Peace on Earth ?

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.” Luke 2:14

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
Matthew 10:34‭-‬35

These words of Lord Jesus is often misinterpreted and many find the teachings of Jesus very hard. They complain that Jesus is said to be kind and loving and yet why does He talk about bringing disharmony in the family . Let us meditate upon this verse.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Here the word of God is explained to be a double edged sword which cuts through the soul and spirit, bone and marrow. It divides and separates the carnal and the spiritual. Word of God distinguishes between good and bad, dark and bright. Who so ever accept Jesus are ostracized by the worldly as they are against the righteousness of God. The worldly people are opposed to the teachinga of Jesus. His disciples should be ready to confess Jesus publicly. Our allegiance should be public so that His allegiance to us is made possible. A christian’s life should reveal the Christ in him. A total change and transformation happens and the people around us will be taken aback in clear opposition which results in division of relationship. This division happens as the result of allegiance to God that goes against attractions of the world. Jesus warns his disciples about this situation of hatred and lack of peace. He is the Prince of peace and instructs us to love our enemies and pray for them.

The message of love and peace divides between those who choose it and those who reject it.

A verse from Old testament reads so :-

Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. I Samuel 2.30

There happens a division between the members of the family, between those who accept Jesus and those who reject Him. Our relationship with Jesus should overpower all other relationships. It’s a message of peace with God that divides between radical commitment and casual relationship with God. Sometimes Commitment with God cuts and divides between family members. Normally relationship with Jesus makes us better human beings with values of life. But at times the presence of Jesus divides rather than unifies as family members have varied interests and pursuits which are not pleasing to God. Jesus told them to carry the cross and follow Him. Solving each one’s personal problems and trials is the cross. Carrying the cross is readiness to die. When you are ready to die, your ultimate hope is resurrection.

Paul writes that he is crucified with Christ and it’s no longer that he lives but Christ lives in him. Paul says : But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7‭-‬11

He died to himself and waits for the resurrection through his faith in Christ. Through faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ we become citizens of heaven and our allegiance to God separates us from anything and everything that is ungodly.

Praise God. Prayer. Thank you Heavenly Father that you gave your Son Jesus to save us from the mirey clay of worldliness. Let us enjoy the peace that is beyond the understanding of the world. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Amen.

Sol.Salomi Kurian

THE ART OF SOUL – WINNING

SOUL- WINNING

Soul winning is part of the GREAT COMMISSION (Mark 16:15).

The bigger picture is to make disciples of course (Matthew 28:18-20), but only one who is saved first can be a disciple. It’s WISE to win souls (Proverbs 11:3).

Evangelism is PROTECTIVE ARMOR (Ephesians 6:15) It’s part of the whole Armour of God! Without proactively sharing your faith with nonbelievers, you’re leaving yourself spiritually unprotected and not as strong.

God empowers Christians to be WITNESSES (Acts 1:8).

Many Christians are afraid of sharing their faith.

Most of us tend to not share our faith in Christ because of fear.

Almost all have some amount of fear of rejection. The person thinks, “It’s embarrassing. I don’t want people to turn me down, or to tell me ‘No’ or to stop being my friend.”

Many people have a fear of failure. Some Christians think to themselves, “I’ve tried evangelism before. It was scary, I tried handing out tracts and nobody accepted them. Most of the tracts ended up on the ground or in the trash.”

Another common one is this: “Every time I go out publicly to talk to people about Jesus, I get these crazy, psycho people wanting to argue with me.” (and some of them even claim to be Christians).

EVANGELISM THROUGH LOVE

Evangelism starts with love. Allow God to continually fill you with His heart for lost people. If we are doing evangelism out of a sense of duty, obligation, or an “I should”, we will not be effective. Nor will our efforts bring pleasure to God. When you are in a loving relationship—with a friend, a family member, or even a stranger—you can be there to listen, model Christlikeness, see, and be seen. Such is a means of evangelism. God is love, and imitating Christ—who is God—is a means of demonstrating his sanctifying power in us to the glory of his name.

God is love” (1 John 4:8). Even though God and love are not necessarily interchangeable, yet Scripture knows no better word than love to describe the fundamental nature of God. To speak of God as holy, just, good, gracious, omnipotent, omniscient or in any such manner is to speak of Him only partially. But to speak of God as love is to speak of Him all inclusively. Love embraces God’s essential nature–who He is in His whole person and actions.

The crisis in the church today is not dissimilar from the crisis at Ephesus. The challenge facing the church, particularly, in evangelism, is not so much the fine art of communicating knowledge, but the divine art of communicating love God’s love. “The success of our work depends upon our love to God and our fellowmen.” Without love, our doctrine, our pastoring, and our evangelism are all futile. But where a love for God and for human beings is translated into action, pastoral nurture and evangelistic outreach will have boundless success.

PILLARS OF EVANGELISM

The Five Pillars of Discipleship stresses the importance of five basic principles in Christian growth: Word of God, prayer, evangelism, fellowship, and praise and worship.

QUALITIES OF LOVE

Mutual respect, compassion, understanding, honesty, transparency, acceptance, trust, commitment, communication, affection, and appreciation.

GOLDEN RULES OF EVANGELISM

The “Golden Rule of Evangelism” is the “Golden Rule,” Jesus said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12)

• BE PATEINT TO HEAR THEIR PROBLEMS
• SHARE YOUR LOVE BY HELPING THEM
• GIVE THE CONFIDENCE AND FAITH THAT YOU HAVE
• FINALLY REVEAL THE SECRET. THIS IS CHRIST LOVE

TESTIMONY

Sometimes God allows some crucial path which cannot be understand by our worldly mind. I faced this situation in my life. By the Grace of God, I have started many troop churches with my friends. I don’t have time to attend the meetings in my institutional church. The problem raised in my home due to this issue. My mother-in-law forced me to come to church and complain about me in church
about my ministries. I faced many problems both in my home and church. God teach me patience to overcome this situation. I obey to my mother-in-law by attending the church without any argument by planning the time of troop church in some other time. Now my mother-in-law introduced many new souls to start troop church. This is the Great gift given by God for obedience.
I have a chance to do something about all thoughts that are not well-pleasing to God, before they enter my heart and become a part of me! 2 CORINTHIANS 10-5
GOD NEEDS OBEDEINCE WITHOUT ANY ARGUMENT. THIS IS THE SECRET OF WINNING SOULS.

Sol.A. JOTHIKUMARI

Beware of Corruption

Nehemiah 6:17–19

We’ve all heard that “Bad company corrupts good morals” or “One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel”. Jesus gave a similar warning,

“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees” (Matt. 16:6).

And the apostle Paul observed: “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (Gal. 5:9).

These sayings all make the same important point: It only takes a little bit of compromise, a little bit of sin, a little bit of going along with evil people to corrupt our whole lives. After all their work resisting their enemies in the first six chapters of Nehemiah, and after the walls are finally completed, we read that some of the “nobles of Judah” were in cahoots with Tobiah, who had staunchly opposed the rebuilding efforts. You may be shocked that such betrayal came so quickly on the heels of their victory. That didn’t take long!

These nobles were “under oath” to Tobiah because he had enmeshed himself and his family with “important” people in Judah through marriage—marriages that would not have happened if the people of Judah had kept their word not to marry non- Israelites (see Ezra 10:10–11).

These nobles wanted to bring peace between Nehemiah and Tobiah and used an all-too-familiar tactic: “He’s not such a bad guy, Nehemiah. You just need to give him a chance. Look at all the good things he’s done!” Nehemiah, though, would not be deceived by the nobles’ positive spin on Tobiah. After all, Tobiah had again revealed his true character when he “sent letters to intimidate” Nehemiah (v. 19). Whether the nobles genuinely believed Tobiah was a good person, we do not know. But we can be certain that his rottenness spread through their ranks.

^{We always need to be on guard against even the slightest compromise in our life that will lead us away from following God. One small choice, one wrong decision can corrupt everything. Why take that risk?!}

Let’s Pray,

Teach us how to avoid compromise while extending grace and compassion toward those who don’t know You: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you” (Ps. 89:14).

Sol.Pritha

Righteous will Inherit the Earth

In 1 Samuel chapters 20 to 24, we witness David’s harrowing escape from King Saul’s relentless pursuit. Despite being anointed as the future King of Israel, David found himself hunted like an animal. He didn’t have an army to protect him from Saul. He had only 400 men with him, who were hopeless.

1 Samuel 22:2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.

These chapters portray numerous close encounters where Saul nearly captured David, deploying spies and resources against him. Yet, in a remarkable moment, David found Saul vulnerable in a cave. His men urged him to seize the opportunity, citing God’s promises of victory over his enemies.

1 Samuel 24:4 The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” 

David, however, chose righteousness over revenge. He spared Saul’s life, respecting the divine anointing on Saul as the anointed king. This decision, guided by the Holy Spirit, showcased David’s trust in the Lord’s plan. Eventually, God orchestrated events to make David the rightful king of Israel. Through this righteous act, David and his descendants inherited the land, fulfilling the promise in Psalm 37:29: “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.”

Likewise, in our own lives, we might face unjust treatment. The question remains: are we heeding the Holy Spirit’s guidance, choosing what’s right over what our flesh desires? The temptation might be to respond impulsively, but following God’s commandments illuminates the right path.

Psalm 19:8 emphasizes this truth: “The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

_{In challenging situations, choosing God’s ways may seem difficult, but it leads to lasting solutions. It’s not just about resolving immediate problems but about aligning our actions with God’s righteousness. By adhering to His commandments, we inherit the earth for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.}

Let us pray: 

Heavenly Father, grant us divine wisdom and strength to walk in your ways even amidst adversity. Help us embody righteousness, mirroring your character. Open our eyes to see the grand design of your plans, which allow us to inherit the land for your name's sake. We submit ourselves to you, asking for the filling of your Spirit, guiding us to consistently choose what is right in your sight. Amen.

Sol.Edvitta

Comfort for God’s people

“ Comfort , O Comfort My People,Says od your God.”(Isaiah 40:1).

            The God says comfort my people from every difficulties and sorrows. God is always with you when you are going through any hardness situation like the ‘Red Sea’.God will take you in his arm and over through the Red Sea.

                       God saves the Sons of Judah “Daniel, Hananiah, Michael and Azariah from their hard situations. They were strong on their faith.

“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the King’s Choice food or with the wine which he drink; so he sought permission from the Commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.(Daniel 1:8).

                The four youth of Israel  kept themselves in holiness from all fallen situations through the strong belief of  God and ‘His Love’ .

                        The God saves the youth from “Fiery Furnace “ .They said firmly their decision “But even if ‘He does not , let it be known to you, O King , that we are not going to serve your gods or worship them.

(Daniel:3:18). They didn’t obey the King’s Order, and they were put to the ‘fiery furnace’. The King Nebuchadnezzar astounded, he saw four men in the fiery furnace. They put they put only three .They were  free on the fire the fourth one is like a Son of the God.

                         ‘Daniel in the den of lions’(Daniel 6) .The God sent ‘His Angel and Shut the lion’s mouth. We always stick to The Word of God and Holiness God will save us from hard situations.

“Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And  carry them in His bosom; He will gently  lead the nursing ewes” .(Isaiah 40 :11).

The Mighty God help us to overcome all troublesome in our lives.

        “Do you not know.? Have  You not heard? The Everlasting God ,The  Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth. Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives  strength to the weary , And to him who lacks might He increases power.Though  Youths grow weary and tired ,And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for The Lord will gain new strength:They will mount up with Wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired , They will walk and not become Weary.” (Isaiah 40:28-31).          

                         Prayer

Almighty Lord,Creator of Heaven and the Earth. You always put ourselves on  Your arms not allow us to be destroyed by the enemy.Thank you so much Lord for  Keeping us under your shelter. In the span of  Our life We  come .Across many Trials, Temptations, Pains , Agonies, Let us Be  Victorious By Bearing Everything. Patiently with All our Good Deeds  Heavenly wisdom and wholesome  Gifts and Love which comes from Heaven Ammen !

                    Sol Shylaja Satheesan.

A Season of Battle to a Door of Hope! :

The Year of Victory in the Valley

When we look at the Hebraic calendar, 5784 which we are in, particular attention is paid to the last two numbers of the year to gain insight regarding all God has ahead. For the decade of the 80s, the number eighty in Hebrew is the word “peh,” which signifies the mouth, the voice and sound. This is a year for tuning in to God’s voice on a new level, but also activating our own voice to speak, pray, decree and prophesy by faith all we are hearing God say.

The fourth letter in the Hebraic aleph-bet is the word “dalet,” which is also the word for door or gate. This indicates that this is a year marked by open doors of opportunity, significant supernatural access in the realm of the spirit, as well as breakthroughs of major proportion. This will be a time of voice activated doors – things that open because we speak and see things shift. Your miracle is voice activated. Your breakthrough is voice activated!

Two scriptures indicates we would be walking through times of new spiritual battles, as well as some natural shaking that would be designed to shift the Body of Christ into action, but also shift nations.

1 Corinthians 16:9 declares, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” So, yes, there are incredible doors of favor and opportunity being opened to Believers to advance God’s Kingdom cause in this new season, yet there will also be adversaries we must overcome.

The last few years have been years of contending. So many are not excited about the prospects of having to continue to engage in the fight. The Lord’s encouragement is “Your opposition will become your opportunity.” We are shifting out of a time of just battling to survive into a time of battling to possess! There is joy that arises when we fight to win!

The second scripture is from Hosea 2:15: “I will give her her vineyards from thence, the Valley of Achor for a door of hope…” The Valley of Achor was where Achan and his family were judged for taking things that were dedicated to the Lord and bringing them into their own tent. Achor means “trouble” and “disturbance,” and it comes from the root word meaning “calamity”; it became known as a place of judgment. However, in Isaiah 65:10 it says the Valley of Achor became a place for herds to lie down; in other words, a resting place. This year, God wants to turn our valley of trouble and calamity into a place of rest and a door of hope and expectation for our future.

^{To be clear, the enemy will want to stir up trouble and create situations of calamity in the earth. This will be a contentious election season in the US and our nation, where nothing will be ordinary or status quo. The global economy will go through a period of shaking. Even the Church will be shaken as God raises the standard of righteousness in the land and fights the enemies of division and lawlessness. But the shaking will bring awakening to both the Church and to nations as God arises as the Mighty Man of War.}

Activate Your Door with Me. Thank You, Lord, that You are revealing Yourself as He who opens what no man can shut. 5784 is the right time, the appointed time, for my miracle! I am standing in the doorway of the supernatural and receiving God's voice of promise. I let go of all past disappointment, barrenness, shame and fear, and step into divine opportunities. I activate my miracle season with my voice, and I make a choice to believe God in the face of impossibility. With God, all things are possible! I will possess my double door of hope this year, in Jesus' name.

Sol. Joan

What is Love: God is Love

Psalms 30 : 5 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

There is a night of weeping, but there is also a dawn of faith. When the morning comes, it is time to stop weeping and start rejoicing in God. If you continue to weep, if you continue to hold on to your grief and sorrow, it will turn into self-pity, which will destroy your faith and prevent you from coming out of your pain and into a place of victory.

There is a weeping that is founded in self-pity and sinful unbelief and arouses the anger of God.

Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every one of the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. ( Numbers 11 : 10 )

Sinful unbelief led the wilderness generation to weep in fear and self-pity and aroused the anger of God.

There comes a time when you have cried enough. You must tell yourself, “Enough is enough,” and make up your mind that you will cry no more.

Never forget that self-pity is deadly because it will destroy your faith. No one ever received a miracle by feeling sorry for himself.

Psalms 77:1 I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.

In Psalms 77 King David cries out to God for help. He was in a very distress situation with no hope but he did the right thing by crying out to God for help and not grieving in self pity. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace for all situations.

May God bless you and your family abundantly.

Sol. Mariamma Alex

INDIVIDUAL CALLING !

“He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down” (Luke 19:5).

The Lord’s calling of Zacchaeus was indeed a special one.  It was also an individual calling.  Although multitudes of people were following Jesus, The Lord called Zacchaeus individually, by his name.

Although The Lord is the Creator of the whole universe, He is also personal God to each one of us.  He knows you at an individual level and He knows the kind of issues you face.  And He is calling you by name, just to set you at liberty from all those issues.

In effect, The Lord is telling Zacchaeus, ‘you cannot hide behind the leaves in the tree; you cannot continue to think of yourself himself as an orphan.  You are My son.  I have chosen you even before I laid the foundations of this world.  I have chosen you even before you were formed in your mother’s womb.  You are mine.  And I am yours’.

One night, The Lord called the young boy Samuel and spoke to him.  It would have been the most joyful day for little Samuel.  His parents left him at the temple, for the service of the Lord, at a very young age; and would visit him once in a year.  But the Lord, came and spoke with little Samuel, at an hour he did not expect.

_{Open up your heart and freely share with the Lord, all about your challenges and issues.  If you were to share them with the people of this world, they will take advantage of it, and ridicule you.  But the Lord will do good to you, as He knows you individually.}

Although there were millions of people, the Lord chose Nicodemus individually, and took time in the night hours, to respond to all his queries (John 3:1-3).  He sat down by the well in Samaria, to lead the Samaritan woman to repentance and grant her a new life (John 4:8).

The Lord went to the pool at Bethesda, in search of a man who had infirmity for thirty-eight years.  That man had no one to help him get into the pool, when the water was stirred up by the angel; and he had no one to help him.  In that situation, the Lord spoke to him kindly and said, “Rise, take up your bed and walk”.  The Lord who performed such a miracle, is also loving you at a personal level.  And He will also do miracles for you.

Lord Jesus went in search of a man possessed with a legion of unclean spirits, dwelling among the tombs, at Gadarenes, and healed him.  Lord Jesus who called Martha and Simon Peter, twice by their names, is also calling you by name in an individual, personal manner.  Will you listen to His loving voice?

Verse for further meditation: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1). Remember the calling…!

Sol.Arun

Of how much more value is a man then a sheep !  so it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Matthew 12: 12

The Pharisees are hoping to trap Jesus, to catch Him healing on the Sabbath and thus breaking their interpretation of 4th commandment (Exodus 20 : 8 – 10)  The problem is their trap, supposes their interpretation of “work ” carries the same level of authority as the law of Moses, Jesus is showing it does not  ( Matthew 12: 9 – 11)

        Presented with a man who has a withered  hand, Jesus has asked a question :  who would not lift on of their sheep from a pit if it fell in on the Sabbath ? In other words, who would allow their sheep to suffer instead of doing the work of pulling it out of the pit, even on the Sabbath ?

Jesus’ questions assumes that mostly everyone would choose to show mercy to the sheep instead of following the letter of the law, rather than the intent of it.

      Now Jesus brings that point home. How much more valuable is a man than a sheep ? That’s why,  He concludes, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. The good in this case is showing mercy to a person if it is in your power to do so. Jesus will demonstrate in the following verses that this is within His power.

      Jesus puts the questions a little differently in mark’s version of the story. “which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil ?” That questions implies that choosing not to do good, in the sense of showing mercy on the Sabbath, might be considered evil. ( James 4:17)

      It’s important to understand that Jesus is not teaching that observing the Sabbath is wrong. Nor is He suggesting that the literal meaning of any law is unimportant. The Sabbath was one of the Lord’s great gifts to Israel. However, the  requirement not to work was intended to bring  Lord’s people rest – not to add to their burden. Jesus is objecting to  how the Pharisees have twisted  Lord’s commands. Again,  He shows that they don’t understand that Lord desires mercy, not sacrifice. ( Matthew 12: 7)

           Prayer

Almighty  Lord, creator of heaven and the earth. You are also the creator of the Sabbath. Jesus you are the Lord of the Sabbath. Thank you so much Lord for giving us Sabbath day.   As a man, you showed  us the intent of this  commandment in numerous accounts recorded in the Gospel. Jesus you gave us an example of how the whole Christian way of life is to be lived. Help us to do as you did Lord. Help us Lord to be kind and merciful to others when they are in need. Amen

       Sol.Dr. Mohan Parmar

LET THEM NOT TURN BACK TO FOLLY

“I will hear what God the LORD will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly.” (Psalm 85:8).

Psalm 85 is a prayer that the LORD will restore favor to the land. The relationship with God is the psalmist’s main concern. It is a great relief to know that God’s wrath has passed and now one can pray for restoration. When one prays for revival, he is asking for God to work in His people so that they will only find joy in Him (Psalm 85:6).

True revival confirms that God alone is responsible for salvation (Psalm 85:7). One who is praying for revival should submit to the authority of God’s word. The psalmist was confident that God will speak peace to His humble people and to His saints (Psalm 85:8).

A true believer is humble and eager to hear what God speaks to him because God speaks peace to His people. Paul explains how we receive peace. “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1). God is willing to give peace to His people, but they should not return to their foolish ways.

Peter’s warning: “But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to his own vomit, and a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22).

When a person turns away from sin, peace is declared to them; nevertheless, if they do it again, it will be at their own risk. All sin is foolish, but backsliding is especially so. It is blatant foolishness to return to sin after appearing to turn away from it or to return to it after God has declared peace. The words of the wise: “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11).

But, if they grieve the Holy Spirit by returning to their sinful ways, their latter end is worse for them than the beginning. Peter warns: “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and cannot overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.” (2 Peter 2:20).

Have we turned to God wholeheartedly with true repentance?

Are we careful not to return to our foolish ways?

The LESSONS we learn:

• When one prays for revival, he is asking for God to work in His people so that they will only find joy in Him.
• A true believer is humble and eager to hear what God speaks to him because God speaks peace to His people.
• Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ.
• God's people should truly repent and turn to Him rather than return to their foolish ways.

Dr. S. Selvan