Being the Temple

For me, one of the most fascinating passages of scripture in the Bible is Jesus’ grand entry into Jerusalem. Imagine this, people going crazy with elaborate gestures welcoming Him into the city. He is riding a donkey and one that no-one has ever ridden before. Some are laying clothes to carpet the road that he will travel on, some using branches of trees. And amidst all of this, people saying Hosanna resounds in the air when Jesus enters Jerusalem. Now, that’s a grand entry! If today anyone of us would receive such a welcome, we would be building our home on cloud nine.

Mathew 21, Mark 11 and Luke 19; all narrate this story. But what I want to talk about today is what happened right after this great, grand entry.

Mathew 21:12 says, ¹²And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,¹³And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

What happened at the temple that made Jesus so angry that he became violent? He would have had a very valid and strong reason to respond to a situation like that. Because we all know God to be slow to anger, but here we do not see just anger but an outburst of anger.

The Bible says Jesus came to Jerusalem and the first thing He did soon after getting into the city was go to the temple. Or we could put it up this way, The Son of the living God, entered the city of God and directly went to the Temple of His Father.

But, just as He entered the temple He saw something that He very clearly did not like. He saw trading in the temple, money changers had set up their tables. He saw a market in the temple of His Father.

Talk to some scholars and they might say that it was okay for people to buy and sell animals in the temple as they would be sacrificed later as offerings, and money changers were necessary because people from different nations would come to Jerusalem and worship at the temple. The question then arises, what was it that made Jesus so angry? Wasn’t He aware of the purpose of the activities happening there? Or was He being plain unreasonable?

Exodus 33:7, And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.

It all started at the tent of the meeting. The purpose of the tent was to be a place where one could come and seek God. Gradually over the years, the tent had developed into a temple but its purpose had not changed. It still was a place where His people were supposed to come and seek Him. When Jesus entered the temple, He saw everything else happening but what was really meant to happen in the temple. He expected people to be seeking God, seeking His will, seeking His purpose for their lives but He was left disappointed.

We are the temple of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of the Living God lives in us. If Jesus comes visiting today, will He see something in us that will make Him happy or will He be disappointed is the question I want to ask to myself. I’m sure we all want God to be happy and proud when He sees us.

It’s not about the activities we do, nor is it about the work of the ministry we do. It’s about our ministry to the audience of the One who called us out of darkness and into His marvellous light. It’s about our worship that we ought to give to Our God and seek His face. It’s about being the temple we are and fulfilling the purpose for which we have been made.

My prayer today is that we would, in the real sense, be the temple of the living God and would seek Him and love Him and worship Him the way we are supposed to.

Be blessed.

Why God doesn’t rest

Trust me when I say this that this post has been the most difficult for me to capture in words. I am not quite sure how successful I have been in writing what I want to convey, but I have honestly tried my best. I hope and pray that as you read further, God would reveal more to you and that you would have a revelation of what God did for us and with us in the Garden of Eden.

My most favourite passages of scriptures in the bible have been Genesis 1 and 2. I have read these chapters a thousand times and they never fail to fascinate me. I’m sure it’s the same with each one of you to read how God spoke and things came in to existence, just like that. Simply amazing!

However, I want to focus on something that happened after God finished with all His creative work. Something that God did immediately after finishing His work on the 7^th day.

Genesis 2 , ¹Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ And God blessed (spoke good of) the seventh day, set it apart as His own, and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all His work which He had created and done.

God rested!

I now wonder how I missed such an important thing all these years. And as I meditated on these two words; a host of questions sprung up in my head. Because, for most part of my life, I have imagined God as He is spoken of in Psalms 121:4 “Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep”.

Why did God need to rest? Was He tired? Can God get tired? And if He did rest in Genesis, why did He cease resting by the time we reach Psalms? What had changed so much since Genesis? I needed answers to these questions desperately.

The Bible tells us that God made man in His own image and in His likeness. In Genesis 2:8 says ⁸And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden [delight]; and there He put the man whom He had formed God.

I realized that apart from man, Eden was the only other thing God made (planted) with His own hands. And, He kept this man that He created in the garden that He himself had planted.

Eden was Adam’s world; everything he needed and would ever need was available there. In chapter 1 and verse 28 God told them to be fruitful, multiply and have dominion. Following which, in chapter 2:2, God rested.

The man (Adam) that God placed in the Garden of Eden was everything that God was. Because everything that God is He put in to him. The character, the divine nature of God was in man.  Then man was put in this garden called Eden, which means a place of dominion and rulership. So what I understood is that God equipped man with everything that He was and then put him in a place and position of dominion.

This is the key. God knew what and how He had made man and where He had placed him. So, God was confident that man could take care of any situation, exactly the way God Himself would take care of it. So, He rested.

The problem with us today is that we forget who we are and where God has placed us. Where you are today is your world, your Eden. Yes, man sinned and lost his place but the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross restored everything. So for every small thing and every huge situation rather than rising up to it and having dominion over it, we run defeated, in fear and cowardice to God. Not that we shouldn’t. We must always go to God but with the understanding that He expects us to have dominion, which is why He created us. So it is because of man’s forfeited dominion and unawareness that it all has been restored to him through the cross that God does not rest anymore.

Friends, wherever you are today, it’s the place where God, our Creator has placed us. And if you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour then you are being restored to the divine nature of God daily. Remember that He created you and He expects you to have dominion over every situation and circumstance of life. Rise up, realize who you are and be what you are called to be, a winner. And let God rest in your world.

Share your thoughts in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you.

Let the games begin!

A massive stadium filled with thousands of people spilling onto the aisles and almost onto the grounds. There is a slight hush that moves through the stands and you can literally hear the anticipation. All of them eager to see their favourite player set foot on the game field. Everyone has come equipped with their cheering gear. Placards, posters, t-shirts bearing the name of their star player.

Muffled sounds of excitement gently flow into the locker rooms. The room is abuzz with adrenaline, all charged up. Each and every player is ready to give their all for the prized victory. One by one, they start walking toward the entrance of the ground. Nervous yet certain that this is where they would rather be than anywhere else.

As soon as their favourite player enters the play zone, the crowds go delirious with excitement and start cheering him on by chanting his name. They have all come here to watch him lift the victor’s trophy.

Now, I want you to imagine yourselves as that favourite player to the crowds. The excitement. The cheering. The sheer magnitude of the crowd. All gathered around you. And all of them eager to watch you deliver your best play and carry the winner’s trophy.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us

Most of us might never encounter the scenario mentioned above but as children of God Most High, chosen according to His eternal plan, there is a huge cloud of witnesses watching us, cheering us on and expecting us to achieve everything that God has planned and purposed for our lives. Hebrews 11 recognises all the stalwarts of faith from the past whom God chose and set a task for their lives, which they completed against all odds, inspite of all their weakness and shortcomings.

It is these stellar examples and the many more not mentioned in the pages of the Bible and millions of angels and God Himself, who are there in those stands watching you, cheering you on and wanting you and me to win as we live life every single day. They know our strengths and are aware of our weaknesses but still they expect you to win or more importantly dare to win.

Lay aside every weight and sin that ensnares us. Just as a champion leaves behind his previous defeats, injuries, current weaknesses and focuses on the game and gives it his all, so must we, have our eyes fixed on the eternal goal we have to achieve. We have to leave aside our past failures, fleeing away from temptations, and run towards the finish line.

The secret is they all know you can do it, they all see a champion in you. You may not currently feel that way but the bible in Hebrews 12:2 says ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Let’s look at Jesus, he won against all odds. I love it the way the Word says ‘Jesus , author and finisher (some translations Author and Perfecter of our Faith). He has placed you where you are today. He has written it all and He is the One who will pen your story to perfection. The only thing we have to do is get on to that field and play like a champion knowing that heaven backs us.

Jesus is our coach and trainer, our toughest critic and the biggest and the loudest voice in the cheering crowd. It is He who will place the winners’ trophy in our hands when the game is over and when we’ve finished our course with endurance. The most beautiful part is that the Bible does not mention anything about winning in both the verses. That’s because Jesus won it all 2000 years ago. We just need to play.

So. Let the games begin!

I would love to hear from you. Please do share this link and leave your comments below. They are encouragement to an irregular (for now!) blogger. God bless you.

All or Nothing

¹ But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. ² And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? ⁴ While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
⁵ Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. ⁶ And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
⁷ Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?”
She said, “Yes, for so much.” Acts 5:1-8

We are no strangers to the above mentioned passage of the Bible. We dread to do anything that this couple did for the fear of bearing the same fate. But almost all of us, including myself, are not much different than them. All of us, almost every day, do exactly what this believing couple did some 2000 years ago.

We so often and mindlessly confess saying, “Jesus, You are my Lord. You are my God. You mean the world to me.” And yet we restrict God from many areas of our lives. We haven’t surrendered it to the Lord. We want to be in charge of some aspects and may be those are the things that the Lord wants us to give up.

The question Peter asked Ananias was “While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control?” I thought to myself, what if Ananias would have said, “I sold the land for this sum and I have brought this part of it’, wouldn’t that be acceptable? After all, it was his decision to sell the land and it was completely in his control.

Maybe today Jesus looks at us and is asking, “When you did not know me as Lord and Savior, wasn’t your life yours to control and even when you confessed me as Lord and Savior of your life, did I snatch it away from you?” The Lord never forcefully took our life away from us; instead He gave us freedom in this new life. Still, we hide our lives from Him.

It is almost like we say, God you are most welcome to be Lord over my life but let me handle my finances myself. Or, Lord you can deal with my anger issue but don’t work on the lust in my life; I’ll take care of it myself. Lord, please intervene in my marriage but we aren’t ready to forgive each other yet. We sing glorious songs in church on Sunday mornings but the rest of the week, the Lord keeps knocking on the door of our hearts and we don’t let Him in.

As children of the Most High God, we have forgotten is that He is not only our Father, but He Lord which means owner, not partially or occasionally but always. He owns you and me.

I would like to encourage you to give Him all of us and all of our lives. Just as the psalmist wrote “²³Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” Psalms 139:23-24. May it be our whole hearted prayer and may God, in the true sense of it, be The LORD of our lives.

Being with Him

Yesterday at housechurch, after a time of worship, I plainly asked everybody present about what they thought was the reason God chose them. Or for that matter, why did Jesus chose any of His disciples and I was not surprised by the answers I received from them.

The most common answer was to preach the gospel. Few even mentioned casting out of demons and healing the sick. And I realised that we as Christians are not any less blinded than those who do not know Christ. We are so attracted to or wanting to do things (works) that we very easily neglect the most important part of the call of God to us. Don’t get me wrong, preaching the gospel to those who are lost, bringing healing to them that hurt is definitely part of what God wants us to do. But the truth is that there is more.

In Mark 3:13-15 it says 13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons

God’s 3 Point Plan

• They should be with Him
• Following which he would send them forth to preach
• And when they are out preaching they would also heal people and drive away demons.

I wonder why Jesus put the ‘They should be with Him’ part first. Don’t lose out on  the ‘SHOULD’ in there. God’s desire, more than all the works that we can do for him, is that we be with Him.

For three and a half years, the disciples lived with Jesus. They did everything together. There was no aspect of their lives that Jesus was not part of. Be it going to weddings, eating and ministering together. And that had laid a foundation for the disciples to achieve all that they did after Jesus leaving this earth.

If only today we make Jesus part and priority of every aspect of our lives, we would not need to worry about the other two things. Because the word says, He sent them and gave them powers over sickness and demons.

It’s about living with Him, playing with Him, going to work with Him, shopping with Him. Make Him an inseparable part of everything you do. Remember, He desires that we should be with Him. It’s an effort we have to make because He never loses sight of us.

God bless!

Hanging on an Opportunity

 

Luke 23:39-43 ³⁹Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” ⁴⁰But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴²Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” ⁴³And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” 

Having read this passage a thousand times, I’ve always understood that both the criminals were so different from each other. More like, a good criminal and a bad criminal.  Contradicting choice of words, aren’t they?

But recently, I realized that when both of these criminals were hanging on their crosses; it was their only opportunity to ever get saved and know the love of God. It was an opportunity of their lifetime to have spoken to the Lord and Christ of the world. For me, they were not hanging on their crosses but on the best opportunity of their soon-to-end lives.

What do we do when we go through situations that make us feel like we are carrying a heavy cross that will crush us to the earth? How do we react when our hands and feet feel like have been nailed down and we can do anything to help ourselves? Do we question God like the first thief saying, ”If you are the Christ save yourself and us as well” or do we like the other thief say, ”Lord remember me when you come in your kingdom”.

Imagine this, if Jesus being on the cross, covered with the sins of the world and having His Father turn His face away from Him, could grant the thief a life with Him. How much more today when He is sitting at the right hand of the Father will He take us through what we are facing?

For everyone who is facing such a situation where you feel like you are hanging on a cross and are close to death and destruction, remember that you are hanging on an opportunity and let God work His salvation in your life.

Remember that the Cross was the only opportunity Jesus had to save the world and make a way for us to be called Sons of God. Needless to say, He made the most of it!

Do write back with your experiences and opinions would love to hear from you.

Favour for the Impossible

From the look of it, this might seem like a really delayed Christmas message but let me assure you that it is actually a word of encouragement that has been on my heart since the start of this year.

In Luke 1:28 we read, ²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

The angel visited Mary and gave her a promise; a seed in that would bear fruit. This promise ushered Mary into a season of expectation. And her perseverance while waiting in hope for the unfolding of the promise resulted in its fulfilment. What made it come to pass was not just her willingness to receive the promise but the impossible became possible when the favour of God rested on Mary.

Every year, every day, God gives us new promises. Even we make new promises but when God speaks the seemingly impossible, it is only the favour of God that will bring it to pass.

When we “try” to make them happen in our own strength, there will come a time when we will throw our hands up and accept failure. Sometimes, we will even begin to doubt the very thing that God spoke to us and question it.

But when we become aware that we have favour, we find strength in Him to push further.

Consider Noah who had found favour with God. Which is why, 100 years of ridicule did not deter him from believing that God would do what He said He would do.

You, who are called, are not ordinary but you carry a seed in you that will bring forth fruit. When you carry something in you, it shows. At the risk of sounding repetitive I want to say that when you are carrying something inside of you, favour enables you to do things that you couldn’t have done by yourself.

Protect the seed. Just as Mary did. She took care of what was placed inside of her and in due time, she gave birth to the Deliverer. A promise fulfilled brings life to people around.

Promise is for the favoured. Have a favour-full 2011!

Am I Responsible?

⁸Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, ⁹and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” John 2: 8-10

The miracle that has been fascinating all of us ever since we first heard of it or read it has been the Wedding at Cana, mainly because it was Jesus’ first miracle that He performed on earth. But as I sat reading this story on a Saturday night, I realized it was more than just a miracle. I realized that this was a miracle that Jesus was not willing to perform. I understood that this miracle was a result of a woman taking on the responsibility of getting a situation fixed and her persistence in making it happen.

Surprisingly, nowhere does the scripture mention that when they ran out of wine, the family members of the bride or the groom did any kind of running around to get things sorted. It amused me that it was Mary, who was one of the guests at the wedding, who came to Jesus seeking help and not any of the family members. Did she really have to do that? What was her motive? Why did it bother her that something was lacking at the wedding?

All I could think of was, Mary might have seen the situation and understood the inability of the family members to get the problem fixed. It led her to step into the situation and take on the responsibility of setting things right. She knew exactly who to go to in a situation like this, even though Jesus had not performed any miracle yet. She knew who Jesus was.

Today if we find ourselves in a similar situation, how do we react? How many times has someone else’s inability to cope with his/ her circumstances, situations or struggle compelled us to do something, knowing that we definitely have an answer to their questions or their situation? Have we ever said, “Even though matter this does not concern me and I am in no way affected by it, I will still take the responsibility of fixing it”? There are only a few instances where I have said that. It’s the same for all of us.

We have always wondered why we are so far away from the supernatural move of God in our lives. The reason is we have not dared to step into difficult situations and said, “I take up this responsibility”. Mary did.

Jesus’ reply to Mary’s request was negative, but she still asked the servants to do what Jesus would ask them to do. We know what happened next. Water, filled in those 6 stone jars, was turned in to wine. It was Mary’s persistence that led Jesus to do something that was not part of His set schedule. When we take up a responsibility and are persistent towards completing the task, God does things before schedule.

I would like to encourage you all and myself that next time we see any of our brothers or sisters struggle in their inability to come out of their situation, and we know that we can do something to help them; we would take on the responsibility. God saw our inability in fighting sin so He took the responsibility of fighting for us. Remember when we take responsibility, God responds with His ability.

Who owns you?

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12: 1 – 3

Just last week, I was speaking with a friend and she told me about how they were affected during the war in Kuwait. She said that all of a sudden everything that she and her family called theirs had to be left behind; house, car, possessions, pictures and all that were memories of her as a child. Just everything! And they were back in India with only one suitcase of clothes for a family of four, not knowing where to start or what to do.

For the first time, I felt the pain of leaving behind everything that one calls his or her own. And I was immediately reminded of Abraham who though one of the richest people of his times, left everything and started a journey upon receiving one word from the Lord. Not knowing where he was going, how he would survive or where he would live, he still left. The Bible has plenty of stories about ordinary people making seemingly irrational decision.

What made him take such a risk?

What made the early church sell everything they had and support the ministry of the apostles?

What made a man like Zacchaeus give away the wealth that he had acquired by all wrong means, in a moment?

Why was Abraham ready to sacrifice his only son, the son of his old age?

 

I got the answer to all my questions in a single verse, ‘And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen’

Genesis: 22:14 (emphasis added)

Today, I do not want to lay emphasis on the fact that He is our provider; He is and there is no changing that. But I want to call attention to the undeniable truth that he is Lord. If you read Genesis 22 really carefully, verse 1 says ‘And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham’ but in verse 14, Abraham says it is the Lord who has provided for His need.

The answer to all my questions is that Jesus was not just God of their lives but also Lord of their lives.

The word ‘Lord’ literally means Owner. If someone calls a certain person Lord, he means to call that person his owner. In ancient times, where people were bought and sold as slaves, the one who bought the slave became his lord (the owner). When countries were ruled by Kings and Queens, a King would be Lord over his kingdom. This meant that everything in his kingdom; land, cattle, people, even the air that flowed in his kingdom was owned by him. Everything that the people of his kingdom had or wanted to have was given by him, he owned it all.

Our God is the owner of everything that we see around us today. He created everything. He made us, gave us life. Not just that even when we lost everything that He had given us because of our rebellion and sin, He himself came and redeemed us to Himself by giving up His own life.  He owns us.

When we said, “Jesus is Lord and Savior of my life”, did we really understand what we were saying? What it really means is that He is my God, my savior and from this day forward, He owns me. We acknowledge that everything that I have is His and everything I will ever need will be provided only by Him.

When Abraham heard the Lord asking him to leave everything, he knew that he was not leaving anything that was his own, but he was giving back to the Lord or giving up to the Lord what the Lord had given him in the first place.

When the early disciples sold their possessions and laid the money at the feet of the apostles, they had Jesus as the Lord of their lives and everything they had.

Zacchaeus saw that His Lord, the one to whom he belonged to was in His house and he valued everything less compared to his owner.

Abraham knew that the son of his old age was a miracle of the Lord so if the Lord gave He had every right to ask for it to be given back to Him.

Remember, when Jesus needed a ride to enter Jerusalem and He asked His disciples to enter the city and get the donkey that was tied? And when the disciples asked what if they were questioned who wants the donkey, He simply said, “Tell them the Lord has called for it”.

My prayer today is that we would have a revelation of Jesus as Lord over our lives and through that, giving up anything for the Lord will not cause pain. Always be reminded that the Lord provides on His mountain.

The Not-So-Perfect Church

Recently, I have come across quite a few people who are in search of the perfect church that they can fellowship at. In their pursuit, they travel from one place to another, one city to another, one church to another and are thoroughly disappointed when they find that nothing or no church is perfect as they want it to be. It reminds me of the days when we use to go pub hopping. We would go from one club to another, spend the entire night hoping that the next club would have music that we like or probably, more space or even a better crowd. But as the morning would approach, we would realize that we had moved to 5 different clubs all through the night, spent 5 times the money and didn’t enjoy it even a bit.

As I write this post, I think it would have been better if I would have not juggled between different clubs considering the amount of time, money and energy spent. Was it really worth it? Maybe not. Maybe if I would have just stayed in one place, I would have had a better time. (Note: This is in no way an approval to go pub hopping)

When I look at people running from one church to another, searching for better praise and worship, better teachings, a better facility or even better people and if I might say a better pastor; I realize that the concept of church is so distorted in our minds. And if we carry this picture along, this is what we will pass on the coming generations.

The book of Acts introduces us to the early church, “⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” Acts 2: 44 – 47 (NIV)

 

The church is not a place or a building. The people are the church. What we learn from these scriptures is that all that is needed are pure, glad and sincere hearts in people – the real church, and they need to praise God with those hearts. It also speaks about meeting regularly and breaking bread together and if a church today has that is mentioned in these verses, then it is worth fellowshipping there.

I do not want to discuss much about, “Looking at oneself before jumping to another church” because that goes without saying. But then, questions are raised about people, their nature, and their character and so on and so forth. We need to realize that none of us are perfect and in this world all of us have weaknesses and flaws. I’m not saying we have to live with them, but if we continue in the Word, the fellowship of the Spirit, purity of heart and the pursuit of perfection, we will do just fine.

If anyone still searches for a perfect, flawless church on this earth, he or she will be disappointed and that’s the biggest weapon the enemy uses today against the people of God. I pray that we would be rooted and grounded in the Word and Love of God and be faithful wherever God has placed us and keep ourselves away from anything that brings disappointment, so we can together see His Kingdom come on this earth. Because there is one thing I know and that is, “In this world, I’ll never be perfect. Only when I see Him, will I be like Him”