2Cr 13:5 - Examine yourselves [as to] whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-- unless indeed you are disqualified.

What if you were alone in a remote village with a lush green forest around you, perhaps by a stream with the sound of water rushing down smooth rocks and no access to TVs, Radios or the Internet and you read this book called “The Holy Bible”? You had no opportunity to get influenced by any preaching or opinions or ideologies of people. All you would have is your own understanding of the Holy Bible. What conclusion would you come up with? Think about that for a moment. 

Shut yourself out from all the preaching, teaching and evangelism you get from the television, crusades, conferences, and seminars. If you started blank with this book The Bible, reading it cover to cover for yourself multiple times and then compared what you understood with what you see in Christianity today, would it thrill you or disturb you?  Do you see similarity in the faith of the early Christians and today's Christians? Yes of course there is a difference in culture, technology and knowledge, but at the core of it with regards to our inner self, are we more Christ like today or were the disciples in the bible more Christ like than us?

When so many around us live a so called “Christian” life that can be observed and when there is so much abundance of preaching and teaching on TV, Radio and the internet and when there are so many books written by "famous" preachers easily available for downloads on your kindle or in book shops, why read the Bible?  Just copy what others are doing, especially the popular preachers because they seem to have got it all together isn’t it? Why not just listen to some podcast in the car for a few minutes each day and a short prayer every night? Why read the bible? That’s what most professing Christians unfortunately do. People attend conferences in large numbers and prefer "listening" and "watching" rather than reading the word of God and meditating on it for themselves.

I have read the bible and this is what I see. I see a committed people…who got so excited to know that their sins were forgiven and they were now reconciled to God again as originally was in the garden of Eden. They were so excited to experience a brand new life that is totally free from the power of sin and they wanted to get this good news (gospel) out into all the world. I see that we are rescued from sin and death and eternal damnation. There is now no condemnation for us, and that we have the same nature of Christ in us because we have the same Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We are citizens of heaven, we are a NEW creation born of God Himself, we have this amazing grace to put to death the sin in us right now, we have been given authority over the devil, and we are enjoying a sense of liberty. This world's system of success, position, possessions and pleasures don't matter so much anymore. I see that such committed people actually got together and loved each other, and joyfully sang songs of praise to our Lord. They encouraged one another teaching people to have faith in Christ, they healed the sick and cast out demons just as Jesus did, shared all things with each other so that nobody lacked anything and nobody had an excess of anything and called such a gathering “a church”. I see that there was a noticeable difference between people who professed to be Christians and people of the world. They eagerly sent out disciples to go and share the love of Christ to others and planted similar churches where people loved one another. They were not focused so much on the size of a congregation or popularity and reach, but on making disciples for Christ. (The book of Acts)

Believing in Christ is not an "intellectual" understanding of Jesus being the son of God who came and died on the cross for our sins and who rose again. On the contrary, it is fully understanding the purpose of His death and resurrection and completely & wholly relying on the finished work of Jesus for our peace, for our eternal life, for our day to day provision, for our divine health and for our abundant life in the here and now.  It is about walking in the newness of life. 

Romans 6:4 - We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

In the bible we read, the disciples used to go from house to house, have meals together, break bread and remind themselves of Jesus’ work on the cross and identify themselves with each other as those who belonged to God. A sense of commonality without divisions. This is what a church looked like in the “bible” isn’t it? The persecutors of the early disciples of Christ accused them of having turned the world upside down because they lived a very different life to that of the world. And it was obviously noticeable.

Yet in today's world, (generally speaking) there is so little difference between the world and the church. This is because it is LIGHT that dispels darkness. Darkness will never dispel darkness. Jesus said that we believers are the light of the world and salt of the earth. When we as Christians step into darkness, the works of darkness must flee and it will because we are the light of the world. But if professing Christians live in darkness themselves to blend in with the world, then expecting darkness to flee is a bit naive, don’t you think?

But friends, I do not fret because “that church” that we see in the bible is very much alive today…there are a few of God's children in every church around the world who are truly “the church” and these people are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Its these people that the world is attracted to. It is also these people that get persecuted. So examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourself. Compare your beliefs, your actions and your current life to what it should look like as mentioned in the word of God. I encourage you to read the bible for yourselves and meditate on His word everyday, regularly.  I guarantee you, you will change and be transformed with a renewed faith, full of love and revelation. Your life will never be the same again.

The apostle Paul got to know the Lord Jesus personally and intimately so well, that though he endured all kinds of hardships such as imprisonment, stoning, lashings, hunger, shipwrecks and more, he still poured out his life until his very last breath trying to share the love of Christ with the lost. He wasn't too concerned about the number of his followers or how many he could attract to an event. All Paul wanted was for the world to know Jesus Christ just the same way as he did.

2 Tim 1:12-13 - That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I knowwhom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

My dear brothers and sisters, the best way to get to know and walk with the Lord Jesus on a daily basis is to spend quality time in reading His word and meditating on it everyday for yourself. Spend time in prayer alone with Him as you read His word. That's when He speaks to you. Jesus said "My sheep know my voice". You will hear Him speak to you. His Holy Spirit will teach you things you do not know and you will begin to see the world and your very own life in a different way. Do attend conferences and seminars when and if you can, and if you know they are led by genuine Godly individuals, but do not give up your personal quiet time with the Lord. Your personal walk with the Lord is far more important than your participation in church organised programs and events. 

Proverbs 4:20-22 says - My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ears to my sayings. Do not let them depart from  your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are LIFE to those who find them, and HEALTH to ALL THEIR FLESH.

His word is true life and true health, but only to those who FIND them. May the Lord Jesus bless you. May His Holy Spirit enable you and grant you the grace to set aside quality quiet time alone with Him and His word everyday. Join our community here on Facebook and be encouraged.

​Someone once told me that there are three personalities to every individual.

1> What you display yourself to be.
2> What others think you are.
3> What you really are.

And most often, number (3) is in private. In other words, what you really do when no one is watching.

What’s the biggest lie in your life right now? Something that is not real about you. Something that nobody knows. But you are managing to put up a very “Christian” front. Are you living a lie? Friends, it is natural for us to try and put up a “perfect” front because we do not want to expose our sins to others, but God’s word says, “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. Romans 3:23.  The amusing thing is that we think even God will not know.

Psalm 139:1 – 4 - He knows everything there is to know about us. There is nothing, absolutely nothing hidden from Him. 
Revelation 3:1 – Jesus said to the church of Sardis…you appear to be alive, but I know you…You are dead.
Jer 23:24 - Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the LORD; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.

We can so easily portray an image of ourselves, which we actually are not. This world that we live in, and its systems have conditioned us from childhood to master the art of deception. Every Sunday people go to church, raise hands and worship, make an offering, all in the presence of God and go back home without dealing with the real issue of sin in their lives. That is in fact neglecting a major issue. Sin was what separated man from God and sin was the reason why Jesus had to come. Jesus came to destroy the power of sin in our lives so that we can be free from sin and live being “real” without the need for three different personalities. 

Church is meant to help you be real.  Don't let the hype and glamour of flashing lights, sound, music, posh buildings, elaborate conferences with outstanding performances and eloquent speakers, and coffee shops define your Christianity. Get real. Deal with sin and overcome it. Then you will truly experience the abundant life that Jesus promised.

It can be likened to a person having a box of cow dung or manure in his living room and he goes about cleaning the windows, doors, and tables. He repaints the outside of house and works hard in the garden and builds a beautiful outdoor space to entertain guests. Everyone admires his house and appreciates his success. He feels good about himself and settles down to watch TV. He completely ignores the big box of stinking manure in his living room, because it is too filthy to touch. That would be absurd, wouldn't it? What would you say to such a person? That's right....Get real.

Matt 23:26 – You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

We communicate to people according to what we want them to think we are, rather than who we really are. That’s exactly what was happening in the church of Sardis… People look at the size of the church, the music, the programs and activities, the conferences and conclude “This church is so loving, so much on fire for God” ….But God sees through it all and knows the reality. Isn’t it?  God says, you’ve done great getting the people to think that about you, but here’s the truth...!! "You appear to be alive, but I know you, you are dead"!! (Rev 3:1) In other words, Get real. 

​I would like to encourage you to examine yourself. Are you real? Does your lifestyle easily blend into the New Testament? 

If we were to ask our friends, what do you think of Tom….and write that down. And then if we were to ask God, what He thought of Tom…would that match? Or would the people say much more flattering things about Tom…than God would? If we are more concerned about what people would say rather than what God would, then we are more concerned about our reputation than our character. And we want people to think that we are a certain type of person rather than be honest before the Lord.

​Many a times when I worship, I find myself singing, saying the right things, having a smile on my face when people talk to me, I pray for them using the words that I know are the right words to say…be at prayer meetings, and still feel dry and empty on the inside. When that happens, I find myself putting in extra effort to somehow overcome my emptiness and make myself be in the presence of God. I was told to speak in tongues and start praising God and so on. In other words, fake it till you make it, pretending as if God doesn't know how I feel.

I’ve since learnt that when I know Jesus and the gospel of unending grace in Him, then I enjoy a level of intimacy with Him which allows me to be real. I can then tell Him the way I feel and yet know that He still loves me just the same. That assurance not only keeps me real before the Lord but EMPOWERS me to overcome my weaknesses. It is so liberating to know that I can get real before God anytime, no matter how I feel or what I've done. He knows all things anyway. He knows my deeds even before I did them, He knows my thoughts and desires. He didn’t find out about my sinful deeds when I actually did them and He didn’t get surprised either.  There's nothing He does not know about me. So, if I get real before Him and speak my heart out, I'm only being truthful. His love is unending. His mercy endures forever. His grace is sufficient...indeed. 

When you are not “real” and transparent before God, then you don’t find church, worship and prayer fulfilling. It is because you are not yet free to be yourself before God. When we truly know what Jesus did for us, and when we know that we are now the righteousness of Christ not because of how good we are and how much self-control we have, but because of Jesus' finished work on the cross, and when we know that apart from Him we are really nothing and can do nothing, then we can get real before Him. We confess before Him however we feel, whatever we are…nothing hidden from Him. He knows it all anyway.
When you are real before God, then you can also be real before a brother or sister whom you can trust. God will lead you to such a person. And there’s much freedom in that confession and also is a mighty witness to the glory of Christ.

This is what confess your sins to one another so that you can be healed, really means. (James 5:16). The alternative is to continue to pretend being who we are and be like the church in Sardis. 

When we get real both before God and ourselves, then and only then can we love others just the way they are. And that’s not just the ones who are obvious with their sinful behavior but also those who appear to be good. Because we really don’t know what we don't see. We can then consider everyone else better than ourselves.

Phil 2:3 – Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

That’s what Jesus meant when He said Love your neighbors just as I have loved you. Knowing ALL there is to know about us, He still loves us. Nothing witnesses more powerfully than being real, because when you are real, all glory goes to Christ for the amazing transformation He has done in you. There is nothing to boast about.
The apostle Paul was highly educated and prided in his accomplishments. He was impressed and quietly boastful of what his peers thought of him. But after He met Christ and his heart was exposed before God, he regarded all his accomplishments as absolute rubbish.

Phil 3:8 - Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

People have said a lot of good things about me based on what I “displayed”, but I know that I stand before One who knows ALL there is to know about me.  And that doesn't condemn me but helps me be real.

This is what Paul meant when he said “I don’t care who judges me, even when my conscience is clear, that doesn’t make me anything…it’s the Lord who judges me.  1 Cor 4: 3-5

Are you one of those Christians who aspires to be a great leader, or one of those who looks up to someone who is very successful and wants to mimic that person’s success in ministry….or are you one who simply loves Jesus for what He has done for you and want to continuously work on yourself to become more and more like Him?  Because that’s really all that matters. 

A good test is this. Suppose you had a beautiful place to live in with fantastic views, a luxurious 5-million-dollar home, no financial difficulties, no debts, a genuine comfy life and everybody loved you and thought highly of you, but you had no God, no Jesus, no salvation…would you be content? 

It’s easy to be accepted by people and go with the flow. But the rubber hits the road when we really want to be what Christ was like, become honest to ourselves and overcome sin in our lives. That’s Christianity.  

The only way people will know that you are genuinely a disciple of Christ is when you love them genuinely, without expecting anything in return. Accepting them just the way they are. And that is only possible when you are honest to yourself and to God and are real without putting on any fake façade. Being real does not mean you have to go tell everyone all the sinful acts you’ve done. Of course not. But when you are real before the Lord, you also realize that there’s nothing to boast of in you and therefore you love everyone else like as though they are better than yourself. Being real gives us a sense of how sinful we actually are and how much we have been forgiven. Such a realization will bring out genuine and pure love for others, and such love when manifested in you, will communicate the gospel with much power.
Luke 7:47 – I tell you, her sins – and they are many, have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.
Your prayers will be genuine and full of faith, (not in your ability to believe without doubting), but fully and totally in the love of God and His power. 

Be real friends. Stop faking your walk with God. Tell Him exactly how you feel and what you do when no one is watching. He knows it all anyway. Hate the sin in you and don't feel condemned. He already paid the price for your sins. When you are honest and real, you receive the powerful forgiveness of God, and that Grace of God empowers you to overcome sin. When you are real before Him, you will love Him more because He does not reject you. You will love others just as He loves you. You will see others as better than you. 

Luke 14:26-27 - “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else - your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. NLT

Luke 14:33 - So you cannot be my disciple without giving up everything you own. NLT
1 Cor 11:1 - Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Here in the above verse, we see Paul categorically stating he imitated Christ. Do you have the confidence to say thus? Paul said it because he was assured he was dead to himself and alive to Christ. “Its no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”. Gal 2:20

Now, that’s evidence of a disciple of Christ. And the great commission is go and make “disciples”.

To truly fulfil the Great Commission, the following needs to be done.

Reach & Win – Mark 1:38, Mark 16:15 (Preach the gospel…The gospel of Christ (the good news of salvation through the finished work on the cross) is the power of God unto salvation. (Rom 1:16)

Equip & Build – Matthew 28:19, Eph 4:12 (Make disciples, teaching them….)

Send & Plant – Acts 14:21-23 (to do all that I have commanded you)

How come most professing Christians don’t even appear to be bothered or hurt when considering the millions that are dying without Christ every day, every hour, every minute. How is it possible for people to walk out of a church service and immediately switch on secular FM upbeat music in their cars and drive away? How is it possible for someone to experience the forgiveness and liberating power of our Lord and then be so caught up with Bless me Lord, Prosper me Lord, Heal me Lord, Keep me happy Lord, whilst thousands around them suffer in poverty, pain and rejection? At best they see a poor drunk or homeless on the street and comment "Oh! how sad"...or "You know, its their choice...they choose to live like that"...and even those thoughts only last for a minute. Is this how Christ loved us?

The bible states that we were DEAD in our trespasses and Christ has made us alive. We were not even in a position to acknowledge Him. While we were still sinners, He died for us.

Could it be that the church is to blame? Could it be that the church has lost its purpose of the Great Commission and is caught up with filling up seats and increasing in size, running well organized programs, conferences and seminars designed to maintain people's interest in the church? The affluent churches spend large amounts of money in attractive buildings, lights and sound equipment's, hosting large conferences, flying like minded preachers from all over the world in expensive flights, accommodating them in 5 star hotels and presenting them with love offerings collected from the attendees promising that God blesses those that give generously. These church leaders somehow seem to believe that such programs are changing the world around them. It’s not. Not even a dent. Majority of those that attend are attracted to the large gatherings, music and the show. It does nothing to set them free from sin. Of course there are very few exceptions but the exceptions are despite the flawed attempt and not because of it. And then there are other smaller churches “aspiring” to be like the affluent one’s and trying real hard to imitate them. They also fail miserably in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Most church leaders equate church size to church growth. So they do all they can using clever human strategies and even hire expensive “church consultants” to help them grow their churches. God equates number of true disciples to church growth. Most churches glory in number of people raising their hands and going forward to pray the so called “sinner’s prayer”. Very few genuinely love the lost enough to tell them the truth and ensure they become disciples of Christ.

Sadly most professing Christians are yet to become a true disciple of Christ…(as per Luke 14:26,27 & 33) because if they truly understood the power of sin and their unworthiness before God, the value and the preciousness of what Jesus has done for them, then they would realize He is truly that pearl for which the farmer sold all he had, to buy that pearl..They will by their new nature, be compelled to share the gospel with the lost. They will by their new nature hurt for the lost and carry the precious Holy Spirit with them.

A “believer” attending church cannot reproduce and therefore doesn't bring about church growth. Only a “disciple” can reproduce and bring about church growth.​ A disciple can be equipped and trained.

Evangelism through disciple making 

Do you see how the early church disciples, though very few in number but full of the Holy Spirit and armed with the gospel of grace through Jesus Christ turned the world upside down? Most part of the early church world knew or had heard about "The Way". But today’s churches with so much more technology, media coverage, books by popular preachers written only to earn millions, cleverly planned strategies for church growth and talented preaching appealing to people’s senses are far from even being considered a threat. Amidst all of this however, are the true disciples of Christ purely motivated by love, who are not in the limelight, not interested in what the world calls success and are “nobody’s” in the circle of the influential. They are seeing multitudes of lost coming to know the love of Christ every day. Their ministries accompany many miracles, signs and wonders just as Jesus said it would. They make disciples and send them out to plant other churches on a weekly basis. Their impact is far greater than a vast majority of the affluent churches with all their conferences, music and large congregations. And at a fraction of the costs.

These are those disciples who willingly endure persecution, beatings, insults, threats, and even death just to preach the gospel. That’s how the church grows and grows strong with mature disciples of Christ, every member doing its part which causes the body to grow. How is it that these “nobody’s” without much money or media coverage are able to do so much more than so called mega churches?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with mega churches, but being a mega church simply means it has so much more opportunity to do what really matters to God. Send out disciples to go and make disciples…..from your own flock which God gave you to care for. Equip and train disciples and send them out to plant new churches. Teach them to evangelize, disciple and plant more churches. If you cant find one single disciple whom you can send out from your large flock and plant a church, that tells you something doesn’t it?

Luke 12:48 - " For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

One organization that I truly admire is Bible League International. They partner with “disciples” across the world and serve under resourced churches with training for evangelism, discipleship and church planting. Bible League also provides all the materials needed for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. - John 4:34

Are you trying to fulfil your “ambition” or committed to fulfil His Great Commission?

You take your stand beside Jesus Christ and His cause and you watch the devil come after you buffeting you from all sides. That’s the persecution and trials Jesus warned His disciples about.

I urge the church to wake up, get back to your first love. Lift Jesus up boldly and preach the truth and He will draw all men unto Himself. Teach Christ, Teach what the Lord has done for us, teach Jesus. You can spend your life time as a preacher teaching Jesus and still will not be able to adequately explain Him and His love for mankind. Compel the lost to see the “preciousness” of Jesus. Teach the lost to release their hold on pride, on self esteem, self effort and faith in the flesh. Teach them humility and to rely on Christ and Christ alone and on the finished work of Christ on the cross. Teach them to fight and overcome sin by the power of the Spirit. Teach them to live holy lives. Address the issue of sin with boldness. Do not worry about offending them or causing them to walk away from church. Love them enough to tell them the truth and do it in gentleness and love. Keep doing this and you’ll make disciples for Christ who will be more than eager to go out into the world with the true gospel.

Col 2:8-10 - Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

The only way we can grow into that transformation is by spending time with Him alone and understanding His written Word, no matter what situation we might be facing in life. Our belief and trust in Him shouldn’t have anything to do with the challenges we face in life. Through good times and the bad times, we ideally ought to maintain a feeling a gratitude for our salvation, no matter what.  People we call Heroes of Faith all demonstrated this.

Friends, please do not be a fair weather Christian. Don’t come to Jesus, the King of kings just because some preacher promised you a better life, a better marriage and a great career or financial prosperity. But come to Him because you realize He is sovereign, He is real and not a fictional character, He indeed is the creator and there indeed is a heaven and a hell. Come to Him because you know you are a sinner and are extremely grateful to Him for your salvation. Come to Him because you willingly WANT to do His will.

So again, in this world of TV preachers, Radio preachers, DVDs, CDs, Internet, Mega Church programs and a busy “Christian Activity” filled life, how do you know if what you hear is of God or not? Our Lord Jesus gives us the answer in the gospel of John.

Jhn 7:17 "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or [whether] I speak on My own [authority]. 

When you willingly want to obey and do His will, our Lord says, you shall know concerning the doctrine you hear, whether it is from God or whether from man’s own authority.

The peace, the love, the wisdom and the joy you receive in your quiet time with the Lord and reading His word is simply incomparable to anything else. Especially when you are going through a hard time. Don’t just be a believer, but be a disciple. 
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