YEAR OF PATIENCE

December 2003       

Volume 32 Issue 12  No. 333

From the Chairman…

Year of Restoration

Dear friends,

Praise be to God for His patient hands that sustained us in all the storms and challenges we faced in 2003, the Year of Patience, imparting in us this prime Christian virtue, beyond measure despite our failures and non-cooperation in maturing in this virtue. The lead articles on the subject which appeared in this Magazine during the year were enriching. We know from Biblical record that the chosen people of God endured hardships with patience during the period of their exile which paved way for bending their knees to plead with the Lord for restoration. Every year the Lord grants a theme to Blessing Youth Mission. This year the Lord has prompted the leaders to dwell on the theme of Restoration. On behalf of the Mission I joyfully declare the year 2004 as THE YEAR OF RESTORATION.

Psalm 85 clearly spells out the condition of God’s people. They had lost the joy of the Lord, possibly because of their heaviness of heart due to exile experience which though they endured with patience. Their hearts are now seasoned to cry out to God to restore them. The root words used for restoration in the Bible have many meanings. In 2 Kings 8:1, it is used in the context of making alive of a dead boy by prophet Elisha; in Jeremiah 30:17 to explain healing of wounds and thereby restoring the health of God’s people; in Genesis 40:21 in the context of restoration of position of the royal butler currently undergoing imprisonment; in Psalm 51:12 where the Psalmist David cries to the Lord to restore back the joy of His salvation; in Joel 2:25 it is used in the context of promising restoration of wasted years (eaten by locusts); in Galatians 6:1, it is used while admonishing about restoring someone who is caught in sin; and in Ezra 6:5, it is used while speaking about restoring the golden and silver articles back to the Jerusalem Temple from Babylon.

In Psalm 85, I learnt three important truths about Restoration: Recollect the past glorious days (vv 1-3); Request the Lord in prayer to restore (vv 4-7); Recline on the Lord in hope (vv 8-13).

Dearly beloved, are we in a condition we need to be made alive like that woman’s son whom Elisha restored to life (2 Ki 8:1-5)? Do we need restoration of our health from unhealed wounds (Jer 30:17)? Are we longing for restoration of our lost position like the royal butler in the prison (Gen 41:28)? Are we in the track of backsliding that at times we doubt if we lost the salvation of God and groan for its restoration (Psa 51:12)? Are we condemning ourselves for the locust-eaten years and dream about its restoration (Joel 2:25)? Are we caught up in a sin (that so easily entangles us, Hebrew 12:1) and look for someone who would gently restore us (Gal 6:1)? Do we have a feeling that the Babylonian captivity has stolen away our golden and silver vessels (our gifts and talents) and want them very much restored back (Ezra 6:5)? Let us resolve in the very beginning of this Year of Restoration to follow the formula of the Psalmist to think of our earlier days of spiritual glory, to kneel down and pray earnestly for a complete restoration and then confidently recline on the Lord in unshakable faith and hope that He will restore.

On behalf of the leaders and the staff of BYM I wish you a very happy and restorative New Year!

Your friend,

R. Stanley

Undoubtedly the greatest need of the Church today is Revival, Reformation and Restoration. Revival brings back life and vigour, Reformation the pure doctrine and truth, and Restoration the pattern and structure to the former state. Each of these complements the other but REVIVAL is central or basic because it takes care of the rest. What is the use of doctrine or pattern without life and power?

Revivalist Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) said, "God’s worry is not Communism or Romanism but dead formalism in the Church!" We boast we are Lutherans but we are void of Luther’s faith or boldness. We claim to be Wesleyan Methodists but the unction of John Wesley is unknown to us. We say we are Brethren but no brotherly love. We are proud we are Baptists but the cold water baptism has left us cold with no fire of the Spirit. We shout we are Pentecostals but we possess neither the purity nor the power of Pentecost. Jesus wrote to the Church in Sardis, "You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead!" (Rev 3:2). We will either have revival or funeral!

A preacher friend wrote to me years ago, "Stan, pray for Revival, preach about Revival, prepare for Revival and when you go to sleep, dream about Revival. Then Revival will come!" I cherish this thought. But we must know what revival is and what happens when revival comes. The Bible is full of revivals. Revival under King Hezekiah, revival under Reformer Ezra and Rebuilder Nehemiah, revival in the apostolic days following Pentecost, and so on. We must study them closely. The study of other revivals in Church history is also rewarding. For example, the revival under John Wesley (1703-1791) in Britain, that under Charles Finney (1792-1875) in America, Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936) in China, Evan Roberts (1878-1951) in Wales, and so on. Lessons from these great events of spiritual awakening are precious. Unfortunately, as someone said, One thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history!

Prophet Isaiah in the 64th chapter of his book gives us an excellent description of and prescription for revival. Read the entire chapter any number of times on your knees until you are soaked with it. I found in this chapter SEVEN LESSONS ON REVIVAL.

1. Revival is God-sent.

"Oh, that YOU would rend the HEAVENS!" (v 1 )

Human efforts cannot produce revival. We cannot even plan a revival. An evangelistic crusade can be planned and these days even computer programmed. But not revival. God does use human vessels for reviving the Church but no preacher can "bring" a revival. Revival that comes with the preacher will go with him! Dr. James A. Stewart in his book on Welsh Revival writes his first sentence, "Evan Roberts was NOT the author of Welsh Revival, it was the Holy Spirit!" Mere fleshly enthusiasm can produce only Ishmaels, not Isaacs.

That which comes from God in Heaven is usually sudden! "Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting" (Acts 2:2). In revival the Holy Spirit interrupts our programmes. There will be His sudden infusion and inflation. Apostle Peter had not finished his sermon yet. While he was "still speaking," the Holy Spirit fell on the audience! (Acts 10:44).

Revival is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The last day’s outpouring began on the day of Pentecost. We are not living in the last days, but last minutes! We must have another Pentecost at any cost! Not for the "coming" of the Holy Spirit, but for His "falling!" (cf. Acts 8:16; 10:44).

2. Revival makes God’s presence real.

"That YOU would come down! That mountains might shake at Your PRESENCE... That nations may tremble at Your PRESENCE!" (vv 1,2).

"A couple, having heard lots about the revival in Wales, drove several miles to attend a meeting where Evan Roberts was to speak. While entering the town they asked the policeman, "Where is Revival?" He answered, "It’s right here!" No doubt the Lord is in our midst whenever we gather in His Name. But in times of revival the Holy Spirit makes God’s presence unusually real. The divided tongues of fire descending on each of the 120 disciples at Pentecost is an example. Peter pointed to it as "this which you now see and hear!" (Acts 2:33). This reminds me of the 120 priests of Solomon’s Temple who "could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God" (2 Chron 5:12-14).

Revival is a fresh manifestation of the "Shekinah" glory! Sometimes physical manifestations also will accompany. "When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, the mountains shook at Your presence" (v 3). "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken" (Acts 4:31). Today our places of gathering are "taken!" We need a revival. When there is no movement in our worship services, one wonders whether it is a church or a cemetery!

3. Revival usually follows times of self-examination.

"You meet him who rejoices and does RIGHTEOUSNESS, who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have SINNED... We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our INIQUITIES, like the wind, have taken us away... Do not be furious, O Lord, nor remember iniquity forever, indeed please look—we all are Your people" (vv 5,6,9).

The famous revival verse has the condition—"If My people will humble themselves... and turn from their wicked ways..." (2 Chron 7:14). Look at Ezra seeking God for revival: "I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of head and beard, and sat down astonished... that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage... to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins" (Ezra 9:3-9; 10:1). The prayer of Evan Roberts before the revival at the beginning of this century was, "Lord, bend the Church and bless the world!" The condition for revival promised through Prophet Joel was "fasting, weeping, mourning, rending and returning!" (Joel 2:12-14,23). Then God will grant "the former rain and the latter rain!" God revives the brokenhearted (Isa 57:15).

The great revival in New Hebrides Island in 1949 has a great lesson. Several Christians made a commitment to pray, "Lord, we will not give You rest until You make Jerusalem a praise on earth." Nothing happened for several weeks and months of prayer until one of them, a young man, quoted Psalm 24:3-5 and led the group to confession and cleansing. "Who may ascend in the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." Then a great revival broke out and thousands were ushered into the Kingdom. Peter told the backslidden Jews, "Repent... so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord!" (Acts 3:19).

4. Revival comes in answer to importunate prayer.

"God... who acts for the one who WAITS for Him... There is no one who CALLS on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You... Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O Lord? Will You hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?" (vv 4,7,12).

In fact the entire chapter of Isaiah 64 is a prayer and plea for revival. The preparation of the disciples for Pentecost was ten days of prayer and praise (Lk 24:52,53; Acts 1:14; 2:1). Following Pentecost, again when they prayed, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31). Cornelius is another example. He was praying to God always. It was when he was fasting and praying, he had the angelic visitation. The first message of the angel was, "Your prayer has been heard!" And his entire family and close friends experienced a mighty revival! (Acts 10:2,4,24,30,31). We pray but we don’t pray "again" like Elijah (Js 5:17,18). How long shall we pray? "Till God comes and rains righteousness on us!" (Hos 10:12). Let’s not grow weary of praying for revival because things go from bad to worse. God has not given us up. His people shall never be ashamed. Let’s be optimistic. The first secret of revival is prayer, the second secret is prayer and the third, prayer!

5. Revival restores joy and worship among God’s people.

"Your holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and BEAUTIFUL temple, where our fathers PRAISED You, is burned up with fire; and all our PLEASANT things are laid waste" (vv 10,11).

David was a joyful worshipper. Every time someone said, "Let us go into the house of the Lord," he was extremely delighted (Psa 122:1). But the glory of the Lord departed when the people backslided. Joy was cut off from the temple. He then cried, "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" (Psa 85:6).

Prophet Habakkuk was filled with questions concerning God’s dealings with His people. Finally he prayed, "O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!" We find him rejoicing greatly in the Lord, as we come to the end of his book, though the fields and the flock failed! (Hab 3:2,17,18).

When the Holy Spirit filled the early Christians they praised God in tongues speaking of His wonderful works (Acts 2:4,11). Just like David their heart "rejoiced" and their tongue was "glad" because God made them "full of joy" in His presence (Acts 2:25-28). They were a Hallelujah gang among all the people! (Acts 2:47). There was revival in the prison also! (Acts 16:25). The chains were good enough for a clanging cymbal!

Revival turns "mourning into dancing!" (Psa 30:11). First "a time to weep and mourn"— This is preparation for revival. When revival comes, it is "a time to laugh and dance!" (Eccl 3:4). The way some of our worship services go makes one wonder whether we worship a living God. An Anglican Christian took another Christian for the first time to his Church service. After the service he asked the new-comer, "How was the Service?" He answered, "I was Tortured for Christ!"

6. Revival results in explosive evangelism.

"As fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—To make Your NAME known to Your ADVERSARIES, that the NATIONS may tremble at Your presence" (v 2).

Evangelism may or may not produce revival but true revival always results in evangelism. In evangelism the preacher makes the altar call but in revival the people make it! "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). There were mass conversions following Pentecost. Three thousand, five thousand! Have we seen thousands being baptized in one day? In several Churches, for the whole year we have just about a dozen converts and we keep them safe to be baptized during the next annual convention! If like the early church we baptize people then and there, even at nights, we will not have sufficient baptismal candidates during the convention to impress the visiting sponsor! We need revival!

Revival sends the saints seeking after sinners (Psa 51:12,13). The dry bones in the Church suddenly become a dynamic battalion! (Ezek 37:1-10). In Acts we read about everyone going everywhere to reach everyone for Christ. The nickname for the apostles was "world-turners!" We are just "world-tourists!" Missions are born in revival (Acts 13:2-4). History is full of it. Several Missions were born when revival broke out among the youth. The slogan of Revivalist John Wesley was, "The world is my parish!" What it usually takes to accomplish in normal evangelism in 40 years can be done in the atmosphere of revival in 40 days — even less! Revival plunders hell and populates Heaven!

7. Revival leads the Church to maturity and full surrender.

"But now, O Lord, You are our FATHER; we are the CLAY, and You are our POTTER; and all we are the work of Your hand" (v 8).

Obedience to the Father as children and yieldedness into the hands of the Maker mark the character of God’s people who experience a revival from Above. Love for God becomes supreme and the earthly attachments lose their significance. Without any demand or command the early Christians sold all their belongings and laid it at the apostles’ feet (Acts 2:44,45; 4:32-35). Revival turns men-pleasers into God-pleasers (5:29). A new love for God’s Word dawns. Christians who spent hours before television or other pastimes now find the Bible their delight day and night. Fellowship with God’s people becomes more delight some than fun and food with the worldlings. Lifestyle becomes simple and giving to God is increased. All this and much more!

"Will You not receive us again, O Lord?"

Because God is God...

"I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up;... So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips... for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts" (Isa 6:1-5).

In the midst of national tragedy, God revealed Himself to Isaiah. Having seen the Lord, life would never be the same again for the prophet. That vision of God changed Isaiah’s perspective of himself, of the world around him, and of his calling. His heart changed. His vocation changed. The dominant theme of his life became a passion for the glory of God.

We cannot get to know God for who He is without our lives being dramatically altered. Each of the following thirteen attributes of God has enormous implications for the way we live.

As you reflect on each of these attributes, ask God to show you whether your knowledge of Him is making the impact it should in your life? Is it conforming you into the image of Jesus Christ? Is it changing you as God intends? Is it giving you a fresh passion to see His Glory?

I will seek intimate fellowship with Him.

• Do I treat God as a person with whom I can interact or as an object that I simply use to accomplish my goals? (Jn 1:14-18)

• Do I dialogue with God throughout the day or limit my relationship with Him to a scheduled time? (Psa 62:8)

• Do I attempt to get to know God more deeply, or am I satisfied knowing Him on the surface? (Phil 3:10)

• Do I find myself longing to commune with the Lord? (Psa 84:2)

He can help me with anything.

• Is there anything I need that I question God’s ability to supply? (Phil 4:19)

• Are there habits or addictions in my life where I sincerely doubt victory is possible? (Phil 4:13)

• Am I attempting in my own strength to accomplish what only God can do? (Psa 20:7)

• Do I put my trust in man-made techniques, strategies, and programs more than I trust in God through prayer to achieve given tasks? (Zech 4:6)

• Are there certain people in my life that I question God’s ability to change? (Prov 21:1)

He is always with me.

• Do I trust the reality of His presence even when I cannot feel it? (Psa 9:9,10; Hab 3:17-19)

• Do I fear or fret because of a lack of confidence in God's awareness of what is going on around me? (Prov 15:3; Mt 6:31-33)

• Do I avoid certain services, prayer meetings, or intense times of seeking the Lord, thinking I will avoid His convicting presence in my life? (Jon 1:3; Psa 139:7-12)

• Do circumstances ever cause me to ask, "Where is God?" (2 Pet 3:8,9; Rom 8:28)

He forgives my sin when 1 sincerely confess and forsake it.

• When I sin, do I tend to confess my failure quickly, or do I delay out of a fear of being rejected? (1 Jn 1:9; Acts 24:16)

• Do I regularly consider that God’s mercy is never exhausted, and that every moming a fresh supply of His mercy is available? (Lam 3:22,23)

• Do I presume upon God’s mercy through flippant or shallow confession without an attitude of repentance that leads to forsaking of sin? (Rom 2:4)

• Do I rejoice in God’s mercy and often thank Him for it? (Psa 108:3,4)

• Do I expect mercy from God without extending forgiveness toward others? (Mt 6:14,15; 18:32,35)

I will joyfully submit to His will.

• Do I bow to God’s right to rule in every area of my life? (Psa 66:7; Rom 9:20,24)

• Am I convinced God always has my best at heart? (Jer 29:11)

• Do I trust in God’s sovereignty when He allows bad things to happen? (Job 1:21,22)

• Do I trust God to work through the human authorities He has placed in my life? (Prov 21:1; Rom 13:1,2)

• Based on my attitudes and responses, would those who know me best say that I am at rest in the reality of God’s control? (Isa 26:3; Phil 4:6,7)

I will go to Him with all my questions and concerns.

• Who am I most likely to look to for answers to a personal dilemma — God or a friend? (Isa 40:25,31; Js 1:5)

• Do I wonder at times if God knows what is happening to me and around me? (Psa 139:1,3,17)

• Do I study God’s Word faithfully and diligently with the intent of discovering answers to my questions? (Psa 119:24; 1 Tim 4:12,16)

• Am I quick to give input or to respond to questions without first reflecting upon God’s Word to see if a specific verse or principle applies to the situation? (Psa 119:59; 2 Tim 2:14)

• Do I ever question whether God knows the future? (Isa 46:10; Rev 1:8)

I will devote myself to Him in purity, worship, and service.

• What is my motivation for living a pure lifestyle? Is it for my benefit or to be a reflection of God’s character? (Mt 5:16)

• Is there any sin in my life that I am unwilling to repent of and genuinely forsake? (Psa 19:13)

• Do I worship God in the beauty of His holiness? Do I appreciate and value His holiness when I worship? (Psa 27:4)

• Do I expect to experience God’s presence when I worship even though I have unconfessed sin in my life? (Psa 66:18)

• Am I seeking to become more effective in my service for the Lord by eliminating the fear and timidity that come from a life that is not holy? (1 Thess 2:1-12)

I will believe what He says and live accordingly.

• Do I meditate on God’s promises and associate them with needs in my life? (2 Pet 1:3,4; Rom 12:1,2)

• Am I prone to treat God’s teachings as if they are relative or optional, instead of as an absolute standard for daily living? (Prov 30:5,6)

• Am I tolerant of opinions that oppose God’s Word? (2 Jn 10,11; Jude 3,4)

• Do I believe that there might be other ways to God apart from Jesus Christ? (Jn 14:6; 1 Tim 2:15)

• Have I ever felt as if God has deceived or tricked me? (Num 23:19; Js 1:13,14)

I will live by His standards.

• Is my primary motivation for obedience to display God’s righteousness or mine? (Phil 1:9,11)

• Do I elevate my personal preferences as if they were God’s standards? (Rom 14:1,4)

• Do I exalt the "good" in my life, in order to compensate for the "guilt" that accompanies known sin in my life? (1 Sam 15:12,19)

• Am I prone to compare my life to others, in order to justify my failure or to take pride in my success? (2 Cor 10:12,13)

• Am I quicker to point out sin or failure in the lives of others than to recognize the faults in my own life? (Mt 7:3,5)

I will trust His decisions.

• Do I truly believe that God is just in all His ways? (Dt 32:4; Rev 15:3)

• Do I tend to complain that I am being treated unfairly? (1 Thess 5:18)

• Can I rejoice in the success of others, even when they have done little to earn it? (Phil 1:15,18)

• Do I tend to limit my perspective to my human understanding? (Prov 3:5,6; 1 Cor 1:18-31)

• When "innocent" people suffer, do I question or accuse God? (Mt 5:45)

• Am I easily embittered when another individual treats me unjustly? (Lk 23:34; Gen 50:15-21)

He is committed to my wellbeing.

• Are there times when I question whether God still loves me? (Jer 31:3; Rom 8:38,39)

• Do I ever feel as though God cannot love me because of sin in my life? (Rom 5:8-10)

• When severe trouble and tragedy visit, do I wonder if God’s love is still there? (Rom 8:38; Heb 4:15,16)

• Is it difficult for me to accept God’s love when it is expressed by others in the Body of Christ? (1 Thess 3:12)

• Does the love of Christ motivate me to good works? (2 Cor 5:14,15)

• Is the love of God producing in me a genuine love for others? (Jn 15:9)

I know He will always keep His promises.

• Do I demonstrate confidence in God’s faithfulness by trusting Him in every area of my life? (Gal 2:20; Psa 62:7)

• Am I patient in waiting upon God for His promises to be fulfilled? (2 Pet 3:9; Tit 2:11-14)

• Do I become frustrated or angry when God does not reveal His reasons to me or show me the final outcome of my circumstances? (Isa 55:8,9)

• Do I really believe God will not allow me to be tempted above that which I am able to resist, and that He will always provide a way to escape? (1 Cor 10:13)

My future is secure and eternal.

• Do I find my primary fulfillment or security in anything (or anyone) other than that which is eternal? (Jn 14:1-3; Mt 6:19-21)

• Do the temporary pleasures of this life determine my schedule? (Lk 8:14; Psa 39:4,5)

• Do I place a higher value on how much money I make than how much spiritual growth is occurring in my life and family? (Lk 12:13-21; Mk 8:36,37)

• Do I smile at the future? (Jer 29:11; 1 Pet 1:3-9)

(From the Magazine, Spirit of Revival, Mar 2002)

What will You give God this Year?

Duke Jeyaraj

The owner came to the garden with expectations. High hopes. "Surely fruits will dangle down the fig tree I planted! It has been three years! I just can’t wait to taste the fruits!" He was smacking his lips in anticipation. What did he get to see? The Fruit. Hardly. Instead the tree gave him the boot—it was barren. Now he was biting his lips in frustration. The owner became furious. "Chop this fruitless fig tree down," he ordered the gardener. "Why waste fertilizer and water on it for ANOTHER YEAR?" The gardener would not give up on the tree he had tended tenacious for over three years. He pleaded, "Just give it one more year, Master—just one more year! That is all. I will tend it. Take good care it. And I am sure it will give us fruit in this year of extension! You bet!"

The above-narrated story is a contemporary form of a parable Jesus used (Lk 13:6-9). A story our Master narrated. A yarn our Master spinned to shake us from our yawning! He told this story to drive home a crucial lesson? This lesson: We have got a New Year to live just because of sheer grace. He has marked out a New Year for us just because of his massive mercy. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is true that when He spoke of that fig tree He was speaking of the nation Israel. The prophets of old often compared Israel to a fig tree—didn’t they (See Hosea 9:10 for an example)? But it also true we, followers of Christ, are the nation that God hoped would bear fruit. That is the reason, we read that He took the Kingdom of God from national Israel and gave it to a "new" Israel (that is actually us, believers, called as a ‘holy nation’ by Peter in 1 Peter 2:9) (Mt 21:13). But we — the new Israel—haven’t done any better than national Israel. We have been neglectful about our duty to give fruit as national Israel! The "Gentile" Israel—us—has been as giving God the boot (instead of the fruit) like the Geographical Israel so often did!

Israel, the fig tree, was blessed with plenty of water and fertilizer year after year. The Law of Moses they received through Moses in generous doses was the "water" the fig tree of Israel was flooded with (Rom 9:4). The pack of prophets who faithfully proclaimed this law in a practical and powerful way to the people of Israel year after year—well, they were the "fertilizers" so to speak (2 Ki 17:13ff). But they would not simply grow up and bear fruit. They became "fat," oh yes! But "fruitful?" Nah! Look over your shoulder. At the previous years of your existence. Surely you were watered. Surely you were fertilized. Think of the Bible Studies you sat in. Think of the many sermons you heard. Think of the church services you attended. You too became "fat." But were you "fruitful?" Well that is another story, correct?!

Listen, Jesus (the Gardener in this parable) did not narrate this story to paint his Father in a poor picture. Hear this good: The Father (the owner in this story) is not an ultra-strict principal out to hound you and dismiss you from his school for the first failure you had without any mercy. He is not like a class teacher who gives you a "you-will-never-make-it-in-life" lecture after your examination flops. His Father is as loving and as gracious as He is. When we interpret a parable we should just look for one lesson from it—that’s the thumb rule of interpreting parables. When we glean out lessons from parables we must not look for more than one good lesson from it— that is correct way to interpret parables. His Father gave a similar extension in the life of King Hezekiah, remember? (Isa 38:1-5). "Through the LORD’s mercies (the Father’s mercies) we are not consumed," Jeremiah wrote—don’t forget (Lam 3:22). You see, the Father is as understanding as the Son is. The Son—all of us very well know—lives "forever to intercede" for us, we read up (Heb 7:25).

The year you and I have to get to exist in—is a year of grace. Sure we are living in the space age. But it also true we are living in the grace age—an age graciously given us so that we will for a change give our Maker good fruit instead of giving him the boot!

If this one-year extension is given us so we bear "fruit," what sort of fruit should we bear? The fruit of PENITENCE. That is what John the Baptist preached to the Jewish Religions’ big shots (Lk 3:8). They could not hide behind the fact that Abraham was their ancestor without bearing fruit, he warned. In other words what John was getting at was this: "You can’t swap your religious heritage for personal change!" In the New Year that we have entered, we are called to produce "fruits of repentance." That would mean all the tantrum throwing of the past years should be trashed. That would mean all the porn-watching of the past years should be pushed aside. That would mean all the foul-languages that filled your mouth in the previous years should be flushed away. And so on and so forth. And when we do that, believe me, slowly but surely the "fruit" of the Spirit— love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control—will show up in your Christian walk, when you carry an attitude of penitence the whole year out!

An extension year for what? To bear fruit. "Fruit—what do you mean?" Ask the writer of Hebrews. "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the FRUIT of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Heb 13:15). You have guessed it correct—the fruit of PRAISE. Would you stop to thank God for at least five blessings you have received from Him each day of the New Year? For the safe ride you had back home. For the food on your table. For the friends and folks who dote over you. If you did that you are bearing "fruit." And God’s disappointment with you will dry. God’s frustration with you will fizzle out!

Annexure year for what? To produce "fruit." "What do you mean?" Ask Jesus Himself. He told his disciples once, remember, "Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’ Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for the harvest! And he who receives wages, and gathers FRUIT for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together" (Jn 4:35-36). The point Christ was making was this: "One look around you will get to see the likes of the Samaritan woman — seeking, searching! Truckloads of disappointed and dejected people desperately looking for the Living Water. They will drink from Me— believe Me — if only you go and tell them about Me!" The fruit of PROCLAMATION is what is eagerly expected of us in our gracious-given extra year! That’s the reason God chose us: so that we bear "fruit" (win souls) and that our "fruit" remains (and the souls we win make it all the way to Heaven!) (Jn 15:16). In this supplementary year God’s grace has supplied to you, why not become a serious soulwinner? Why not gather with a few of your High School / College Christ-following pals to pray and study God’s Word for a few minutes during your lunch break or after class? Why not stand in the most happening youth hangout in town and pass out contemporary gospel tracts? Why not proclaim Christ through life and lip using every opportunity?

Jesus signs off from this parable with a telling warning: "And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down!" (Lk 13:9). Can you really be "cut" down this year if you give Jesus the boot this year instead of fruit? There is a real possibility, buddy. There is an actual chance for that, my friend. What if you were to die — be cut down — suddenly this year, would you be found giving fruit for the Saviour or giving wim the boot? If you say, "Well, that will not happen to me—ever," then you must listen to the story of Ahab. Year after year, Ahab was giving Yahweh the finger. Giving his God the boot. Five prophets at least—the famous Elijah, prophet Obadiah, prophet Micaiah and two unnamed prophets—tried to correct him and coax him on to the way of God. But he stayed stubborn. He was solidly stiff-necked. And you know what—his life was cut off crudely when he least expected it or wanted it. He had boasted to Prophet Micaiah that he would return safely from a battle God did not want him to fight. He was cocksure of that because he went to a battle in a disguise and he thought he was well protected by an armor. But a randomly shot arrow hit him and he shortly died (1 Ki 22:27,34,35). Till his sudden death, mind you, he was giving his Maker the boot.

That is what false prophet Hananiah did too. Wanting to impress the people of Judah he prophesied: "Jeremiah is telling you that this captivity in Babylon will last for 70 long years. Forget it! It is gonna last just for two years. That is all! Take it easy, folks!" Deep down in his gut, Prophet Hananiah knew he was just conning the people. He knew he had not heard from God on this subject but was simply bluffing in an attempt to become the favorite prophet of the people at the expense of Jeremiah. He was giving the God who called him to be a prophet the boot – not fruit! This was the New Year promise he received from the Lord: "Your life will end THIS VERY YEAR because you have rebelled against the LORD" (Jer 27:16)! Two months later, he died—still giving God the finger (v 17). A sad end. A sorry finish. Do you know that for any of us this New Year promise may come true: "Your life will end this VERY YEAR!" (Jer 27:19). The reason? Our life is unpredictable. Biblically speaking, it can end any time—including this very minute or this very year—did anyone care to tell you? Our life is comparable to a fleeting fog or a fading flower, the Bible tells us (Job 14:1 / Jas 4:14). It can be short. It can be cut short!

I pray that will not be the sad story of any of us this extra year God has gracious given us! Instead, let us wisely use this year to bear fruit—instead of giving Christ the boot—in the graciously added New Year!