Month: July 2009 Page 2 of 3

On July 17, 2009

Many know the name Jesus. Some think that He was just a good man. Others think He is a Christian God. Christians and His followers pray to Jesus and they pray in the name of Jesus. But did you stop for a moment to see how much there is to this Name. Let’s just take some time to ponder over the depth of God’s wisdom behind that Name.

The Almighty and Eternal God for whom any name would be an understatement of his character and abilities had to choose a name for Himself when He had to arrive on earth. The uncontainable God in divine wisdom chose the name to be Jesus, which meant Savior for He shall save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Jesus means Savior, but isn’t it interesting that when the wise men (Magi) sought Jesus upon his birth, they did not seek Him as Savior, rather they sought Him as the King of the Jews. They went and asked Herod, the then reigning king, the following question – Where is he that is born the King of the Jews (REX IVDAEORVM) not where is he that is born the Savior (Jesus) as recorded in Matthew 2:2.

Herod was troubled by this request and feeling threatened by a babe in a manger, orders the slaughter of all children, two years and under, but God in divine intervention warns Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus to leave Bethlehem (where Jesus was born), and go to Egypt. Herod eventually dies and the angel of God appears to Joseph, and says that he can return to Israel, but Joseph fearing to return, since Archelaus, the son of Herod was the reigning king, moves into Nazareth. Interesting, isn’t it to note that when Jesus was called the Holy One of God by the unclean spirits in a man, they specifically address Him by saying, I know who you are, Jesus of Nazareth (IESVS NAZARENVS) (Mark 1:24).

When Jesus fulfilled the will of God and accomplished the work of being the Savior (saving His people from their sins) by suffering and enduring the shame of the Cross, He lived up to His Name. Even in the death of Jesus, His Name stood out literally. An inscription in 3 languages was placed on the cross which in Latin (the then official Roman language) read, INRI. INRI stood for IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM. (John 19:19) Fascinating, absolutely fascinating, this inscription (or) title meant, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Jesus (what He was to be called, meaning Savior) of Nazareth (what He was identified as), King of the Jews (what He was sought as and branded in His death)

The Name is Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth but what is even more poignant is that God who had contained Himself in that Name now has been bestowed a Name that is above ALL NAMES. Incredible, absolutely incredible is the depth of God’s wisdom. The King of kings was born as the King of the Jews and the name given to Him is Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. Next time you say the name, Jesus, I beseech you to ponder over how Saving and Kingly that Name is. I sure will.

The Name is Image of the invisible God

On July 16, 2009

Even though identical twins resemble one another, they are distinct in their genetic makeup and fingerprints. There is not a single person in the world who is the same as you are. The only way you can find an exact representation of yourself is to look at your reflected image in a mirror.

The writer to the Hebrews affirms that the Person (essence) of God is expressed in Jesus (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus Himself said that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9). This only accentuates the fact that Jesus is God, the one and Only God.

Jesus is the expressed fullness of God (Colossians 1:19). The Apostle Paul writes to those in Colosse that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Apostle Paul was eloquently saying that if God was to look into a mirror, He would see Jesus.

We are expected to become perfect and attain the full measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). In other words, we are to reflect the essence of Jesus in our lives. So the question is whether we are a mirror image of Jesus to those who are seeking to see God? And more importantly, if Jesus was to look into a mirror, would He see you, would He see me?

Colossians 1:15 (KJV)
¹⁵Who (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Ephesians 4:11-13 (KJV)¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:¹³ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The Name is Holy One of God

On July 15, 2009

Mark 1:23-25 records the story of Jesus ridding a man with unclean spirits. It reads as follows –²³And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,²⁴ Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.²⁵And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
This event is also recorded in Luke 4:33-35.

Acting collectively as one, the unclean spirits made a proclamation and confidently stated that they knew who Jesus was. Some of the listeners in the synagogue were from the band that was constantly trying hard to discredit Jesus. At one time some even accused Jesus, alleging that His exorcising power was from the devil (Matthew 12:24). If they were in the crowd this day, they must have inquisitively waited to hear what the spirits had to say about Jesus. They must have been waiting eagerly to get proof of their accusations, because even the unclean spirits, seemed to know who Jesus was. But the next declaration of who Jesus really was must have been mind blowing to these religious zealots and hypocrites. Jesus was declared to be the Holy One of God. This has serious implications. No one could have this name, except God God-self for the scriptures say that there is none holy as the LORD (1 Samuel 2:2). The unclean spirits were in fact affirming that Jesus was God because He was the Holy One of God.

Do we recognize Jesus for who He really is? Do we recognize that He is indeed God, a Holy God and the Holy One of God? What do we have to say His name is? The Name is Holy One of God.

1 Samuel 2:2 (KJV)
²There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

I AM the Good Shepherd

On July 14, 2009

Jesus avers “I am the Good Shepherd” not once but twice in the Gospel according to the Apostle John (John 10:11, John 10:14). Superficially it may seem like anyone can make this claim but upon deeper analysis, the extent as to how profound and unique this claim is, make me realize that no one else really can claim this, except Jesus. This is one of the ‘I AM’ statements of Jesus, in which, not only does He state the obvious, but He tells us the responsibilities/characteristics of a good shepherd, all of which He fulfills impeccably.

Responsibilities of the good shepherd include the following (1) give life for the sheep (2) care for the sheep (3) know his sheep (4) lay his life for the sheep and (5) bring other sheep into his fold.

2 Samuel 7:8 talks about David, a shepherd, who was made ruler and king of Israel. David was faithful first as a shepherd and God made him to be the ruler of his people, the Israelites. David as a shepherd provided for his sheep, cared for them, knew them because when one of them was taken by a lion and a bear, he was willing to die for it by fighting the lion and the bear. There is however no account of David, bringing in sheeps from other flocks into his own. He may or may not have done so.

Jesus, THE good Shepherd gives eternal and abundant life to all who believe (John 3:16). He cares for each one of us (1 Peter 5:6-8) and He wants us to cast our anxieties on Him. He knows each one of us that belong to him (2 Tim 2:19). He knows our name – He called Saul by name, Simon by name, He called Zacchaeus by name, He even engraves the names of those who believe in Him in the palm of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). Don’t be surprised if you hear him calling you by your Name! He laid down his life voluntarily for our salvation (1 John 3:16). and He brings together all who are not part of His family (flock) into His family (Romans 1:16, 1 Timothy 2:4).

Jesus is the PROVIDING, PRESERVING and PROTECTING good shepherd. Just as God raised David from being the shepherd of sheep to be the ruler of his people, God who gave Jesus as the good Shepherd, raised Him up so that He will return as the ruler of ALL men (1 Corithians 15:24). If you have met Jesus and know him to be your good Shepherd, then He commands us to go and do likewise, to feed his lambs/sheep (John 21:15-17). If we faithfully shepherd His people on earth, He will make us rulers to reign with Him when He returns (Luke 19:17,19). If you have NOT yet met Jesus, THE GOOD SHEPHERD, I reckon that you meet Him first as the good shepherd and believe in Him so that you may come into His family and be under His Lordship (shepherdship), instead of waiting to meet Him as a ruler and righteous judge, when He returns. The decision is yours to make! He said “I AM the Good Shepherd” and that is a fact.

For a related reading, see Character and Names of God in Psalm 23

John 10:11-16 (KJV)
¹¹I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
¹²But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
¹³The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
¹⁴I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
¹⁵As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
¹⁶And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

2 Samuel 7:8 (KJV)
⁸Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:

The Name is Faithful

On July 13, 2009

Apokalypsis Iesou Christou (The Revelation of Jesus Christ) records one of the names of the rider on the white horse, referring to Jesus, as Faithful (Revelation 19:11). Come to think of this statement, it is not only a testament to the character of Jesus that He is indeed faithful, but that He is personified as Faithful, epitomizing faithfulness. Great is indeed His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23). Merriam-Webster’s states that the word ‘faithful’, implies an unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.

The Sunday before I left for the USA in 1998, the pastor at the Anna Nagar Methodist Church youth meeting was sharing on a passage that has been etched in my mind since . It was the passage from 2 Timothy 2:11-13, which reads as follows – “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” The phrase that caught my attention then was the last part of this trustworthy saying – He will remain faithful for he cannot disown himself, even if we are faithless. I must admit that I had solely understood this saying to mean that God (Jesus) will remain faithful even if we are unfaithful. Only while preparing for this article did it dawn on me that there is a clear cut distinction between being ‘faithless’ and being ‘unfaithful’. To be faithless is to not believe. To be unfaithful is believing but not living as if we do. Let me try and explain. To be faithless is to reject the one who wants to marry you, not believing that he/she is the one. To be unfaithful is to be married to one and living promiscuously as if you are not married at all. Furthermore, it dawned on me that God will remain faithful in judging those who do not believe in Him (faithless), just as much as He will remain faithful in saving those who are ‘faithful’ and exacting justice on those ‘unfaithful’.

Member of the OWASP Board of Directors and my good friend, Tom Brennan, an ex-Marine completes his emails by using the motto of the United States Marine Corp, Semper Fi, the shortened form of Semper Fidelis, which is Latin for ‘Always Faithful‘. As much as I have my highest respect to all those in service and a special place for the few, the proud, the Marines, I realize that the only ONE that is truly Semper Fi is none other than Jesus, the rider on the white horse whose name is Faithful. Jesus has an unswerving adherence to (love for) you and me and to the oath or promise of restoring us to God by which a new covenant (tie) was contracted because of His faithfulness to endure the suffering of the Cross, the rejection of men, death and because of His resurrection. He is truly Semper Fi, He cannot disown (deny) Himself. The Name is Faithful.

Revelation 19:11 (KJV)
¹¹And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

The Name is Emmanuel

On July 11, 2009

One of the songs I like to listen to is the song ‘From a distance’ by Bette Midler. This 1991 Grammy award Song of the Year talks about God watching us from a distance. The only change to the lyrics, I would suggest is that God is watching us, but not necessarily from a distance, because His name is Emmanuel and that means, God with us.

In the beginning God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) created man, so that God could be with man. Man chose to disobey God and a chasm between God and man arouse. Two pieces of wood and three nails were given to God the Son (Jesus) to build a bridge (shaped as a Cross) so that God could be with man again. When Jesus arrived on the scene, born of a virgin, he was to be called Emmanuel, which when interpreted means “God WITH us (man)”. Jesus was crucified and killed, but He rose from death, defeating death and the devil who held the power of death. He then ascended to God the Father in heaven. But when he ascended into glory, he counseled his followers to wait for God the Holy Spirit to come so that God could be with man once again, so that God could be Emmanuel, God with us.

My human intellect wonders if the time period from the ascension of Jesus to heaven to the arrival of the Holy Spirit on man is the only time period in history, when God was not with man, God was not Emmanuel. Now is that even possible? I don’t know and may never know.

Many times we simply fail to recognize God presence with us. Remember, the two who walked on the road to Emmaus, who did not recognize that God was with them, even though Jesus was with them in his resurrected body (Luke 24). Many times we are like the two not cognizant of God’s omnipresence. God is always with us. There are no SECRETS with God. We cannot hide from God (Psalm 139).

On the other hand, Even though God is with us today, there are many in this world who are not with God. What a pity! The world is asking those of us who know that God is with us, if He really is? They are seeking and expressing that God is NO WHERE to be found. Our response should be to make them realize that God is NOW HERE to be found and all they need to do is accept the lordship of Jesus, by believing in Him.

From the beginning, God has been with man, is with man and will always be with man, until the very end. He cannot be untrue to the Name. The Name is Emmanuel.

Matthew 1:23 (KJV)
²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

I AM the Door

On July 10, 2009

Imagine that you are commissioned to sketch an architectural plan for a structure that will house every kind of living creature. Would you not plan for how you would take the living things in and out of the structure. There is a high degree of possibility that you will not only decide on the number of doors you would need to build, but also decide on where you are going to place them. Yet, when Noah built the ark, he was instructed to build ONE door on the side. ONE Door! (Genesis 6:16)

John 10 records one of Jesus’ ‘I AM’ statements and interestingly, Jesus states ‘I am the door’, not once but twice (John 10:7, John 10:9). In the first instance, Jesus potrays Himself as the PROTECTING door (of the sheep) that besets all perils that surround the flock in the fold. In the second instance, Jesus is very clear and explicit that He is indeed God’s PROVISIONARY door to save anyone who enter by Him. For those who believe in polytheistic (many gods) or pantheistic (all are gods) opinions, promoting that there are different means (doors) to be saved, I have some news for you – note Jesus did not say, I am a door, but he said, I am THE door. There is only one door by which man can be saved. Only those who entered through THE (one) door in the ark were saved from the flood.

As I pondered on this topic, I was reminded of another place where a door is mentioned in the Bible. This is the door to our Life or some may say the door to our heart for out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Outside this door you will find two seekers, wanting to get in. Genesis 4:7 states that sin lieth at this door with a desire to rule over you. Revelation 3:20 states that the savior Jesus Christ is standing at the door and knocking and if anyone hears His voice, let him open his door so that Jesus may come in and reign in you. These two seekers are SIN and the SAVIOR. You can only allow only one in, for what communion does the Light of the world (savior) have with darkness (sin). None!

Point(s) to ponder:

While sin wants to rule over you, the savior wants to reign in you.
We all must walk through THE Door (Jesus) to be saved, but that begins with us opening our Door (the door of our Life) for Jesus to walk into our lives. He is standing at the door of our life and knocking. The choice is yours, as to whether you want to open it for him or not.
Jesus wants all to enter by him (THE Door) but what a pity it would be for those who find themselves standing outside with a SHUT door when the bridegroom (Jesus) comes for his bride (you and me, the ekklesia) as warned in Matthew 25:10. Who will shut THE Door to salvation? It will be none other than the LORD. Note, how the scriptures says that once Noah, his family and the living things entered the ark, the LORD shut him in. (Genesis 7:16). A time will come when THE Door (of your salvation) will be shut and no one can open. Inside THE Door is the breath of life (Genesis 7:15) and outside it is destruction, doom, death and decay as it was in the waters of the flood. If you have not let Jesus to walk into the door of your life, tarry no longer, I beseech you!

John 10:7,9 (KJV)
⁷Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
⁹I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Rev 3:20 (KJV)
²⁰Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Genesis 4:7 (KJV)
⁷If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Genesis 7:15-16 (KJV)
¹⁵And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
¹⁶And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

I am Christ

On July 9, 2009

There are accounts of Jesus using indirect references to Himself as being the Messiah, a.k.a. the Anointed one a.k.a. the Christ, but isn’t is interesting to note that there is no direct record of Jesus saying ‘I am Christ’. In fact, when the disciples recognize Him to be the Christ (Mark 8:28-31), he cautions them they are not to tell that to anyone and when He uses the phrase ‘I AM Christ’, He is warning those who are listening that this claim will be made by many who are indeed not the Christ.

History records of cult (Heaven’s Gate, the Jonestown People’s Temple, Branch Davidians) leaders who have made this claim, only to deceive their followers, in the end. Even today this happens but in more subtle forms. Claims such as ‘I am a little messiah walking on the earth’ and ‘be gone critics, I am a little god’ by famous televangelists are prevalent even today. I say this with no bias toward televangelists, but only wish to say that we must check the validity of statements and claims without blindly accepting them. We must be like the Bereans (Acts 17:3, 10-11) who searched the scriptures daily to see if what Paul and Silas were saying was true or not.

Point(s) to ponder:

Jesus, the only person who has the right to claim that He is the Christ, did not do so, but warned us, so that we wont be deceived by those who claim to be. When Jesus returns, every knee will bow and every tongue confess what He never directly claimed Himself – ‘I AM Christ’. You can accept him as the Christ and Savior of your soul now or you wait for his return, but be aware and beware, because by then it will be too late as He will return as a Judge and we will all be judged. Jesus indeed is THE only CHRIST (Acts 17:3). Pay no attention whatsoever to anyone else who claims to be. There is no other!

Additional reading – In the wake of Waco

Matthew 24:4-5, 23-24 (KJV)⁴And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.⁵ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.²³Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

I AM the Bread of life

On July 8, 2009