Re: Pastor JOhn

Admin on Tue Oct 19, 2010 5:39 pm

LUKE 15:11-19
The Prodigal Son's journey away from home began with a desire. Perhaps he wanted to leave behind some of the restrictions that come with living under a parent's roof. Or maybe he wanted more money to pursue life's pleasures with friends. Whatever the case, his desire gave birth to self-deceptive reasoning which assumes, There's no harm in what I am doing. I deserve this. That thinking led to a decision—to prematurely ask for his inheritance—and to his departure, both from home and from everything he had been taught.
A Christian who has turned away from God follows a path similar to the prodigal's. It begins in our minds with a craving for something other than what we have. The longer we allow the idea to linger, the stronger our desire to have it. When we cling to a yearning that is outside of God's protective will, then we likewise deceive ourselves and find ways to justify what we want. We will base decisions on our faulty reasoning and move away from the Lord to fulfill our self-centered dreams.
Like the wayward son, we may enjoy the pleasures of the world for a time, but ultimately, we will find ourselves without the essentials we need—unconditional love, security, and a meaningful purpose for living.
We have an Enemy who seeks to divert us from the Lord's will, a world that places desires above God, and "flesh" tendencies which prefer pleasure over obedience. To avoid self-deception, make Scripture your basis for living—and adjust your thought life and choices accordingly (Rom. 12:2).

Admin on Fri Sep 24, 2010 4:23 pm

Is God in Everything?
ROMANS 8:28-29
Is God involved in everything that happens throughout the world? How you answer that question is important. What people believe about the Lord's sovereignty affects both their trust in Him and their reactions to struggles. Moreover, believers' thoughts on God's dominion influences their compliance with His requirements. For instance, "in everything give thanks" (1 Thess. 5:18) would be an impossible standard if God were only partially in control of what's going on.
Believing God is present in the positive aspects of our lives is easy. Reconciling hardship to His promises of provision and love is tougher. But think about this: If the Lord has reason to provide a job promotion, might He not also have reason to orchestrate a job loss? If He gives good health, might He not also allow sickness, as He permitted in Job's life (Job 2:6-7)?
The Bible says that the Lord's ways are not like our ways (Isa. 55:8). He has a master purpose for involving Himself in every aspect of believers' lives—namely, conforming them to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). Jesus' life was not easy or sweet. He suffered shame, abuse, ill will, and persecution even before He faced the cross. If we are to be like Him, then we must expect that God's loving hand will sometimes hold a tool for reshaping us.
Every believer is encircled by God's protection (Psalm 34:7), so nothing touches our lives unless He permits or directs it. Bitterness and blame cannot take root if we accept that every good and bad thing comes with God's knowledge and permission. We can trust Him to do right by us (Rom. 8:28).

Admin on Sun Sep 19, 2010 9:56 am

God Acts On Our Behalf
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7
We have become so accustomed to this hurried world that we've begun to demand speed in our spiritual life too. However, God "acts on behalf of those who wait for him" (Isa. 64:4 NIV). Wise believers endure until the fruits of His labor appear.
In this devotion, we'll look at three reasons believers are called upon to wait. First, God may be preparing us to receive His blessings. Perhaps we need new skills or greater maturity. Sometimes people require fresh spiritual insight before their hands are ready to hold what their hearts desire. For example, David waited years to sit on his appointed throne. But when he did, he was a wise, strong, and battle-tested king.
Second, the Father is often teaching His children to have confidence in Him. How would believers ever learn faith if God immediately fulfilled their every request? In my own life, the Lord has often said two words: "Trust Me." And He has never been late to meet my needs. No matter how we justify rushing ahead of God, doing so amounts to saying, "I don't trust You."
Finally, the Lord will at times withhold blessing to protect us from harm we can't see. We may never find out what caused the delay. But be assured that God examines the object of our desire closely before placing it in our hands.
Waiting is rarely easy, particularly in this instant-everything world. But rushing ahead of the Lord short-circuits His plan. Believers who do are left unsatisfied, and they often must live with terrible consequences. Be patient while the Lord works out details. His best is on the way.

Admin on Fri Aug 27, 2010 11:24 am

"The Storms of Life
GENESIS 50:15-21
When life gets hard, we tend to get upset and wonder how soon the difficulty will end. But God wants us to focus on Him in times of trouble. As we do, we will discover He is doing important spiritual work during these "storms."
Beliefs. The Bible contains what we need to know about our life in Christ and following Him. When circumstances are beyond our control, what we really believe will surface. The depth of our faith in God's character and promises will become evident, as will any doubts or uncertainties we may have. For example, Joseph revealed strong belief when he acknowledged that God intended his hardships for his good (v. 20). There are bound to be times when we don't succeed—like Peter, whose fear led to denying Christ—but we should think of trials as opportunities to grow and deepen our faith.
Transformation. As God's children, we are to live our lives in a way that displays Christ's character. But we are more like jewels in the rough, aren't we? The heavenly Father can use the storms of life to transform us into His Son's image.
Comfort. This blessing is not only for us but also for others. Our Father comforts us in our sufferings and asks that we share what we have received with other people (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
Difficult times can come from our own mistakes, the schemes of the Enemy, or the hurtful actions of others. They can even be ordained by God. Regardless of the source, our Father works in them to benefit us and to bless others. What testimony about Him can you give to a hurting world?"

Admin on Tue Aug 24, 2010 2:19 pm

"A Lifestyle of Forgiveness
EPHESIANS 4:29-32
Showing mercy to those who hurt us does not come naturally—it's easier to get angry and remain that way. We justify our lack of forgiveness by pointing to the injustice that took place or harm that was done. But God commands us to be merciful (Luke 6:36). We, who have been shown divine mercy, are to practice a lifestyle of forgiveness.
So why don't we obey? Sometimes our pride gets in the way. We become angry when treated with disrespect, passed over for a job opportunity, or ignored despite our accomplishments. At other times we get focused on other people's refusal to change, and we withhold mercy until they improve their behavior. Then, some of us have been badly hurt or unjustly treated. Our minds are so filled with pain that we become stuck in the past. We cannot see how we can forgive.
An unforgiving attitude can have all sorts of unwanted consequences, including broken relationships, emotional bondage, and indifference toward the Lord. The longer we hold onto our anger, the more it will affect our fellowship with other people as well as with our heavenly Father. Over time, we may become bitter and hostile, which certainly does not fit who we are in Christ.
It is hard for us to pardon those who tell lies about us, treat us badly, or cause harm to our loved ones. And yet, their behavior towards us is not a reason to withhold mercy. God calls us to forgive just as He forgave us—and with His help, we can do just that."

Admin on Mon Aug 23, 2010 7:44 pm

Pastor John
"God's Gift of Forgiveness
COLOSSIANS 3:12-14
Motivated by love, God provided a way for our sins to be forgiven. He sent Jesus to be our Savior; when we trust in His substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf, we receive His gift of forgiveness.
Before placing faith in Christ, we were dead in our sins and objects of divine wrath (Eph. 2:1-3). But our merciful heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus to redeem us. At the cross, the Savior took our sins upon Himself and experienced God's fury for our sake. His death secured a pardon for us—there was nothing we could do to acquire God's acceptance. We are saved by grace—through faith in Christ and what He accomplished (Eph. 2:8-9). Our salvation is a free gift from the Father.
God's will is that we, as forgiven people, show mercy to those who wrong us—to the same degree that He forgave us in Christ. But the human tendency is to attach conditions when extending mercy. We think, I will forgive you only if you apologize satisfactorily. Or, You must fix the problem before I will stop being angry. Or even, I expect you to make restitution before I will let this go. That is not what our Savior did. Romans 5:8 expresses it this way: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Depending on how much hurt we've experienced, we may require time and healing before we can truly forgive. But we are to remember that showing mercy is God's will. We're called to pardon those who have caused us pain. Through reliance on God's Spirit, we can become like Jesus and forgive."

Admin on Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:51 am

"It Was Done By God’s Power
(Romans15:18-19)
The Holy Spirit empowered Paul to minister, and enabled him to perform mighty signs and wonders. The miracles God gave Paul to do were “signs” in that they came from God and revealed Him to others. And they were “wonders” in that they aroused the wonder of the people. But their purpose was always to open the way fro the preaching of the gospel. Miracles were given to authenticate the messenger and the messages (Heb2:1-4). Miracles by themselves can never save the lost. When Paul healed the crippled man at Lystra, the immediate response was pagan: the people called Paul and Barnabas gods and tried to worship them! When Paul shared the gospel with them, they did not respond so enthusiastically. Finally, the people stoned Paul and left him for dead outside the city walls.
The Spirit of God empowered Paul to share the word, and the purpose was to “make the Gentiles obedient” (Rom. 15:18). It was “by word and deed” that the apostles shared the good news."

Admin on Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:22 am

Pastor John
"How Righteousness Works in Daily Life
(Matthew5:21-48)
Jesus took six important Old Testament laws and interpreted them for His people in the light of the new life He came to give. He made a fundamental change without altering God’s standards: He dealt with the attitudes and intents of the heart and not simply with the external action. The Pharisees said that righteousness consisted of performing certain actions, but Jesus said it centered in the attitudes of the heart.
The Pharisees had a list of external actions that were sinful, but Jesus explained that sin came from the attitudes of the heart. Anger is murder in the heart, lust is adultery in heart. The person who says that he “lives by the sermon on the Mount” may realize that the Sermon on the Mount is more difficult to keep than the original Ten Commandments!"

Admin on Sun Aug 15, 2010 1:26 pm

"His Knowledge
(John 2:23-25)
While in Jerusalem for the Passover, Jesus performed miracles that are not given in detail in any of the Gospels. It must have been these signs that especially attracted Nicodemus. Because of the miracles, many people professed to believe in Him, but Jesus did not accept their profession. No matter what the people themselves said, or others said about them. He did not accept human testimony. Why? Because, being God, He knew what was in each person’s heart and mind.
John was not discrediting the importance of our Lord’s signs, because he wrote his book to record these signs and to encourage his readers to trust Jesus Christ and receive eternal life. However, throughout the book, John makes it clear that it takes more then believing in miracles for a person to be saved. Seeing the signs and believing in them would be a great beginning; in fact, even the disciples started that way and had to grow in their faith. Amen"

Admin on Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:52 pm

"Heeding God’s Word
(Luke8:22-56)
By the time the Lord had finished giving “the parables of the kingdom” the disciples must have felt like postgraduate students in the school of Faith! They now understood mysteries that were hidden from the scribes and rabbis and even from the Old Testament prophets. What they did not realize (and we are so like them!) is that faith must be tested a new spiritual truth, but quite something else to practice that truth in the everyday experiences of life.
Satan does not care how much Bible truth we learn so long as we do not live it. Truth that is only in the head is purely academic and never will get into the heart until it is practiced by the will. “Doing the will of God from the heart” is what God wants from His children. Satan knows that academic truth is not dangerous, but active truth is.
Watch the Lord Jesus Christ as He meets four challenges to faith and comes forth the Victor. His people face these same challenges today and can also overcome by faith. Amen"

Admin on Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:09 pm

"We Must Pray in Faith
(John14: 12)
This is a promise for us to claim, and the claiming of it demands faith. The double “verily” assures us that this is a solemn announcement. The fact that Jesus did return to the Father is an encouragement, for there He is interceding for us. He will have more to say about this intercessory work later in His discourse. The “greater works” would apply initially to the apostles who were given the power to perform special miracles as the credentials of their office. These miracles were not greater in quality, for “the servant is not greater than his Lord” but rather in scope and quantity. Peter preached one sermon and three thousand sinners were converted in one day! The fact that ordinary people performed these signs made them even more wonderful and brought great glory to God.
We do not obey the Lord simply because we want our prayers answered some what like the attitude of a child just before Christmas. We only obey Him because we love Him, and the more we obey Him, the more we experience His love. To “keep” His commandments means to value them, treasure them, guard them, and do them, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food”
Believing prayer is wonderful medicine to soothe a troubled heart. Meditate on Philippians 4:6-7 and then put it in to practice! Amen"

Admin on Wed Aug 11, 2010 8:36 am

"You Know The Father Right Now
(John 14:7-11)
We do not have to wait until we enter heaven to get to know the Father. We can know Him today and receive from Him the spiritual resources we need to keep going when the days are difficult.
What does it means to ‘know the Father?” the word know is used 141 times in John’s gospel, but it does not always carry the same meaning. In fact there are four different “levels” of knowing according to John. The next level is to understand the truth behind that fact. However, you can know the fact and know the truth behind it and still be lost in your sins. The third level introduces relationship, “to know” means “to believe in a person and become related to him. When Jesus said that knowing Him and seeing Him was the same as knowing and seeing the Father, He was claiming to be God. From now on, they would understand more and more about the Father, even through Jesus was leaving them. Amen"

Admin on Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:34 pm

"“Love One Another”
(Romans15:1-7)
True Christian love is not selfish; rather, it seeks to share with others and make others happy. It is even willing to carry the younger Christians, to help them along in their spiritual development. We do not endure them. We encourage them!
Jesus Christ our Lord is a greatest example. He paid a tremendous price to set us free from sin by giving His life on cross for us. Does a strong Christian think he is making a great sacrifice by giving up some food and drink? Then let him measure his sacrifice by the sacrifice of Christ. No sacrifice we could ever make could match Calvary.
A person’s spiritual maturity is revealed by his discernment. He is willing to give up his rights that others might be helped. He does this, not as a burden, but as a blessing. Just as loving parents make sacrifice for their children, so the mature believers sacrifice to help younger Christians grow in the faith.
Paul shared the two sources of spiritual power from which we must draw if we are to live to please others: the Word of God and Prayer. We must confess that sometimes get impatient with younger Christians, just as parents become impatient with their children. But the word of God can give us the “Patience and encouragement” that we need. Paul closed this section praying for his readers, that they might experience from God that spiritual unity that He alone can give.
Jesus prayed for the unity of the church to the glory of God. Receive one another; edify one another; and please one another, all to the glory of God. I pray that we may think on this and act upon it. Amen
Pastor Fahim"

Admin on Sat Aug 07, 2010 11:34 am

Pastor John

"The Priority of Prayer
(Luke 11:1-10)
We usually think of John the Baptist as a prophet and martyr, and yet our Lord’s disciples remembered him as a man of prayer. Jesus said that John was the greatest of the prophets and yet John had to depend on prayer. Jesus Himself gave much importance to prayer in his life, we see it’s noted that He sometimes prayed all night long. In the garden of Gethsemane, the Bible states that He sweated blood, so great was His conversation with His Father.
When His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, He told them what is called “ The Lord’s prayer” the prayer taught them to honor God, seek His perfect will for their lives, to petition for their needs, expect His supply and to offer themselves in service.
The bible teaches us that we should be in an “attitude” of prayer at all times. One of the coolest things about prayer is that we can pray while we are at work, in the home, or at our job, we can even pray while we are driving down the road. An attitude of prayer means that we are very aware of the presence of God and that He is always listening. We should always focus on the prayer. Amen
Pastor Fahim"

Admin on Thu Aug 05, 2010 3:20 pm

"“We Should Believe in Prayer”
And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two you have chosen “to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgressim fell, that he might go to his own place.”
(Acts1:24-25)
If we see prayer plays a significant role in our practical life and spiritual life. These verses force us to think about the power of prayer, as the believers prayed for guidance in making decisions and for courage to witness for Christ. In fact, prayer was a normal part of their daily life. Stephen prayed for as he was being stoned. Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans, and Saul of tarsus prayed after his conversion, Peter prayed before he raised Dorcas from the dead, the believers in John Mark’s house prayed when he was in prison, and the Lord delivered him both from prison and from death. If we read Acts we will see almost in every chapter in Acts we will find reference to prayer, and the book makes it very clear that something happens when God’s people pray.
This is certainly a good lesson for all of us today. Prayer is both the thermometer and the thermostat of the local church, of the “Spiritual temperature’ either, goes up or down depending on the God’s people pray.
John Bunyan, “prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and scourge to Satan.” “in the book of Acts, you see prayer accomplishing all of these things. So today we should take a decision and give most importance to prayer. I pray may the Lord grant us Grace so that we may focus ourselves to prayer. Amen

"What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Matthew 12:22-32
In Matthew 12, Jesus talked about the unpardonable sin. Christians sometimes misconstrue His comments and end up fearful that they could commit an unforgivable offense. The context of today's passage helps us understand why that is not the case.
Christ used the power of the Holy Spirit to heal a demon-possessed man who was deaf and mute. Amazed onlookers began to suspect He was the promised Messiah (v. 22), so religious leaders tried to quell the crowd's growing excitement: they claimed the Lord was Satan's fellow worker, who had used the Devil's power to accomplish this miracle. Christ refuted their statement and in verse 32 said, "Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him."
Jesus' comments addressed a very specific situation unique to His time. Though the Pharisees had themselves seen the Lord heal many people through the Spirit, they attributed the miraculous work to Satan. Jesus declared that this sin—claiming that God's Holy Spirit was the unclean spirit of the Devil--was unforgivable.
The sin was blasphemy, done deliberately and without repentance, by knowledgeable religious people, despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary. This situation--personally witnessing Jesus' miracles and blaspheming the Spirit--cannot be repeated today.
Numerous New Testament verses assure us that no iniquity committed today is beyond the scope of divine forgiveness. The unpardonable sin Jesus referred to was something that could take place only when He lived on earth. So if guilt threatens to overwhelm you, read Romans 8:1 with gratitude."
Pastor Fahim"