Bro. DGS Dinakaran has entered into god's glory

In Memory Of Bro.D.G.S. Dhinakaran
1st July 1935 – 20th February 2008

 

 

This memorial website was created in the memory of Dr.D.G.S (dgs) Dhinakaran, born on the 1st July 1935 and passed away on the 20th February 2008, 73 years of age.

 

 

 It is sorrowful that our beloved Brother D. G. S. Dhinakaran has passed away today. It is a big loss for us. We have lost a Godly man who prayed with tears for all of us.

 

   "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His Saints" Psalms 116:15.

 

 

           

 

Chennai India, Feb. 20: Celebrated evangelist DGS Dinakaran has entered into god's glory this morning at 6.30hrs IST in chennai at the age of 73. He was suffering from heart and kidney aliments.

 

He was admitted to Appollo Hospital in chennai on January 29. Most of his family members were at his bedside when he breathed his last. His body was taken to his residence at Jesus Calls for public homage.

 

Dr.Dinakaran is the founder of the Jesus Calls Ministry.

 

He was Born on July 1, 1935 and had a very tough life being torn by the ailments of poverty and agony of unemployment. Unable to bear these problems, he decided to put an end to his life at his 20 years of age. On his way to throw himself in front of a speeding train, he was stopped by his uncle who introduced him to Jesus Christ. He said an immediate peace overwhelmed him, and he went home with hope and a new purpose for his life.

 

Then he worked at a bank and ended up becoming a top executive for the company. Yet he had a heart for ministry that compelled him to start the Jesus Calls ministry.

 

Later, he had a vision of the Lord Jesus appearing to him, asking him to train lay people like himself to reach the people of his nation and other parts of Asia with the good news of the Gospel through radio and television ministries. He also started other ministries related to Jesus Calls ministry, wrote books, and influenced many people in all walks of life for God.

 

He is also the founder of Karunya Institute of Technology in Coimbatore.

 

He is survived by his wife & son named Bro. Paul Dinakaran, who is also a well known Christian preacher & three grand children.

 

Critical Eyes

Bible Says: Mark 2:23-24 (ERV)

      On the Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields. Jesus' followers were walking with him. The followers picked some grain {to eat}. The Pharisees saw this and said to Jesus, "Why are your followers doing that? It is against the {Jewish} law to do that on the Sabbath day." 

 

KEY THOUGHT:
      There are some who watch others who are committed to Christ only to find fault in them. Critical sniping at Jesus' followers --"nit-picky-ness" as I call it -- is not a virtue. Jesus condemns judging others' hearts on the basis of traditions and from a harsh spirit, looking to catch them in minor points of law. The way we judge others is then the standard of judgment used on us. As Christians, we
have been liberated from law keeping; let's also liberate ourselves from a harsh, judgmental, and nit-picky spirit. May the spirit that made some of the Pharisees so harsh not be found among us!

 

TODAY'S PRAYER:
      Holy God, forgive me and help me leave behind a critical, harsh spirit of judgment. Teach me to be gracious and never let my faith get lost in Pharisaism. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

For the Benefit of People

Bible Says:  Mark 2:25-27 (ERV)  

      Jesus answered, "You have read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry and needed food. It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into God's house and ate the bread that was offered to God. And the law {of Moses} says that only priests can eat that bread. David also gave some of the bread to those people with him." Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, "The Sabbath day was made to help people. People were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day."

 

KEY THOUGHT:
      Did God need a day to be honored or did his human creations need a day to rest? Well, God doesn't "need" anything. It seems clear that the Sabbath was a day to remember and recognize the  lessings and providence God has placed into the Israelites' lives. At the same time, we human creatures need to rest. Without rest, we make ourselves vulnerable to temptation due to fatigue and exhaustion. Without rest, we can cause damage to our own physical health. Most of all, without rest, we are tempted to forget the one from whom we've received all of our many blessings. Then we feel that everything depends upon just us and this feeling puts more pressure on us to perform. God gave the Sabbath as a gift to his human creations. So God didn't make the Sabbath for himself, but for people to have a day to rest from labor, to remember that God provides them every good and perfect gift, and to renew their bodies and their spirits. While many don't keep the literal
Sabbath (the seventh day, or Saturday) as a religious observance, we would do well to remember this Sabbath principal as the rhythm of God's universe and take time to rest, remember, and refresh.

 

PRAYER:
      Forgive me, dear Father, for trying to cram too much into my short days. I confess that I am sometimes overly anxious to do too many things. I am honestly seeking your help so that I can live a  more balanced and holy life. Help me as I seek to find time of rest that you have created for me and my spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Lessons on Spiritual Decline (Series 4)

Written By Zac Poonen

God has a passion to have a pure testimony for His Name in every part of the world, in every generation. For this purpose, he raises up a godly man in a country, in a particular generation, to estore to the church in that country, the truth that the apostles preached, and thus to lead people to a godly life. A movement gradually starts around that man and a few wholehearted believers who are fed up with the unreality and hypocrisy of the Christendom of their generation gather around him. Very soon a pure testimony is established for the Lord. Such a group is always small in size at the eginning and intensely hated and persecuted by the older churches. The founder is hated most of all. And the hatred is usually most intense from the group that God had raised up in the previous generation - for the current leaders of that group, not realising that the Lord has left them, are jealous of the new group!! Satan too joins in the attack against this new group - and he does his work of accusation mostly through other "believers" - especially those from the older group.

All the persecution and the schemings of men and demons however, do not hinder God from establishing a pure testimony for His Name in the new generation through the man He raised up. But what happens when this man dies? Then the movement begins to decline. Personal devotion to Christ disappears and is replaced by emphasis on the doctrines that the founder preached. Those doctrines become more important to the second generation than the Person of the Lord Himself. And a cloud comes between them and God - as it did between the disciples and the Lord on the mount of transfiguration (Matt.17:5).

No doctrine, however important or good, can ever take the place of devotion to Jesus Himself. The founder knows the Lord. The second generation knows only the doctrine. Chaos results and by the time the movement reaches the third generation, there is open division and strife.

One of the commonest things that happens to every movement is that by the time it reaches the second and third generation, it becomes rich and wealthy, with the members owning plenty of money, houses, lands and properties etc., And wealth has a way of being accompanied invariably by pride, self-sufficiency and complacency - for very few believers know how to handle wealth.

The first generation of a movement usually struggles in poverty and is close to God. The second and third generations are usually closer to the world, with all their wealth - and lose out spiritually. God then withdraws from that group, which has by then become a part of Babylon - and He raises up another man and starts a totally new work through him. But alas, the same story is repeated all over again - for no-one ever seems to learn from the mistakes of those who went before them!!

Those who are wise will therefore look around them to see where the anointing of God is resting currently - in their own generation - and associate fully with such a church. They will not care to see where the anointing had rested in previous generations. They will look to see where God is moving NOW and not where God moved a generation or two ago.

Scripture tells us very clearly that we must AVOID those who have the mere form of godliness (2 Tim.3:5) and seek to fellowship with "those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2 Tim.2:22). Those who have a pure heart are those who love the Lord with ALL their heart. Such believers have no place in their heart for money, for property, for anything of this world, for themselves, for their family members, or for their jobs. They love the Lord supremely and thus love their family members in a deeper way than they would have done otherwise. They are devoted to the Lord and not to any doctrine. We are told to seek fellowship with such believers at all times. Thus God's work proceeds from generation to generation, without ever failing - for all the machinations of men and Satan cannot hinder any of God's purposes. Hallelujah!!

Related Articles:

Lessons On Spiritual Decline (Series 1)

Lessons On Spiritual Decline (Series 2)

Lessons On Spiritual Decline (Series 3)

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Lessons On Spiritual Decline (Series 3)

Written By Zac Poonen

Consider the history of the church at Ephesus. Paul stayed there for three years, preaching night and day (Acts 20:31). That means that the Ephesian Christians listened to many hundreds of sermons from Paul's lips. They had seen extraordinary miracles wrought by the Lord in their midst (Acts 19:11). From their midst, the word of God had spread to all the surrounding parts of Asia Minor during a short period of two years. They had experienced revival (Acts 19:10, 19). They were the most privileged of all the churches in apostolic times. They were also undoubtedly the most spiritual church in Asia Minor at that time. (We can see that from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, where he had to correct no error in their midst, unlike the way he had to, in the other churches to which he wrote.)

But when Paul was leaving Ephesus, he warned the elders there that things would take a turn for the worse in the next generation, under the new leadership of the church. He told them that savage wolves would come into their midst and that from among their own midst would arise men speaking perverse things, drawing people after themselves, instead of drawing people to the Lord (Acts 20:29,30). As long as Paul was there, no wolf had dared to enter the flock at Ephesus. Paul was a faithful doorkeeper (See Mark 13:34), who had spiritual authority from the Lord, because he was anointed, because he feared God and because he sought the Lord's interests and not his own. But he also had enough spiritual discernment to know that the spiritual condition of the elders in Ephesus was bad - and so he knew that things would deteriorate once they took over the leadership of the church.

Paul did not give the elders a prophecy of what would definitely happen at Ephesus. No. It was only a warning. It did not have to happen like he predicted - if the elders would only judge themselves and repent. Jonah once prophesied destruction on Nineveh. But it did not happen as he predicted, because the people of Nineveh repented. The church at Ephesus also could have escaped the fate that Paul predicted. But alas, the new generation of leaders in Ephesus never took Paul's warning seriously and drifted away from the Lord.

By the end of the first century, the third generation had come into power. And then things became really bad. Their doctrines were still correct and they were zealous in Christian activity. They probably still had their all-night prayer meetings and their other special meetings. But their spiritual state was so bad that the Lord was about to remove His recognition of them as a church. What was their crime? They had lost their devotion to the Lord (Rev.2:4,5).

What does the history of the church at Ephesus teach us? Just this - that no doctrine is as important as a fervent devotion to the Lord Himself. There is one- and only one mark of true spirituality - that the life of Jesus is manifested increasingly in our behaviour. and this in turn can come only by an increasing personal devotion to the Lord Himself.

Paul was a godly man - a fervent and faithful apostle who was devoted to the Lord Jesus until the very end of his life. And he warned believers everywhere that Satan would try every means possible to turn them away from "simple devotion to Christ" (2 Cor.11:3).

Errors in doctrinal matters such as "baptism in water" and "baptism in the Holy Spirit", are not at all as dangerous as losing one's personal devotion to Christ. Yet many believers never seem to realise this.

We see that even Paul could serve God's purpose only in his own generation. Those who lived with him like Timothy, imbibed his spirit and lived in selfless devotion to Christ (Phil.2:19-21). But otherwise, Paul could not transmit his spirituality even to the second generation of believers in the churches he had founded.

We see a similar pattern being repeated in every movement that God has raised up - in every generation, since the first century.

..............…To be continued

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Lessons On Spiritual Decline (Series 2)

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Lessons On Spiritual Decline (Series 2)

Written By Zac Poonen

The second watershed in Israel's history was when David became king of Israel.

Saul was the first king of Israel. He had started in great humility, but backslid so greatly that God removed the anointing from him. Saul's life is a picture of those movements that decline in the first generation itself - and there are many like that in Christendom too!

God told Saul through Samuel that He was now going to give the kingdom to "a man after God's own heart" (1 Sam.13:14). That was David. This made Saul extremely jealous of David. Saul hated David so much that he even wanted to kill him.

Those in Israel however, who recognised where God's anointing lay, joined David. Thus a small group gathered around David. But they were chased and persecuted and hunted by Saul all across the land and had to run for their lives. But God was with that small group.

Saul however continued to sit on the throne of Israel for many years - just like many Christian "leaders" rule their flock today, even though they have lost the anointing of God from their lives long, long ago.

But Saul still had a following of those who fawned on him - just like many Christian "leaders" have in their own groups. Such a following means nothing. Many dead denominations and even heathen religious leaders have a large following. But God is not with any of them.

The important question we need to ask ourselves always is this: "Do the grace and anointing of God rest upon me now?"

Church history has proved again and again that God has always done His greatest work in every generation through a small minority of His people who stand wholeheartedly for Him. As in Gideon's time, the victory in the battle with Satan is always won by a small group of a few wholehearted disciples (Judges 7).

Such a group (as in the case of David's group) is hated, misunderstood and persecuted by the established systems in Christendom, who have no understanding of what God is doing in their time.

But God took care of David and his little group. And the Bible records that "David served the purpose of God in his own generation and fell asleep" (Acts 13:36). Despite his faults, David was a man after God's own heart and gave Israel godly leadership during his lifetime. He was not perfect. But he was quick to humble himself and repent when even an ordinary prophet came to him and rebuked him for his sin (2 Sam.12).

But in spite of all of David's devotion to the Lord, and his humility and the anointing of God upon his life, he could yet serve God's purpose only in his own generation.

After his death, things began to decline very quickly. Solomon, his son, started well (1 Kings 3:3,5,10-14). The book of Proverbs shows us how wise Solomon was when he began. Proverbs is perhaps the finest book in the entire Old Testament. It is like a new-covenant book right in the middle of the Old Testament! And Solomon wrote it!!

But Solomon backslid very quickly and very badly - and ended disastrously. Initially, he had moved forward on the momentum he had received from his godly father. But he did not have enough of a passion after God, to continue for long in the same direction. He was led astray by wealth and by women (1 Kings 10:23; 11:1-9) - just like many Christian preachers in our time!

After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam (the third generation) took over. Then things became really bad. The younger generation joined hands with Rehoboam and took over the leadership of Israel, and Rehoboam despised the advice of the wiser, older men (1 Kings 12:6-15). This brought chaos into Israel and the kingdom soon split into two. All that Rehoboam could boast of now was that David was his grandfather. But he did not have any of David's spirit.

…………To be continued

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Lessons On Spiritual Decline (Series 1)

Written By Zac Poonen

The history of Israel is given us at such length in the Bible to show us good examples in their history that we can follow and the mistakes that men made there that we should avoid. There is a significant starting point in the history of Israel as a nation:when they began as a nation in Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Joshua was a godly man who gave excellent leadership to Israel. He was determined to follow the Lord with his whole family, even if the rest of Israel decided to forsake the Lord (Josh.24:15).

Only such a man, who is willing to stand alone if necessary, can provide godly leadership to any church today. During Joshua's lifetime, Israel went forward from one victory to another. But then Joshua died. And there we can see in what followed, what happens when a man whom God has raised up at a particular time for a particular purpose in a particular country finishes his earthly course and passes on.

Joshua's fellow-elders took over the leadership of Israel (Josh.24:31). These elders belonged to the next generation after Joshua. Joshua died when he was 110 years old and the new leaders were in their 60's and their 70's - for Joshua's own generation (except for Caleb) had all perished in the forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

During this time - when the second generation was in leadership - things were not as good as in Joshua's time. We read in Judges 1 that during this period, there were a few victories (v.1-21), but many defeats as well (v.22-36). A slow decline had started.

The second generation had no steam in themselves, but were surviving on the momentum that they had received from Joshua's leadership in the previous generation. Like a train-wagon that has been pushed by an engine, the second generation moved very fast initially, but gradually slowed down and finally came to a grinding halt!

By the time we come to Judges 2:11, things become really bad. Israel now does open evil in the sight of the Lord.

Thus we see how what started in a good way in one generation, gradually became evil by the time of the third generation.

…………To be continued

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Leaving it Behind

Bible Says:  Mark 2:13-14 (ERV)

      Jesus went to the lake again. Many people followed him there. So Jesus taught them. Jesus was walking beside the lake, and he saw a man named Levi, son of Alphaeus. Levi was sitting at his place for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Then Levi stood up and followed Jesus.

                      
KEY THOUGHT:
      Two exciting things happen in these two short verses. First, Jesus shows that the call to follow him should be offered to all kinds of different people: many we may think wouldn't follow him are actually open to his call. Second, the call to follow Jesus means we are willing to leave all of our bases of security behind and follow him. Levi was willing, are we?

 

TODAY'S PRAYER:
      Father, please increase my courage and open the hidden places in my heart that I have not fully offered to the Lordship of your Son and my Savior. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Evidence of the crossing of the Red Sea

Evidence of the crossing of the Red Sea...
[shared by -- Sherley]

 

Pharaoh's drowned army

Confirmation of the actual Exodus route has come from divers finding coral-encrusted bones and chariot remains in the Gulf of Aqaba .

ONE of the most dramatic records of Divine intervention in history is the account of the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt.

The subsequent drowning of the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea was not an insignificant event, and confirmation of this event is compelling evidence that the Biblical narrative is truly authentic.  Over the years, many divers have searched the Gulf of Suez in vain for artifacts to verify the Biblical account.  But carefully following the Biblical and historical records of the Exodus brings you to Nuweiba, a large beach in the Gulf of Aqaba, as Ron Wyatt discovered in 1978.

Repeated dives in depths ranging from 60 to 200 feet deep (18m to 60m), over a stretch of almost 2.5 km, has shown that the chariot parts are scattered across the sea bed.  Artifacts found include wheels, chariot bodies, as well as human and horse bones.  Divers have located wreckage on the Saudi coastline opposite Nuweiba as well.

Since 1987, Ron Wyatt found three four-spoke gilded chariot wheels.  Coral does not grow on gold, hence the shape has remained very distinct, although the wood inside the gold veneer has disintegrated making them too fragile to move.

The hope for future expeditions is to explore the deeper waters with remote cameras or mini-subs. (ABOVE  GILDED CHARIOT WHEEL - Mute witness to the miracle of the crossing  of the Red Sea by the Hebrews 3,500 years ago .  Found with a metal detector .

 

 

 

 

Coral-encrusted chariot  wheel, filmed off the Saudi coastline, matches chariot wheels found  in Tutankhamen's tomb.
Mineralized bone, one of many found at the crossing site (above center).  This one tested by the Department of Osteology at Stockholm University, was found to be a human femur, from the right leg of a 165-170cm tall man.  It is essentially 'fossilized,' i.e., replaced by minerals and coral, hence cannot be dated by radiocarbon methods, although this specimen was obviously from antiquity.
Chariot wheel and axle covered with coral and up-ended.  Exodus 14:25 "And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily..."

 

Solomon's  memorial pillars

 

 

When Ron Wyatt first visited Nuweiba in 1978, he found a Phoenician style column lying in the water.  Unfortunately the inscriptions had been eroded away, hence the column's importance was not understood until 1984 when a second granite column was found on the Saudi coastline opposite -- identical to the first except on this one the inscription was still intact!

In Phoenician letters (Archaic Hebrew), it contained the words:  Mizraim (Egypt); Solomon; Edom; death; Pharaoh; Moses; and Yahweh, indicating that King Solomon had set up these columns as a memorial  to the miracle of the crossing of the sea.  Saudi Arabia does not admit tourists, and perhaps fearing unauthorized visitors, the Saudi Authorities have since removed this column, and replaced it with a flag marker where it once stood.

How deep is the water?

The Gulf of Aqaba is very deep, in places over a mile (1,600m) deep.  Even with the sea dried up, walking across would be difficult due to the steep grade down the sides.  But there is one spot where , if the water were removed, it would be an easy descent for people and animals. This is the line between Nuweiba and the opposite shore in Saudi Arabia.

Depth-sounding expeditions have revealed a smooth, gentle slope descending from Nuweiba out into the Gulf.  This shows up almost like a pathway on depth-recording equipment, confirming its Biblical description, "...a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters." (Isaiah 43:16)

The Bible writers frequently refer to the miracle of the Red Sea crossing, for it was an event which finds no equal in history.  The Hebrew prophets describe the sea at the crossing site as "...the waters of the grea! t deep.. .the depths of the sea..." (Isaiah 51:10)  Knowing the exact spot to which the Bible writers were referring, what is the depth there?  The distance between Nuweiba and where artifacts have been found on Saudi coast is about 18km (11 miles).

Along this line, the deepest point is about 800m (2,600 feet).  No wonder that   i nspired writers of the Bible described it as the mighty waters.  And no wonder that not a single Egyptian survived when the water collapsed in upon them.

above r ight NUWEIBA BEACH

-      the spot where  the crossing began)

 

 

( Right model of depths at crossing site)

 

( Left -  the Saudi side also has a beach area of a similar size see approximate path.)

( Below right - THE EXODUS ROUTE - With the correct crossing site in the Gulf of Aqaba)

 

 

When we Worship

      Ever wonder what we are supposed to do when we come to worship? Solomon has a suggestion.  

      "As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God." (Eccl. 5:1)

     "Keep your ears open and your mouth shut." Ouch! Sounds a little harsh, doesn't it? Particularly in our day of demanding our way in worship and demanding that we be allowed to express ourselves when we worship. Not very appealing to those who feel entitled to have things go and done our way . . . not only in worship but pretty much in
everything we do.

      Though the instruction may be difficult for some to swallow, it is certainly worth pondering. What if this became our initial attitude when we enter into a time of worship? What if we walked into the assembly hall next Sunday with this attitude? "Today I am going to keep my ears open and my mouth shut. I don't want to make any mindless offerings to God." What would be different?

      Obviously the singing would be different. Perhaps that is part of what the wise man had in mind when he said, "It is evil to make mindless offerings to God." I wonder how many times I have sung the words, "I surrender all" or, "I am mine no more" or, "Lord, take control" as mindless offerings to God? If we collectively chose to commit to enter the house of God with our ears open and our mouths shut, it might cause us to change some of our song selections altogether.

      A commitment to "keep my ears open and my mouth shut" would certainly demand that the words I speak would change. There would surely fewer "Tom thinks" and fewer "My opinions." Instead there would be more "The Lord says . . . " and "The Word of God says . . . " and "God says." That would change my preaching. That would change the commentary I offer.

      A commitment to "keep my ears open and my mouth shut" might produce a more reflective mood. Listen more. Talk less. Ears open. Mouth closed. More of God; less of me. Maybe that's what the wise man had in mind when he said, "Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God." (Eccl. 5:7)

      Maybe that's what the prophet had in mind when he said, "But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him." (Hab. 2:20)

      Here's a challenge for this week. In your private devotions, "Keep your ears open and your mouth shut." In your small worship gatherings, "Keep your ears open and your mouth shut." In your assembly next week, "Keep your ears open and your mouth shut." In all these settings, "Stand in awe of God." That will probably make the first part easier.

 

By Tom

The Three Dimensional Supper

Bible Says: Luke 22:14-20 (ERV)

      The time came for them to eat the Passover meal. Jesus and the apostles were together at the table. Jesus said to them, "I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I die. I will never eat another Passover meal until it is given its true meaning in the kingdom of God." Then Jesus took a cup of wine. He gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, "Take this cup and give it to everyone here. I will never drink wine again until God's kingdom comes." Then Jesus took some bread. He thanked God for the bread and divided it. He gave it to the apostles. Then Jesus said, "This bread is my body that I am giving for you. Eat this to remember me." In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, "This wine shows the new agreement from God to his people. This new agreement begins with my blood (death) that I am giving for you."

 

KEY THOUGHT:
      Jesus speaks of his anticipation to eat two special meals with his disciples. The first is the Passover meal he is sharing with his disciples as he utters these words. This is the beginning of his Passion his journey to the Cross in obedience with his Father's will. What lies ahead of him is a horrible ordeal involving great suffering, humiliating rejection, and the anguish of abandonment by his friends. However, this meal is Jesus' last with his earthly disciples before his passion -- the great suffering he endured in his betrayal, abandonment, arrest, trials, and crucifixion. Jesus wants to use this time to prepare his disciples for all that lies ahead. In addition, Jesus anticipates sharing in another meal with his disciples beyond his death at the fulfillment of the Kingdom. He gives a sense of hope for them to reflect back upon after the worst has come. For those of us who live on this side of Jesus' death and resurrection and celebrate the Lord's Supper, Jesus gives us the basis of our three-fold understanding of the Supper for us. We recognize our Savior's agony in offering his body and blood to save us. We celebrate his victory over death as we celebrate the Supper on the day of his resurrection -- Sunday, the first day of the week. We anticipate the glory of his return and our sharing in a victory supper with our Savior.

TODAY'S PRAYER:
      O holy and righteous Father, thank you! I praise you for your love in sending your Son to suffer and die so that I could be delivered from my sin. I praise you for the faith Jesus demonstrated as he stared death and suffering in the face. I praise you for the great supper that lies ahead when I get to share in the victory of Jesus' return. Thank you for your love, mercy, and grace. In Jesus' name. Amen.

 

>> NEW: Phil's What Jesus Did devotional is now
>> available as a book.

Obeying God when He speaks

 

Must I really?

As Billy Graham once put it:

     "If Jesus says you MUST, then you MUST!"

The "must" even goes back to the Ten Commandments - (that's right, the "Ten Commandments", not the "Ten Suggestions").

However, when we come to what Jesus said about it, he summarised God's commands into two simple rules that really matter,

 

1. Love God

2. Love one another

 

      If you think about it, if you obey these two commands, the other commandments fall into place naturally. (See Matthew 22: 35-40). If you obey these two commands, the Ten Commandments become the Ten Promises: you won't want to steal; you won't want to covet; you won't want to commit adultery, and so on.

Of course, this is not as simple as it sounds, But with the help of Jesus, and spending time with him in prayer, you begin to change.

 

How do we hear God?

      There's no shortcut here. You have to spend time in prayer with Jesus, with His Father, and with His Holy Spirit. That doesn't mean you have to talk to Him all the time; but you can begin that way if you want. Then allow time for your feelings and thoughts to "tune in" with God. I should stress here that we should always do this in Jesus' name, because evil spirits (Jesus also called them "demons") can whisper to us too, and we don't want to be misled or distracted.

Perhaps begin your prayer time with something like this:

      "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, in your name, I ask you to come and be with me as I spend this time with you. Holy Father, bless me with your grace. Holy Spirit, surround me and fill me.

      Lord Jesus, I commit myself to you again, and invite you into my life. Let your spirit dwell within me now and always."

 

      This is not a magic formula; vary the theme; make up your own words. But in my opinion, it covers the essentials.

      After you have spent a few minutes soaking in His presence, as Jesus to speak to you about anything you like; perhaps something that is on your mind. Then focus your thoughts on Him; try to clear your mind, and gently wait for His "still small voice". He may gently bring a thought into your mind in response to your question; or He may bring a picture of something. Some people "see" a picture of an outdoor scene, or of an object or a person, and often these have some relevance to the issue at hand.

      These are known as "words of knowledge", or "words of wisdom", or even "words of prophecy"; and these are some of the Gifts of the Spirit spoken of in the Bible. You can look these up in a Bible in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.

Did God really say...?

Well, when you "hear" something in your spirit, it may come to you as if words or pictures float into your mind.

Was it really God...?

How can we be sure that it is God speaking when we hear Him?

Let's run through some basic principles.

In my opinion, the whole Bible is based on the premise that God speaks, and that people hear Him, (and I'm not the only person who thinks so).

      God intends the best for us whatever we do, whether we obey Him or not. He loves each and every one of us - He cannot help it any more than you and I can help breathing,  because God is love. Therefore, if we obey Him, it will be for our own ultimate good.

      When we think we hear God, we need to test what we have received. Is it from God? Or is it from our own spirit? Or is it from contrary spirits - (what the bible refers to as "unclean spirits")?

 

So how do we test what we hear?

Is it "biblical"? Does it conform to the teachings of the Bible, and of Jesus in particular? Does what we hear, obey the word of God as we have it in our Bibles, or does it go against it?

If it contradicts the teachings in the Bible, particularly in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, then there is probably something dodgy about it - we need to pray into it more.

For example, if we think God is saying that our church should stop doing bible studies, and cut down on the amount of preaching and praying, then in my opinion, that goes against what the bible says in Acts 2:42 about the believers: "They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer."

If it is not biblical, then we have to think and pray, long and hard, before we do it.

 

Obeying

     God gives us free will. We can do what we like. We can choose to go our own way, or we can choose to walk in the path of Jesus Christ, the son of the living God.

      If we go our own way, and turn our backs on God, then we have to bear the consequences of our actions.

      However, if we choose to follow Jesus, then He will begin to do a number of things within us. He will begin to work out His love in us, and to free us from our sins; He will begin to change our inner disposition, so that we gradually become like Him. 

 

      "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

From the Bible, book of John, chapter 3, verse 16.