DIVINE POWER YEAR

DECEMBER 2002        

Volume 31 Issue 12  No. 321

A Friend closer than a Brother!

The popular TV programme Friends is a huge hit with yahoo youth. But you know what, despite the fact that many young people’s whole life revolves around their friends they are lonely. It may be unbelievable but it’s true – the lonely feeling hits even when they are rubbing shoulders with each other in a big crowd! A popular music group sang, "All alone in this world…"

To a generation for which loneliness is the best friend it’s my joy to introduce a "friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Prov 18:24). Who? Jesus. He is getting bad press these days. He is portrayed as one who lives in unapproachable light. He lives there no doubt, but hardly anyone hammers home the fact that He is an understanding Friend. We know He is God – 100%. But how many of us have celebrated the fact that He is human – also 100%. Read the last sentence again. I am not talking about a celebral understanding but a celebration of the humanity of Jesus!

Even the disciples of Jesus got lost in His divinity. They told themselves after He did a stupendous miracle, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!" (Mk 8:27). Notice that they did not stop and wonder when Jesus was sweating after a hard day’s work, "Hey! He is like us, man – He understands our life battles!" There were some that only saw Him as an ordinary human. "Isn’t He the carpenter’s kid? Don’t we know His brothers and sisters?" – they slighted Him. Made jokes about Him, that way. I am clearly not advocating that we look at Jesus in a false way like that – never!

Who is Jesus? Ask Samuel Dickey Gordon. He said, "Jesus is God spelling himself out in a language that man can understand." He got it right – bull’s eye! Why can Jesus understand us, young people? There is a pack of reasons.

How on earth did we enter this planet? We all – without exception – came out from our mother’s womb. No faltering about this fact! That’s the way Jesus came into the world too. No – he was not conceived the way we all were conceived. The Holy Spirit made His conception in Mary’s womb happen, in spite of the fact she was a virgin (Mt 1:18-20). Yet His birth was normal. That’s why we read, "When the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman!" (Gal 4:4). This is just to underline the fact He didn’t drop into this world as an alien swinging down in a parachute. Hardly. He came in the scene in this planet the normal way– through a woman’s womb! He did not prefer to land on the earth in a space-ship like Spiderman is supposed to have! He stayed put in Mary’s womb for a full term– He did not jump out in the third month! There was a stamp of humanness about Jesus’ birth except the way He was conceived.

Jesus grew in all dimensions (Lk 2:52). "Jesus grew up both in height and in wisdom," Luke pens. That surely must imply that He had to learn up the Hebrew alphabets (Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth…) just the way we learnt our ABCD. That’s right. Like every Jewish boy He studied up the Old Testament. True He was "filled with wisdom beyond His years" (Lk 2:40). But don’t forget the fact that He "grew" up (Lk 2:40).

When we started growing up have we not experienced our T-shirts becoming too small? Even Jesus must have outgrown His clothes. Jesus shared in every non-sinful aspect of our humanity (Heb 2:14).

Young friend, that’s is why I say with gusto that Jesus understands it as you tangle with your Calculus test. Or that Physics paper. He does. He has been through the whole process of studying. So He understands.

Jesus’ portrait has made it to the cover pages of most of the top magazines of the world like Time, Newsweek, etc. In every shot of Jesus they have printed He looks drop-dead handsome with graceful curls and with cheeks without a pimple or wrinkle!

Nevertheless there is one description of Jesus’ looks that’s worth a look: Isaiah 53:2,3, "There was nothing beautiful nor majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him. He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way when He went by. He was despised, and we did not care." Eugene Peterson’s contemporary version has it that there was "nothing" about His face that would "cause us to take a second look." Note that pal. It was as if He had a disgusting cancerous lump hanging on His face that made His onlookers look away!

Quiz John the Baptist. Ask him if he would have recognised Jesus without a special revelation. He wouldn’t have. There was nothing about Jesus’ external appearance that made Him stand out in a crowd. His looks were ordinary and plain! That is why He could dissolve Himself in a swarm when there was a plot hatched to finish Him off. That is why some people merely addressed Him as "the Carpenter" or "the Carpenter’s son" (Mk 6:3; Mt 13:55). He looked like a regular rugged man – that’s all.

The point I am driving home is this: When Jesus walked around this earth no one would have walked up to Him and said, "From my youngest years to this moment now – I have never seen such a lovely king!" His looks were common – unglamourous. You must listen to this one from Philip Yancey: "Our glamourized representations of Jesus say more about us than about Him!"

Ever thought about yourself, "I am not handsome?" Ever felt bad that you aren’t "that pretty?" Jesus understands what you go through. He wasn’t a good looker Himself!

No – Jesus wasn’t cold and clinical. He wasn’t a machine. He had real emotions– just like us! When He talked about his death to Philip and Andrew, He conceded that His "heart was troubled!" (Jn 12:27). He did not jump for joy that He was going to die. He felt bad. That’s being normal. That’s being like us, buddy.

When He geared up to announce, "One of you guys is going to betray Me," John (Jesus’ closest pal) records that Jesus was in "great anguish!" (Jn 13:21). He felt hurt – just the same we do when our friends backstab us.

His eyes were welling up with tears when His close acquaintance Lazarus passed away (Jn 11:35). He knows why you are crying. He sees the pain behind your sad eyes. He’s been where you’ve been. Yes.

Jesus understands that pain you go through when you have flunked your exam. When someone has ditched you. When someone has played football with your heart. He may not endorse everything you do. But understand – He sure does!

Cricket fans couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw Dravid and Laxman bat one full day without getting out to the feared Aussie bowling attack in the Calcutta Test Match of 2001. They rubbed their eyes in disbelief when Laxman (who made 281 in that match) took India to a historic win after having it had a deficit of 274 runs in the first innings. Feelings of amazement – young peoples’ life is dotted with them. Time and again. Even Jesus has had those kind of feelings – that’s correct. When a non-Jew told Him to speak a word so that his servant living far away would be healed, the Bible records that He was "astonished!" (Mt 8:10). Shell-shocked – in our language! Jesus’ eyes widened – if I put it in modern terms!

If you have ever blown your fuse you have a pal in Jesus. He too did! He was once looking for edible buds in a fig tree in a certain Passover Season – one March end or early April. It was just the right season for figs in Israel to sprout with edible buds (if not fruits). But that particular fig on which Jesus cast His eyes had no edible buds that implied it would stay barren that year out. But it was leafy – as if to show it was healthy and normal. The tree reminded Jesus of the religious leaders of the Jews with whom He was constantly at loggerheads because of their pretense and show. So He cursed the fig tree wild with rage! When He saw the temple in Jerusalem having been turned into a messy marketplace He let it rip. He turned the place upside down. What Jesus saw was blatant injustice and He could not take it cool. He had to get angry. It has happened to us young guns – has it not? When we see hypocrisy around us we get incensed. Infuriated. He can understand why you feel that way.  

A monkey enjoys the company of another monkey. "What a brilliant observation!" you may well chuckle. Hang on. Only a human can truly enjoy another human’s company. A monkey can’t – I bet! Jesus had a nickname. What? "A Friend of Sinners." Listen, each one of us is a sinner (Rom 3:23). So one can reframe that pet name of Jesus to "A Friend of Humans." That tells me He loved to hang out with humans. He accepted invitations for Jewish weddings that lasted for weeks together. No, they did not call Him because they thought His miraculous powers would be useful. C’mon! His first miracle was in that wedding at Cana. His reputation as a miracle worker hadn’t been made yet. So why did they call Him? Let Max Lucado tell you. When they were finalizing the list of invitees for the wedding someone must have said, "Let’s have Jesus and His gang here. They really light up a party!" Whew! Lucado’s eloquent pen goes on: "The Almighty did not act high and mighty. The Holy One was not holier-than-thou!" Can you believe it – Jesus walked 90 miles to attend a wedding? He scaled 90 miles to have some fun with humans!

Just love to hang out and have fun with your pals? Same pinch with Jesus!

Urmila once said, "I wish there was someone to talk to when you are alone at night!" That’s the cry of our generation. A cry of loneliness. A cry that reaches out to something beyond the skies.

Make no mistakes here. Jesus was God – every bit God. But He was also human. So as a human He had ethereal instinct. He was always reaching out. This instinct in Him pushed Him to pray. He was praying early in the morning (Mk 1:35). In the evening too, He did the same (Mt 14:23). Late in the night He was doing just the same up the hills (Lk 6:12-13). It was His die-hard habit (Lk 5:16).

You feel like constantly reaching out beyond yourself. To the skies and beyond. Jesus knows that desire deep down in your heart. He too had it. Because of this empty feeling on the inside some young people would reach for drugs or alcohol or illicit sex. Jesus doesn’t sanction such a course of action. But He knows why we go after these fleeting pleasures. His example that we must find our pleasure and fulfillment in God is before us.

When this ethereal link with His Father was cut on the Cross (for no sin of His own) He made His plaintive cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" When we flirt with sin and take trips into worldly pleasures we too have felt God’s presence leave us, haven’t we? Jesus understands that can’t-be-explained empty feeling inside us when we live lives in rebellion against our Maker. He sure does. And if we come to Him to have a living daily relationship, the vacuum inside of our heart will be permanently plugged (Jn 4:13,14; 10:10).

Jesus became tired after a long walk. That is why He stopped at the well at Samaria to catch some breath. To get a drink of water (Jn 4:6). If that story were replayed today chances are that Jesus would have sipped some Sprite to rev up His tired body! Jesus understands it when we guys want to chill ourselves with Coke when the Mercury threatens to hit half-a-century. Oh yes!

After having fasted for 40 days in the wilderness Jesus wasn’t exactly ready for a 100 meters dash with Carl Lewis or Donavan Bailey! Fatigue caught up with Him (Mt 4:11). After a hectic day of ministry He would sleep like a log. Even a storm could not wake Him up – He was that tired (Mt 8:24)! The disciples had to fall all over Him and shake Him before He finally woke up. Jesus understands it perfectly when you want to sleep for a couple of hours longer because you had stayed up nightlong and studied (even if our parents sometimes may not)!

When Jesus was whipped brutally by the sturdy-as-Salman Roman soldiers He felt the shooting pain. He wasn’t giggling, "Oh what an amazing privilege to die for humans!" He screamed in agony. In fact He became so drained after that He was given 39 lashes that He needed Simon’s help to carry the Cross that weighed 50 kg or thereabout. When the Roman soldiers hammered seven-inch nails into His wrists He wasn’t jesting. He shouted in real torment.

Jesus understands it when we become drained after a hectic gospel outreach that you want to just relax and catch your breath for sometime. In such an occasion He will certainly not lecture you saying, "Our real rest is only in heaven – so keep on running!" No way! He would not upset us with inconsiderate words like that (like some ‘super’ spiritual people would)!

Jesus was tempted in every area – this is what the Bible plainly tells us (Heb 4:15). There is no getting around this fact. Note that the devil left only for "some time" after his desert temptation (Mt 4:11). Jesus was tempted all His life. We do not have a record of all His temptations. But we do have a record that He was tempted in "every way." Peter tempted Jesus to pole vault over the Cross. The crowds by wanting Him to be King also were trying to seduce Him away from the Cross. Even when He was on the cross, Jesus’ temptations did not cease. "Come down from the Cross, if you are really the Son of God" – was a deadly temptation. Yet He beat them all.

That means, my chum, we can’t say, "No one understands the secret struggles with sin I go through!" Jesus does. And what is more is that He can help us out in that struggle. He is in sympathy with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15). Just above Hebrews 4:15 is this verse: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (v 13). Frightening, eh! It was not meant to be. When we study the context this verse is placed in, the thrust of this verse is: "God knows every struggle you go through. Everything. Why then are you trying to run away from Him? Rush to Him. Run into His wide open arms. Grace and mercy are waiting for you – His beloved child!" How did I figure it out? Scroll down a bit: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest (Jesus)… Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (vv 14,16).

Jesus ain’t like a strict School Principal waiting to whack you for the first blunder you have committed. Far from it! Max Lucado will tell you best: "Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seeking grace and did not find it. Search the pages. Read the stories. Envision the encounters. Find one person who came seeking a second chance and left with a stern lecture. I dare you, search." Jesus is an understanding friend who has been through what we are going through. Yet He stayed from sinning. So He can lend us His hand – hands that alone can truly help us to say ‘no’ to sin next time out. We can’t obviously ask for more, correct?

Every human’s final destination is death. No doubts about it. No questions about it. The Bible tells us that. King David when he knew his death was near he summoned his son Solomon and told him, "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth" (1 Ki 2:2). It is mankind’s "last enemy" (1 Cor 15:26). You know what? Jesus went all the way – even to death – in order to tell us: "Hey! I understand each and everything what you will ever go through!" Jesus shared in our humanity by His death (Heb 2:14). Can God, who by definition is ever-existing, die? Good question. He can if He chooses to. He can if He wants to. That’s what Jesus did. He died voluntarily for us (Jn 10:17,18). He died on the Cross. The Roman soldiers usually broke the legs of the ones crucified so that they would not be able to lift themselves up to breathe. But in Jesus’ case they refrained. The reason? They were very sure He had died! Cocksure! Jesus did not shy away from death – the event that’s common for every human.

Young people – most of them – are scared of death. Dutch footballer Dennis Berkamp stopped flying in planes because of this nagging fear. A few of of his teammates had died in a plane crash. That was it – a fear of death has gripped him, since then. Young friend, Jesus understands your fear. In fact He lives today to deliver those who lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying (Heb 2:15). Because Jesus died and rose again He can quell every fear we may have in our hearts – including the fear of death. Just no one else can understand us like Jesus can – believe me!

Why did Jesus die? To make all of us His friends again. He stated, "The greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are My friends…" (Jn 15:13,14).

We are not through yet. One fact remains. After Jesus rose from death, He still had His body (though it was a glorified body). He could eat with that body – just like us (Check out John 21:10 and Luke 24:49). He went to heaven as a man (Acts 1:11). Today He is speaking to God as an advocate for us as human (1 Tim 2:5). The same human Jesus is gonna return someday (Acts 1:11). The man Christ Jesus will judge all humanity – the Word of God tells us (Acts 17:31). So on that fearsome day we cannot go like, "Jesus, You never know what it means to be a human – the struggles we have gone through!" Your judge and mine will be a human. The "You-can-never-understand-my-struggles" excuse will never work on that dreadful day!

If we deny that Jesus was a human we are antichrists! The Bible makes no bones about this (Jude 1:3; 1 Jn 4:1-2). My young peer, do you now understand that He understands you? My bosom friend, do you now realize that you and I can never really say what Boxer Mike Tyson once said, "I don’t have one friend in my entire life?" You can count on Jesus to be an understanding friend! Even if all others walk out of your life you can count on Jesus to stay on.

You may be a traitor to Jesus. Yet He will call you His friend (Think of Judas – Mt 26:50). You may have told white lies and found your own way. Yet Jesus calls you His pal (Think of Abraham – Isa 41:8). Young buddy, you have to choose today if you are gonna give this Friend a finger. Tell Him to leave you alone, like some did? (Mt 8:34). Or invite Him to be your best friend ever – a friend who sticks closer than a brother?

Will you join me in singing these lines from a famous hymn?—

To Roman Catholic friends...

God in these last days is visiting His people in a glorious way through His Spirit. Each Church receives an appropriate message from Christ the Head (Rev 2 & 3). The Roman Catholic Church is the largest single segment within Christendom. There’s a sound of the wind of the Spirit among the Roman Catholics all over the world. God is impartial. In every nation (and denomination) whoever fears Him and does right is accepted by Him (Acts 10:34,35). But without a clearcut message of salvation, people may be deceived. No one should wake up on the Resurrection morn to an unpleasant surprise. I have brought out here five important lessons on salvation and Christian life from the very words and experiences of Mary. I plead with every Roman Catholic friend to read the following paragraphs carefully.

Mary said, "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour" (Lk 1:47). Mary accepted that she was a sinner and that’s why she called God her Saviour. Only the sick need a physician. Only a sinner needs a saviour. The Bible says, "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). That "all" includes Mary and Joseph and anyone other than Jesus.

We cannot earn or merit the salvation of God with our religious deeds or social service. "All our righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isa 64:6). Saul was a highly religious man. He was circumcised on the eighth day. He belonged to the stock of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and a law-keeping, blameless Pharisee (Phil 3:4-7). But whatever was advantageous to him was counted by him as loss for Christ. You also might have been born to Christian parents, baptised in your Church going through all the rituals and regulations of your Church and may be doing your best to live a good life. These and one hundred and one other things will not earn you salvation. The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is "the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph 2:8,9).

The Church will not save you. The priests and your rosary prayers will not save you. Your offerings and participation in Mass will not save you. Christ alone can save you and He does it when you believe on Him—Him alone. Cry to God right now, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" Believe in your heart that Christ died for you on Calvary’s cross and rose again on the third day by the power of God. Receive Him as your personal Saviour by a definite act of faith. "As many as received Christ, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name" (Jn 1:12).

Christ is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5,6). He is the sinless Saviour. A sinner cannot mediate between a holy God and sinful men. Mary lived a God-pleasing life but she was not sinless like Jesus the Son of God. Jesus said, "I am THE way... No one comes to the Father except through Me" (Jn 14:6). And He did not prescribe another way or mediation to come to Him. The idea that we can go to the Son through His mother is entirely human and it is not from God. It is one of devil’s master tricks because he is good at adding to what God has said and making it appear harmless. Beware!

Repent and receive Christ today as your Sin-bearer and Saviour and then like Mary you too can "rejoice" in God’s great salvation.

Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to Your Word" (Lk 1:38). The "maidservant" is also translated as "handmaid" and "slave." Mary acknowledged the supreme authority of God’s Word and submitted to it as a willing slave even though she did not "understand" what was told her by the angel.

The Bible says God has magnified His Word above all things (Psa 138:2). Heaven and earth will perish but His Word will never! There is no appeal or authority beyond God’s Word. The Bible with its 66 books is God’s Word. It is God’s very voice. God’s Word never changes and God never contradicts His written Word. It is eternally established. Jesus says that the man who builds his life on His words lays a solid foundation and he is a wise man (Mt 7:24-28).

Jesus emphasised the absolute and ultimate authority and verity of the Scriptures several times. Look at these references: "Did you never read in the Scriptures?" (Mt 21:42). "How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled...?" (Mt 26:54). "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Mt 22:29).

The Apostles also always turned to the Scriptures for truth and understanding. Peter asserted, "It is contained in the Scriptures..." and "No prophecy of Scripture is of any private origin" (1 Pet 2:6; 2 Pet 1:20). Paul asked, "What does the Scripture say?" (Rom 4:3; 11:2; Gal 4:30). James challenged, "Do you think that the Scripture says in vain...?" (Js 4:5).

Religious traditions, however good they are, must be set aside before the unchanging Word of God. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day for nullifying the Word and commandment of God by their traditions (Mt 15:6; Mk 7:13). Peter says we are redeemed "from" the aimless conduct received by tradition from our fathers, "by" the Word of God which lives and abides forever (1 Pet 1:18,23). The Bible must be first in our life—not the Pope or the Bishop or Priests or the Church. The Church gets its authority from the Bible and not vice versa. "In the beginning was the Word"—not the Church! (Jn 1:1).

Get a copy of the Bible immediately in a good translation and read for yourself God’s message to you. When you receive Christ as your Saviour you become a child of God. Therefore the seed of God is in you. God by His Spirit will teach you His Word and lead you into all truth. Reject anything contrary to the Bible and embrace all that is Biblical. Be bold. God honours those who honour His Word. Your friends may insult and ridicule you. Turn a deaf ear. The devil is afraid of God’s Word and so if he frowns on you, don’t be surprised. Memorize selected Scripture passages and use them against the devil when he tempts you. Follow the example of Jesus (Mt 4:1-11).

Christian life is a life of faith and obedience. Believe the promises of God and obey His commandments. If we love God we will obey His commandments and they are not burdensome (1 Jn 5:3). Read the New Testament carefully and mark down the commandments of Jesus. Obey them one by one by His grace and strength. One of the basic commandments of Christ is to be baptized in water (Mt 28:19; Mk 16:16). Peter said the same thing: "Repent and be baptized" (Acts 2:38). Any ritual you have gone through before repentance and faith is vain and void. The order is repent and then be baptized; believe and then be baptised. No one has the authority to change God’s order. Go to a Spirit-filled servant of God at once and follow Jesus in the waters of baptism.

When Mary submitted herself to the authority of God’s Word as a willing slave, God used her as a channel of the greatest blessing to mankind. Abraham believed and obeyed God’s Word. He was blessed and he became a blessing to all the families of the earth. Emulate these examples. Mary’s distinct message on this point is unmistakable—"Whatever HE says to you, do it!" (Jn 2:5).

Mary conceived when the Holy Spirit came on her and the power of the Highest overshadowed her (Lk 1:35). This was an unique and blessed experience. But when Jesus commanded His disciples to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit in baptismal power, Mary was one of the 120 humble and obedient believers who tarried in Jerusalem (Acts 1:14). She received the baptism with the Holy Spirit like the other disciples and spoke in new tongues the wonderful works of God in praise and worship (Acts 2:4). Mary needed the power of the Spirit to witness for Christ (Acts 1:8). She could not do it apart from the power of the blessed third Person of Trinity.

When a multitude of Jews, who were wonderstruck by the miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples on the day of Pentecost, asked Peter and the other apostles what they should do, Peter instantly replied that they should repent and be baptized and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He further said, "The promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:37-39). Yes, beloved, the promise of the Holy Spirit is good for you if you are His child.

We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our life for several reasons: (a) The Holy Spirit makes us "holy." He gives us strength to overcome the temptations of the devil. He produces in us His fruit. He transforms us daily into the likeness of Jesus Christ. (b) The Holy Spirit is the Author of the Bible. He leads us into all truth. He opens our eyes to understand the mysteries of God. He reminds us of the words of Jesus—the right word at the right time. (c) He helps us in our prayers. We do not know how exactly we must pray. He prays from within us. He makes the presence of Christ real to us. (d) The Holy Spirit is God’s Comforter. He encourages and strengthens us in times of trials and sufferings. He quickens our mortal bodies. (e) He enables us to find God’s will and directions for our life. ( f ) The Holy Spirit empowers us to witness for Christ boldly. He gives us His gifts to be used for the blessing of others. (g) In all circumstances He keeps us in the assurance that we are God’s children and all things work together for our good. O, the blessed Holy Spirit!

How to receive the Holy Spirit? Know for sure you are washed by the blood of Christ and have the assurance you are a child of God. Come to Him in prayer with childlike faith and sincere thirst. Mary said, "He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich (that is, those who think they have enough) He has sent away empty" (Lk 1:53). Ask God to fill you according to His promise: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Lk 11:13). Praying with Spirit-filled believers will be helpful.

Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord" (Lk 1:46). She worshipped the Lord for His might, mercy, strength and faithfulness in keeping the promises. The entire song of Mary in Luke 1:46-55 is one of worship and praise. She worshipped God "in spirit" (v 47).

Jesus has given us a clearcut instruction about true worship: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:24). Any form of idol worship is sin because it is direct disobedience to the commandment of God. One of the main reasons why God’s judgment came on the people in the Old Testament was their sin of idolatry.

The devil has duped Christians down through the ages that worshipping images of Christ or saints is alright. But look at the crystal-clarity of the second of the Ten Commandments: "You shall not MAKE for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not BOW down to them nor worship them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me" (Ex 20:4,5). That nothing is exempted is seen clearly from the repeated use of the word "any." God calls image worship as "iniquity" because it amounts to "hating" Him. Yes, reducing the Spirit-God to the form of a picture or an image is nothing but dishonouring His Name. Nobody photographed Jesus. The portraits of today are simply guesswork and tradition. Paul says pointedly, "From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer" (2 Cor 5:16).

The celebration of Mass is another contradiction of the simple teaching of the New Testament. Christ was crucified once and for all for us and His sacrifice is not to be repeated in any sense, but only remembered spiritually. "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God and the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us" (Heb 10:10-15).

The Lord’s Supper is only to "remember" the Lord with thanksgiving and joy. The bread and wine are just emblems of His body and blood. They remain as bread and wine even after blessing them and it is false to say they actually become the flesh and blood of Jesus. In fact in the early apostolic church there was not even the practice of a servant of God "giving" the bread and wine to the believers. It was a corporate exercise. "The cup of blessing which WE bless... The bread which WE break" (1 Cor 10:16). Christ alone could say, "Take and eat" because it was symbolic of HIS own body and HIS own blood. He did not tell the apostles to "give" bread and wine like Him to the saints, but simply said, "Do" this in remembrance of Me. It’s because, all men, whether ministers or members in the Church, have equal standing before God as "priests and kings" and there is no difference. Also there is no sacred place called altar in the New Testament Church. In the New Testament everything is gloriously spiritual! Why do we need shadows after the reality has come?

Another practice you must forsake is the worship of Mary. She was human, not divine. Her blessedness was a sheer gift of God through His grace and favour. The secret of her blessing was the presence of the Lord with her (Lk 1:28,30). The conception of Jesus was by a power outside of her—that is, the power of the Holy Spirit which came on her. She had no redemptive virtue, but she looked to God for her own salvation. Worshipping Mary is opposed to the message of the Cross of Christ, because no one is co-redemptrix with Christ. The wise men from the East did the right thing. They saw both Jesus and Mary but they worshipped Him only ! (Mt 2:11). They brought three gifts and all were presented to Him—not one to Mary, one to Joseph and one to Jesus! Mariology, that is the doctrine of Mary, is not determined by any reference to the Bible or to Christ. It is an invention of man. "There is a way which seems right to men, but its end is the way of death" (Prov 14:12).

One day the brothers of Jesus and His mother came to see Him. Standing outside they sent word and called Him. The huge crowd which was sitting around Him told Him, "Lord, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." But He answered them, "Who is My mother or My brothers?" And He looked around at those who were sitting with Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and My mother" (Mk 3:31-35).

The word "Church" comes from the Greek word ecclecia which means those called out. Yes the church is the company or fellowship of those who are called out from the idolatrous and adulterous world to serve the living God and follow His will. It is the family of God because the members were once the children of the devil but now the children of God. It is the Body of Christ because each one is an organ by rebirth and incorporation by the Holy Spirit. Look at the following unmistakable commandment of God: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers... What part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God... Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord... I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor 6:14-18).

Say bye to idols. Find a fellowship of believers who sincerely follow the simple teaching of the New Testament and walk in love. Away with dead rituals. Worship with Spirit-filled believers. Your friends and relatives may persecute you for this act. But remember the words of Jesus: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Mt 5:10-12). The Church history is stained with the blood of thousands of believers shed by Romanism because they refused to bow to unscriptural authority but stood for the unadulterated Gospel, proclaiming, "The just shall live by faith!"

Don’t hide your new-found faith and joy but share it with others. Though Mary and Joseph could not fully understand Jesus, He gave top priority to God and His kingdom in His life. He said to His parents, "Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?" (Lk 2:49,50). Testifying for Jesus does not mean you must become a pulpit preacher or a fulltime pastor. If you are a student, endeavour to win your fellow students for Jesus. If you are a businessman, influence the business community for God. Everyone without Christ is lost—eternally lost! Think of your responsibility and privilege to lead them to the living water!

Daily prayer and Bible meditation are food for your soul, but witnessing for Christ is the exercise. The more you witness the stronger will you grow. There is no joy like the soulwinner’s joy. Your reward in Heaven will be great. We read in Daniel 12:3, "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever!"