Answer The Challenge

Why are so many “believers” content to live a life of mediocrity in Christ – a life partially devoted to following God and partially devoted to following the ways of the world? Without question, some have only put on the face of a Christian and have never given their heart to God through a saving faith in Jesus. But others are true believers in desperate need of a spiritual kick in the pants!
Paul’s letters comprise much of the New Testament. They were written to give instruction on the Christian faith and to encourage perseverance through times of testing. Paul often wrote of the simplicity of the gospel message; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). But he also wrote to encourage those who truly put their faith in Jesus to live a life of service, holiness, and unity.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we begin a new life. We are set free from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:22) and are called to follow Christ as we are conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). But Paul saw many believers sitting on the sidelines of the Christian life; “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1).
Paul gives encouragement by “urging” a life worthy of Salvation. This has nothing to do with earning our way to Heaven; rather, we are encouraged to live in holy thankfulness for the gift we have received. The word Paul uses for urge can also be translated as beseech, beg, implore, exhort, or challenge. He’s not giving a gentle pat on the back which says, “You’re doing well, keep running a good race.” Rather, Paul is presenting a firm challenge to draw nearer to God and give our lives more fully to Him. Paul uses the same word in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge {beg, implore, exhort, and challenge} you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”
We have been set free and made new! We are a new creation and CANNOT continue to walk with one foot on God’s path and the other being allowed to tiptoe along worldly desires. These simply have no place in the life of a worshipper of the One True God!
Today, we are being urged (challenged) to trust God more; to talk with Him more and seek His presence more diligently; to not get pulled away by the lies of the world! We are being challenged to love Him with ALL our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). As we face this day with its multitude of struggles, let’s live a life worthy of the calling we have received and forevermore answer the challenge!

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

 

Christmas in Eden

  “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed” (Genesis 3:15).
Although you may not see it at first glance, Christ is in this verse. He is the ultimate Seed of the Woman who would one day come to crush the serpent’s ugly head. In the process his “heel” would be bruised on the cross. In short, this verse predicts that Jesus would win the victory over Satan but would himself be wounded at the same time.
As the centuries rolled on, Satan kept winning victories and God kept raising up men and women who would continue the godly line on the earth. I like to think of this verse as the top of a wide funnel. When the promise was given, no one could have imagined the coming Jesus Christ. The “seed of the woman” simply meant that he must be a member of the human race. But after the flood the line was narrowed to Noah’s descendants, then later to Shem’s descendants, and later came to rest on one man-Abraham, the father of the nation Israel. Then to his son Isaac, to Isaac’s son Jacob, to Jacob’s son Joseph, and then to Joseph’s son Judah. Centuries later the line was narrowed to the house of David. Finally some nine centuries after that, the line came to rest on the firstborn son of a virgin named Mary. What started with the whole human race has narrowed to just one man-Jesus Christ.
He didn’t come in the usual way; he came by means of a virgin birth. No one before or since ever entered the world as he did. Thus he is the ultimate “seed of the woman” since no man was involved in his conception.

When God wanted to save the world, he didn’t send a committee; he sent his Son.
When God wanted to say, “I love you,” he wrapped his love note in swaddling clothes.
When God wanted to crush Satan, he started in a stable in Bethlehem.

Even in Eden, God was planning for Christmas. He was thinking of you before you were born because he knew that one day you would need a Savior.
As we begin our Advent journey, let’s remember that Christ came in fulfillment of a promise made amid the wreckage caused by Adam’s sin. Our sin may be great, but as the promise is greater than the transgression, through Christ’s great sacrifice we have been set free.
Lord Jesus, with your own blood you kept the promise God made. Glory to you, our Savior and King. Amen.  

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

 

He is Our Joy

 When Jesus came to earth, He took on human form and accepted many human limitations. He knew His purpose long before He was crucified: “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). But He also knew the pain He must endure…and the pain would be very real!
In the hours before His death, Jesus was beaten, whipped, spit on, laughed at, yelled at, and made to wear a crown of thorns. The Creator of the Universe was required to lay bloodied and disfigured as nails were hammered through His hands and feet. His chosen people had turned against Him and demanded His death – and those He loved the most had deserted Him.
Hebrews 12:2
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus endured more humiliation, disappointment, and pain than we can imagine. But the “joy” that allowed Him to endure the cross was the very reason He came to the world. He came to bring God’s children back into a relationship with their Heavenly Father. The sacrifice of His death allowed a bridge from death to life. His joy was knowing that God’s children would be able to come to Him and truly know Him; that they could talk with Him and worship Him; that they could sit in His presence and be comforted in His loving arms.
We are those children. We are the joy that allowed Him to “endure the cross.” How much love is wrapped up in this deep sustaining joy? Enough love to walk with us through the hottest fires, enough love to carry us when we are weak, and enough love to NEVER let us go! “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
We all face various kinds of trials, but the One who “endured” continues to walk by our side today. He has given us Himself – a true joy which allows us to endure even as He endured. He has given us the joy of an eternity to worship in His throne room, an eternity to be comforted and praise His Holy Name! He has given us the joy of a love and an unequaled strength which this world cannot begin to understand! We too can face our “cross” with great hope. We WILL endure any and all trials. We will endure because He is our joy.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

 

Desires of Our Heart

 We often talk about the gift of Salvation as a transformation of the heart. Jesus came to give us eternal life through faith in Him and His sacrifice on the cross. His death established a new covenant for all who would come to Him in faith; “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin” (Matthew 26:28).
When we enter into this covenant we are transformed; “I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). This is the same transformation referred to by Paul: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is also referred to as the “circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit” (Romans 2:29).
As we continue our walk with God – as we continue our journey with a new and transformed heart – we begin a process of being “conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29). This transformation, which begins in our heart, continues for all the rest of our days. We may call this process growth or maturity, but the result is a heart which is becoming more and more like Jesus.
Psalm 37:4
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
This verse is sometimes misinterpreted to say that God has promised to fulfill all our current desires. There are people all over the world thinking that if they “pursue” God, they will receive an increase in their financial status – a better job, a nicer car, or a bigger home. This is a sad misapplication of scripture! When we are far from God, our heart is full of worldly desires. Apart from God, we will spend a lifetime trying to fulfill these desires only to find we are never satisfied or content.
But God says we need not spend our life chasing these unfulfilling desires. As we are diligent to draw close to God, learn of His ways, and become obedient to His commands, He gives us new desires – the desires of Jesus. As we love the Lord with all our heart, our current desires are replaced with something infinitely better. The single desire of Jesus was to glorify His Father by completing the work He was given to do (John 17:4). Jesus was content beyond our comprehension because He was truly one with His Heavenly Father!
The wonderful blessing from God is that as we delight in Him, He transforms our desires and also gives us the ability to fulfill these desires. This is the only way we will ever find true contentment and peace. Let’s learn to live each moment delighting in our Lord. Let’s allow Him to continue the transformation by giving us, and then teaching us how to satisfy, the desires of our heart.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

Entrusted With His Secret

 We have been given an incredible gift. Jesus Christ came into this world two thousand years ago to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin, and to bring us back into a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Jesus knew God’s plan of grace before the world was ever created; “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9-10).
We are a fortunate people living in a uniquely blessed time; “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (1 Peter 1:20). Through faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, we can now “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrew 4:16), knowing we have been made clean and our relationship with God has been restored.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
“So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
I’ll say it again…we are a very fortunate people. Through no effort of our own, we have been born in a time where the “secret things of God” have been revealed. We have been given the opportunity to hear the full gospel message and believe. Thank You Lord!
But God has done more than just give us this opportunity to hear and believe, He has “entrusted” us with His message of Salvation. To prove faithful to His trust, we must live in a manner which holds up the gospel message for all to see. We are saved by a grace which cost God the death of His one and only Son. This grace must be cherished and honored with a life void of all compromise and hypocrisy. An understanding of His great love ought to cause us to surrender ALL and live each day to bring Him glory and honor.
Proving faithful to His trust also means we must confidently and accurately share His message of hope with all who cross our path. We must diligently study His Word and be prepared to share His grace through our words as well as our actions.
No matter how hard life may sometimes appear, we are truly blessed. We have been given a gift which can sustain us through our most difficult circumstances, and provide an eternal home filled with praise and worship. When the world beats us down, we can be encouraged that the Creator of the Universe believes in us. He has revealed His Son and made us stewards of His message of grace. Let’s live lives worthy of the trust we have been given. Let’s prove faithful to the great honor of being entrusted with His secret.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

 

Step off the Shore

When Moses died, God assigned Joshua to the position of leadership. The people of Israel needed to know God approved of Joshua and would continue to direct them as they entered the land of Canaan. God was aware of this need and chose to work through Joshua as the people prepared to cross the Jordan river; “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses” (Joshua 3:7).
God told Joshua to have the priests carry the ark of the covenant directly into the Jordan river, which was flowing at flood level during the harvest season. He promised that when the priests stepped into the water, He would cause the river bed to dry and the waters to be “cut off and stand up in a heap” (Joshua 3:13).
With all the Israelites waiting in great anticipation, the priests picked up the ark – their most honored possession – and took their greatest step of faith.
Joshua 3:15-16
“As soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away.”
God always teaches us about faith and trust by directing us down a path we think is too hard to travel – into circumstances we do not understand. After all, if we could clearly see and understand, there would not be a need for faith. But we often miss the opportunity to experience the true glory of God because we fail to obey and take the first step.
By working through Joshua, God gave the people confidence in their new leader. By requiring an initial action (the first step), He taught a valuable lesson on obedience and trust. The river did not gradually pull back as the priests approached. Nothing happened to the river until the priests left the safety of the shore and stepped into the water. God patiently waited for a full commitment before revealing His mighty hand.
I often hear from people who are hesitant about giving their life to God. Mostly, they are scared by what they can’t see or understand, so they remain frozen where they are. They desire to have a more fulfilling life but are paralyzed by the fear of what they may lose in the process. Oh, if we could only see the life we would gain by giving Him our all!
God is waiting. He is ready to pull back the flood waters and lead us into a new land – a land filled with His peace and true contentment. But we MUST commit. Let’s trust Him with every area of our life. Let’s take a firm hold of His hand and boldly step off the shore.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910