The Provision is Coming!

(Message by Bro. Joel on 25th October 2009 at NLF, Vashi. You may please comment if I’ve missed some vital points. As usual, it’s from memory and notes…but must convey the spirit of the message. Happy reading!)

I guess you all enjoy worship. You see, worshipping the Lord brings about a change in our lives…worshipping in spirit leads us to know the heart of God and when God speaks…it is Truth; that has the power to change us. God's word is Truth. And truth changes us-sets us free. See, man may bring about a temporary change by helping us in some circumstances, but when God brings about a change, it has eternal consequences; it is permanent. Are you with me?

Today let me talk to you about ‘miracles in the midst of famine’. Oh, yeah! The provision is coming! In the midst of the drought, there is the Word of God. Maybe, this is a familiar chapter for you…1 Kings 17. We see Elijah going upto Ahab, the king of Israel.

V1: “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

Let me share some background information on this episode…Ahab was one of the most wicked kings of Israel (1 Kings 16:30), whose wife was Jezebel-a Sidonian princess; a wicked, dominating and ruthless queen. And she worshipped ‘Baal’, (A ‘god’ associated with rain, thunder and fertility) a god of the pagans and Ahab too followed Jezebel in building altars and worshipping Baal (16:31), reining-in the times of apostasy.

Now, Elijah heard the voice of the Lord during that time. And acted on God’s word; went up to Ahab and threw down the gauntlet. It was as if Elijah was saying, ‘See, it’s NOT your 'god' who is in control of the rains and harvest…it’s MY God, the God of heaven and earth. And how will you know this? Because I now call a drought on this land, and until I say, it WON’T rain.’

See, when we HEAR God’s voice, it’s time for us to ACT on it. LISTEN and OBEY! And Elijah did just that. For we see in verses 2-4: ‘Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there”’

Imagine the situation there. A drought is ushered in and God speaks to His servant Elijah, making a provision for food and water (ah yes, the essentials for survival). See, God provides us through His Word. ‘It is written; Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ (Matt 4:4). Elijah did not run and hide out of fear. He heard God's voice and only obeyed.

Ou God is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider. The word of God says that He shall keep His covenant and mercy for a thousand generations! Get a hold of that! If God was the Provider, for Abraham, and Elijah, He is the same Provider for you and me, thousands of years later, thousands of generations later! It is His Word! It will not fail. And God PROVIDES us by His Word! All we have to do is LISTEN and ACT; HEAR and OBEY. The provision is coming!

V6 says, “The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook”

Here’s the ‘unclean’ bird commanded to feed Elijah. (See God commands everything; He has ALL authority and power, that’s why He is GOD). And the ravens bring him bread and meat; it’s as if Elijah is having meat burgers every day, in the morning and evening. (You know the Big Mac burgers! And the Coke is complimentary!) And so he drank water from the brook! So you see, in the midst of drought, there is God’s provision. (May I call ‘provision’, ‘miracle’?). In the midst of famine, there is the miracle! In the midst of recession, there’s going to be God’s provision – we’re gonna be like ‘recession-proof’ people! (Or are you gonna reject God’s provision ‘cos it’s delivered by the ‘unclean’ bird?). Beloved, LISTEN and ACT!

Let’s move on to v7; “And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” Oh! Oh! Recession times again?

No problem, God has ANOTHER provision! Hallelujah!

See it in v8; “Then the word of the Lord cam to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

See, God is going to provide us by His Word! He is going to give us INSTRUCTIONS on what to do. All we have to do is… yes, you got it...(say it with me…) LISTEN and ACT! A new day may bring new problems, but never mind, there’s going to new provision, new hope, new things…'God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble’ (Ps 46:1). As the brook is getting all dried up, you can be sure God is making another way. 'God will make a way, where there seems to be no way’. Yes, the provision is coming!

And this time God commands a widow! She’s gonna provide Elijah with not just food and water, but also the third necessity – shelter!

We can imagine this widow, how she must have connected with God in her own troubles! Widowed-no human to care, a young son, very little food left-a little flour and some oil, just enough for one meal, resigned to death after that meal! Maybe that morning, in a corner, she would have quietly prayed, ‘If there is a God, please send someone to help US; we’re dying’. And God answers, saying, SHE must help Elijah. And now, she is asked to spare that meal too-share it with the prophet of God. And it does sound impudent on Elijah’s part “…make me a small cake from it FIRST, and bring it to me…” (v13).

But, the widow had HEARD from God. She was willing to OBEY! She recognized that this Elijah is the prophet of God. And Elijah confirms it with the promise of God, “For thus says the LORD God of Israel: The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth” (v14). Yes, the provision is coming!

The promise of God fulfils all our necessities. The widow’s family suddenly became drought-proof. The promise was for the entire drought season - however long it may be! That is the case with recession too! As the world wonders, ‘how long is the recession?’ we can hold on to God’s promise of provision and miracles, and being ‘recession-proof’ until it gets over, whenever that may be! Yes, the provision is coming!

If we read through the following verses, we find the incident mentioning the death and revival of the widow’s son. At the time of the son’s death, the widow begins to have some questions. ‘What have I to do with you, O man of God?’ ‘Have you come to remind me of my past sins?’ ‘Have you come to judge my sins and kill my son?’ What a tragedy! Fear takes hold of the widow. The antidote to FEAR is FAITH.

Elijah prayed, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him” (v21). And God answered Elijah’s prayer-another earnest prayer, the prayer of faith! The widow’s son was revived. In the midst of drought, God looks for His children, to answer their prayers, speedily. Have faith! Do not fear! HEAR and OBEY. Yes, the provision is coming!

May God guide us by His word! May God help us to LISTEN and ACT! That we may know, in the midst of famine there is God’s provision and miracles. Amen.

The Essence of Water Baptism

(Message by pastor Philip Joseph at NLF, Vashi on 18 Oct 2009. Recalled from notes...as usual; but must convey the spirit of the message! happy reading!)

In a short while, we plan to have a water baptism service. There are young adults coming forward for a committed relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke to His disciples saying, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God…’ (Mark 4:11).

In the New Covenant, we are called to follow two things that are ‘symbolic’ of our committed relationship with Jesus. One is the water-baptism – a one-time occurrence in a believer’s life (‘one baptism’-Eph 4:5) and the other is the Holy Communion, that is repetitive (‘For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes’-1 Cor 11:26).

If you compare the Old Covenant, there was the ‘symbol’ of circumcision-a one-time occurrence, by which even the Gentiles were accepted. The other was the Passover-a yearly repetitive festival, for remembering what God did to the Egyptians in bringing deliverance to the children of Israel and renewing the covenant with God.

These were outward signs of an inward spiritual grace, of deep significance, in every believer’s life.

Jesus spoke these words in Matt. 28:19 saying “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them…” In essence, it means, one needs to be His disciple-willing to be His disciple, and then be water-baptized. This is the order in which things ought to be done; first, be His disciple, then be water-baptized. And I’m NOT speaking about just an ‘interest’ in Jesus. Being His disciple is more than that!

As a young man, you may show ‘interest’ in many proposals for a bride…but, when it comes to ‘choice’, there is only one person that you commit yourself in marriage. Likewise, water-baptism is the time when you’ve decided to commit your life to only one person-Jesus Christ. There are many in this world-who may show an ‘interest’ in Jesus-maybe as a teacher, healer, miracle-worker or a religious leader. But as a disciple, and as you are baptized, you acknowledge the ‘Lordship’ of Jesus Christ in your life; everything else becomes secondary as you ‘cleave’ only to Jesus.

You can check from the Word whether you are really 'ready' to be baptized. Acts 2:38 reads, ‘Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”’
Repentance is the foremost requirement for baptism! Repentance is that U-turn in your life, when you forsake the ways of the world-the sinful and wicked ways and turn to walk the narrow way. It is not going to be an easy way! But we conclude ‘…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal. 2:20). We forsake all sinful paths, all our desires, all other religions, all other beliefs…

If you still enjoy sin, and want to live by your own rules, walk according to your own desires and say ‘I want it this way’, then I say, you are not ready to be baptized.

The other aspect is that you are baptized ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matt. 28:19). Nobody should take this lightly or casually! Baptism is serious stuff! We ‘agree’ for His Lordship over our life. Nobody signs an agreement or a contract hurriedly…nor will anyone take it casually when a printed contract is brought to you on a stamp paper! I urge you to understand this from your heart…and we’re ready here for a baptism service!

Today, let me share with you five things from the Word of God to help you examine yourself, if you are ready to be water-baptized. I trust this message will be useful, not only to those who are to be baptized, but also their parents and friends who can counsel and lead them.

(1) 1 Peter 3:20, 21 says, “…who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine long suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us-baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”
If we go to the times of Noah, the world was filled with wickedness; God had warned of the impending destruction by flood and instructed Noah on measurements to build the ark. In the time it took Noah to build that ark, about 120 years, he kept preaching to the people (2 Peter 2:5) to repent and enter the ark. But the people around would only mock him. Entering the ark is symbolic of the water baptism that, now, is given to His disciples. The choice is ours. Peter explains that it is not just outward cleansing; but water-baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience. Imagine this-no one could have one foot in the ark and the other in the world and expect to be saved from the flood. If you too think you can have some of the world in you and some of Jesus, I say, you are not ready for the water baptism.

(2) 1 Corinthians 10: 1,2 says, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea…”
This passage talks of the journey of the people of Israel from Egypt (a type of this world) to the promised land, Canaan (a type of the new life in Jesus Christ). As they journeyed, they had to cross the ‘Red sea’ (a type of the water baptism). There was the Egyptian army behind them; the Red sea before. As they crossed over, the Lord drowned the Egyptian army in the red sea. So too in our lives, if there are nagging sins and repetitive habits that are evil, you will find these will drown in the waters of baptism, as you receive new found strength in Jesus Christ, to shake away the things that bogged you down before. It has been not easy in Egypt; and it was never easy in the Promised Land. But crossing the Red sea is an irreversible decision; never to return back again. There can be no ‘double-crossing’ the Red Sea. Remember, Red sea is the waters of baptism, when you decide to be loyal only to Jesus Christ, whatever is the cost-an irreversible decision, never to turn back again. If you love living in Egypt, I say, please stay there.

(3) Romans 6:6 says, “…knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin”
Also see Colossians 2:11,12, which says “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead”

Putting these two portions together, we see that water-baptism is identifying oneself with Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Our old sinful self is crucified with Him; from being ‘dead’ IN sins, we come to the point of ‘dead’ TO sins. After this is the burial-people don’t bury a person who is alive. If the sins and wickedness is not crucified-if it is not dead, then you are ‘alive’ to sin. Water-baptism is like the circumcision, made without hands; when the Lord Jesus Christ cuts off the old sinful, fleshly self in our being. We are buried with Him. As we come out of the waters, we identify with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. We come into the newness of life! ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new’ (2 Cor. 5:17).

(4) Ananias says to Saul who would be Paul these words in Acts 22:16 “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord”
Water-baptism is the washing away of our sins, when we call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus. (There is a fountain filled with blood; Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains!)
Your sins are washed away! By faith we grasp this day, Proclaim it loud and say, “Jesus, the only way!” Faith is more than our own intellectual understanding-it is from our heart. Even young children may believe in Jesus. They may believe everything written about Him. But faith is KNOWING in your heart. It is a revelation from the Father; faith that is a gift from God.

(5) Galatians 3:27 says “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”
Water-baptism is clothing your-self with Jesus Christ. When there is a 100% commitment to Him. There is no doubt in your heart as to who you are in Christ Jesus (v26).

Mark 16:16 reads “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned”. We have spoken about this order-first believe and then be baptized; that is why we do not practice infant “baptism”. Water-baptism is also not for those who just understand in their minds; but do not believe in their hearts. ‘Baptized’ come from the root Greek word ‘Batizo’ meaning “fully wet” or “make whelmed”; that is why we have an ‘immersion’ water-baptism, that also signifies death and burial (fully under), and not 'sprinkle' baptism.

And as we partake of the Holy Communion, God has spoken to us to judge ourselves-examine ourselves. There can be no one of us here, who can be a better judge of you than you-yourself. God's Word exhorts us, 'If we judge ourselves, we will not be judged'. Think about these things; examine and see if you are ready for water-baptism.

Are you prepared? Have you repented from every known sin and made that U-turn in your life? (You can’t say ‘I’m not sure’ for every motorist will tell you when he has taken a U-turn on the road). Are you ready, like Noah, to enter the ark? Are you willing, like the children of Israel, to cross over the Red sea, never to turn back again? Are you willing to be crucified with Christ, die to self, and live for Christ alone? Have you called on the name of Jesus? Have you been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and have a revelation of who Jesus is? Are you ready to proclaim that Jesus is the only way? Are you ready to be called a child of God and be clothed with Jesus Christ Himself?

Shall we pray?

‘Thank you Father for opening our eyes, that we may have a revelation of who You are. Help us to understand from the depths of our heart of what You have done for us and what You have in store for each one of us. In Jesus’ name. Amen'

Why must we fear God?

(Message by Bro. Raymond at NLF, Vashi on 11 Oct 2009. Recalled from notes...:-) but must convey the meaning. happy reading!)

Today, let me talk to you about the 'fear of God'. Why we should fear God and not to fear any man...I remember as a teenager, I was afraid of people, darkness...but now, know, we need not fear! David writes 'I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears' (Ps. 34:4). Let me start with answers to the question, 'Why we must fear God?'

We MUST fear God for ...

1. He is King of the nations
In Jer. 10:7, it is written "Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You".
It says here that 'fearing God is His rightful due' and He is the King of all nations. Therefore we must fear Him. From the rising of the sun, to its going down, the Lord's name is to be praised.

2. He is holy
Rev. 15:4 says "Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested"
Our God is holy, therefore fear Him. He has taken us out of darkness – out of the bondage of sin, and put us into His marvelous light. He cannot tolerate sin; for He is holy.

3. He has forgiveness
Psalm 130: 3, 4 “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared”
He does not tolerate sin; but our God is merciful. ‘He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him’ (Ps. 103: 10, 11). The Bible says, ‘if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9).

4. He is mighty
Joshua 4: 24 “…that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever”
The Lord is powerful – mighty; He dried up the red sea, cut off Jordan (v23). He brought down the walls of Jericho. All nations surrounding the people of Israel, knew and feared the God of Israel. ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord?

5. He has done great things
1 Samuel 12:24 “Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you”
We often hear in the church ‘God is good’ and the people respond ‘All the time’. Because we know what great things He has done in our lives! ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16)

6. He is Judge
Rom 14: 10, 12 “…For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God”
One day, we will all stand before God; one day we will all give an account to God. And there is no partiality with Him. His judgment will be impartial. We can all look so good outside – like the Pharisees; but God sees the ‘inside’. And God is going to judge our inner man – our thoughts and intents. Eccl. 12: 13, 14 say, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil”

7. He chastens (disciplines) us
Heb. 12: 5-7 “…My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there, whom a father does not chasten?”
Deut. 8: 5, 6 “You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you. Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him”

And now let me ask you what does ‘fearing God’ mean? Prov. 8:13 says, ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil…’
‘The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe’ (Prov. 29:25)
‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...’ (Prov. 9:10)

Having the fear of the Lord is the first step to wisdom, and to avoid the snares of death. Over and over again, in the bible, we find great men moved by the fear of the Lord, accomplished great things.
Noah found favor with God. It says ‘Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations’.
Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, because he feared God
Jacob, though a schemer, feared God (Gen 28:16, 17) when in Bethel after the dream of angels ascending and descending on the ladder.
Joseph spoke good things and did not take revenge on his brothers because he feared God.
David though with an opportunity twice to kill Saul who was pursuing him with an army, refrained from doing it because he feared God.
It says about Job that He feared God.
Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer, pleads for God’s attention on behalf of all those who desire to fear His name.
The early Christians feared God. When Ananias and Sapphira, kept back part of their possessions and lied to the Holy Spirit and perished, ‘great fear came upon all the church’.

Proverbs 2:1-5 exhorts us to seek wisdom and get understanding - to diligently search for wisdom and to cry out for discernment. Then we ‘will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God’.

The young king Josiah, while cleaning the temple, found the Book of the Law and when it was read to him and all the people of Judah, he tore his clothes and feared God.

There are plentiful blessings for those who fear God. Psalm 34:9 says “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him”
Psalm 145:19 says, “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him…” He will answer all your prayers.
Pro. 19:23 says “The fear of the Lord leads to life. And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil”

Let me conclude with a recap of why we must fear God. We must fear Him for…
1. He is King of the nations
2. He is holy
3. He has forgiveness
4. He is mighty
5. He has done great things
6. He is Judge
7. He chastens (disciplines) us

We are asked to walk the narrow way. For broad is the way that leads to evil. But narrow is the way, and difficult is the path, that leads to life. And there are few who find it.

Dear Lord, thank You, that Your Word is simple to understand and full of promises. Remove our earthly fears. Help us enter the narrow way and to be bold and courageous here on earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Stop! Look! Go!

(Message by Philip Joseph on 4th October, 2009.)

Our Lord often spoke in parables, which illustrated the truths He wanted to convey. His illustrations were taken from every-day occurrences, which easily registered in the minds of His hearers. Today I would like to convey a spiritual truth using an illustration of a traffic signal. As motorists we understand the traffic signal well, and since it is a part of our daily routine it’s easy to remember. There are three parts to a traffic signal : RED,AMBER & GREEN. The red signal indicates that we are to STOP! The amber indicates that we are to LOOK, while the green permits us to GO!

1. RED : STOP

The Bible exhorts us in I Corinthians 15:34 to stop sinning. We need to always stop at this red signal. As motorists, sometimes we get away crossing a red signal, but we can never get away from God! He always watches us unlike the cops who are not always there. If the cops notice us, we have to pay the fine. Worse still, we can end up in an accident which can damage our vehicle, injure us or even lose our life. Similarly we have to face the consequence of sinning. The Bible says in Galatians 6:7, that we reap whatever we sow. Whenever we sin & break God’s laws, we reap its consequences. Hence we must always be careful never to break God’s red signal. The Holy Spirit within our hearts always prompts us, whenever we are in danger of breaking this signal & we must always obey the promptings of the Spirit. In the Old Testament, we find that God gave His laws to the Israelites, but they often broke it. He gave them 10 commandments, the first four of which related to God & the last six related to their fellow-man. Often in Israel’s history, they forsook God & went after idols. They also practised the sins of the surrounding heathen nations, which resulted in judgement. In the book of Judges, we find that God allowed their enemies to triumph over them & whenever they repented, God sent them a deliverer or judge to lead them into victory. Similarly in the books of Samuel,Kings & Chronicles we see the same cycle of sin,judgement,repentance & deliverance spread over 2000 years. The Israelites boasted about their magnificent temple but God sent them prophet after prophet to warn them of their sin. Finally we know that God allowed the Babylonian army to invade Jerusalem and destroy the temple. Similarly we in the new covenant cannot take refuge merely in the fact that we are born again & are God’s special people on earth. We need to stop sinning & live a life of obedience to Him. Otherwise God will permit our enemies to triumph over us. However if we obey Him, we will remain under His covering & there is no power on earth or hell that can disrupt our lives.

2. AMBER : LOOK

While driving if we see an amber signal blinking, we need to drive carefully. If we see the signal change from green to amber, we have to use our judgement as to whether we can cross the signal before it changes to red. Similarly in our walk with the Lord, there is an amber signal sometimes. Romans 14 is a chapter devoted to amber. There are many issues in which the Lord gives us freedom to use our own judgement. There are some believers who like to celebrate special days or avoid certain foods, but Paul exhorts us in Romans 14:17, that the kingdom of God does not consist in these matters. There are many non-essential matters in which we need to give freedom to our spouse & our fellow-believers to have their own conviction. The Bible calls us to unity & not uniformity! We can agree to disagree on non-essentials! Some Christian groups are very particular that the preacher should wear white & not have any gold ornaments, but these are matters which are minor issues. We should not major on the minor issues! Some believers have a conviction of not taking medicines, but trust that that God will heal them. Others believe that God uses medicines too to heal us. Whatever is our personal conviction on such issues, we can have it before God (Romans 14:22) & strive to maintain peace & harmony with our fellow-believers who may have a diametrically opposite conviction.
There are many matters in which the Bible is totally silent. This too falls in the ambit of the amber zone. On all such matters we need to be cautious & use our own judgement & the promptings of our own conscience. The Scripture tells us of the “peace of God” (Colossians 3:15) that acts as an arbiter in our hearts in such cases. When God gives us a peace on the matter we can proceed or else we should stop. The amber changes either to green or red!

3. GREEN : GO

We can continue at whatever speed we are driving, whenever we see the green signal.
If our vehicle is stationary, we have full freedom to proceed whenever the signal changes to green.
The Scriptures exhort us to GO in the following matters :

a. Pray : In Matthew 6:6, our Lord instructs us to go to our inner room & pray. In the realm of prayer, the signal is always green! We can go to God at any time or place. We need to shut out every disturbance & pray to God in privacy. We also need to verbalise, so that we can hear what we are praying!

b. Reconcile : In Matthew 5:24, our Lord instructs us to go & be reconciled with our fellow-believers before presenting an offering to God. If possible, as far as it depends on us, we need to pursue peace with all people. (Romans 12:18). The signal is always green on the path of reconciliation! We need to aggressively pursue a harmonious relationship within our families, church & society at large.

c. Compassion : In Matthew 9:13, we are told to go & learn what it means to have compassion. Our Lord rebuked the religious leaders for their lack of compassion. He gave us the Great commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) to love God & our fellow-man. He illustrated it with the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:30-37)

d. Commission : We all know of the Great commission to Go! (Matthew 28:19-20). Whenever we preach the gospel, make disciples, baptise or teach people we see a green signal. We need to go full speed ahead!


May the Lord help us to understand these signals so that we may know when to stop, look & go.