The religious— those wouldn’t see, those who couldn’t see.
The true disciples— those who trusted Him and gave up all to follow Him.
Reflection Which group do you belong in? Maureen and I trust that by God’s grace we’ll always be in that third category, despite whatever comes against us!
(September 02, 2024) Dr Jim McClure shares more about The Greatest Story…
Following the prophet Malachi’s death there were no further prophetic revelations about Israel. For over 400 years the nation went into spiritual decline, and lost its independence first to the Greeks and then to the Romans.
Throughout the centuries the prophets consistently challenged the moral and social corruption which the Bible describes as ‘darkness’ — but also revealed that God had not turned His back on humankind. While they had strongly denounced humanity’s rejection of God, they also affirmed that this had not resulted in God’s rejection of humankind! They also revealed that the message of the Old Testament was not the whole story but just the beginning of a much bigger story.
They further indicated that a new chapter would begin when God Himself would personally get involved on planet earth — a chapter revealing God’s loving plan to reach out to a fallen, broken world by becoming personally involved!
byDr S Sam Selva Raj, Founder and Pastor, Echo of His Call Ministries, Chennai, India
================================================ Editorial Notation: It was 56 years ago that a young man responded to God’s call to serve Him faithfully… and he did, willingly. I have known Dr Sam for many years and can declare him as an achiever for God’s kingdom, having had the honour of ministering in the main church as well as some of his outreaches. I also had the joy of being special speaker at a Nehemiah Bible College graduation service, encouraging the enthused graduating students eager to minister in the Holy Spirit to their fellow countryfolk.
I count this servant of faith as my brother-in-Christ. He and his family know their calling in God and haven’t hesitated to be led by Him, always relying on the Holy Spirit to win souls for Jesus, open doors, provide needed finance and enable them to be accomplish whatever the ministry challenges have been, still are.And God has blessed them all!
What the ministry has accomplished over the past 56 years (celebrated earlier this month) through ready willingness to serve God is incredible! May Dr Sam’s article this month encourage readers to be daring and ‘go for it in God.’
It has blessed greatly me to support Dr Sam and Echo of His Call Ministries in whatever way I can, especially his special daily YouTube broadcasts. Karthar ungalai aasivathipar! Bhagwan tumhare saath ho! ================================================
(August 26, 2024) S. Sam Selva Raj encourages and strongly challenges…
Abounding with God’s blessings is the reward of leading a faithful life! But this is not always seen… and some Christians can wrongly think, ‘What is the use of living a faithful life?’
Take heart! The truth is that those who are faithful to God and His wishes receive divine help abundantly!
‘A faithful person will abound with blessings…’ confirms Proverbs 28:20NASB. CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) reads, ‘A trustworthy person will receive many blessings.’ Message: ‘Committed and persistent work pays off.’
(July 23, 2024) David McGuire from England has been called The Missionary Builder With The Camera. He often conveys reports to readers with his camera, not a lot of words! Below he updates us…
Just a few photos this month… we’ve been busy locally in Romania — and my heart still cares for troubled Ukrainians, especially Christian brothers and sisters up there who need natural food supplies as well as spiritual.
Praise God for Romanian Christians who are still willing to assist troubled Ukrainians. We delight in honouring our Saviour’s expectations to ‘love your neighbour’ (Matthew 22:37–39) and ‘make disciples’ (Matthew 28:18-20).
I believe we all can say that we are living in fascinating times — some may say interesting times, others deceptive times.
Recognition The apostle Paul was concerned about times… dangerous, perilous timesin the church before the return of Christ.He observed examples in his day — non-Christian characteristics — andwrote a warning to young Timothyabout such.
‘There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power’ (2Timothy 3:3-5a).
Paul saw such unChristian-like, self-seeking characteristics back then as a sign of living in the last days and advised ‘Have nothing to do with such people’ (v5b).
We may be looking at the same biblical scenario today!It appears such times and the same kind of church people are even more obvious in our day!
(May 19, 2024) Robert and Maureen McQuillan encouragingly share…
Today is Pentecostal Sunday, a day when many churches will celebrate the day that Jesus’ promise of power to enable us to spread the gospel with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Dr Jim McClure mentions in his article this month – The Power of Pentecost – that ‘Pentecost has often been described as the “Birthday of the Church.” Why? Because Pentecost was the day when the mission of the church was born.’
Question: Have you ever wondered what that early church’s gatherings were like? As time went by they were dangerous places to attend! You could be picked up and carted off to the local jail awaiting stuffing inside a lion’s carcass!
Oh, despite the current troubles here, the bad news we’re seeing some much about on TV, we have it so easy in this country. Christians here haven’t seen what that first church would face! They really had to stand up for their faith back then!
As that first church developed. it proved to be one that greatly loved, lived and loosened Jesus –
Loved Jesus Greatly In his classic book Darkness to Dawn, Dean Farrar tells of a young Roman boy who was drawn to the faith. Taking a chance, some Christians took him to a meeting in a granary. Had you gone too, like that teenager you would have observed at least five particular things –
1. The unity of the people Of one mind and purpose. They were so obviously in love with Jesus and had a great desire to share Him with others through witnessing. 2. The preaching of the word It was clear, expository, enlightening, and life-changing. Those gathered had an obvious hunger for the taught word. They so obviously wanted to be taught what God’s word really said. And to know more about Jesus. 3. The worship of Christ Reverberating, glossological, rapturous. It was evident that Jesus was Lord (the king, boss), not Caesar nor any of the leaders. 4. The response of God Readily shared testimonies confirmed that confident prayers were magnificently and amazingly answered. 5. The ministry of the Spirit Supernatural, revealing, releasing. The 1Corinthians 12 nine gifts of the Spirit operated orderly and the touch of God was evident with various blessings.
In effect that first church was a growing church, one filled with expectancy, where anything in God’s supernatural could happen – and did! It was a people fulfilling their destiny in Christ.
Lived Jesus Greatly It wasn’t about buildings and programs – the early church would meet in homes, underground, wherever. It was about people maturing in Christ and letting go of worldly thinking and contamination, and living life to the full by the power of the Spirit.
They lived and grew in Jesus! They knew that living Jesus greatly would enable Christians to live the life they were meant to have! And in professing Jesus they were desperately hungry for the touch of God, and for the word of God. And they were ready and willing to die for their faith in Jesus. He was Lord, nothing else mattered, only Jesus, God’s word and His commands and purpose for their lives.
Their security was in soundly in Christ. They feared no authority and were of the mind to share their testimony with the lost, whatever the cost. They did so boldly, in the power of the Holy Spirit whom they allowed to direct their lives and everyday experiences.
Everything that was not of God – habits, wrong attitudes, gossip, criticism, anger, unwholesome language and thoughts, selfishness and such had to go from mind, heart, and mouth.
Only Jesus, their love relationship with Him and with each other, and their eager desire for the whole world to know Jesus and the saving power of His shed blood counted. And, although constantly in danger, they were consistent in living lives worthy of Christ’s horrible Calvary sacrifice for them.
Loosened Jesus Greatly That is they determined to share the gospel message of Jesus as Saviour with neighbours and strangers just as Jesus had commanded in Matthew 22:37–39Mge, ““Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.” This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: “Love others as well as you love yourself.”’
This ‘loosening’ Jesus to those around soon spread everywhere as the church grew. It was the honouring of the great commission of Matthew 28:18-20. In time it would reach across the world, even today, touching many causing them to be thankful for God’s love and Jesus’ sacrificial death on Calvary.
As a Thai gentleman we met years ago who told us, ‘When I realised what Jesus had done for me on Calvary, what else could I do but give my life fully to Him in gratitude?’
That’s like the great English cricketer, CT Stud who allowed himself to be disinherited from his rich family inheritance to follow Jesus, said: ‘If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for to make for Him.’
The early church’s driving force was to –
Be aware of the times.
Have an all-consuming love for Jesus and His teachings.
Serve the Lord of all with a burning desire.
See Satan defeated in the lives of others
Carry the good news go to the entire world.
Live in the victory Jesus had gained for them on Calvary.
Fulfil their destiny!
Hear Jesus’ ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ on judgment day.
That first church was a people who are not afraid to move in faith. They would rather attempt something big in God and risk failing than do nothing because it was safer! May we, 2024’s Christians, follow their example and be directed by that same driving force!
Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4, ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.’
And as someone from the Jesus Film Project (www.jesusfilm.org) wrote some years ago: ‘If you love the Lord, you want to please Him. It just comes with the territory. Thankfully, we know the kind of things that please the Lord.
On that first Pentecost Sunday, those Holy Spirit filled Christians hit the streets with the gospel! Let us follow their example – let’s love and live for Jesus! And ‘loose’ around His good news message of love and salvation.
The refrain of a happy little hymn by Sydney Carter comes to mind – ‘It’s from the old to the new I travel: keep me traveling along with you.’
(November 24, 2023)Brian Bell shares comfort in these troubled times…
As we look towards the end of 2023 we find the world still facing many difficult if not intractable issues.
Most recently and topical has been the situation in the Middle East centred on the nation of Israel and its conflict in Gaza. Naturally, it has caused a lot of controversy around the world, even here in my homeland of Northern Ireland where there are conflicting views about who is to ‘blame’ for the conflict and what to do about it.
Noticeable ‘End times’ resurgence I have also noticed that it has caused a resurgence of ‘end times’ theogogy within the family of Christian believers and how the present conflict sits within that framework.
In the present situation my resolve is not to get sidetracked by speculative end time scaremongering… but rather keep with what I know is truth and try to ‘hold the fort’ to quote that old cliché and hymn. And I pray that it is so with other Christians around the world!
If asked the above genuine question, how would you answer?
Some of us might say: ‘Not too bad’ – with a fragment of truth in our answer. But the asker’s quick rejoinder probably might be ‘So you’re not too good, eh?’
And if they were to hear ‘I’m great, everything’s fantastic!’ they might doubt the veracity of that response.
An apt answer In reality most of us are learning life lessons, so a more apt answer to the question ‘How are you?’ most probably would be: ‘I’m learning and growing.’
Now there’s nothing to be ashamed of about growing and learning – we all process life at different speeds, and with some different responses. Sometimes we learn quickly, at other times it is slow and possibly downright painful. It could look like three steps forwards and two steps back.
Being a Christian is not like going to a spiritual Disneyland –
You don’t get every prayer answered your way.
You don’t always get a miracle when you ask for it.
But you do get to pray for God’s will to be done!
Spiritual flaws Life is not always easy and you can wonder does anyone else ever have it like me?
Connecting with You! 