Come Lord Jesus..!

Dear friends, greetings to you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I would like to thank everyone who gave their valuable comments on my previous article on Simon Peter. Really, I am encouraged to write many more articles because of you all.

In this issue ,I would like to throw light on the second coming of our Lord Jesus. , I am not that much mature enough to deal with topics like  this ,but considering the need of the hour and the tough days ahead  it is obvious that even the stones around us will start to talk about our Lord’s second coming. Revelation 22:20 says : “Yes, I am coming soon  .Amen .Come, Lord Jesus.”

‘Revelation’ from Greek  Apokalupsis  means “uncovering or removing the veil which is placed on human eyes so that they could not see what is going to come and what is good for them. Also, the book of Revelation is a kind of eschatology which is teaching about the last happenings and the end of the entire world-the end of human history and the beginning of Lord’s eternal reign with full sovereignty.

              

Today, many of us are crying unto the Lord and say “Come, Lord Jesus.”. Why this prayer? The world has become a rotten rut ,a veritable hell ,a hot bed of all vices and a hotch -potch of all nonsense.. Friends, just for a while think about the activities of the people who live around you. Wherever we turn we find appallingly abominable offences and crimes committed by people of all categories-children ,students ,officials, politicians and even theologians. Ambition, avarice,prejudices,petulance,selfishness,ingratitude,disobedience,arrogance, a rat race for money ,all kinds of disorderliness at higher levels, nepotism , redtapism, corruption, injustice, mis-appropriation of  public and government money, drunkenness, debauchery, fearlessness, non-involvement, shirking responsibilities, terrorism, mutiny ,rape, rowdism ,homosexuality, all kinds of betrayals , quarrels, strifs, struggles in familes and societies, wife-beating, infanticide, unwanted court cases, divisions in the church for power ,neglect of the elders and their advice, a new generation of parsons and clergy men who mint money by misleading the ignorant churchlings.. and what else !all these rule the roost today.

                                          

For scientific blessings we turn to the technocrats and we even approach our political and social icons. For spiritual and ethical guidance we have taken a detour from or God. Our Christianity has become Churchianity. People even think that by donating liberally to Christian organizations they can win a berth in heaven! Did Jesus ever keep money with Him ? He had no purse either! It was with Judas. When He was asked to pay the tax, He asked  Peter to catch a fish, find money in its mouth and then give it to the tax collector Friends, our God never wants  our money and our riches, He just wants a humble heart which recites His name. Have you ever heard of the sword of Damocles-it is just hanging above our head.

The famous English poet T.S. Eliot has pointed out that the world has become a total Wasteland, a cactus-land with sterile and spiritually hollow, empty and cacophonus people. God loathes us as He once loathed and confounded the language of the people who tried to build the tower of Babel against His wishes .During his earthly ministry , Lord Jesus warned the people of the terrible times which will come very soon. The Bible says, ”For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be .And if those days had not been shortened ,no human being would be saved but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened”(Matt 24:21,22)

Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:1-5”In the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money ,proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce haters of good, treacherous, reckless , swollen with conceit ,lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God ,holding the form of religion but denying the power of it”. Friends ,my aim is not to bring fear to you after reading all these but to know the truth .As science and technology is growing fast, many things have become real .But people seem to be insecure in spite of all the security made available .Why all such situations?

The answer can be traced out only in the Bible .It is because of the deliberate disobedience of the commandments of God. .The Bible says that when Cain’s offering was rejected by the Lord  ,he was annoyed and got angry. The Lord said to Cain ,”Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen ?If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door ;its desire is for you, but you must master it”(Genesis 4:6,7).Therefore it is written in the Romans 12:1,2,”I appeal to you therefore, brethren ,by the mercies of God , to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship .Do not be conformed to this world ,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind ,that you may prove what is the will of God ,what is good and acceptable and perfect ”.Moreover Jesus said, ”And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold”(Matt 24:12)

The problems in the world are increasing day by day. As soon as a problem is solved a new one will arise in a more complicated way .The progress achieved in eradicating diseases like polio, chickenpox etc. are to be appreciated; but AIDS and SARS are really testing man’s authority .The Bible says when God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and man’s thought was only evil, HE decided to destroy mankind from the face of the earth .It also says that when Sodom and Gomorrah became great with sin ,God decided to destroy those cities. When wickedness of Nineveh was great God sent Jonah to warn them. As they believed the word of God they repented .Lord sent His prophets in all the ages to call people back to Him .Jesus said, ”The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ,and believe in the gospel”.(Mark 1:15).Peter said to the multitude assembled at Jerusalem,” Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins “.(Acts 2:28)

Dear friends, everything happening around us are the signs of the second coming of Lord Jesus. He wants everyone to come back to Him with true repentance .Philippians 2:14-16 says ”Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation ,among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life ,so that in the day of Christ ,I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” .It is difficult to predict what will happen next. We are truly living an uncertain life. Hebrews 9:27-29 clearly says that the second coming of Jesus would be a joyous day for those who are eagerly waiting for Him. Christ can come any day , anytime.  Let us prepare ourselves for the eternal journey with our Father.

                                                                  I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back.

The world behind me ,the Cross before me

No turning back.

Peter denies Christ:A critical study

My dear friends, I wish you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is so nice to meet you all  through blogger.com.I want to share my article with you which got published in a reputed Tamil magazine 'Samadhanathin Narcheithi'. As you all know,I am neither a scholar nor a writer.But I am a firm believer that'if you use tour talents for the Lord,He will be pleased enough to crown you with peace and happiness'.

Friends ,we are all familiar with Simon Peter, more commonly Peter who is fondly called  the ‘First Pope’of the Catholic world .I have seen some Catholics who pray to Peter, calling him a Saint( as of course, he is) believing that he would recommend Lord Jesus for our needs. Well, well……let me throw light on my area of discussion ...Peter denies Christ for the third time……Sounds odd! isn’t it…

As Jesus was walking alongside the Sea of Galilee ,He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen and were casting a net into the lake.”Come follow me”, Jesus said .”And I will make you fishers of men”. At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matt 4:18-20)

Friends ,let us scrutinize thie above passage. The Lord Himself ,invited Peter .Peter was neither  a landlord nor a noble man. He was just a petty fisher-folk whom the Lord selected .He along with Andrew, James and John( fellow fishers, disciples of Christ) teamed up and Jesus seemed to take a special delight in Peter. Let us make a character study of Peter..

Firstly,it was his courage that distinguished him from other disciples and made Peter a take-charge kind of guy .When Christ approached the disciples’ boat, walking on the water,it was Peter who got out of the boat and started to walk on the water.(Matt 18:10)

Secondly,it was Peter who made the first public declaration of the Lord’s true identity as the Messaiah(Matt 16:16).Thirdly, when Jesus and his team was surrounded by the Roman guards on the night of our Lord’s arrest ,it was Peter who was brave enough to face them and he proved it by chopping off Malchus’ ear.(John 18:10)

(And friends,only St.John has written that Peter chopped off Malchus’ ear.St.Matthew ,St.Mark, St.Luke have written ‘a member from the group’ chopped off Malchus’ ear)

These points give us a good certificate about Peter and his character .But things change dramatically within a night before Jesus’ death.And one of the most unbelievable incidents was the denial of Jesus Christ by Peter. Every one who read the bible would not have expected Peter to do such a thing.

There are many views on this topic .Scholars have argued a lot and there are also some people who consider Peter as an instrument of devil. Friends whatever may be the discussions we must not forget that PETER WAS SELECTED BY OUR LORD JESUS HIMSELF.

If this so .then why Peter deny Christ…that too for 3 full times..?

Peter was with Jesus when He was teaching  in the synagogues, preaching  the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and healing all kinds of sickneses  and diseases of  the people.When Jesus performed miracles and drove out the devils, Peter would  have believed that this man was  really  the Son of God.He might have even thought that Jesus was the MESSAIAH for whose arraival they  were all  waiting. He might have thought that Jesus would live long and deliver them  from the hands of Romans and become their unconquerable worldly emperor.

       When Jesus was  discussing with his disciples about His flesh, His spirit, and the promised eternal life(John 6:58-65)some of his disciples found hard to digest  his teachings and  they  backslided and went away.(John 6:66) On seeing this, Jesus questioned his close and intimate disciples whether they too  wanted to leave him(67). Peter was quick, in answering Jesus and he declared "Lord,to whom shall we go?You have the words of eternal life."(68). He asserted:  “Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the son of the living God."(69)

       This reply was a very firm and a convincing one showing his conviction.  Would you ever believe  that  the same mouth which uttered  these words would  disown our Lord three times? There was another incident  which we all remember. When Jesus asked His disciples what they thought of Him, Peter immediately answered that He was the Christ, the son of the living God(Matt 16:15-16).Jesus blessed Peter and declared that he was the rock on which He would establish His kingdom. On hearing this, Peter's faith would have certainly increased. The words of Jesus  would have encouraged and pleased him beyond limits.

        Things began to change when Jesus started  revealing  many things about His death. When Jesus told them that he had to go to Jerusalem, suffer,die,rise  up on the 3rd day,  Peter was not able to control his emotions. He took Him aside, rebuked Him and said that “these things should not happen to you”(21-22).

         Peter told this  because  he never wanted Jesus to die. Perhaps he did not believe that Jesus would rise up again on the third day after his death.As a very simple person Peter was never aware of the fact that God has a purpose in everything and that His death and His resurrection should happen only according to His will and the will of  His Father. Peter did not want to lose the person who had come to  save them all.

       When the  transfiguration took place before Peter,James and John, Peter was the first to ask Jesus whether they had to build three tents for everyone of them. And when they heard the voice from the cloud: “This is my Beloved Son,in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him" they were taken aback and shocked. The disciples, mainly Peter, would not have expected such dramatic things.He would have just gone with Jesus thinking that they were going for prayer, but it was God's plan to prove that he was the Son of God.  Jesus wanted  his disciples to see with their own eyes His marvellous transfiguration which was totally a divine experience.

     This Peter, who had the chance to witness all these happenings finally disowned Jesus three times.

        After the Last Supper, Jesus said that all  his disciples would stumble(Matt.26:31).  Peter who always  props up with a question or an  answer, did not miss this opportunity. He said that he would be firm no matter what others might do. He said that he  would not stumble(38). Jesus hit back at him saying that he would deny Him thrice. This would have shocked  Peter and hence he replied that he was even ready to die along with Jesus if there was such a predicament.(35)

        When Jesus was arrested ,Peter was the first to protest(as I said in my first article).When Jesus was taken to the high priest,Peter followed Him at a distance upto the courtyard.(Matt 26.58). Peter was so concerned about Jesus that he was  eager to know what was happening inside the house.  He was alone, frightened and  frustrated.  No other disciple was with him and his hopes about salvation and the work that had to be accomplished by the  Messaiah ended  in smoke.

       It was at such a situation, Peter disowned  Christ.As he was sitting out at the courtyard,a servant girl accused him and said that he was also with Jesus. But Peter denied the truth  in front of all assembled there.(Matt 26:69,70) Peter would not have expected this. He knew that if he accepted it, and told the truth, he would be also arrested and kept under custody for enquiry.  So he silently moved to the gateway.  Here he was seen by another girl who also told the people that  Peter was also with Jesus. Peter denied this too with an oath(Matt 26:71,72)

       When the people  accused him and said that  he was also with Jesus, Peter threw a curse at them and vowed  that HE DID NOT KNOW JESUS.(Matt26:73'74). Friends!  Do you know what  happened?   The  rooster  crowed  as our  Lord had  rightly  pointed  out earlier.   Realizing

his betrayal of his dear Master “Peter wept bitterly” (75).  Peter would not have forgotten these things till he died.  Some preachers say that when he was  questioned,  he denied Christ with all ferocity  just to escape from the people. But this is wrong. If Peter wanted to escape,  he would not have gone to the courtyard. He cannot be called a coward because he was the first to  attack   Malchus  and cut off  his ear. As I understand,  it was only God’s plan  to teach him a lesson so that he would become a firm rock on which the Church could be built. Has this not happened in history?  What do you say  to this?.

       Friends!  We  also at times behave like Peter. We also fail to understand God's plan in our lives and we act  according to our will ignoring God’s plan. Here lies our doom and  fall. We do not get what we desire. So, right from our childhood days we have to build up our prayer life, realize what God is keeping in store for us and move ahead. God bless you always and in all your ways.Reflect Him in all you do and reap good blessings.God bless you! 


                                                jeffy.walter@gmail.com

First step in blogger..

Hi everybody! today am stepping into blogger.Every man in this world is different from one another,atleast with more than 6 differences.It is always unusual to find someone with our tastes.So most of our real inner thoughts remain as thoughts itself.And thats why man has found something called Blog AND social networking etc.Life is not easy till the end,and earning a good name has become difficult..But how was many things possible for me..?Magic..?...Luck..?..Lottery...?..nah..Its my Jesus..with Him am always a HERO..