Demands of Jesus - REPENT - Part 3

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the previous session, Part 2 we understood that sin is an assault on God and dishonors Him and puts us in debt to Him to make our relationship right with Him. We also understood that repenting is experiencing a change of mind so that we can see God as true and beautiful and worthy of all our praise and all our obedience. This change of mind also embraces Jesus in the same way, because He came from the Father and He and the Father are one.

But do we all need to repent? If so why? Let us learn about it.

THE UNIVERSAL NEED FOR REPENTANCE

No one is excluded from Jesus' demand to repent. He made this clear when a group of people came to him with news of two calamities. Innocent people had been killed by Pilate's massacre and by the fall of the tower of Siloam (Luke 13:1-4). Jesus took the occasion to warn even the bearers of the news: "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5). In other words, don't think calamities mean that some people are sinners in need of repentance and others aren't. All need repentance. Just as all need to be born again (John 3:7), so all must repent because all are sinners.

When Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32), he did not mean that some persons are good enough not to need repentance. he meant some think they are (Luke 18:9), and others have already repented and have been set right with God. For example, the rich young ruler desired "to justify himself" (Luke 10:29), while "the tax collector... beat his breast, saying 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner! [and he] went down to his house justified [by God]" (Luke 18:13-14).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

We now understood why there is a universal need for repentance, because not one of us is righteous enough to stand in the face of Jesus, save one - Jesus. We may think that we are not sinners in our deeds, which are  seen by everyone, but we sin in our thoughts - the only place that is seen by God. Jesus came down from Heaven to set us right with God, and to be set right with Him, we need to repent of our sins and come anew. We must be washed in His blood and become as white as newly fallen snow. Let us try to repent of our sinful thoughts and deeds and come and enjoy the presence of our Savior King.

May the Lord Almighty bless you and keep you in all your ways.

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

Source: What Jesus Demands from the World - John Piper

Demands of Jesus - REPENT - Part 2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the previous session, we understood what is repentance. We also understood that repentance is not the new deeds, but the inward change that bears the fruit of new deeds. And Jesus was demanding such a change in us. Now let us understand WHY?

SIN: AN ASSAULT ON GOD

Why? His answer is that we are sinners. "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). What was Jesus' view of sin? In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus describes the son's sin like this: "He squandered his property in reckless living... (and) devoured (it) with prostitutes" (Luke 15:13, 30). But when the prodigal repents he says, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son" (Luke 15:21). Therefore, throwing away your life away on reckless living and prostitutes is not just humanly hurtful; it is an offence against heaven- that is, against God. That is the essential nature of sin. It is an assault on God.

We see this again in the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray. He said that they should pray, "Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us" (Luke 11:4). In other words, sins that God forgives are compared to the ones people commit against us, and those are called debts. Therefore, Jesus' view of sin is that it dishonors God and puts us in debt to restore the divine honor we had defamed by our God-belittling behavior or attitudes. Later we will see how that debt gets paid by Jesus himself (Mark 10:45). But for us to enjoy that gift he says we must repent.

Repenting means experiencing a change of mind so that we can see God as true and beautiful and worthy of all our praise and all our obedience. This change of mind also embraces Jesus in the same way. We know this because Jesus said, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God" (John 8:42). Seeing God with a new mind includes seeing Jesus with a new mind.

Dear brethren in Jesus, hope you all enjoyed a fruitful reading and understanding on sin and how it is an assault on God and why we should repent of the same. Hoping that this would change your view of the sins we commit and come back to God and honor Him with all our heart, soul, mind and body.

May the loving God always have compassion on you and may He bless you all the days of your life.

Your Brother in Jesus

Jobin George

Demands of Jesus - REPENT - Part 1

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus
It has been a long time since I last posted here. In the last few sessions, we finished learning about Jesus' demands on not to be anxious and to always pray. Now let us move to one of Jesus' first demands- to repent.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." - Matt. 4:17

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. - Luke 5:32

Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. - Luke 13:3,5

The first demand of Jesus' ministry was, "Repent". He spoke this command indiscriminately to all who would listen. It was a call for radical inward change toward God and man.

WHAT IS REPENTANCE?

Two things show us that repentance is an internal change of mind and heart rather than mere sorrow for sin or mere improvement of behavior. First, the meaning of the Greek word  behind the English "repent" (metanoia) points in this direction. It has two parts: meta and noia. The second part (noia) reffers to the mind and its thoughts and perceptions and dispositions and purposes. The first part (meta) is a prefix that regularly means movement or change. In view of the way ths prefix regularly functions, we may infer that the basic meaning of repent is to exercise a change of the mind's perceptions and dispositions and purposes.

The other factor that points to this meaning of repent is the way Luke 3:8 describes the relationship between repentance and new behavior. It says, "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance." Then it gives examples of the fruits: "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise" (Luke 3:11). This means that repenting is what happens inside of us. Then this change leads to the fruits of new behavior. Repentance is not the new deeds, but the inward change that bears the fruit of new deeds. Jesus is demanding that we experience this inward change.

In the next session, we will see why Jesus demands that we experience this change in ourselves. May the Lord Almighty bless you all and keep you in all your ways.

Please do uphold me in your prayers.

Your Brother in Jesus Christ

Jobin George

P.S. The above extract has been taken from the book "What Jesus demands from the World" by John Piper.

Demands of Jesus - Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart - 5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

Greetings and peace to you all in the name of the Almighty name of Jesus Christ. In the last session, Part 4 we learned HOW to pray. We learned that we should pray with Faith and that we should not pray for the praise of others. Now let us concentrate on FOR WHOM are we to pray exactly? And WHAT should we pray?

FOR WHOM?

For whom does Jesus demand that we are pray? Of course it is for ourselves, is it because we are deserving? Prayer has nothing to do with deserving, it's all about mercy. We pray for ourselves because we are weak. We are so prone to sin and utterly dependent on preserving grace to sustain our flawed obedience. "Pray then like this," Jesus said, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matt. 6:9,13). That is a prayer for ourselves first, since we know our own frailty and vulnerability better than anyone. Then it is a prayer for the other followers of Jesus and the world.

Praying for self does not allow us to exclude others from our prayers. When Jesus tells us to pray, "Hallowed be Your Name" (Matt. 6:9), He means that we should pray this for anyone who does not yet hallow God's name. And if our selfish hearts should think of some adversary that we do not like, Jesus is unsparing - these too must be blessed in our prayers. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44); "bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you" (Luke 6:28). None must be excluded from our love, and none may be excluded from our prayers.

WHAT?

Finally, what does Jesus demand that we pray? What are we to ask the Father to do? Jesus' summary answer is called the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13).

Our Father in Heaven,

1. hallowed be Your Name.
2. Your kingdom come ,
3. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
4. Give us this day our daily bread,
5. and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
6. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

We pray for ourselves and for other followers of Jesus and for the world (1) that we should reverence and cherish the name of God above things. This is the first function of prayer - to pray that people would pursue the glory of God.

(2) We pray that God's saving, purifying, Jesus-exalting rule would hold sway in our lives and would finally come in universal manifestation and extent.

(3) We pray that we would do the will of God the way the angels do it n heaven - namely, without hesitation and full of zeal and thoroughness.

(4) We pray for the practical provisions of body and mind that make an earthly life of obedience possible.

(5) We pray for forgiveness for our daily failures to honor God as we ought. That is, we ask God to apply to us each day the perfect redemption that Jesus obtained once for all when He died on the cross.

(6) We pray that God would protect us from the evil one and from the temptations that would bring us to ruin and weaken our witness for Him.

The Lord's Prayer shows us the astonishing nature of prayer. It puts in the position of greatest importance the prayer for God's Name to be glorified, God's kingdom to advance and triumph, and God's will to be accomplished on the earth the way it's happening in heaven. This means that God intends to use human prayers to accomplish His most ultimate and universal purposes. For example, Jesus tells us to pray for workers that will be required to spread the gospel to all the nations. "Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matt. 9:38). Yet nothing is more certain than that the kingdom of God will triumph. Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it... this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 16:18; 24:14). There is no uncertainty about the triumph of God. Nevertheless, in God's providence it depends on human prayer.

This implies that prayer is not only a duty of man but a gift of God. Jesus will awaken in His people the spirit of prayer that asks for everything it will take to accomplish God's purposes in the world. The prayers of Jesus' followers and the purposes of God will not fail.

Source: What Jesus Demands from the World - John Piper

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin 

Demands of Jesus - Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart - 4

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the previous session, we were learning on "HOW" we should pray. If we look back to Part 3, we learned on how to pray with Simplicity, Perseverance and to pray through Jesus' death and in His Name. Today, let us understand on How we should pray with Faith.

HOW? With FAITH

"Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Matt. 21:22; Mark 11:24) we can say that Jesus wants us to pray with faith. Some have taken verses and like this and turned them into the power of positive thinking. They believe that if we can be confident that something will happen, it will indeed happen. But that would be faith in our faith. When Jesus teaches us how to "move mountains" by faith, He says explicitly, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). There  seem to be times when God makes clear to us that His will is to do a particular thing. In that case we may be perfectly confident that very thing will be done. In that sense Jesus says to us, "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24). It is God who does it, and our belief rests on Him and His revealed will. Otherwise, we would be God, and He would run the universe according to our will, not His.

Jesus makes it clear that there is a kind of filter that our prayers must pass through in order to be sure that they are according to God's will. "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). Here Jesus' promise is more clearly qualified than in Mark 11:24. Are we trusting in Him as our all-supplying vine? And are His words shaping our minds and hearts so that we discern how to pray according to His wisdom?

Praying in faith does not always mean being sure that the very thing we ask will happen. But it does always mean that because of Jesus we trust God to hear us and help us in the way that seems best to Him. It may mean that He gives us just what we ask, or that He gives us something better. Will a father give a son a stone if he asks for bread? No. But neither will he give him bread if it is moldy. He may give him cake. Sometimes God's answers will overwhelm us with their excess. Other times they taste more like medicine than food and will test our faith that this medicine is really what we need.

HOW? Not for the Praise of Others

In view all that we learnt, it should be clear that the reward of prayer comes from God, not man. But Jesus shows us that the human heart is capable of turning the most beautifully Godward act in a manward direction and ruining it. He warns us:

When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Mark 6:5-6)

Jesus hates hypocrisy - like appearing to love God when what you really love is the praise of man. His most disparaging language was reserved for "hypocrites". He called them children of hell, "blind guides", "full of greed and self-indulgence", "whitewashed tombs" (Matt.23:15, 24, 25, 27). The demand is unmistakable: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (Luke 12:1). The implication for prayer (ad fasting and alms-giving, Matt. 6:1-4, 16-18) is: Treasure God, and all that He will be for you, in prayer; but do not treasure the praise of man. And most of all do not turn a God-treasuring act of prayer into a man-treasuring act of hypocrisy.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, we have now completed on the how we are to pray. Hope you all enjoyed reading and understanding Jesus' words on how to pray. In the next session, I would take up for whom to pray. May the Lord Almighty bless you and keep you in all your ways. 

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin

Demands of Jesus - Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart - 3

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

We have been learning about the demand of Jesus to pray. In the previous session, Part 1 & Part 2, we received an answer to our why we should pray, Jesus says: because God is very much inclined to hear and answer our prayers - which is not surprising, since prayer is designed to magnify God's glory while sustaining our joy in Him. Now let us understand on How we are to pray...

HOW? Simplicity

The readiness of God to answer and His perfect knowledge of what we need before we ask means that we should be simple in our wording and reject anything like a repetitive mantra that would imply God is aroused by our monotonous incantations. "When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him" (Matt.6:7-8).

HOW? With Perseverance

This does not mean that there is no room for perseverance in prayer. In fact, Jesus is explicit in telling us to be persistent in prayer over a long period of time, if necessary, as we seek some crucial breakthrough in the cause of righteousness for His glory (Luke 11:5-8; 18:1-8). The point is not to finally break God's resistance but to discover, by patient prayer, God's wisdom as to the way and time the prayer should be answered. He is not disinclined to help His children and glorify His name. He simply knows better than we do when and how the answer should come. Therefore, our persistence in prayer shows both our confidence that God is our only hope and that He will act in the best way and the best time in response to our persistent pleas.

HOW? Through His Death and In His Name

The confidence that we have in prayer is owing to Jesus. He did not just teach us to pray - He died for us and rose again to remove insuperable obstacles to prayer. Without the death of Jesus, our sins would not be forgiven (Matt. 26:28) and the wrath of God would still be against us (John 3:36). In that condition we could expect no answers to prayer from God. Therefore, Jesus is the ground of all our prayers. This is why He taught us to pray in His Name. "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13; 16:23-24). Ending our prayers "in Jesus' name, Amen' is not a mere tradition; it is an affirmation of faith in Jesus as the only hope of access to God.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I know stop here. We have understood 3 aspects on How we are to pray to our Father in Heaven. May the grace of our Father, the love of our Savior Jesus, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be a guidance unto us to keep on praying on our knees and in our hearts. Please do keep our spiritual fathers, especially our father, H. G. Zachariah Mar Theophilus, who is undergoing treatment for cancer in US  and please do keep me a sinful servant in your prayers.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin

Source: What Jesus Demands from the World - John Piper

Demands of Jesus - Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart - 2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

It has been a month since I last posted on the series on "Demands of Jesus". I had been busy with some personal matters and was also in the transfer process from Cochin to Pune in India on work related matters. We have been learning about the Demands made by Jesus of His followers for the past few months. In the previous session, we started to learn about Jesus' demand to keep on praying and we were learning on WHY should we pray. We learnt one of the reasons being that prayer glorifies our God - Prayer is designed by God to display His fullness and our need. Prayer glorifies God because it puts usin the position of the thirsty and God in the position of the all-supplying fountain.

Now let us look into the second reason why Jesus asked us to pray

WHY? For our Joy
The other purpose Jesus came to accomplish was our joy. Everything He taught was aimed to free us from eternal-joy-killers and fill us with the only joy that lasts - joy in God. "These things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves" (John 17:13). One of His most pervasive teachings for our joy was the teaching on prayer, and He made His motive explicit: Our joy. "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24). The most wonderful thing about prayer, as Jesus demands it, is that it is perfectly suited to secure God's glory and our joy.

These are great incentives for us to obey Jesus' demand that we "always... pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1). To these He adds other incentives, because He is so eager for us to feel hopeful in our praying. He says, for example, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him" (Matt. 6:8). The point is that we don't need to multiply pious phrases in prayer hoping that we might awaken God's attention or inclination. He is our caring Father, and He is all-knowing. He will answer. Then Jesus underlines God's readiness to answer by comparing Him to a human father, but pointing out that God is far more eager to answer than human fathers:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you... which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matt. 7:7-11)

So in answer to the question why we should pray, Jesus says: because God is inclined to hear and answer our prayers - which is not surprising, since prayer is designed to magnify God's glory while sustaining our joy in Him.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, we have now understood on 'WHY' Jesus asks us to pray without losing heart. In the following series, we will understand on How are we to pray and What are we to pray and For Whom are we to pray. 

May the love of our Heavenly Father, grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit guide us all to pray unceasingly to our Father. Please do keep this sinful servant in your prayers.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin

Source: What Jesus Demands from the World - John Piper

Demands of Jesus - Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart - 1

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

We have been learning steadily about the demands that Jesus makes of His followers. In this session let us now concentrate why Jesus asks us to pray. 

And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. - Luke 18:1

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. - Matt. 6:6

Jesus intends to create a praying people. His demand is clear, and the issue is so important that He tells us why, how, for whom, and what we are to pray. And though we might think that the Son of God would be above the need to pray, He sets the example for us, as a perfect human being, by rising early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35) and seeking times alone to pray (Matt. 14:23) and sometimes spending the whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12) and, in the end, preparing for His suffering by prayer (Luke 22:41-42).

WHY? FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

Why did Jesus think prayer was so important for His followers? The reason is that prayer corresponds with two great purposes of God that Jesus came to accomplish: God's glory and our joy. Jesus said: "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13). Prayer is designed by God to display His fullness and our need. Prayer glorifies God because it puts usin the position of the thirsty and God in the position of the all-supplying fountain.

Jesus knew the Psalms and read Psalm 50:15 where God, like Jesus, demands that we pray for help and shows that this gives glory to God: "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." Prayer is designed as a way of relating to God, so that it is clear we get the help and He gets the glory. Jesus said that He had come to glorify His Father. "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do" (John 17:4). Part of what God had given Him to do was to teach His disciples to pray, because when we pray in Jesus' name, "the Father (is) glorified in thee Son" (John 14:13).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus

This is just the beginning of the next session of why we are meant to be a praying people to the Lord. In the next session we will see why prayer is for our joy. Let the mercy of the Father, the love of Jesus and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

Please do keep me in your prayers

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Demands of Jesus - Do Not Be Anxious About the Threats of Man - 3

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the last session, we were learning about some of the reasons why Jesus said not to be anxious about the threats of man, to not to be afraid to speak clearly and openly what Jesus taught us - even if it costs us our lives in the end. Let us look into some more reasons why Jesus says so...

EVEN THE HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE ALL NUMBERED

Fourth reason Jesus says to not fear to speak the truth, but to be courageous and speak clearly and openly is because God is always giving close and intimate attention to all you do. Jesus says, "Even the hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matt. 10:30). In other words, the suffering you may undergo in speaking the truth is not because God is disinterested in you or unfamiliar with your plight. He is close enough to separate one hair from another and give each one a number. Fear not; He is close. He is interested; He cares. Be of good courage, and speak the truth whatever the cost.

NOT ONE OF THEM WILL FALL TO THE GROUND WITHOUT YOUR FATHER'S WILL

Finally, fear not because God will not let anything happen to you apart from His gracious will. "You are of more value than many sparrows." "Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will" (Matt. 10.29, 31). Jesus' point is: God governs the world right down to the smallest events like birds falling to the ground. Therefore, no harm can befall you but what God wills. This confidence has given great courage to the followers of Jesus for centuries. Many have spoken in the words of missionary Henry Martyn, "If God has work for me to do, I cannot die." We are immortal until the work God has for us is done.

SO DO NOT FEAR THE FACE OF ANY MANY

Therefore, the demand of Jesus stands, and there is sufficient reason to obey it with joy and courage. Don't be anxious about the ordinary needs of life, and don't fear the threats of man. Don't yield to the spirit of age that woos us into peaceful silence when the truth is being trampled. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth," Jesus said. "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matt. 10:34). Not the sword of steel, but the sword of truth that gives life to all who believe. Love the truth, therefore, and what you learn from Jesus in the solitude speak from the housetop. And do not fear the face of any man.

Dear brothers and sisters, I have now completed the Demand of Jesus to not to be anxious about the threats of man. Hope that you all enjoyed and learnt from these series. Will come soon with more of Jesus Demands. Stay tuned. Meanwhile do uphold me in your prayers.

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

Demands of Jesus - Do Not Be Anxious About the Threats of Man - 2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the last session, we learnt that we should be courageous to talk about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We should  be courageous to stand for Jesus in the dark and unsavory world, in which we are now living. Now let us look at some of the reasons why we should have courage to be standing for Christ, even if it means death of our life and everything we might hold dear in our life.

THEY WILL MALIGN YOU LIKE THEY DID JESUS

When we consider Matthew 10:26, Jesus says, "SO [therefore] have no fear of them." In other words, fearlessness should flow from what Jesus just said - "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of His household."

Jesus reasons such: "Your mistreatment for speaking the truth is not some unexpected, random, meaningless experience; instead it's the same way they treated me, and so it's a sign that you belong to me. So don't be afraid of the names they call you when you speak out plainly. Those very names bind you and me together."

NOTHING IS COVERED THAT WILL NOT BE REVEALED

Secondly, in the middle of the same verse 26 - "So have no fear of them; FOR nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that  will not be known." How are we to be made courageous here?

It gives us assurance that the truth we are speaking will triumph. It will be vindicated in the end. People may reject it ow. They may call it demonic. They may cast it out. They may try to bury it and hide it from the world ad pretend that it does not exist. But Jesus says, "Take heart in the cause of truth, because in the end all truth will be revealed. All reality will be uncovered. Ad those who spoke it with clarity and openness will be vindicated.'

FEAR NOT, YOU CAN ONLY BE KILLED!

Thirdly, Jesus says, fear not, you can only be killed! "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul" (Matt. 10:28). In other words, the worst thing your opponents can do to you when you speak the truth is kill your body. And that leaves the soul untouched and happy in God forever. But if you keep silent, if you forsake the path of truth and fall in love with the praise of men, you could lose your very soul. If you want to fear something, fear that! But don't fear what man can do to you. All he can do is dispatch your soul to paradise. Fear not.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

Demands of Jesus - Do Not Be Anxious About the Threats of Man - 1

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the last session, we completed why Jesus demands us not to be anxious about our daily necessities, but even is we gain a measure of victory over the fear that all our needs will not be met, there remains another gut-wrenching fear that we all face. The fear of speaking the truth when it might cost us our lives. Jesus deals with this fear in Matthew 10:24-31. It is especially relevant in our day as the likelihood increases that tolerance will hold sway for everyone, except the person who claims that everyone must give absolute allegiance to Jesus.

The aim of Jesus in Matthew 10:24-31 is to give us the courage to speak His truth with clarity and openness no matter what the cost. Throughout the command, Jesus makes three repetitions of the command do not fear.

Verse 26: "So have no fear of them."

Verse 28: "Do not fear those who kill the body."

Verse 31: "Fear not therefore; you are of much more value than many sparrows." 

Jesus' aim is clear: Be fearlessly courageous. But courageous to do what? Let's concentrate on what Jesus demands us to courageously do.

WHAT YOU HEAR WHISPERED, PROCLAIM UPON HOUSETOPS

Jesus has something very specific in mind that is threatened by fear and advanced by courage. he says in Matthew 10:27-28, "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon housetops. And do not fear..." We all can relate to this fear. We face it constantly in our daily lives. We are afraid to speak about Jesus to this world, fearing what others will think about us. We fear we might lose our comfortable positions in this world when we proclaim the Word of God. This is the fear that Jesus focuses in this passage: the fear of speaking clearly (in the light) and openly (on the housetops) when that speaking might get you into trouble.

So here's the demand: "Don't be afraid to speak clearly and openly what I have taught you, even if it costs you your life.

Rest of Jesus' words are motivation - five reasons why we should have courage in the cause of truth, which I would be glad to share with you in the upcoming days. May the grace of God, The Father, the love of Jesus Christ, His Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Please do uphold this sinful brother in your prayers.

Jobin George

The above extract has been take from the book "What does Jesus demand from the world" by John Piper.

Demands of Jesus - Do Not be Anxious About the Necessities of Daily Life - 5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen! Wishing you all a very Happy Easter. Before the Great Lent we were learning about some of the demands of Jesus and in particular His demand to not be anxious about our daily lives. In Part 4, we were learning about the reasons why Jesus said such a demand. We learned that by being anxious we do not add anything to our lives and also that our Father in Heaven loves us so  much that He would take care of our needs. Now moving forward, lets see some more reasons why Jesus says not to be anxious about our daily necessities...

YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED THEM ALL

The fifth and sixth reasons why a follower of Jesus shouldn't be anxious are given in Matthew 6:32. We shouldn't be anxious about what we eat or drink or wear because "[fifth reason] the Gentiles seek after all these things; and [sixth reason] your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all." Anxiety about the things of this world puts us on the same level with the world of unbelievers. It shows that we are really very much like the world in what makes us happy. And Jesus assumes that we will not want to be like that. It also shows that we don't think our Father in Heaven knows our needs. Or perhaps we don't think He has the heart of a loving Father. Anxiety shows that we are too close to the world and too far from God. So don't be anxious-the world has nothing eternal to offer, and your loving heavenly Father knows your needs now and forever.

ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU

The seventh reason not to be anxious is that when you seek the kingdom of God first, He works for you and provides all your needs. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). "All these things" does not mean everything we think we need, but everything we really need. And real needs are determined by what God calls us to do, not what we feel like doing. God will give us "all these things" that we need to fulfill His calling on our lives.

TOMORROW WILL BE ANXIOUS FOR ITSELF

The last argument is, "Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day" (Matt. 6:34). In other words, God has appointed to each day its portion of pleasure and pain, as the old Swedish hymn says, especially the last  two lines of this verse:

Day by day, and with each passing moment,

Strength  find, to meet my trial here;

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best-

Lovingly, its part pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

So don't misappropriate God's allotted troubles for tomorrow. That is, don't bring them forward into today in the form of anxiety. Believe that God will be God tomorrow. Tomorrow there will be grace for tomorrow's troubles. That grace is not given today.

The main point of all this is clear and unmistakable: Jesus does not want His followers to be anxious. He does not secure His kingdom by keeping His subjects in a state of worry. On the contrary, according to Matthew 6:33, the more primary and central His kingship becomes in our lives, the less anxiety we will have.

Source: What does Jesus Demand from the World - John Piper

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, with this I now finish Jesus' demand for not to be anxious about our daily necessities. Let us all be more trusting in His abundant grace to carry us through our daily troubles.

Please do keep this sinful brother in your prayers.

Jobin George

"The Lord bless you and keep you; 

The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 

The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26

Demands of Jesus - Do Not be Anxious About the Necessities of Daily Life - 4

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the last session, Part 3, we started t understand some of the reasons why Jesus said to His not to be anxious about the necessities of daily life. We learned that we ought not to be anxious about food and clothing because they cannot provide the great things of life - the enjoyment of God, the pursuit of His gracious favor and the hope of eternity in His presence.

Let us now learn some more reasons...

YOU CANNOT ADD ONE CUBIT TO YOUR SPAN OF LIFE

The thirdd reason not to be anxious is that it's fruitless. "And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?" (Matt. 6:27). The argument is very pragmatic: Anxiety doesn't get you anywhere. It doesn't do you any good. Whatever problem is causing you to feel anxious. you can be sure your anxiety will not reduce the problem. It will only make you miserable while you try to deal with it. So don't be anxious. It's useless.

CONSIDER THE LILIES OF THE FIELD

The fourth reason Jesus gives for not being anxious is based on the lilies. "And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all His glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today s alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matt. 6:28-30).

When you look at a lily, which has no will or instinct of its own to labor and spin, yet is adorned with beautiful form and color, Jesus says you should draw at least this one conclusion: God delights to adorn things. But if His delight finds expression in adorning grass that's here today and gone tomorrow, then surely His delight His delight in adornment will express itself in how He clothes His children!

But someone may protest, "God has not adorned me!" Or: "God has not adorned the poor Christians in many destitute situations around the world." That's true. Very few followers of Jesus are dressed like Solomon. But we couldn't do our work if we were. That's why Jesus spoke about John the Baptist: "Behold, those who are dressed n splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts" - but not John the Baptist! He had prophetic work to do and wore "a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey" (Luke 7:25; Matt. 3:4). "Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11). The adornment Jesus promised does not mean that we will have exorbitant clothes, but that we will have the clothes we need. Where have you ever seen a disciple of Jesus who dd not have the adornment he needed to do what God had called him to do?

But let's be careful. We must not measure the perfection of God's provision by some standard below His calling. He does not call us to live in palaces, but to take up our crosses and love people no matter the cost. And when we have finished carrying our crosses - on torn shoulders, if God wills - there will be kingly robes for us all. The promise to meet all our needs does not mean He will make us rich. It does not even mean He will keep us alive ("some of you they will put to death," Luke 21:16). It means He will give us all that we need to do the will of God. 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

These are some of the reasons why you should not be anxious about the food and clothing that you will be having tomorrow. Lets pray to our All Providing Father to grant us what we need in our daily life according to His immeasurable love. 

Please do keep this humble servant of Jesus in your prayers

"The Lord bless you and keep you; 

The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 

The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26

Demands of Jesus - Do Not be Anxious About the Necessities of Daily Life - 2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the last session, we learned about Jesus' demand for us not to be anxious about our life, but to seek first the Kingdom of God - to make God the King in our life and in every affair. Let us now learn at least some of the reasons why Jesus says to His disciples not to be anxious.

LIFE IS MORE THAN FOOD, AND THE BODY IS MORE THAN CLOTHING

Matt. 6:25 says "Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on." Why? "Because life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing." What does this mean?

Why do we ted to get anxious about food and clothing? Because there are three things that we would lose if we didn't have food and clothing. First, we would lose some pleasures. After all, food tastes good. Second, we would lose some human praise and admiring glances if we didn't have nice clothes. Third, we would possibly lose our life if we had no food at all or weren't protected from the cold. So the reason we get anxious about food and clothing is because we don't want to lose physical pleasures or human praise or life.

To this fear Jesus responds: If you are gripped by anxiety over these things, you have lost sight of the greatness of life. Life was not given primarily for physical pleasures, but for something greater - the enjoyment of God (Luke 12:21). Life was not given primarily for the approval of man but for something greater - the approval of God (John 5:44). Life was not given primarily for the extension on this earth, but for something greater - eternal life with God in the age to come (John 3:16).

We ought not to be anxious about food and clothing because food and clothing cannot provide the great things of life - the enjoyment of God, the pursuit of His gracious favor, the hope of eternity in His presence. We get anxious about food and clothing to the same degree that we lose sight of the great purposes of a God-centered life.

LOOK AT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR

The second reason Jesus gives for not being anxious is in Matthew 6:26: "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds  them. Are you not of more value than they?" What we see when we look at the birds is not a lesson in laziness, They dig their worms and snatch their bugs and pad their nests with strings and leaves. But Jesus says it is God who feeds them. Birds don't anxiously hoard things as though God will not do the same tomorrow. They go about their work - and we should go about our work - as though, when the sun comes up tomorrow, God will still be God.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, with this I complete two of the eight reasons why we are not to be anxious about tomorrow. Let the grace of our Father, the love of Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be a guidance unto us all. Please uphold me, a sinful servant of Jesus in your prayers.

Your Brother in Christ

Jobin

Source: "What does Jesus Demands from the World" by John Piper

Demands of Jesus - Do Not Be Anxious About the Necessities of Daily Life - 1

Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  - MATT. 6:25

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  - MATT. 6:34

Dear Bothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

Welcome once again to the series of Demands of Jesus. This time I will be concentrating on the demand of Jesus to not be anxious about the necessities of your daily life, for God Almighty provides all of these for us. The following has been taken from the book "What does Jesus Demand from the World" by John Piper

There have been kings who find it very effective to keep their subjects in constant anxiety. If the people are anxious about their life and worry about where their next meal is coming from, then perhaps they will be more than willing to do the king's bidding in order to get the food they need from the king's storehouse. Anxiety keeps them in their place. Fear makes the monarchy firm.

JESUS DOES NOT SECURE HIS KINGSHIP BY CULTIVATING ANXIETY

But one of the greatest things about Jesus is that He does not want His people to be anxious. He doe snot secure His kingship by cultivating anxiety. On the contrary, the aim of Jesus' kingship is to free us from anxiety. He doesn't need to keep us anxious in order to establish His power and superiority. They are untouchable and invincible. Instead, He exalts His power and superiority by working to take away anxiety.

When Jesus says, "Do not be anxious about tomorrow," He is demanding the kind of life that everybody would want - no anxiety. No fear of man or menacing circumstances. But how does Jesus expect this demand to come true when we see things all around us that make us anxious? Jesus gives us help in two extended treatments about anxiety and fear, one having to do with anxiety over the basics of life, like food, drink, clothing (Matt. 6:25-34), then the other having to do with anxiety over the hurt that men can do to us (Matt.10:24-31). In the first passage Jesus sustains our ability to press on joyfully when we can't see how all our needs will be met. In the second passage, which I deal with in the next series, Jesus motivates us to press on boldly in the cause of truth when people threaten us.

THE ANXIETIES OF DAILY LIFE

Everyone can plainly see Jesus' point of view in Matt.6:25-34. "Do not be anxious". 

Verse 25: "Do not be anxious about your life". 

Verse 31: "Do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?'"

Verse 34: "Do not be anxious about tomorrow."

But that is the negative way of stating the main point of this passage. There is a positive way found in verse 33-namely, instead of being anxious, "Seek first the kingdom of God." In other words, when you think about your life or your food or your clothes - or your spouse or your job or your mission - don't fret about them. Instead, make God the King in that affair and in that moment. That is, hand over the situation to His kingly power, and do His righteous will with the confidence that He will work for you and meet all your needs. If we believe in the kingship of our heavenly Father, we do not need to be anxious about anything. Virtually everything else in this series which will be following is support for Jesus' demand.

In the following sessions I will be stating at least eight reasons Jesus gives for His disciples not to be anxious.

Hope you all do have a wonderful and blessed week ahead. May the God Almighty bless you all and keep you in all your ways.

Please uphold this sinner in your prayers.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

Demands of Jesus - Worship GOD - 4

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the previous chapter, Worship God - 3, we learnt that the key new truth in worship is that worship happens through Jesus. He is the temple where we meet God. And since He Himself is God, our true worship will be a worship of Jesus too. Moving forward, let us now understand the saying "Worship in Spirit"

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT

"The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit" (John 4:23). Some interpreters take this to refer to God's Holy Spirit. We can also take it to refer to our spirit. But probably Jesus thought of both these interpretations when He said so. In John 3:6 Jesus connects God's Spirit and our spirit in a remarkable way. He says, "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit". In other words, until the Holy Spirit quickens our spirit with the birth of new life, our spirit is so dead and unresponsive, it does not even qualify as spirit. Only that which is born of the Spirit is (a living) spirit. SO when Jesus says that true worshipers worship the Father "in spirit," He means that true worship comes only from spirits made alive and sensitive by the quickening of the Spirit of God.

This "spirit" is essential in worship. Otherwise worship is dead.Or to Jesus' phrase, it is "in vain". "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me" (Matt. 15:8-9). A heart (and spirit) alive and engaged with God is essential. Jesus is contrasting authentic worship in spirit and truth with external worship that focuses on Samaria and Jerusalem. What makes it authentic is not only that worshiping mind grasps the truth of Jesus, but also that the worshiping spirit experiences awakening and is moved by the truth that the mind knows. A person who has no affections for God awakened by the truth of Jesus is not worshiping "in spirit and truth". And a person with great affections built on false views of God is not worshiping "in spirit and truth". Jesus demands both: worship in spirit and in truth.

ALL OF LIFE IS WORSHIP

One implication of this vision of worship is that it applies to all of life as well as to services of corporate worship. The essence of worship lies in our mind's true vision of God and our spirit's authentic affections for God. This means that whenever we display the worth of God by words or actions that flow from a spirit that treasures Him as He really is, we are worshiping in spirit and in truth. We may be at work or at home or at church. It doesn't matter. What matters is that we see the glory of God in Jesus (truth), and we treasure Him above all else (spirit), and then we overflow by treating others with self-sacrificing love for their good. Few things display the beauty of God more. For followers of Jesus, therefore, all of life should be this kind of worship.

This is powerfully illustrated by the connection Jesus makes between worshiping God and serving God. When Satan tempted Jesus to worship him, Jesus responded, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve'" (Matt. 4:10). Serving was often attached to worshiping as an outward expression of religious ministry in the temple. But now the temple is Jesus. How is the 'service" of worship transformed?

YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY

We get a surprising glimpse of what service to God means for Jesus in Matthew 6:24. He said, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." The surprising thing here is that serving God is compared to serving money. But how do you serve money?  Not by helping money or meeting money's needs. You serve money by treasuring it so much that you shape your whole life to benefit from what money can do for you.

So it is with God in the way Jesus sees the service of worship. We do not help God or meet God's needs ("The Son of Man came not to be served," Mark 10:45). Rather we serve God by treasuring Him so much that we shape our whole life so as to benefit from what He can do for us. And, unlike money, what God can do for us above all other treasures is be for us everything we have ever longed for.

THE INFINITE WORTH OF GOD IN JESUS

Therefore, all of life is service to God. That is, all of life is shaped by our passion to maximize our experience of the supreme worth of God in Jesus. So we end where we began. All the world worships something. From the most religious to the most secular, all people value something high enough to build their lives around it-even if unconsciously. Jesus demands that every person in the world build his life around the infinite worth of God in Jesus. Consider what you are worshiping. Then ask Jesus to open your eyes to the truth of God's supreme worth and to awaken your spirit to treasure Him above all.

============================

With this I come to the close of the one of Jesus' demands. Hope you all enjoyed reading it. The next demand of Jesus that I intend to bring before you all is the demand to Pray. I would most probably be writing that for the MGOCSM Diaspora newsletter "Alethia". Please uphold this intention in your prayers. Also pray for me a sinful servant of Jesus

Your Brother and Follower of Jesus

Jobin George

Demands of Jesus - Worship GOD - 3

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the previous chapter, Worshiping GOD - 2, we learnt that Jesus introduced a new form of worship which does not place importance of the geographical and historical importance of the place or temples, but whether we worship God in accordance with the truth and whether our spirit is authentically awakened and moved by that truth.

What is worship in truth? What is the truth?

Now, lets learn on how to worship God in accordance with the truth...

ALL WORSHIP SHOULD BE THROUGH JESUS

AND OF JESUS

The key new truth is that worship now happens through Jesus. He is the temple where we meet God. This is true first because He poured out His blood "for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:28) and "gave His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45) and opened the way through His own crucified and risen body for us to be reconciled with God (John 3:16,36). There is no way that sinners could offer acceptable worship to God without having Jesus' blood as a  go-between with God.

It's true that worship now happens through Jesus because He Himself is God. He is not simply the mediator of worship between us and the Father; He is also the one to be worshiped. He made this claim directly and indirectly. He forgave sins, which only God can do (Mark 2:5-11). He accepted worship from His disciples (Matt. 14:33; 28:9). He claimed eternal preexistence with God: "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). He said He was one with the Father: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). So all should "honor the Son, just as they honor the Father" (John 5:23). Therefore, all worship "in truth" will be worship of Jesus and through Jesus. For "whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him" (John 5:23).

Dear Brothers & Sisters

I now stop here to let you ponder on the above words. We now learnt what is the truth that we should worship. In the next session, lets learn what is this worship in spirit.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; 

The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 

The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26

Demands of Jesus - Worship GOD - 2

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ Jesus

Last week, we started learning about the teachings of Jesus from the incident with the Samaritan woman by the well. We learned that the time of the Messiah had come upon the world and there was to be a change, a radical change at that, in the people of the Lord worship.

So lets continue to learn what is this radical change....

"DESTROY THIS TEMPLE, AND IN THREE DAYS I WILL RAISE IT UP"

We all know this famous saying of Jesus from the Gospel of John 2:19. Jesus says these words to the priests and Pharisees when they asked Him for a sign from heaven to know that He was sent by God. The reason Jesus says it is because He intended to take the place of the temple Himself. In other words, the "place" where worship would happen - the "place" where people would meet God from now on  - would be Jesus, not the temple in Jerusalem.

He communicated the same in several ways. When Jesus said the above words, the people were astonished and said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you will you raise it up in three days?" But the Gospel writer explained, "He was speaking about the temple of his body" (John 2:21). In other words, Jesus meant that when He was raised from the dead, He would be the new "temple"-the new meeting place with God.

Jesus said something almost as startling when He was criticized for letting His disciples pick grain and eat it on the Sabbath. Jesus' response to this criticism was to point out that David, the king of Israel, had fed his band of men with the bread of God's house that was only designed for the priests to eat. He made the connection with Himself and His band of men by saying, "I tell you, something greater than the temple is here" (Matt. 12:6). In other words, "The Messiah, the son of David, is here, and he himself is going to take the place of the temple."

"NOT IN THIS MOUNTAIN OR IN JERUSALEM,

BUT IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH"

So when Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth," He meant that a whole new approach to God in worship had come with the coming of the Messiah himself. No longer would geography be relevant: "Neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father." Instead, what takes the place of external geographic concerns are internal spiritual concerns: "Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The external places of Samaria and Jerusalem are replaced with the spiritual realities of "spirit and truth." What matters now is not where you worship but whether you worship God in accordance with the truth and whether your spirit is authentically awakened and moved by that truth.

Dear Brothers & Sisters

I now stop here to let you ponder on the above words. We learnt that true worship does not happen in any 'spiritual' place, but it happens in spirit and truth. In the next session, lets learn what is this worship in spirit.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; 

The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 

The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26