Strike The Right Chord!

 

Christianity is presented as happy, clappy religion where we invite and attract people by assuring that it will be a problem free, sickness free, financially prosperous, with all dreams coming true. People have a wrong understanding of what Christianity is and who Christ is because they are not accurately informed and explained about the need of repentance and forgiveness from sins. As a result, we have more religious Christian consumers who have downsized the demand of denying themselves, taking up the cross and following Christ (Matthew 16:24). I call them consumers because they believe they are obliged only to be receivers. Probably, they were promised that if they come to Christ, visit Church regularly and pay the offerings they would have a luxurious and absolute problem free life. 

Jesus’ call demanded repentance and assurance of the kingdom of God. The gospel writers record Jesus’ first and ongoing message of repentance, “From then on, Jesus began to preach, “Repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17). He never invited anyone to follow Him by promising healing and financial breakthroughs. In fact, Jesus was giving the hard pill to swallow for people who were carried away by His miracles than His preaching.  Do you remember what He said to the one who came out of nowhere and expressed to follow Him?  Luke 9:58 states, “And Jesus said to Him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”.

We today have invented something called sinner’s prayer. We tell people if they lift their hands to say yes to God, repeat a prayer and accept Him as the Savior all is done. Following the advice, many who have done so, from the very next day expect all miracles to happen and all their desires to be fulfilled in succession. When it does not happen, they are disappointed and slowly fall back. The need for repentance is usually downplayed. What saves people is acknowledging they are sinners, facing consequence for their sins, accepting the forgiveness of sins by believing in Christ, forsaking the sins they were committing and follow Christ Jesus. This is what we find in the greatest verse - John 3:16, which talks about a God, the sacrifice of His son Jesus and an assurance that whoever believes in Him and that they will not perish but will have eternal life. 

All those who misunderstood the core message of Christ went disappointed, for example the young rich man who left Jesus grieved (Matthew 19:22), the powerful king Herod who wished to be entertained by Jesus performing a miracle for Him (Luke 23:8) was disappointed when it did not happen and then the large crowd who stopped following because they felt it was too difficult to follow (John 6:66) Christ’s teaching.

Jesus was unapologetic when He said, “Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24. Speak the right message, don’t just invite people to the Church. Talk about repentance and not false assurance of financial prosperity. Jesus never promised a trouble-free life. In fact, He promised that we will have troubles. Only the message of repentance will bring a sense of remorse. 

I want to draw your attention to the story of Jonah and remind you that God relented and forgave the people of Ninevah when they responded to the right message. The Bible states, “Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, “In forty days Ninevah will be demolished!” Jonah 3:4. When people heard it, they collectively repented. It says “Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call earnestly to God. Each must turn away from his evil ways and from his wrongdoing.” (Jonah 3:8). Did you notice that the king commanded this and most importantly emphasized that all must turn away from their evil ways and from their wrongdoing? 

Churches and Christians, please don’t allure people with false message of prosperity, happiness and blessings alone. Only when people respond to the call of repentance, their lives are saved and transformed. They will respond positively to the great commission. Till then people will continue to visit Churches singing ‘Oh happy day’, pay some offerings and run away uncommitted.

 

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The Endless list of Diotrephes!

 

Diotrephes was a self-assuming, monopolizing leader who acted as though he was preeminent over others in the church. The New Testament describes him as an abusive leader “who likes to put himself first,” and he is strongly condemned in 3 John 1:9-10. The Christianity Leader magazine and many other Christian magazines in the recent past have pointed out the fall of many renowned Christian leaders and preachers like Mike Bickel, Steve Lawson, Tullian Frank Viola, Bill Gothard, Ravi Zacharias, Michael Brown, Paul Pressler, Robert Morris, and so on … Every country might have such list of names.

Lately, it seems that God is increasingly exposing abuse and corruption among “churches” and “ministries” that embody unbiblical notions of the Body of Christ and leadership. As I was reading some of the news in social media, I noticed each of these fallen “leaders” share two recognizable dimensions: 1. Their “ministry” revolved around them and their own “gifts” and “vision” as they assumed the rights of pinnacle “leadership” over everyone else; and 2. They had no true integration or submission to a Biblically functional local congregation in their own lives and hometowns, where there is diverse ministry and mutual accountability to one another, along with multi-gifted, balanced leadership. 

Apostle Paul cites examples of people who disobeyed in some form and perished, “these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction on whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:8-11). God is compassionate and long-suffering but at the same time one cannot get away with it if he/she continues in the debauchery and scandal. The Church in today’s context is framed under a banner of institution that a Pastor can deliberate and execute immense power to remain in that position. Most of the time the Pastor/Bishop and a leader is a celebrity. He can get what he wants. People never question the intention. Unfortunately, it is the common believer who elevates the leader to a pedestal that the leader comes crashing down. 

Today, for a believer the place, facility (Church building) is of paramount importance. The pastor’s credibility is irrelevant. Weirdly, the believer may be more qualified in the knowledge of the Bible than the Pastor or a leader but because of the position, a Pastor/bishop/Leader is looked upon as a saint and God. Diane Langberg advise is worth considering, “know Christ so well you can discern what is unlike Him no matter the seductive or religious garb it wears. God is building His kingdom in the hearts of men and women, not in the externals we have come to love to protect and praise.”.

Just because the Church/Ministry leader is renowned and powerful, it does not give him the leverage to institute what he feels is right. We forget that anything done in the name of God that does not bear resemblance to His character, is not of Him at all. We become more loyal to human words than to God’s commands. 

Paul while referring to the Corinthians talks about Satan disguising himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 in verse 15 he cites, “so it is not great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their works.” The Corinthians Church was swayed by the “Super-apostles” eloquent, charismatic, and self-aggrandizing leaders who were preaching a different gospel and demanded payment for their services. These men boasted of their spiritual authority and worldly success. Watch out and be careful. Give all glory to God. Let your Church be the institute that nurtures you and equips you to be the carrier of the gospel. 

 

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Divine Moments for gospel conversation!

 

When do you think is the appropriate time to have a gospel conversation with someone who hasn’t heard the gospel yet?  It’s a common assumption that its Christmas or Easter or Pentecost celebrations are the best time. But we are blissfully unaware that its all-time, everywhere. Another grave assumption we make is that it’s the duty of missionaries and evangelists. Mostly these people operate living in a small town or remote village more than a thousand miles away. The fact that every believer is a witness and a missionary according to the Bible is an unknown fact. 

Jesus was a full-time evangelist who was constantly sharing the good news to all forms of groups, with no exceptions. It is Churches and Christians who have compartmentalized sacred and secular. It is funny that those who emphasize and encourage people to consider sharing the gospel and be a witness in the workspace have successfully compartmentalized even that too to an exclusive zone. Being a witness and sharing the gospel to one group of people and in a particular space is not a great example of being witness. I like the way R Stanley puts it by saying, “every person without Christ is a mission field”. It can be your neighbor, your colleagues, your relatives, your friends for that matter. 

Jesus stated this, “You will be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the gentiles. But when they hand you over, don’t worry about or what you are to speak. For you will be given what to say to that hour.” (Matthew 10:18-19).Every situation, even in the toughest time, while being persecuted, need to be a witness and present Christ (Matthew 10:23). We notice this happened in Acts 8 when Paul was posing threat to Christians by causing havoc and putting them to prison. People fled and were scattered everywhere. Verse 4 says, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”. This is a phenomenon hard to find these days.

Jesus knew that the time for Him is short and used every opportunity to go from town to town, villages and cities to share the good news. The gospel of John records that Jesus had a midnight conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:2). No time, people or places were exempted for Him. I had a similar encounter with an Uber cab driver while returning home after admitting my daughter in the hospital, at midnight. It is always a habit of mine to strike a conversation with cab drivers and make sure by the time I alight the cab, they have heard about Jesus. This is one of those moments, but this was my first gospel sharing at the midnight hour. The conversation slowly picked momentum, and the spirit of the Lord was at work. Well into the conversation the cab driver stopped the cab by the side of the road and was receptive to the gospel which went around for one hour. He was willing to pray with me and expressed his interest to know more about Jesus. Although it was a trying and tiring moment for me with my daughter being in the hospital, it was a joy to know that God used that midnight hour to bring glory by touching one lost soul to hear the gospel. This is what I mean by sharing the gospel anywhere, anytime.

When there is true transformation of life you will be compelled to share the gospel with anyone and everyone. It is just irrepressible.  When someone is hesitant, unsure of how to share, or too timid, ashamed and aware of different gospel sharing tools yet not bold enough, then the person needs to analyze his/her relationship with Christ. You cannot stop expressing the love for others if you love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. The more you start sharing the gospel, the more you will want to keep sharing. True courage is when you start sharing with non-Christians than with Christians. Pastors and Church leaders, I urge you to make it a habit of sharing the gospel and be a model your Church to follow.

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What matters to God the Most?

You are quick to agree you matter the most to God. Perfect! You want to also believe that you are the apple of His eyes, you are engraved in the palm of His hand and God loves you most. That’s a great assurance. Every single person who demonstrated his obedience to accept Him as the Savior and lord of his/her life should have the confidence that he/she is loved by God immensely. But do we believe the same is true for others? As much as you matter to God others matter too, more specifically the person who is lost. If you are concerned to what matters to God, then you are already part of Christ’s Mission. 

If evangelism matters to God, then it should matter to you too. Every lost sheep from the herd is described in Luke 15 in the parable of the Lost sheep and the lost sinners that they are His top priority. Luke 5:32: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.".  If this is not the priority of the Church and the believer then I wonder what is? The gospel writers and in the epistles cited the purpose of Jesus:

Luke 19:10: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Mark 2:17: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

1 Timothy 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”

I can’t help but notice the decline of intentional evangelism in Churches. Majority of the churches are not evangelistically effective. This truth is hard because of what God desires of his church. Sam Rainer states,  ‘The church is not a destination for crowds but rather a vehicle to take gospel-sharing to the ends of the earth.’ Evangelism is falling off the radar from many churches. Intentional evangelism is not easy. Like most good disciplines, intentional evangelism requires work. You must work to get in front of people. You must work to build the trust. You must share Jesus with them. Sam Rainer in his writing states this, “The most evil thing a person can do is intentionally prevent another from hearing God’s truth. Be good. Be an ambassador of Jesus. Share Jesus.”.

Churches do not have a strong record of reaching non-believers. Church goers commit their entire life to belong to a Church without fulfilling the real purpose of church Christ desires. 2 Timothy 3:7 Paul states,  "always learning, but never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth" The passage serves as a warning against pursuing knowledge for its own sake without submitting to God's truth and allowing it to impact one's life. Believers never find an opportunity to truly graduate and be a Church at some point in time. I don't mean that believers should run away from fellowship but have a space, a place for unbelieving family members, neighbors and friends to be part of their reach. Most of the believers are conditioned to die like the person who hid his one talent safely and was later rejected for the same (Matt 25:25). Such person, Jesus calls, as good-for-nothing. Matt 25:30 “And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Church prioritizes men’s fellowship, women's fellowship, family bonding programs, prayer meetings, youth get together, worship program, musical extravaganza, mission trips, fund raising campaigns and many other activities yet have not truly found what matters to God. 

Amidst today’s craziness, all of us need to see transformed lives. No matter what we face culturally, watching God transfer a non-believer from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His Son - “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the son he loves.”  (Col 1:13) - is amazing indeed! How can you learn to share your faith as a believer? As a Church, find out how you can train and equip your believers to share the gospel to their unbelieving family members, friends and colleagues. In the end, evangelism is not optional for believers. We’re the only plan God’s given to get the good news to our neighbors and the nations. Not doing evangelism is nothing less than disobedience—and none of us wants our congregations to be disobedient.

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Name the evangelist in your Church.

 

What do you think are some of the top priorities for Churches today? Some of the basic yet important criteria for the Church today are, to have a facility to accommodate large number of people and to own that facility where regular Sunday services and programs happen during the week and month. In addition to this Churches maintain different teams like worship team, Church committee, finance team, youth team, children clubs, prayer team, women’s meeting, etc. Most likely  it can be seen as the Church today replicating a perfectly organized institution and a religious entity serving their affiliated members through the years. Though these are great, this wasn’t the model for the early Church in the Bible. Being organized is good but the institutional framework can lead to monotony without any influence in community or society. Once people congregate in large numbers, we are focused on financial security and Church management. Mega Churches provide yet another perk that is anonymity and less accountability for a Church goer.

If observed closely, we are giving an impression to Christians that loving God is expressed through church attendance and being part of different church programs but the love for God is rarely expressed through loving, serving people and bringing peace in their chaos. Evangelism is probably the most difficult area of a Christian life. With the culture growing increasingly hostile to Christianity, it’s much easier to avoid this awkward calling, to give in to fear and keep the good news to us. Jim Donohue puts his observation in one of his articles states, “this pressure results in many churches adding members almost exclusively through transfer growth (Christians leaving one church for another) as opposed to conversion growth (non-Christians coming to Christ).” We know that God wants the church to reach the lost, but how do we change to this?

Paul emphasizes in Ephesians 4 to prioritize the role of the evangelist. Most of the Church neither have a Gospel outreach team nor an evangelist. Until the church seriously plans to have these there won’t be a big impact of life transformation that can be witnessed. If you are a pastor who wants your church to grow in reaching unbelievers, then it is strongly recommended to identify an evangelist who can solely be dedicated to this task. The evangelist along with the gospel outreach team of the Church can slowly but surely equip every believer to be a witness who can share the gospel on a daily, weekly or monthly basis demonstrating their obedience to the Great Commission.

Some Churches have an evangelist in some part of the country, in a remote village who are supported by the church. They are shown as Church missionaries who once in a year make a visit to the Church inducing the commitment of the believers in give mission offerings. Church growth is a concern for many Churches but not a concern like Christ. Jesus was constantly taking the good news to all towns and villages to give an opportunity to every person in hearing the good news at least once. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, but Churches today are comfortable with the saved and train their whole life to be a better church attender and a giver. We downplay evangelism for reasons only God knows. Do not forget, Jerusalem Church had a Gospel outreach committee/team who sent Paul and Barnabas to go to the gentiles for gospel outreach work and were ​also asked to remember the poor which is one of the ways to give to the Lord (Galatians 2:9-10). These missionaries were not only self-supported but raised considerable amounts to address the needs of the poor. Such giving today are substituted with Old Testament tithes to make people comfortable in one-time minimum giving for their satisfaction.

You may not feel uniquely gifted in many areas, but you can “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5) by bringing leadership, resources and encouragement to your point person who may be more gifted. Result, your church will follow your example as you prioritize reaching the lost.

 

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Presenting the Gospel- A Biblical Perspective!

When it comes to presenting Christ there are different words used in the Bible. Let me highlight some words for better understanding. For example, preaching, proclaiming, to bring good tidings, teaching, witnessing, persuading, and appealing. It is a systematic process where it requires a believer to present Christ in the accurate way and later invest significant time through regular follow up by helping the person to know the Savior, decide to repent from his/her sins and follow Christ. The methodology may differ but the process should inspire and lead a person to know Christ better.

Too often when giving people answers to their questions or solutions to their problems, there are also times where Christians give them something other than Jesus. If they have financial struggles, we given them budgeting plans. If they are working through relational discord, we teach them communication techniques. If they are struggling with doubt, we challenge them to believe. But we fail if we don’t give them Jesus in the right manner.

In some cases, we encourage them to read their Bibles or pray. However, if we don’t teach them to meet and know Jesus through their Bible reading and prayer, we are dangerously close to leading them away from Jesus through these very good things. This is the heart of idolatry- taking a good thing and making it a “god thing.”

Today in Christendom, commitment to Christ is translated with every gesture however meaningless it may be. Mob energy in a Christian worship program or mass gestures are captured and interpreted as having made decisions for Christ. In other cases, during a sermon in a public meeting or in a Church people raising hands to respond to the preacher is recorded as commitment to follow Christ, and then most commonly when people are asked to make a sinner’s prayer the same is considered as first time decisions. Though all of these can be considered as commitment to Christ, it is not completely true. The New Testament refers to the parable of the Sower as a long continuous process for a 100% yield. The Sower’s work is intense. Though all the immediate or short time methods do provide the opportunity to present Christ, repentance is a process that needs a proper follow up. You need somebody to plant/sow, an Apollos to water as stated in 1 Corinthians 3:6.  Today, everything is amplified and inflated to build one’s celebrity status. 

Now let me point out the commitment to Christ as recorded in the New Testament. We find it through repenting and turning away from sin, being baptized, following Christ, witnessing Jesus, proclaiming about Christ and with several other gestures too.

Repentance, often is associated with John the Baptist's ministry, involved a turning away from sin and a recognition of one's need for God's grace. Baptism, a symbolic washing in water, was seen as a public declaration of faith and a commitment to follow Jesus, often signifying a new life in Christ. Proclaiming the gospel, whether through direct preaching or through the witness of one's life, was a way to share the message of Jesus and invite others to believe.

1. Repentance:

John the Baptist:

John's ministry in the wilderness emphasized the need for repentance as a preparation for the coming Messiah. He baptized people, and they confessed their sins, demonstrating their willingness to turn away from their former ways.

Matthew 3:5-6: This passage records how "Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about the Jordan, went out to him, and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins,"illustrating a widespread response to John's call for repentance. 

2. Baptism: Acts of the Apostles:

The Book of Acts provides numerous examples of baptisms following conversion and the preaching of the gospel. 

Acts 2:38: This verse commands, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit," linking baptism to repentance and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. 

Acts 10:48: This passage describes how Cornelius and his household, having received the Holy Spirit, were baptized "in the name of the Lord Jesus," demonstrating how baptism followed the receiving of the Spirit. 

Symbolic Significance:

Baptism is understood as a symbolic act, representing the believer's identification with Christ's death, resurrection and a public declaration of faith. 

3. Proclaiming the Gospel:

Witness and Testimony: Early Christians, like those described in Acts, shared their experiences of encountering Jesus and the power of the gospel through their words and actions.

Peter's Sermon on Pentecost (Acts 2): Peter's powerful sermon, which resulted in the baptism of 3,000 people, demonstrates how proclaiming the gospel, calling for repentance and baptism can lead to widespread commitment.

Philippians Jailer (Acts 16): The Philippian jailer's conversion and subsequent baptism after hearing Paul and Silas share the gospel, highlights the power of the gospel to transform lives and lead people to commit to Jesus.

Lydia and her household (Acts 16): Lydia's conversion and baptism demonstrate how the gospel could reach individuals and their households, resulting in widespread commitment to Jesus.

Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8): The conversion and baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, after he had been taught about Jesus by Philip, show how the gospel can travel and impact individuals from different backgrounds.

It is high time we help the believers understand how he/she can present Jesus effectively and convincingly. Fortunately, it is not a singular act, we have the holy spirit who works in the heart of man. Every believer is still struggling to be a witness and present Christ in his/her area of influence. Christian celebrities are defining the results in the way they want by constantly presenting exorbitant, unrealistic numbers. Great Commission is a collaborative and a responsible act. Let us do it carefully.  I want to remind you of the GO Movement vision which says, “Everyone can reach someone, together we can reach the world.”

 

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They even gave it a name: Nehushtan!

Worshiping the Lord is a reverential gesture of commitment, surrender and renewal but today the purpose seems to have changed. Even things that has a good purpose can become an idol. The bronze serpent lifted by Moses is a great example. It symbolized God's grace and mercy. Hundreds of years later Hezekiah had to destroy it because it was now being worshipped! They even gave it a name: Nehushtan! “He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made, for until then the Israelites were burning incense to it. It was called Nehushtan.” 2 Kings 18:4 CSB.

“Worship” these days is often more pagan than Christian. People relate to the worship bands and worship leader than God – the very object of worship. It is no longer about reverent obedience to the Sovereign God of Scripture, but about the pagan practice of conjuring up intense feelings for some man-made god or deity. An expectation is created that the more we surrender to the intense, manipulated emotions generated by some band, song, or trendy “worship leader,” the more God will be present. It has become the new idolatry, by equating manipulated feelings with God Himself. It is an addictive distraction from who God is, and how He wants to dwell among us and in us as the Sovereign Lord over all creation. The definition of true worship as stated in Romans 12:1 has become just inspirational thought than true surrender. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God”.

Worship has become big business, with mega churches striking mega recording deals … Unfortunately, it will continue to thrive. Jim Right states, “because just like the pagans, people still want a God who appeals to their carnality and is easy to manipulate.”.  If the worship is not transforming your heart creating a change from within, then you are disconnected. Churches and worship bands today try to invoke intense emotions then call it a true encounter with God. No doubt, true encounter with God will invoke intense emotions but if it is not associated with a clean and pure heart then it is a fleshy manipulation posing as “worship.”

When “church” and “worship” are about stirring up carnal feelings, God is not there. That thing you feel is not about God but more about you. Today, the Church buildings are monumental and expensive, pews upon pews of spectators seated, watching staged weekly performances are all worship band centric, showcasing their "gifting" and "ministry."  When Abraham took his son to worship, he meant sacrifice as worship “….the boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” Genesis 22:5. The first time the word worship is used in the Bible. Worship requires a sacrifice, giving up those tucked up desires or acknowledging those unintentional sins. Can we surrender to God and commit ourselves to use our discretion to stay away from anything that is so close, yet only a form of godliness (2 Timothy 3:5).

 

 

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