hours and then you can go home. Phone: 9447367123. Webpage <Cherianashram.com>
If you are going to Cherian Ashram, I will suggest that you get an Ayurvedic massage also before or after the Chelation treatment. I do Chelation, massage and steam therapy once in a year. (or go to Babu Gurukkal). I strongly recommend all the above three centers.
If you cannot go up to Pathanamthitta for the naturopathy treatment, search for a center near to your place – but select one run by Christians. Catholics have good naturopathy centers all over India – including YMCA Delhi.
But you don’t have to go to Kottayam for this treatment. Search on the web “Chelation Therapy treatment….” And type the name of your city or nearest large city. I know of hospitals that gives this treatment in Trivandrum, Ernakulam, Trichur, Calicut etc.
Live long in good health. Now read the article below.
pg vargis
R.T. Kendall Details Never-Before-Shared John Paul Jackson Prophecy
R.T. Kendall speaks to Charisma Media employees. (Jessilyn Justice)
Prolific writer and biblical scholar R.T. Kendall was greatly impacting the kingdom of heaven when his buddy, prophet John Paul Jackson, stopped him with a personal prophecy nearly 30 years ago.
"He said, 'R.T., you will live to a ripe old age, but if you don't get in shape physically, you won't be around to enjoy it,'" Kendall recalls.
"Well, because of his track record with me—he'd been accurate every time—he put the fear of God in me. He said 'You need to lose weight, you need to exercise, lift weights' and all that stuff."
Now, the 82-year-old Kendall says his weight hovers around 168, he travels the world and would not be able to do so had he not listened to Jackson.
Kendall shared the prophecy with Charisma Media on Friday, where he spoke on his new book, The Presence of God.
Due out this fall, The Presence of God identifies the ways we experience God's presence in our own lives. In it, Kendall expounds on the three kinds of chastening, or disciplining, that God employs: internal, external and terminal.
He also addresses a question that plagues many who walk by the Spirit: What do I do when I don't feel God around me? The answer presents itself in Psalm 16:8: "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be moved."
Not feeling God is an opportunity to please God and walk by faith, like those mentioned in Hebrews 11.
"The truth is that Jesus is always at your right hand, but you may forget that this is true. Because you forget, by faith, you picture him there, and it's something I've done for years."
Set Him before you, cling to Him even when you don't feel his conscious presence, and you are pleasing God, Kendall says.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
TITLE: Woe Unto Him That Giveth His Neighbour Drink!
SUBJECT: Alcohol
PROPOSITION: To set forth a study of Habakkuk 2:15.
OBJECTIVE:That we refrain from, abstain from alcoholic drink.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Read: Habakkuk 2:15. Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
2. Regarding the text:
1) This was in the time of the first deportation of Judah to Babylon.
2) In a remarkable display of trust and obedience, Abraham left the area which became Babylon.
3) In an equal but opposite display of disobedience, Judah was taken back to Babylon.
4) Habakkuk 2:15 is one reason.
3. Reference to Subject, Title, Proposition and Objective.
DISCUSSION: In this passage we have –
I. WOE.
1. Many woes pronounced in the Bible.
2. Jesus pronounced “Woe” upon:
1) Matthew 11:21.
2) Matthew 23:13-36.
3) Matthew 26:24.
4) Luke 11:45-52.
5) Luke 6:26.
3. This woe is limited to the one who:
1) Giveth his neighbor drink;
2) Puttest thy bottle to him; and
3) Makest him drunken also.
4. Notice the word “Also.”
5. Consider: John 2:1-11 – six water-pots of two or three firkins each = as much as 150.5 gallons. NOTE: Jews always used “sweet” wine at weddings, cf. Fiddler On The Roof; “Sunrise, Sunset.”
II. WHET.
1. Remember the word “also”?
2. It was not only the making one drunk that was forbidden.
3. One has to learn to like alcoholic beverages because the poison, C2H6O, Ethyl Alcohol, burns the mouth and sours the stomach, the reason vomiting accompanies its use.
4. This one is trying to develop a “taste” in the receiver.
III. WHELM.
1. Yea, this is designed to “overwhelm” the partaker.
2. Drunkenness is always and ONLY a matter of degrees.
3. The first faculty of man affected by alcohol is his ability to make moral judgments. Cf. brewers hypocrisy saying, “Know when to say when.”
IV. WHOREDOM.
1. How many times has alcohol been used to destroy the morals of some young person so that fornication could be foisted on him or her?
2. The same expression used in Genesis 9:22.
CONCLUSION:
1. In Habakkuk 2:15 we have:
1) WOE;
2) WHET;
3) WHELM; and
4) WHOREDOM.
2. Let us neither be guilty of using nor of causing others to use alcoholic beverages
Part II –
Richard Baxter - Small-Town Preacher
As a small-town pastor and writer, Richard Baxter (1615 - 1691) is remembered as one of the leading Puritan preachers of the seventeenth century. Born in a village in the English countryside, his early education was primarily under the direction of poorly educated clerics. His break came when he was sent to a school directed by John Owen, whose teaching transformed his theological outlook. At age twenty-three he was ordained, and soon after he was called to serve as an Anglican minister in the village of Kiddermister. Here he crafted sermons that resonated with his congregation of poor loom workers. In fact, church attendance boomed, and additional galleries were added as the numbers grow. Preaching "as a dying man to dying men," he had no patience for lackluster sermons. "How few ministers preach with all their might!" he grumbled. "There is nothing more unsuitable to such a business than to be slight and dull. What! Speak coldly for God and for men's salvation! Let the people see that you are in earnest. Men will not cast away their dearest pleasures upon a drowsy request." Nor did he neglect home visitation: "We should know every person that belongs to our charge, for how can we 'take heed to the flock of God,' if we do not know them?"
Believing that such visitation was too time-consuming and intrusive, he was initially reluctant to call on families. But after initiating the program he wrote, "I find the difficulties to be nothing to what I imagined, and I experience the benefits and comforts of the work to be such that I would not wish to have neglected it for all the riches in the world. I cannot say that one family hath refused." In the following years he scheduled yearly visits to each of the some eight hundred homes in the parish. With his assistant, he offered catechism to dozens each week, using a standard question-answer format for continued use within the family. Approaching fifty, the bachelor preacher married a woman in her early twenties who heartily joined in the work. When she died nineteen years later, he wrote: "I never knew her equal." She was "better at resolving a case of conscience than most Divines that ever I knew."
Baxter was twice incarcerated for his Nonconformist beliefs, but he refused to be intimidated and remained active in political affairs. Also high on his agenda was ecumenical unity, a stand that placed him virtually alone among Puritans in his desire to join with all those who subscribed to the Apostles' Creed. A prolific writer, he produced massive volumes, including his Christian Directory (1673) on Christian conduct, which ran some one million words. Most often quoted is his classic volume, The Reformed Pastor, but he was first and foremost an evangelist, as expressed in The Saint's Everlasting Rest, A Call to the Unconverted. Two years before his death at seventy-six, William and Mary introduced the Toleration Act of 1689, protecting him and his fellow Nonconformists from persecution.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
=============================
(Part-1)
Three Types of Victory
José Henriquez was one of the thirty-three miners trapped 2,300 feet underground when a section of the San José copper mine in Northern Chile collapsed. It was 5 August 2010. For seventeen days all rescue attempts failed. There was no sign of life in the San José mine. The trapped miners had enough food for three days and a little drinking water. They faced the prospect of an agonising death through starvation.
I interviewed José Henriquez and his wife. He told how they had prayed to God for a miracle. He described the moment, on 22 August, when a drill broke through into the tunnel where the men were trapped. They hammered the drill with iron rods. They sprayed paint on it. They hugged it. They sent up many messages on it. Only one stayed on the drill as it went back up to the surface. The message read, ‘We’re fine. The 33 in the shelter.’
In total, the men survived a record sixty-nine days underground before they were brought to the surface. More than a billion people watched the rescue live on television. There were extraordinary scenes as everyone celebrated a wonderful victory.
The life of faith is full of challenges, difficulties and trials. But there are also times of victory. In the passages for today we see three different types of victory.
PSALM 18:16-24
1. Victory over your enemies
David faced many battles in life. He was surrounded by enemies. They were ‘too strong’ for him (v.17b). However, they are not too strong for God. God rescued him from those that were too strong for him and brought him into a ‘spacious place’ (v.19). ‘I stood there saved – surprised to be loved!’ (v.19b, MSG).
If you are in a ‘spacious place’ at the moment, remember to thank God for it. If not, cry out to God to rescue you. And if any of your family or friends are struggling at the moment, pray that God will bring them too into a ‘spacious place’.
Lord, thank you for the times when you brought me out into a spacious place. Today I pray for…
MATTHEW 22:15-46
2. Victory over your critics
Jesus’ opponents interrogate Jesus with three questions: a trap, a trick and a test (vv.17,23,35). Each time, he is victorious and gives an answer that not only amazes (v.22) and astonishes (v.33), but also influences the whole of human history. What can we learn from Jesus’ answers?
• Don’t divide your life into sacred and secular
The Pharisees planned to trap Jesus with his words. They said to Jesus, ‘Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ (v.17). The taxes they referred to were extremely unpopular. If Jesus had said ‘Yes’, he would have been discredited in the eyes of the people. Everyone would have hated him and seen him as a traitor wanting to help the Romans.
Yet if he had said, ‘No’, he would have been guilty of sedition and been liable to arrest and execution.
Jesus, in his unique wisdom, did not lay down rules and regulations but expounded principles that are timeless. He gives an amazing answer: ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s’ (v.21).
Every follower of Jesus has a double citizenship. You have a responsibility to play your part as a good citizen involved in the structures of your society on earth.
You are also a citizen of heaven with a responsibility to God. In principle, the two – Caesar and God – need not be in conflict. You are called to be a good citizen of both. Get involved in the life of your society, don’t withdraw from it.
It is not that God is in charge of the ‘sacred’ area of your life and the government is in charge of the ‘secular’ area of your life. Rather, your whole life is under God’s authority. Part of your commitment to God is to honour and obey the demands that the government legitimately makes on you. In the same way that a coin would have born Caesar’s image, you bear God’s image (Genesis 1:26). God wants you to give him the whole of your life.
• Know that there is life after death
Next, the Sadducees come along with a trick question about a woman with seven husbands. Because the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection they designed a complicated trick question to show how absurd it was (Matthew 22:23–28).
Jesus replies, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God’ (v.29). Jesus uses the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible – which are the only ones the Sadducees trusted) to show that God is ‘not the God of the dead but of the living’ (v.32b).
He does this by quoting God’s words to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:6: ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ (Matthew 22:32a). Although Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been dead for hundreds of years, God did not say ‘I was their God’ but ‘I am their God.’ They are still alive.
Jesus is showing that this life is not all there is. Furthermore, there will be continuity between this life and the life to come. There is a physical resurrection. Yet, there is discontinuity too for we ‘will be like the angels in heaven’ (v.30). Above all, the Scriptures show that there will be a resurrection and if God is all-powerful, why shouldn’t there be?
• Prioritise love for God and others
Then, the Pharisees come up with a test question to which Jesus gives a brilliant answer, which goes to the heart of the whole of the Old Testament: love God (‘with all your passion and prayer and intelligence’, v.37, MSG) and love people (‘love others as well as you love yourself’, v.39, MSG). Everything else is a detailed working out of these two commands (vv.34–40).
Having silenced his critics, Jesus then asks them a question about his identity. He shows from the Scriptures that the Christ is not just David’s son – he is David’s Lord (vv.41–46). He demonstrates that the Messiah is far more than simply a great human king. This not only challenges their assumptions about the Messiah, it is also a veiled indication to them of Jesus’ identity.
This is a moment of victory for Jesus: ‘That stumped them, literalists that they were. Unwilling to risk losing face again in one of these public verbal exchanges, they quit asking questions for good’ (v.46, MSG).
Father, please give me wisdom like Jesus to avoid the traps, to deal with the trick questions and to answer the testing ones.
JOB 30:1-32:22
3. Victory over temptation
The book of Job demonstrates once and for all that sin and suffering are not necessarily directly connected to an individual’s sin or lack of sin. The whole point of the book of Job is that, although Job is not perfect (13:26; 14:17), it was not Job’s sin that caused his suffering. Job was ‘blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil’ (1:1).
Job knew that in spite of the accusations of his friends he had a totally clear conscience. It is as if he had been put on trial, facing his ‘accuser’ in the dock with an ‘indictment’ (31:35) against him. In today’s passage he gives his defence (v.35).
Job’s life was an example, an inspiration and a challenge. This is a wonderful picture of holy and righteous living.
• Keep yourself pure
He said, ‘I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl’ (v.1). He was not enticed (v.9) in his heart into adultery. He realised that ‘adultery is a fire that burns the house down’ (v.12, MSG).
• Avoid materialism
He did not put his trust in riches (v.24) in spite of the great wealth he had. Nor did he put his hope in pure gold by saying, ‘You are my security’ (v.24). Again, his heart had not been ‘secretly enticed’ (v.27).
• Love your enemy
He had resisted the temptation to hate his enemies. He didn’t gloat when his enemies were in trouble (v.29b) – which is such a powerful temptation. There is a great temptation to speak words of anger, but Job did not allow his ‘mouth to sin by invoking a curse’ (v.30) against his enemies.
• Be generous
It was not just in his personal life that he avoided sin. He was fair to his employees (v.13). He did not deny ‘the desires of the poor’ (v.16a). His ‘door was always open to the traveller’ (v.32).
Lord, help me to live with a clear conscience, to keep myself pure and to put my trust in you alone. Thank you that through the cross of Jesus, you make forgiveness for my past failures possible, and through the power of the Holy Spirit I can be victorious over temptation
Part II –
Faith over Fear
by Bill Purvis
Did you know you have a risk style? You might be risk-avoidant, doing everything you can to eliminate any potential negative outcome. Or you could be just the opposite, which is risk-seeking, always looking to live on the thrilling edge of danger. If it depends on the situation, you might be risk-neutral, choosing to either avoid or seek risk in different circumstances. Generally speaking, most of us prefer to avoid risk when we can. We buckle our seatbelts. We insure our vacations. We buy extended warranties for big purchases. We sign up for the best medical insurance we can afford. We draw up prenuptial agreements. Why take a pointless risk on such things?
Minimizing risk is often the wisest and best course of action, but sometimes risk aversion can prevent us from taking legitimate and healthy risks, especially when the risks are in pursuit of our goals and dreams. We’ve come to believe that if we take a risk and fall short, we’ve suffered an unforgivable failure. We don’t move on to a new city or new job because we fear it won’t work out. We don’t sign up for that auto shop or theater or exercise class because we’re afraid of how we’ll look in the eyes of others if we don’t do well.
If this tendency continues unchecked, we might come to believe that taking risks is neither desirable nor necessary. And we couldn’t be more wrong.
A willingness to take God-honoring risks is fundamental to growth and success. It is, in fact, one of God’s gifts to us—a gift that enables us to break free of obstacles and limitations so we can discover and live into our destiny.
So what prevents us from taking God-honoring and beneficial risks? More often than not, it’s fear of failure. People who never realize their dreams tend to view failure as “the end.” They take it personally when something doesn’t work out. They think, “If it failed, I’m a failure.” Their identity is tied to the success or failure of their efforts.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Success went to their heads.” But I’ve also met many people for whom the opposite is true—failure went to their heads. Comedian Ron White has said that one time his grandfather looked at him and then said to his father, “Now that boy’s got a whole lot of quit in him.” That’s not really a trait you want to master. You’ve heard it said, “Quitting is not an option,” but that’s not true. Quitting is always an option. And many of us routinely choose it because failure feels too painful to repeat.
It’s only natural to behave in self-protective ways after we experience a setback. To avoid pain, we revert to what’s comfortable and allow that to become the dominant factor in our decision making. It doesn’t matter if this means living a life that falls short of our desires and dreams. We’ll continue to do what’s “safe” as long as we don’t have to experience the pain of another failure. This means we’ll end up exactly where we’ve always been. We fail to succeed, not because we fail, but because we fear failure.
People who succeed have a different perspective on failure. They may not like it, but they understand that there is a certain amount woven into the fabric of success. Those who work in sales know this well. Did you know that, on average, a salesperson is rejected eleven times before making one sale? I once heard about a salesman complaining to his boss about the rejections he’d encountered. Discouraged, he told his boss he’d been rejected six times. Without any sympathy his boss replied, “Good! You’re getting closer. Only five more tries till you make the sale.” That’s the same kind of perspective we need to bring to our own setbacks and failures.
Successful people aren’t necessarily smarter; they just keep getting up one more time. Inventor James Dyson had an idea for keeping the suction in vacuum cleaners strong as they picked up dirt, but he went through more than five thousand prototypes before finding a model that worked. Movie director Steven Spielberg had his application rejected three times by the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television. Evan Williams founded a podcasting platform called Odeo that quickly became obsolete before he cofounded the social media service Twitter. Richard Branson had dyslexia and a poor academic record before becoming a billionaire businessman and investor. Tenacity in the face of failure is part of almost every successful person’s journey. Those who try and fail are always better off than those who never try. Besides, you never really fail until you quit trying.
Here’s a definition of fear that I’ve found helpful. It’s an acrostic:
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
Fear may be an emotion, but it’s also a way of thinking. And when you let false evidence dictate your choices, you’re thinking irrationally. Remember the story of Chicken Little? An excitable chicken gets hit in the head with an acorn and starts spreading false “evidence.” Convinced it’s not an acorn but a piece of the sky that has landed on her head, she runs around like a crazy bird telling everyone the sky is falling. All the animals panic because they consider her false evidence to be fact. She’s clearly terrified, so it must be true! The fox is the only one wise enough to think rationally and check out the evidence for himself. When his investigation reveals that the sky is in fact not falling, he leads all the animals into the “safety” of his den where he intends to make a meal out of them.
Chicken Little and her friends suffer more from their fear of the problem than from the problem itself. And it’s their fear that ultimately leads them into real danger. False evidence keeps them from thinking rationally, and they follow the fox right into his den.
When you allow fear to dominate your thinking and decision making, you’re actually moving toward danger rather than away from it. Consider the impact of fear:
• Fear destroys your dreams. Fear keeps us from focusing on the future. It uses false evidence to distract you from reaching your dreams.
• Fear paralyzes you. You no longer have the confidence you need to take action and keep moving forward.
• Fear directs your destiny. Your decisions and actions are limited to overly self-protective choices. Unable to take legitimate risks, you lose the ability to live into your destiny.
The disciple Peter gives us a picture of what happens when fear dominates our decision making. One night while Peter and the other disciples were in a boat, Jesus came to them by walking on the water. Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matt. 14:28). When Jesus invited him to come, Peter got out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus on the water. Suddenly, however, Peter’s focus shifted from Jesus to the wind and waves around him. Remember, what you focus on, you feel—and what Peter felt was fear. It paralyzed him. He began to sink until he cried out for help and Jesus rescued him.
One minute, Peter stepped out in faith in pursuit of his destiny and was standing on the water with Jesus. The next minute, he was focused on fear and sinking like a rock. When his focus changed, his circumstances changed.
Do you sometimes allow fear to drive your decisions? It doesn’t have to be that way. Tenacity and a focus on God’s future for you will enable you to overcome your fears. It's a matter of perspective.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
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(Part-1)
Hebrews 11:1
(1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
New King James Version Change your email Bible version
We can tell whether we have the right kind of faith. Hebrews 11:1 provides a definition: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hupostasis, the word translated "substance," means "that which underlies the apparent; that which is the basis of something, hence, assurance, guarantee and confidence" (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, p. 1426). The English "substance" is built from a prefix and a root which together mean "that which stands under." Webster's defines it as "the real or essential part or element of anything; essence, reality, or basic matter." It is very similar in meaning to hupostasis.
Paul is saying that, for Christians, faith underlies what is seen externally in the conduct of their lives. Underlying a building is its foundation, and in most buildings, the foundation is rarely seen. If it is seen at all, usually only a small portion is visible, but it is there. If no foundation exists, the building soon becomes crooked and warped. In most cases, it will collapse and be completely unusable.
Since Paul says, "We walk by faith, not by sight," we understand that underlying the conduct of a Christian's life is not merely believing that God is, but a constant and abiding trust in Him. Since it is impossible for God to lie, we trust that what God has recorded for us to live by is absolute and must be obeyed, and that it will work in our lives regardless of what may be apparent to the senses.
How much of what we do is really motivated by an implicit trust in God's Word? This is how we can tell whether we are living by faith. We must be honest in our evaluation though. We find it very easy to shade the truth through self-deception. We justify disobedience by rationalizing around God's clear commands or examples, saying that our circumstance is special because . . . (fill in the blank).
Part II –
There are many ways to engage in missions and church planting. If you are planting a successful thriving traditional “hub” style church, and you are satisfied with the amount and quality of fruit, keep on going!
But we were not satisfied. We knew at the rate we were going it would take years to reach even a few hundred people! But, thousands and millions needed to hear the Gospel and be engaged!
We began exploring our options, and God began shining a light on the villages surrounding our city. There was much resistance from the enemy, and from others in the traditional church setting. But the main opposition was the resistance we felt within ourselves. The problem of planting more churches was not a lack of resources but my willingness to change! We were pushing up against walls in our minds and our limited experience. While more fruitfulness had always been at the forefront of our minds, we wanted to see if indeed there was more fruit if and when we ventured forward. After all, wasn’t this the reason we were willing to leave all and follow Jesus into the unknown twenty years before?
I was bashing up against a wall! I knew we were not as effective we could be. We were doing okay, but okay can be the enemy of the best! Also, I was resisting going into the villages. It was difficult, it was strange, it was unknown. But I had to make a change, and I knew the changes meant we would be ostracized by our own status quo.
The “big war” inside my heart was about the preferences I held so dear.
Frankly, the “big war” inside my heart was about the preferences I held so dear. The language and style I preferred. The way I did church. I loved the neat little chairs, the microphones that worked, the sermon I neatly studied for and delivered regularly.
But the villages were calling out to me!
Then, came that day… in my bedroom on my knees when God made it so clear to me. I was wrestling. I was fighting. I was counting the cost. And, I was grieving the loss of the familiar.
While I was on my knees praying, my eyes fell to my open Bible on the bed. In Matthew 23: 11-15, Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, and He said these words: “…The greatest one among you must be your servant. Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great. How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people’s faces, but you yourselves don’t go in, nor do you allow in, those who are trying to enter! How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You sail the seas and cross whole countries to win one convert; and when you succeed, you make him twice as deserving of going to hell as you yourselves are!”
I could see my pride. I could see I was in danger of teaching others to be just like me. I needed to repent, to let God have His way.
That day, on my knees I allowed God to wipe clean all the things I was doing for Him and let Him set a new stage for me. This stage started with humility.
What I didn’t know at that moment, was the wonderful adventure that was ahead. I didn’t know that God would use me in so much more! I would get to preach, I would get to sing! I would get to pray for people way more than before. And the quality of the fruit was simply amazing. It was beautiful to see what God had in store for us.
Looking back, I would not trade this for the world.
I thought I would be giving up so much, but actually what I gained was incredible! I laugh now to think that I ever hesitated or had a struggle giving up “my way.”
And I almost missed it.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
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(Part-1)
Dear friends,
If one man could do it, we also can do it. Aim high. Plan big. Start working today. God is with you (and me).
I am planning to preach in every state of India in 2018. I will do it with the help of God.
Read on:
George Lisle was born into slavery in Virginia in 1752. As a boy he was taken to Georgia. His master Henry Sharp, who was a Baptist and a loyalist to England, freed him before the American Revolution began.
George became a Christian in 1777 and he worshiped in a white church for four years until loyalists were evacuated from Savannah to Britain. His former master Henry Sharp was a deacon in the church and he encouraged George in his preaching to slaves. He spent two years preaching to slaves on plantations along the Savannah River in Georgia and South Carolina.
In 1782, he left for Jamaica, becoming the first American missionary. He preached at the racecourse at Kingston, where the novelty of a black itinerant ex-slave preacher attracted considerable attention.
Seven years later he’d baptized 500 believers. It is said that by 1814, George’s efforts produced about 8,000 Christians in Jamaica, earning him the name “Negro slavery’s prophet of deliverance.”
Jesus Christ has chosen us to be His ambassadors, to bring the light of the Gospel to others. Today in prayer, praise Jesus that we can reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ.
“Every heart with Christ is a missionary, and every heart without Christ is a mission field.” – Dick Hillis
God’s Word: “he says: ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.’” – Isaiah 49:6
pg vargis
Part II –
Why Your Best Leaders Leave Your Church
By
Stephen Brewster
-
May 19, 2017
It hurts when people leave. It’s been said that people don’t quit organizations, they quit people.
There are a million reasons why, over time, we can lose talented volunteers or staff members. Sometimes it’s circumstantial. Other times, it’s just a natural pattern of growth and development. But not always, and probably not often. In reviewing a recent article in Forbes magazine on why top talent leaves business, here are some trends that tend to surface as common reasons people become disenfranchised.
We Stop Leading With Vision – Vision matters. It creates momentum and excitement. When we lead with vision and with “why,” we’re doing something that makes people move from renters to owners. Vision births passion.
We Don’t Allow People to Unleash Their Passions – It’s vital to keep people engaged and to align their passions with opportunities. When people are passionate about something, they not only want to do it…they have to do it. When we miss the chance to align passion and purpose, we fail our best people.
We Control Rather Than Trust – Great people want to be trusted. They won’t be capable of sticking around if they feel they need to be micro-managed. Will they mess up? Yes. Will they do things different than we think they should? Probably. But growth—for them and for our organization—requires sharing not just the responsibility but also the authority. This creates leaders that will learn from you and your systems and help lead and coach other leaders.
We Lack Creative Engagement – Creative people want to make things better. Our best people want to add value to our organizations. They love to challenge and questions. They seek opportunities to engage and innovate. We have to free our best people to soar and do their best work.
We Don’t Coach – Learners are leaders. We’re all on a journey and all want to get better, smarter and more valuable. Make sure we’re creating a culture that puts a premium on coaching and learning.
We Stop Challenging – We’re responsible to challenge our best people. Challenge them to be their best, do their best, and to engage using their skills, intelligence and resource. If people become bored and aren’t given challenges, they will go find someplace where they can be pushed to be better.
We Don’t Create Venues for Their Voice – Make sure we’re giving our best people room to have a voice. Leaders can’t make their best decisions if they only have one opinion or one set of data. Our best people have valuable information and opinions to share. If we don’t listen, we’ll miss this important information.
We Cared More About the Result Than the Person – People matter. When people feel we care more about their product than we do about their person, we’ll lose them. It’s messy and takes valuable time, but it’s the best investment we can make. Put a premium on people and we won’t have to worry about the product…it will take care of itself.
We Never Shared the Love – Never take the credit, always take the responsibility. Sharing the credit and promoting the “team” builds value and trust. When we use people for our agenda, we destroy morale. When things are good, it’s all about the team. When things are off, it’s all about the leader.
We Over Promised/Under Delivered – Always. It helps people feel like they are winning and when we’re on winning streaks we’re much more content and engaged.
We Provided Responsibility, but Not Authority – It never works. If quality people are held to a certain level of responsibility but do not have the necessary authority, they will vanish. People will gladly accept challenges when they feel they are empowered to lead.
We don’t have to pay attention to these opportunities. But if we don’t, someone else will and one day we’ll look around and wonder what happened to our most talented people and why they’re all working together, enjoying life, creating momentum and changing the world in another organization.
PG&Lilly Vargis
A letter from a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For any one doing any kind of ministry in the body of Christ and who wants to improve and excel.
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(Part-1)
It's Not Over
You could have heard a pin drop. It was mesmerising. We were spellbound. An eighty-five-year-old man, almost totally blind, got up to speak to 1,500 people of all ages on our church holiday. He had no notes, of course, because he could no longer read. He gave two talks, each of them an hour long.
In the first talk, he gave a breathtaking summary of the entire Old Testament. In the second, which was equally brilliant, he gave a summary of the whole of the New Testament. There was no hesitation, no stumbling and not a word was out of place. It was the distilled wisdom of a man who had followed the Lord wholeheartedly all his life.
Bishop Lesslie Newbigin had one of the most remarkable ministries of the twentieth century. At the age of thirty-six he was elected as one of the first bishops of the new Church of South India. When he returned from India, later on in life, he wrote several books that aimed to help the church in the West fulfil its mission in a world that was rapidly changing and felt no need for God.
His writing and speaking influenced thousands of Christian leaders around the world. Yet for this astonishing man, who had achieved so much in his life, it was not over. He entitled his autobiography Unfinished Agenda. For him, there was always still so much to hope for and so much more to be done.
PSALM 52:1-9
It is never over for a visionary
How do you react in the midst of tragedy and opposition? It is tempting to panic, withdraw, lose hope or even give up.
David was a visionary. Vision has been defined as a combination of ‘a deep dissatisfaction with what is and a clear grasp of what could be’. If you have vision, you will always be able to say, ‘It’s not over.’
David achieved so much in his lifetime. Yet, he had to deal with the reality of opposition. This psalm was written after a devastating setback. David had been on the run from Saul, but his location had been betrayed to Saul by ‘Doeg the Edomite’. Although David had moved on by the time Saul’s men arrived, his friend Ahimelek, and almost all of Ahimelek’s family, had been killed (see 1 Samuel 21–22).
In this psalm we see how he had to deal with those who were trying to destroy him by ‘deceit’ (Psalm 52:2c), ‘falsehood’ (v.3b) and ‘harmful word[s]’ (v.4a). We may wonder whether David was thinking of Doeg in particular when he wrote that description. He was like the man described in verse 7 ‘who did not make God their stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!’ This has a very contemporary ring to it.
Yet, even in the midst of such tragedy and opposition, David did not despair or give up. He sees that, with God, it is not over. It is not over for Doeg: ‘God will bring you down to everlasting ruin’ (v.5a). And it is not over for David: ‘I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God’ (v.8a). David turns to God. What can we learn from his response?
1. Trust in God’s love
‘I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever’ (v.8b). God’s love will never fail.
2. Praise God’s deeds
‘I will praise you forever for what you have done… I will praise you in the presence of your saints’ (v.9a). Until God opens the door, praise him in the hallway.
3. Hope in God’s name
‘In your name I will hope, for your name is good (v.9b). With God, however bad your circumstances look, it is not over. Put your hope in God’s name.
Lord, thank you for the dreams and visions that you put into my heart. As I face all the challenges ahead and the opposition, may I trust in your unfailing love and put my hope in you for the future.
Part II –
More Tough Skin and Tender Hearts: How to Prepare for Conversations on Ethnic Harmony
In honor of Black History Month, organizations, churches, and even private businesses will set aside time to engage in conversations about ethnic division and racial injustice in our country. I’ve been a part of this conversation on a small scale for the last ten years, first as a college student entering a majority white culture. And I’ve been engaged in the conversation on a much larger scale through the Internet as a co-founder of the Reformed African American Network (RAAN).
I grew up in Pickens, a small town in Holmes County, Mississippi, which is by far majority black — and was recently ranked number three of the ten worst counties in America. I don’t disclose this with an ounce of shame. I love where I’m from, and my wife and I intend to move back one day. After high school, I moved 45 minutes south to Jackson to attend college. It was there that my context completely changed as I entered a majority white school, a majority white denomination (although my church was multi-ethnic), and eventually a majority white seminary. And my context or community hasn’t looked like Pickens since.
Over the years I’ve learned that the conversation is complicated and how we view the world and ourselves can radically shape how we engage one another. Therefore, humility and love that produces tough skin and tender hearts are essential as we have these conversations. Both require us to engage and examine diverse views, embracing what we believe is in harmony with biblical truth.
How We Interpret
Despite the immense complexity of ethnic relations in America, everyone has an opinion, but far too few seem to possess the humility these conversations demand. Christians are called to take up the yoke of Jesus and learn from him who is gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). Likewise, Paul urges believers to do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others more important (Philippians 2:3). But as I observe conversations regarding racism and injustice, it’s rare to find a man or woman who speaks boldly with a posture of humility.
“Experience requires interpretation, and we interpret everything through our particular worldview.”
There are few (if any) authorities when it comes to this conversation. And contrary to popular opinion, experience might give one individual more insight than another, but it doesn’t make that individual an expert. Experience requires interpretation, and we interpret everything through our particular worldview.
Christians desperately need a worldview based on Scripture in order to effectively answer the tough questions these conversations raise. The problem is that the majority of Americans don’t possess a Christian worldview. A 2009 Barna study asked Americans basic questions about Christianity and their research confirmed my conclusion:
Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Among the sixty subgroups of respondents that the survey explored was one defined by those who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior. Labeled “born again Christians,” the study discovered that they were twice as likely as the average adult to possess a biblical worldview. However, that meant that even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.
If this is still true, we should hold our views on racism and other issues all the more with openhandedness and make sure that we’re allowing Scripture to correct us as we seek to answer the challenges we face. As Scripture shapes our hearts and our views, we will notice our skin getting thicker and our hearts becoming tenderer.
How We Love
For years, black Christians have been frustrated with white Christians who hosted conversations to address the sin of racism in our churches but fail to invite wisdom and counsel from the very people they were attempting to love and build better relationships with. This frustration is completely justified and warranted.
In response to this, some (blacks and whites alike) are now calling for white Christians to not speak on racism. The spirit is captured in social media jabs like, “White people need to shut up and listen.” A gracious reading of this would assume that it is simply calling for whites to listen and then speak. James 1:19 encourages all to have this heart and mind. But unfortunately I’ve discovered that statements like this typically are meant for whites whose views don’t sit well with a more progressive or politically correct view.
Evangelicalism is fractured on the topic of ethnic harmony, and the only people we invite to speak on the subject are the people that already agree with us. Most conferences on racism today are stacked with panelists that lack diversity in a completely different way. Sure, everyone on stage may possess a different skin tone, but their views are undistinguishable. Why do we do this? Because many have been indoctrinated with what to think but we haven't been taught how to think. Consequently, we’re afraid of ideas that don’t confirm what we think we already know. Also our pride makes us cling to the ideas we’ve publicly embraced because we can’t bear to admit that we made a mistake or that the other guy was right.
“Evangelicalism is fractured on the topic of racism, and the only people we engage are the people we agree with.”
How can we have productive conversations about racism and ethnicity if different views aren’t welcome and engaged with dignity and respect? Our refusal to lovingly offer a seat at the table to any view that doesn’t contradict orthodox Christianity will hinder the church from being the prophetic voice on the issue that I know we can be.
Christian First, Ethnicity Second
I think the main reason we limit whom we invite to the table for conversations about racism is because of misplaced identities which have given many tender skin rather than tough skin. As a church, whether we as individuals are white, black, brown, red, or yellow, Christians have to constantly remind ourselves of our primary allegiance. If you are a child of the king, adopted into the household of faith, you are Christian first. I am one million times more Christian than I am black. My brown skin may be what you first notice about me, but by God’s grace, my Christian faith is what you will remember.
I’m not advocating a Christian version of the views of Stacy Dash or Morgan Freeman or others who think it’s divisive to have any month or organization specifically focused on or celebratory of a particular minority group. I’m honored to be the co-founder of RAAN, and I believe Black History Month is good and necessary in our day. I’m thankful for my skin and heritage. As a matter of fact, I count it a privilege to be physically dressed by my creator in such a beautiful skin tone because I don’t believe that ethnic diversity is a byproduct of the fall. But I will forever check others and myself when I notice our ethnicity is taking precedent over our heavenly citizenship.
“My brown skin may be what you initially notice, but by God’s grace, my Christian faith is what you will remember.”
Therefore, as we engage in complicated conversations about racism, be sober-minded rather than drunk with hatred, frustration, and annoyance. Embrace humility and love those you disagree with. But continue to pursue truth and justice as these two are defined in the Holy Scriptures. The Bible must remain the basis for why we believe what we believe and a careful study of it reveals that it has much to say about ethnicity and injustice.
These conversations are complex but necessary and we need men and women who can sit down and have hard conversations considering the other more significant.