Take that old staff...

“So, Moses took his wife and son, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took his staff in his hand…..” - Ex.4:20

Moses had spent almost 40 years in the wilderness, when he was called by God to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. When he set out on a journey to Egypt, he remembered to take his old staff with him, which he probably was using it to lead the flock in the wilderness. One of the reason for Moses to carry his old staff could be to remember his old days in wilderness….to remember his hard times in the desert….and to humble himself before the Lord.

Bro. D.G.S. narrated the following story: A rich man lived in a big palace which was built with expensive stones and marbles. People marveled at the beauty of his house. But in his living room, he had kept an old jagged chair. When his friends asked him why he had kept that old chair, he answered them, “My parents were very poor. We hardly had one meal a day. From that very poor situation God has lifted me up. So, I want to remember where I’ve come from. And I do not wish to forget the Lord who has blessed me with all this riches. So whenever I see that chair, I’ll remember the goodness and mercy of my Lord.”

Let’s consider a different scenario here. God anointed Saul, when he was small. God made him a King over Israel. But he forgot to fulfill the commandment of God (Read 1 Sam. 15). (Obeying a part of God’s law is NOT enough). Samuel said to Saul, “When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel? Why, then, did you not obey the voice of the Lord?” – 1 Sam. 15:17. Saul’s heart became proud, when he became the king and did not obey God.

God has blessed this generation. This generation is being blessed economically, physically, socially, spiritually as well as intellectually. When one becomes blessed, he should remember the place where he was raised from. He should remember his old days and give thanks to the Lord continually for all His blessings (Read Deut. 8). “When you have eaten and are satisfied, PRAISE the LORD for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, in keeping His commands, his laws, and his decrees that He is giving you this day. Otherwise, your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God……” - Deut. 8:10- 14.

The Ephesus church endured hardships for our Lord’s name, worked hard with perseverance. But still, God was very unhappy with this church, as they did not love God, as they did in their early days. To the church in Ephesus, the Lord says, “I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” –Rev.2:4. Hence, God warns them to show their original / first love to Him. “Repent and do the things you did at first.” – Rev.2:5

Our Lord needs undivided love for Him. The first and greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind” – Matt. 22: 37. Jesus has made a very strong statement here. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” - Matt. 10:37. So, how much more we have to be careful in honoring and loving God, giving Him the First place in everything in our lives.

So, take the old staff with you always, which you used to carry in your old days. It may be a personal prayer which you used to do all night long….or a regular fast which you used to do…..or a prayer from the depth of your heart with tears in your eyes…or simply a praise & worship song which you used to murmur all the time….Remember those days when you were born again and remember your old days when you were called by God…. Do the same spiritual things which you used to do before….have the same humble attitude in your heart…. Take that old staff of God with you all the time, where ever you go…..and you will be blessed! Amen!!

The End!

The Empty Tomb !

John 20: 1-9 & 18

1. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2. So, she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!”

3. So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but he did not go in. 6. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,7 as well as the burial cloth that has been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded by itself, separate from the linen.8. Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9. They still did not understand from the scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

18. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that He had said these things to her.

What's so good about "Good Friday"?

Hi! Folks,

Some of you may be having fun at Slumber-land; and Some may be watching TV with cookies and hot chocolate at their houses, enjoying the Bank holiday week end! But the most have gone out to enjoy the lovely sun! I’m really going to give you some food for thought today. How many of you know the gist of Good Friday? Why do people celebrate Good Friday?

Good Friday is the day in Holy Week in which we remember the arrest, crucifixion, and death of Jesus. Many churches now have mourning services from noon until 3:00 p.m. to symbolize Jesus' last hours on the cross. The following summarizes the significance of Good Friday:

1. God’s love, for all the people in this world is limitless and measureless.

2. There is no righteous / blameless / spotless / unblemished person in this world.

3. There’s no one whose walk is blameless; All are corrupt; All are sinners. God loves the sinners as well.

4. An innocent / sinless / spotless blood has to be shed for the forgiveness / cleansing of our sins.

5. There was no sin found in Jesus.

6. Jesus died on the cross as atonement (compensation) for the sins of all human beings in this world.

7. Any human being (irrespective of race, colour, religion, region etc.) who cries out to God truly in their heart for the forgiveness of their sins will be forgiven readily (This is know as "Salvation").

Facts about Crucifixion:

Britannica reports that the Persians were the first to use crucifixion about 519 BC. The Greek author Herodotus, mentions that King Darius 1 (King of Persia) had 3000 Babylonians crucified in about 519 B.C. Two centuries later, Alexander, the Great also used crucifixion in his conquests. At the end of the first century B.C., the Romans adopted crucifixion as an official punishment only for non-Romans. Constantine banned crucifixion in 341 A.D.

What physiological changes do occur to a man, when he is being just nailed to the cross, in which case no major blood vessals are severed and no major damage to the vital organs done? What’s the time and cause of death in such case? If you want to know the medical aspect of Crucifixion, click on the the following link:
http://thelivingwaters.blogspot.com/2005/03/and-they-crucified-him.html

Hope we all learnt something new today!

Dr. Jeshur.

And they crucified Him...

Introduction

“And they crucified him…”

- Matt. 27: 35; Mark 15: 25; Luke 23: 33, John 19:18

Undoubtedly, Crucifixtion was one of the cruellest and most humiliating forms of capital punishment for slaves in the ancient world. None of the four gospels describe Crucifixion in length. Not even the physician Luke, who was always fascinated by medical events, elaborated Crucifixion. One of the main reasons is that Crucifixion was a common event in those days and everyone knew about it. But for us, after 2,000 years, we are unaware of the gruesome nature of Crucifixtion, which are described here concisely.

History
Crucifixion was practiced only at a particular time in history and this time ranges between 519 B.C. and 341 A.D.,(about 860 years only) when Constantine banned crucifixion. Britannica reports that the Persians were the first to use crucifixion about 519 BC. Two centuries later, Alexander, the Great also used crucifixion in his conquests. At the end of the first century B.C., the Romans adopted crucifixion as an official punishment for non-Romans.

Gethsemane
The physical passion of the Christ begins in Gethsemane. It is interesting that the physician of the group, St. Luke, is the only one to mention this:
“Being in an agony (of mind), he prayed more earnestly and intently, and His sweat became like great clots of blood dropping down upon the ground”

- Luke 22:44. Though very rare, the phenomenon of Hematidrosis or Bloody sweat is well documented. Hematidrosis is an extremely rare clinical phenomenon with only few instances reported to have occurred within the twentieth century. Acute fear and intense mental contemplation were found to be the most frequent inciting causes. Under great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat.
“Surely, He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows…” – Isa. 53: 4. Jesus, truly bore our sins and sicknesses at Gethsemane and hence He was under extreme emotional pressure which manifested in His body as drops of blood oozing out of His skin. This process alone could have produced marked weakness due to loss of blood.

Scourging
Scourging was actually the legal preliminary to every crucifixion because it weakened the victim through shock and blood loss. Without scourging, the condemned victim might live on the cross for several days until exposure to wild animals, which finally finish them off. Even with a scourging, a robust criminal might linger as long as 36 hours.

Preparations for the scourging were carried out. His hands were tied to a post above his head. He was scourged with the flagrum (or flagellum), the ends of which were braided with hard pieces of sheep bone or small iron balls. (The flagrum is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each). Generally, two soldiers took turns flogging the back, and legs of Jesus. The heavy whip was brought down with full force again and again across Jesus shoulders, back and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continued, they were cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produced large, deep bruises which were broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back was hanging in long ribbons and the entire area was an unrecognizable mass of torn bleeding tissue. The beating was finally stopped, after 39 lashes. The half-fainting Jesus was then revived and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with his own blood.

Crown of Thorn
They still needed a crown to make his travesty complete. A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns (commonly used for firewood) were plaited into the shape of a crown and this was pressed into his scalp. Again there was copious bleeding (the scalp has very rich blood supply and so wound in the scalp bleeds profusely and for a long time). After mocking him and striking him across the face, the soldiers took the stick from his hand and struck him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into his scalp. Finally, the robe was torn from his back. This had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, causeed excruciating pain, which was almost as though he were again being whipped - and the wounds again begin to bleed.

Carrying the Cross to Golgotha
The heavy patibulum (apparently weighing about 50Kgs) of the cross was tied across his shoulders. In spite of his efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden cross together with the shock produced by copious blood loss was too much. He stumbled and fell. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tried to rise, but human muscles had been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, selected an onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. The 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to Golgotha was finally completed.

Crucifixion
When he was thrown to the ground on his back, in preparation for nailing of his hands, his scourging wounds on his back most likely would become torn open again and contaminated with dirt.

With arms outstretched, his wrists were nailed to the patibulum. In fact, nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when they support the weight of a human body. Instead, the nails were driven through the hollows of his wrists. Accordingly, the iron nails were probably driven either between the radius (thumb side of the lower end of forearm) and the carpals (bones of the wrist) or between the two rows of carpal bones. In addition, driving nails through the wrists injured the media nerve and caused bolts of fiery pain in both arms.

His legs were then, slightly bent and His feet nailed. The nails were usually driven through the fore foot (between 2nd and 3rd metatarsals - bones of the arch of the foot - as shown in the figure). If the legs were nailed straight, death would have occurred within minutes. By leaving the legs bent, the victim used his feet as a fulcrum, pushing upward on the nails when he exhaled. So, on the cross, he had to push up against the nail in the foot to breath out. Eventually, even the hardest victim would begin to suffer from leg cramps and progressive muscular weakness. The common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurifracture, which means 'breaking of the bones of the legs'. If the legs were broken, the victim would not be able to push himself upward to breath out. In such case, the tension inside the lungs could raise, trapping more and more air inside the lungs. This could lead to rapid suffocation due to excess air trapped inside the lungs (a condition called 'Tension pneumo-thorax') and death within minutes. In fact, breaking the legs of the victim is 'an act of mercy', as it limits long hours of intense agony and causes death quickly. Death on a cross almost never occurred due to blood loss. The wounds in the wrists and feet, while agonizing, did not sever any major blood vessels. Bleeding from the scourging on his back might have been sufficient to cause death, but generally crucifixion victims died of suffocation (asphyxiation- unable to breath).

The weight of His body hanging by His arms impaired the proper expansion / functioning of His lungs. He could inhale air (breathe-in), but not exhale it (breathe-out). Spasmodically, He was able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. This meant the greatest agony of crucifixion occurred from the almost constant sensation of suffocation. When Christ spoke from His cross, it took an enormous toll because it required him to push up against the nails in his feet and hold that position for as long as it took to complete the words.It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences recorded.

With almost 6 hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial suffocation and searing pain where tissue were torn from His lacerated back as He moved up and down against the rough timber, a terminal agony began. A terrible crushing pain deep inside his chest fired up, as his pericardium (a sac around his heart) slowly filled with fluid (serum), which commenced to compress his heart. With one last surge of strength, he once again pressed His torn feet against the nail, straightened His legs, took a deeper breath, and uttered His seventh and last cry, "Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit" - Luke 23: 46. "When He had said this, He breathed His last". Apparently to make sure of His death, one of the soldiers drove his spear through his ribs, upward through the pericardium and into his heart. "And immediately there came out blood and water."- John 19:34. There was an escape of fluid from the sac surrounding the heart (pericardium) and blood from His heart. Thus, Christ endured the most agonizing form of death, ever known to the human beings !

Reference
1. J Med. 1996; 27(3-4):115-33. Blood, sweat and fear: “A Classification of hematidrosis” Holoubek JE, Holoubek AB. Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Shreveport, USA. PMID: 8982961.
2. Edwards, W.D., W.J. Gabel, and F.E. Hosmer. 1986. “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ”. JAMA 255:1455-1463. 1986, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
3. “A Physician Testifies about the Crucifixion” by Dr. C. Truman Davis-is a nationally respected Ophthalmologist, vice president of the American Association of Ophthalmology.
4. “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ” William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, M Div; Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AM.
5. Barbet Pierre: A Doctor at Calvary: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ as Described by a Surgeon.
6. Synoptic gospels and St.John’s gospel.

David destroys Amelakites !

1. Stolen Blessings (1 Sam.30: 1 – 20)

“...When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. They came to know that the Amalekites had raided the Ziklag ...” (v.1, 3)

When David and his men returned home (Ziklag) on the third day, they were horrified to find their possessions and family disappear. All the men were greatly distressed about their sons and daughters, who were taken captive, to the extent that they wanted to stone David and kill him.

In this world, there are Amalekites (enemy / thief) that are trying to raid your blessings (finance / health / peace) and taken them away as captives. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”

– John 10:10. Remember, “They (Amalekites) killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way…” (v.2). The thief has only stolen the blessing and could never destroy your blessing.

2. The cry for deliverance

“David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. But David found strength in the Lord his God.” (v.4)

Weeping is a form of adaptive human behaviour, which occurs after a loss of the loved ones. David wept not only in front of men, but also in front of the throne of the Almighty God. He said: “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll- are they not in your record? Then, my enemies will turn back, when I cry for help. By this I will know that God is for me.” - Ps.56:8, 9. Not the 600 men, but Only David knew that when he pours out his distress in front of the throne, God will surely deliver him. “…In my distress, I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice…” (Ps.18:6).

Yes, God loves the broken-hearted people. “The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”-Ps.34:18. The prayer that comes out from the depth of the heart with cries and tears has a profound effect on heaven. The High place will shake and the Lord Almighty will come running down to the earth to comfort you and deliver you (refer Ps.18:7-19). Isaiah declares: “For this is what the High and lofty One says – I live in a High and Holy place, but I also live with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite.”- Isa.57:14.

3. Restoration of the lost

Then, David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” God answered, “Pursue them; you will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue”. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day and none of them got away. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back...” (v.7, 8, 17, 18, 19)

When David enquired the Lord from the depth of his heart and with cries and tears, the Lord delivered him from the hands of his enemies. Indeed, God restored all of David’s blessings which were stolen away by the Amalekites (enemy).

In the same way, when we cry out to God in times of seemingly threatening situations, the Almighty God is true to his word and will deliver us from evil. “Surely, He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.” (Ps.91:3)

Hallelujah!

Despair to deliverance!

1. Introduction

“There was a castle called Doubting Castle, the owner whereof was Giant DESPAIR” - John Bunyan 1628-1688, British Author

Despair is a state in which everything seems wrong and will turn out badly. It is the feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or troubling situation. Let’s take an example a woman (Mark 5:25 -34) whose condition was desperate and was looking for a way out of it.

2. Desperate condition (verse 25, 26)

· She suffered from bleeding problem – ‘menorrhagia’

· Duration - 12 years

· Treated by many doctors

· She spent all the money she had

· Her condition grew worse

Though there are numerous causes of menorrhagia, fibroids in the uterus are the most common cause of bleeding in women. As a result of loss of blood, she might have developed ‘anemia’- which itself can cause tiredness, breathlessness, palpitations (rapid heart beats), dizziness, and headache. Pain is another common symptom. In the modern world, there are so many treatments available, the last option being ‘hysterectomy’ – removal of uterus. But in those days, surgical skills were not advanced. So she had to suffer with this disease for such a long time (12years!). She was in a desperate state – she wanted her condition to be healed.

3. Action plan (verse 27)

· She heard about Jesus and his healing power

· She believed in his miracle working power

· She moved up the crowd

· Passed through the circle of disciples

· Touched his garments – encounter with Jesus

On her journey to Jesus, the first resistance she faced was the crowd. This group consists of a mixture of believers, unbelievers and even onlookers. After passing through them, she then faced his disciples, who could have tried to keep a distance between Jesus and the crowd. So she struggled in silence to pass thru them. She successfully passed them to come near Jesus. Then she touched his garments and felt an ‘instant’ healing, thereby she touched the ‘glory of God’!

4. Application

· Determination - If she had not gone to Jesus, this disease would probably have been her life-long menace. So, when there’s a pressing need in our life, we MUST take it to Jesus. We MUST be determined to get an answer from him.

· Courage – It took a lot of courage for this woman to go through the crowd to touch his garments.

· Planning – Days or even weeks before her encounter with Jesus, she had planned for such encounter well in advance.

· Silence – She kept everything secret till she accomplished her mission.

5. Conclusion

In essence, the encounter and fellowship with Jesus is the most exciting experience in everyone’s life. Given a hard situation, we MUST have the determination and courage to reach out to Jesus to find an answer for the problem.

“NOTHING earthly will make me give up my work in DESPAIR”

David Livingstone 1813-1873, British Missionary.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed. We are perplexed, but NOT IN DESPAIR” - 2 Corinthians 4:8

God is good all the time!

My friend you can trust GOD, today.

He is good and

He is good all the time.

But as you focus on his GOODNESS,

Don’t miss his GREATNESS.

He is unparalleled and unprecedented.

He is the centre piece of excellence.

He is the superlative of all excellence.

He is the sum of human greatness.

He is the source of divine grace.

His name is the only one able to save and

His blood is the only power able to cleanse.

His ears are open to the sinner’s call.

His hand is quick to lift the fallen soul.

He is the eternal lover of us all…everyone….

And you can trust HIM.

He supplies mercy for the struggling soul.

He sustains the tempted and the tired.

He sympathizes with the wounded and the broken.

He strengthens the weak and the weary.

He guards and guides the wanderers.

He heals the sick and cleanses the leper.

He delivers the captives, defends the helpless and

Binds up the broken-hearted.

He is for you and

You can trust HIM.

JESUS is the key to all knowledge.

He is the well-spring of wisdom.

He is the door way of deliverance and the pathway of peace.

He is the road way of righteousness.

He is the high way of holiness.

He is the gate way to glory.

And yes, you can trust HIM.

JESUS is enough.

He is the all sufficient KING.

He is the KING of the Jews.

He is the KING of Israel.

He is the KING of righteousness.

He is the KING of the ages.

He is the KING of heaven.

He is the KING of glory.

He is the KING of KINGS and

He is the LORD of LORDS.

And, yes, again, you can trust HIM

And rejoice in this, my friend.

He is a sovereign GOD.

There is no gauge to measure his limitless love.

There is no barrier to block his blessings outpoured.

He is enduringly strong and

He is entirely SUPREME.

He is eternally STEADFAST.

He is immortally FAITHFUL.

He is imperially POWERFUL and

He is impartially MERCIFUL.

He is JESUS, GOD’S son and

You can trust HIM.

I wish I could more accurately describe HIM.

But he is indescribable.

He is incomprehensible.

He is invincible.

He is irresistible.

You can not leave HIM, can you?

You can not live without HIM.

But Pharisees couldn’t stand HIM,

but found they couldn’t stop Him.

Pilot couldn’t halt Him.

Harod couldn’t kill Him.

Death couldn’t conquer Him.

And the grave couldn’t hold Him.

My friends, He is the Alpha and Omega.

The first and the Last…

He is the God of the future…

And the God of the past…

And we rise to speak to His name…

Again… and… again… Jesus… Jesus

He is Jesus…

He is far us…

And we can Trust Him…

Jesus…Jesus…Jesus…

By courtesy of: Don Moein