202.53.64.216

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ 202.53.64.216 / 202.53.64.216.tar / 202.53.64.216 / revelationindia / RZIM.asp < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 2004-09-27 | 47KB | 815 lines

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=javascript>  </SCRIPT> <html> <head> <title>RevelationIndia - Messages</title> <style> A { COLOR : white; Text-Decoration : None } A:Hover { COLOR : #cc0000;Text-Decoration : underline } </style> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> </head> <body bgcolor="#f7f7ff" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" style="FONT-FAMILY: verdana"> <a name="top"></a> <table width="779" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" height="500"> <tr> <td width="150" rowspan="9" valign="top">  </td> <td colspan="2" align="middle" valign="top" rowspan="9" width="700"> <a name="onions"> Know Your Onions <blockquote> Samson S. R. Gandhi Knowing and doing God's will is actually ministry. I don't think I would like to pursue a secular career. I want to be in 'full-time' ministry. I don't know how to go about knowing God's will in this. Can you guide me ?, " said a young Christian lady". Seeking a change in his job, a middle level manager shared, " I think I served enough in my ' secular profession'; I now want to serve God the rest of my life. I am looking for a good Christian Organization." "God has been good to me. I have a safe and secure job which leaves me with plenty of spare time to do ministry," declared another respected Christian. These are some of the views held by well-meaning and believing Christians who sought counseling on this whole aspect of personal ministry. And I believe, for every individual who came out into the open with such views, there are scores who have not or could not obtain proper guidance on this crucial aspect. I myself have grappled with this issue for over 10 years. This article is meant for all my friends in the church who are thinking of 'full-time ministry'. Dichotomy If there is one thing that is common in the three life situations narrated above, it is a surgical dichotomy of life. All the three of them see a distinct difference between ministry and the rest of their activities and therefore have put them in two different, water-tight compartments. This makes them 'divided' persons, lacking integrated personality. Divided personalities are weak performers. Also, they are an easy prey for the Evil One. Basic Lie Secondly, all the three of them were living with a 'basic lie.' They were telling themselves that working for Christian Institutions (including churches & para church organizations) was more acceptable to God than working for secular organizations. In other words, they considered that service in Christian organizations is ministry and working with secular organizations is less spiritual and at best, a necessary evil. This 'basic lie' was hidden in the 'onions' of their personality. And they didn't know their 'onions' (read true self). Their lives are represented by the 'onion' (Layers 1 2 3) shown below. <IMG alt="Know Your Onion" src ="IMAGES/onion2.jpg" border=0 > Christ, The Great Leveler <BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> </BLOCKQUOTE> God's call and Jesus ' Commission has, is and shall always be to do His perfect will. It is never to some religious activity, which has in these days come to be looked upon as a 'full time ministry.' The Levitical order (Num. 1:47 ff) of the Old testament has been replaced with the universal priesthood of New Testament (1 Pet.2:9). The religious segregation of the Old Testament is replaced with spiritual brotherhood in Christ. Mediation of the Levites is replaced by intercession of the whole Church led by Christ Himself. Therefore, the whole Church is a 'called' people, irrespective of their profession or vocation; irrespective of whether, they are part of Christian organizations or not (Rom. 12: 1,2; Heb. 13:15,16). My Story I gave my life to Christ when was a college student. No sooner than I finished college, I decided to get into ministry as I thought that that was the ultimate in a Christian's life. But better wisdom (counseling) of my parents and loved ones prevailed over me and I studied further and started on a rewarding career. But the embers of the desire to serve the Lord were always burning deep within me. Therefore, I kept praying, hoping to hear His call to quit and join 'full-time ministry.' During the time I was at the peak of my career as the Marketing Manager of a RS. 13 crore company, when I didn't see much excitement ahead, I started feeling restless and wanted to quit on my own and look for exciting ministry opportunities. It is at this point that the Lord showed me clearly that the ministry that I could do by being in the company can never be done by any other 'full-time minister.' And that I myself was His called worker there. And so are hosts of other Christians who are hosts of other Christians who are true witnesses to the Lord, wherever they are. Once this basic lie was exposed within me, I was released from guilt, and I gave up the foolishness that was bound up within my heart to quit my career and join the ministry, whether the Lord wanted me to or not. My fears and anxieties just vanished into thin air. And my behavior completely changed. The job I was resenting, which was a drudgery till then, came across as afresh challenge. And for the next three and-a-half years, I experienced the Lord's hand in my ministry at work before He actually called me out to serve Him with a Christian organization. Through this the Lord taught me that it is more important to be doing what the Lord decides for us than what we are doing and where we are doing it. It is very rarely that He actually calls us out of the so called secular organizations (which are often more upright than the so called Christian organizations). I learnt first hand what it means " To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifices" (Pro. 21:2). Attractive Proposition Christian ministry in the present times, has become a very attractive proposition for at least three wrong reasons. The three individuals mentioned earlier represent these three motivations. 1. 'Greenhouse' Christian She most probably has accepted Christ as her Savior when she was young. She has always been involved in Christian meetings - Bible study, retreats, camps, etc., and may have had little exposure to the world where she has to be the 'salt' and the 'light' against all odds. She is so much caught up with the activities and sees all her friends in their best Christian attitudes, that she is longing to be a part of this all her life. Her credo seems to be: Do ministry where you can. Added to this, ineffective leaders see these youngsters an easy target for full-time workers in their own organizations. So they assume that jumping into Christian ministry, soon after some basic education, is God's will for their lives. They are totally cut off from the world and a few years down the line when they get married and have spouse and the children are cut off from him as they are facing life in the world and probably have a better faith. 2. Double Income Christian Executive - DICE He is careful, calculated and would like to make the most of every opportunity. No sooner than he becomes eligible for pension in the job he is holding, he looks for attractive openings in Christian organizations. Thereby he has the best of two worlds. He has had very lucrative innings at the secular profession; a life-long pension (or income from savings) is probably assured; a handsome salary from the ministry and a spiritual recognition within the Christian circles, which probably he did not have while in his secular career. His credo seems to be: Do ministry when you can. 3. Spare-time Christian Worker He is willing to work, but on his terms - when time permits. He will give nothing except his time. Many of the Christians who are Govt. Employees are in this category. They feel, they can do God's work as their job gives them ample time, implying that their secular jobs are not part of God's work. No wonder, they follow two different sets of values - one for the job and one for their ministry. Motivation All the individuals doing ministry with the above motivations without knowing where God wants them to work are living with a lie. A 'Greenhouse Christian' must trust the Lord with her life and allow God to take her through difficult situations and build certain standards before she can actually think of doing any ministry seriously. Because many Christians do no test their mettle in the world, they become mediocre performers in Christian organizations. Average is fine with them. A DICE finds his security in his job and finances, and not in God. His focus is not the perishing and neglected souls, but his well being. Probably, he has enough of his high-pressure job and want to cool his heels. But he needs an honorable way out, and so, he chooses Christian ministry. Christian ministry is no ground for the faint-hearted. He needs to check his motives and see if his ministry is giving and helping. A spare time Christian is very sure what his priorities are. He will do only if his orities are. He will do only if his other 'non-Christian' activities are not affected. In his anxiety to please the Lord by doing ministry and gain recognition among the Christian circles, he is stretched on all the sides and often finds his relationships in the family are not all right. His credo seems to be: Do ministry if you can. All the three motives are self centered and not God-centered. All of them have settled for the second best, thinking that their jobs are not part of God's work. And that only 'Christian activity' is ministry. As a result, they settled down to do God's work where possible, when possible and if possible. If is not their best. It is like bringing a mutilated sacrificial lamb to God, instead of the spotless one in their pen. In such a sacrifice acceptable to God? I think not. Bible doesn't say He will! (Mal. 1:8). No wonder the work of many sincere, but misdirected Christian workers is not fruitful. There is nothing like part-time Christian ministry. We are called to be His 'priests' full time wherever we are - whether we are computer programmers, anesthetists, professional sports persons or actually the Pastor of a church. If we are sure we are where God wants us, then that is where our 'full-time ministry' should be. The people with whom we work are our 'field' and we are the 'laborers.' Many people make wrong judgements, enter into para-church organizations and find themselves like a square peg in a round hole. They find themselves totally misfit. Now they feel they are stuck for life and feel miserable. But when we believe that knowing and doing God's will is actually ministry, it releases from all the errors of judgement we may have committed. Then we are pray and ask God to show where he wants us so we could actually find that place and start flowering for God there. "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers" (Psalms-1:3) Mr. Samson S. R. Gandhi had a successful career in marketing and offers Biblical Counseling to fellow Christians. <IMG src="IMAGES/sg1.jpg" border=0> <TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width="50%" align=center border=0> <TR> <TD align=middle width=200> <A href="#top"><IMG src="IMAGES/top.gif" border=0></A></A> </TD></TR></TABLE> <a name="rzim"> Is Jesus the God -Incarnate? By L.T. Jeyachandran RZIM ( Ravi Zacharias International Ministries ) The Message was given at Harihara Kala Bhavan, Secunderabad on 19th December 2000 at the Christmas Celebrations of RZIM, Hyderabad. I want to place before you on this day something to think about because we are not here celebrating another janmadivas or birthday. I want to place before three considerations, even as we come to the fact of God becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ and being born as a human-divine baby. It reminds me of a Tamil song, which I heard during my childhood days in Chennai, which said that God must become man and experience our lives. I want to tell you -- whatever religion you hold on to, whatever part of the world you come from--the crying need to every heart is somehow that this God seems to exist either as a force or power, seems to be strangely out of touch with my experience. So this God at some point of time must interfere, must have human experience; so that he can empathize with my struggles, my pains, my problems, and my joys and that is the question from which the birth of Christ directly addresses. The three Considerations that I would like to place before you are: <BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> THE PROBLEM OF INCARNATION: For God to become human, there are serious obstacles. What are the problems for God to become man? THE POSSIBILITY OF INCARNATION : Although, there are problems for God to become human, God has actually become human in the person of Jesus Christ. THE PURPOSE OF INCARNATION : The Incarnation of Jesus Christ was not just a historical fact to which we owe allegiance from time to time and also a time for social gathering-- a time for gathering gifts and giving gifts, but it is something that leaves a lasting impression on every mind on this planet because God did not come into the world in the person of Christ just for the fun of it. He come in order to accomplish a certain purpose in the life of human race. </BLOCKQUOTE> THE PROBLEM OF INCARNATION: I want to place before you a statement made by King Solomon who lived almost 1000 years before Christ. He built a temple for the Jewish God, Jehovah, and and this God was considered to be Spirit who would not be depicted by images of painting and sculpture; but on the day of dedication of the temple, he says something like this: "But will God really dwell on earth; the heaven even the highest heavens cannot contain, how much less this temple made by human hands." Before the enormity of Christmas begins to dawn upon us, we need to stop and think about the greatness of God. We are here dealing with a God whose dimensions we need to think about. Very often in our own religiosity or philosophical pursuits, we do want to think of God in manageable terms. We do not want God to become too big because as long as God is within my reach and reduce him to my proportions, it is easy for me to manipulate him. Here in the context of Christmas, we are not looking at a God who can be reduced to our proportions, but we are looking at a God who created the world-- the God whom the heavens of heavens cannot contain. THE POSSIBILITY OF INCARNATION: A God whom the heavens of heavens cannot hold, how does he manage to be present in a helpless human baby? I want to present before your four pairs of words: <BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> Infinite and finite Spirit and matter Divine and human Eternity and time. </BLOCKQUOTE> These pairs are not antithetical to each other, although we believe that the infinite excludes the finite; but the other three pairs of words are not so clearly antithetical. Within the framework of God's revelation that we have, we begin to see a relationship that exists within these four pairs of words. # God, who lives in eternity, make time. The book of Genesis Ch.1:1 begins, "In the beginning God created...". Time began at Gen. 1:1. God created in time. God lives outside of time, creates time; and we are not here talking of time as opposed to eternity, but we are talking of time as a subset of eternity. # Again we find God who is Spirit created heaven and earth, which are matter, in Gen. 1:1. Spirit and matter are not antithetically opposed to each other. God who cannot be seen created matter, which can be seen, felt, and experienced. From the creation account of man we gather that man is a beautiful combination of spirit and matter. # The finite cannot become infinite. We often are urged in the newspapers to explore and discover infinity within ourselves, but the fact of the matter is, the more we look within ourselves, the more we find about our limitations and wretchedness. I am overwhelmed by how finite I am. The part of the Christmas message is, while the finite can never become finite, the infinite could limit himself in order to identify with the finite. # when God makes the rest of creation-- the angels, the animals, and the rest of it--he made them with some sentience, come intellect, and some instinct; but when he finally made man, he made man as reflector of His image. The divine is reflected in the humans, arbitrarily, sometimes in a strangely disfigured way; but when we exercise out freedom even to blaspheme on his name, we are exercising a freedom which is very much a quality of God. I want to read for you from John Chapter 1, which is a philosophical beginning, " In the beginning was the Word (Logos) and the Word (Logos) was with God, and the Word (Logos) was God." For the Greek mind Logos comprised to Ultimate reality. This ultimate reality is an Ultimate person--he is not a thing, a concept, an idea, an influence, or a power--but a person. God is not Ultimate monadic, but triadic. There was and is relationship within God since eternity. At Christmas, Son become immanent. God, the Father, loves God, the Son, through the medium of God, the Holy Spirit. One drop of love should fall from the table of trinity; this one-drop would be enough to engulf the whole of humanity to save us from sin, sickness, and everything. John 3:16 is but an overflow of John 17:24. He brings about the possibility of Incarnation. THE PURPOSE OF INCARNATION : The purpose of Incarnation--why did Jesus, the second person of Trinity, took human flesh--was that God had to do something in which evil would be terminated once for all. The purpose of the Incarnation was the atonement, the purpose of Bethlehem was the Calvary, and the purpose of the manger was the Cross. Jesus was not born into this world to destroy, but in order to be destroyed by it. The nature of evil is such that it is deeply linked to our humanity, and it operates through the self. The fact that you choose to do evil because it operates within your nature. It paralyses your own freewill and takes control of it. That is the reason why evil cannot be conquered by evil. I cannot conquer evil by myself. Albert Einstein, the man behind the theory of relativity, when approached to take public demonstration against the use atom bomb, said, " The mind that gave rise to our problems, cannot be expected to solve them." In identifying with the humanity of the world, Jesus identified himself with the sinfulness of the world; and on the cross, he demonstrated that evil can be defeated only when self is put to death. And therefore Jesus does not destroy evil, he rather allows himself to be destroyed by it, and in So doing he has unleashed the power of God, the Holy Spirit, who can indwell in every human heart in this world. If we were to ask Paul the purpose of Incarnation he would say, "I am crucified with Christ, it is no longer I that liveth, But Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by His Grace." Jesus was not only raised from the dead, but through his Spirit he can come and indwell in us. And therefore the purpose of Incarnation is--God can make His adone in the life of every individual who would open his heart to him and that he can reproduce the life of Jesus Christ in each one of us. "Will God indeed dwell on earth... and the Word (Logos) became flesh and dwelt amongst us......, I live yet not I but Christ lives in me." <a href="#top"><IMG src="IMAGES/top.gif" border=0></a> <a name="exhort"> A-Z Exhortation </a> <TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width="95%" align=center border=0> <TBODY> <TR height=20> <TD vAlign=top width=10 height=0>A </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD vAlign=center height=10>Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our Almighty God. </td> </tr> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>B </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Believe HE is the "Alpha And Omega" - The beginning and the End. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>C </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Confess your Sins and Commit / Surrender 100 % of your life unto HIM. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>D </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Divine is HE and has dominion unto the ends of the earth. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>E </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Except miracles in all activities of your life for everlasting is his grace. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>F </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Fast and pray without ceasing. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>G </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Glorify and give thanks unto HIM all the time. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>H </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Heed to his commandments. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>I </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Ignore blather (foolish talk) and stay apart from the wicked. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>J </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Jesus Christ loves you and cares for you. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>K </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Kneel down and pray to seek his will. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>L </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Love even your enemy. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>M </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Meditate the scriptures and march through the earth as mighty warriors of GOD. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>N </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>No turning back; no matter what may come. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>O </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient is our LORD JESUS CHRIST. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>P </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Praise HIM all the time - in Joy and Sorrow. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>Q </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Quench not the Spirit. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>R </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Rejoice in the LORD always for he is our redeemer. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>S </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Seek sanctity and invite Holy Sprit GOD into thee. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>T </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Trust HIM, for HE alone is trust worthy forever and ever. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>U </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Upright shall be blessed till the end. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>V </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Victory belongs to you for he is victorious GOD. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>W </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Worship the LORD with all of your heart, soul and mind. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>X </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>eXalt HIM. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>Y </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>You are the chosen one for HE has called you by your name. </TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10>Z </TD> <td valign=top width=10 height=10>-</td> <TD>Zeal and zest for the Zion be abide in you now and forever - Amen. </TD></TR> </table> </A></BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <table border=0 align = center width = "50%" cellspacing = 2 cellpadding = 2> <TR> <TD width = 200 align = middle><A href= "#top"><IMG src="IMAGES/top.gif" border=0></A></TD> <TD align =middle width = 200><A href= "default.asp"><IMG src = "images/home1.gif" border = 0></A></TD> <TD align =middle width = 200><A href= "javascript:history.back(1)"><IMG src = "images/back1.gif" border = 0></A></TD> </TR> </table>  </body> </html>