From the Pastor’s Desk
April 2020
Dear people of God,
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We live in disturbing times, placed by God and did not happen by accident. Consider these words by Roy Zuck: “For the child of God, there are no accidents, only incidents.” There are no accidents with God, only incidents that are appointed by him for our good and his glory. As Tony Evans has pointed out, everything that happens in the world is either caused by God or allowed by God, and there is no third category. Nothing ever “just happens” and nothing is caused by someone or something outside of God’s control.
Romans 5:3-4 spells out how this process works: “We also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.” We all want hope, but we don’t want affliction. If you want hope to flood your heart, it starts with affliction that leads to endurance that produces proven character that results in the Holy Spirit filling us with hope.
We need to remember that disturbing times are not entirely negative. They may in fact be a sign that we are in the will of God. Thomas Constable has a very helpful word at this point: When trouble comes, Christians often react by doubting that they are where God wants them to be; they often think that they have done something wrong and that God must be displeased with them. Even some mature Christians react this way, as evidenced by Paul’s words of reassurance to Timothy many years later. “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Yet storms often come to believers to make them able to stand firm, rather than to blow them away (cf. 2 Cor. 4:15-16). (From the Bible Knowledge Commentary).
Let us not forget that, it is God who sometimes will allow certain situations in our lives to test our faith. It is really easy to say that we trust God, until we get a call from our doctor with some bad news, or until that person we are in love with rejects us, or until our job comes to an end. These are few life experiences that are so real and inevitable.
When you are going through hardship or difficulty, sometimes it seems as though God has forgotten about you, that He is too busy. But God always has time for you. He loves you. God is fully aware of what you are experiencing. Will you still trust Him even when things don’t go your way — even when life doesn’t unfold the way that you hoped it would? Will you trust God to see you through the storm? Will you pass the test?
We have no idea that this lockdown will be lifted soon or continues further. The church meets or not as it was before, we were reminded that it is the church without walls makes a world of difference in the society. We need our beautiful church buildings and we honour this as a monument standing as a sign of God’s love. But this visible building will be in use only when people inside will move out with love in action. Read with me as I place before you these 3 simple steps that would help us to work and stay together as one body of Christ.
Pray
Most experts agree that a lockdown in India is necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19 as the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide continues to climb. But shutting down a country like India for longer periods will be difficult. Many face hunger and starvation in the absence of daily wages. About 80 percent of India’s 470 million workers are in the informal sector, lacking contracts and unprotected by labour laws. Many are manual laborers in the fields, factories and streets of India. Many people do not have a house. In such cases what would they do when we say ‘stay at home’ or ‘work from home’
Lockdown brought the country to a standstill, emptying streets, grounding flights, halting rail services and putting millions of people out of work. On the other side there are measures taken by the government, state and the central, offering cash transfers and free food to the poor. But the amounts of money and food provided through government initiatives are insufficient and sometimes delivered slowly. For people who stay in cities like Bangalore, there is nothing in the market to buy due to disrupted supply chains. The sense of fear and uncertainty is already affecting people’s mental health.
In times like this, as a church without walls, we need to pray and make use of this opportunity to help the homeless and show the love of Christ.
Practice
we all know that Jesus did not start life at home or in a hospital. He was born in a stable and his crib was an eating trough for animals. At the end, Jesus did not die at home or in a hospital, being supported by the kind of care that dying people can expect. In his own particular way, Jesus was born, lived and died as a homeless person, the brother and friend of all homeless people and of all refugees and who are needy. Jesus repeatedly showed his practical concern for homeless people.
The Old Testament prophets vigorously reminded their audiences to care for widows, aliens, orphans and other people in distress. Sometimes we are tempted to despair or be cynical; thinking that things are hopeless and that nothing we do makes any difference. We can’t do everything but we can do something. Consider the following three steps that would help us to put in to practice all that we have learnt from our Master.
Firstly, become more aware of the issues. Inform yourself. Secondly, reflect on your own values and lifestyle. Thirdly, get involved. Take action.
God is not just looking for our worship or our engagement in religious activities. He is looking for our love for Him demonstrated through our love for the poor and needy in our world. Ask God to fill you afresh with his compassion. Make justice, love, and mercy your priorities. Be part of the solution.
Present
History shows us that ancient Israel had a progressive form of welfare too. Around 1/3 of the tithes were redistributed to the poor (fatherless children and widows). Debts were considered a form of slavery and were forgiven every seven years. Landowners were required to leave part of their crops on the land for the poor to take and the land itself was redistributed every fifty years to allow all citizens the chance to start again. Ancient Israel’s welfare policies were far more progressive than the policies that we have now.
Be reminded that all things come from God. Everything that you are and everything that you have belongs to God. As Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God”. One of the greatest things that would increase our generosity is by realizing that God has provided for us not to hoard but to honour Him with our finances. He provides for us to be a blessing to others. We don’t need to gain anything from our giving. We give cheerfully and expect nothing in return. We can never pay Christ back for what He has done on the cross for us. In the same way, don’t be afraid to give to people who you know can never pay you back.
We shouldn’t be pressured by others to give. We should not give out of greed because we think that God is going to bless us with more. We should not give out of pride to be honoured by others. We should give cheerfully for the glory of our King. God is who He says He is. We have nothing and we are nothing. It’s all about Him and it’s all for Him that we present.
Conclusion
I am glad to share this message because we all need some encouragement and direction. It reminds us again that we grow stronger as we lean on each other. If you’re having a hard time keeping your head above the water, tell someone else. Don’t fight the battle alone. Let the Lord minister to you through the resources of the body of Christ.
Our hard times are designed to bring us closer to the Lord. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Let us therefore endure our trials with grace and courage, knowing that in the end the clouds will part and the sun will shine again. Fear not, we have a great God who loves us more than we know. Look to Jesus and you will find the strength you need. When your trials are over, you will come forth as gold.
Rev. Sebestian Ravi Kumar
Sr. Pastor & District Superintendent
