This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on June 23rd 2024 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Why Give?

When we meet someone for the first and introduce ourselves, but we don’t ask how much they earn. Even in church, nobody is comfortable in discussing money. Through the scriptures we see that Jesus spoke a lot about money and possessions. Scholars found out that 15% of what Jesus spoke was about money. So, money must be important.

Every year we take a special offering across RB churches in all nations and everyone participates in this. So blessed by the ones in Word of Grace church who have been giving like Macedonians.

Let us look at God’s Word and stir our hearts.

Mark 14:1 – 11

We see 4 anointings of Jesus with perfume. In Luke, it was early in His ministry. In Mark, it was towards the end of His life. Only in John, it tells us that it was Mary.

John 12:3 - Then Mary took about a pint^[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

It happened in the house of Simon the leper. Probably he was a leper but was healed by Jesus. He opened his house for Jesus and His disciples.

What happened before that was that Lazarus died and Jesus raised him to life after 4 days. The family was thrilled. People came from different places to see Lazarus. This is the setting – they were close to the Passover; Lazarus was raised to life in Bethany.

At this setting, Mary, sister of Lazarus comes with an alabaster jar filled with pure nard which is worth a year’s wages. This perfume is very precious and expensive. We use perfume using a spray. Just a little is enough for the fragrance. Nobody pours the whole perfume over someone. But Mary broke down the jar and poured it on Jesus.

Looking at this, the disciples used the word “indignantly”. It is a strong word to use. It can be used to describe the bull’s snorting during the bull fight in Spain. The disciples rebuked her harshly. The disciples were calculating with their minds, but Mary calculated with her heart. She didn’t count the cost. She loved Jesus. She was showing her gratitude towards Jesus who raised her brother to life.

Mark 14:6 - ⁶ “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

Jesus stood up for Mary when the disciples rebuked her. Jesus also said that what Mary had done was a beautiful thing.

Jesus was worth more than this because of what he was willing to do. If only the disciples knew that.

When we give, we give before the judge of the universe. What He thinks about our giving is important.

When Jesus died, there was no time for embalming him as Sabbath was approaching. There was only one opportunity for embalming and Mary took that opportunity.

John 12:7 - ⁷ “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

Mark 14: 10-11 - ¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Later, Judas took the opportunity to betray Him but Mary took the opportunity to embalm him.

Matthew 26:48 - ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

Mary’s act of devotion was love and Judas’ act of devotion was betrayal.

God has blessed us abundantly.

The perfume that was offered was for Jesus’ body. The gift day offering is for the body of Christ – church. Worship is more than singing. It is a sacrifice.

As we prepare our hearts, let us think – Who would I want to be? Mary or Judas?

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Father's Day

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on June 16th 2024 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Father's Day

Origin of Father’s Day – A lady who lost her mother was listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day. After her mother’s death, her dad took care of her very well. She wanted to honour her father and thus celebrating Father’s Day began.

We all know that God is our Father. He revealed himself to us as Father. God was revealed as a loving Father in the Old Testament and New Testament. All of us are familiar with the Lord’s prayer. It starts with “Our Father”. The God who created everything is powerful and a loving Father. We are His sons and daughters. Jesus came to this Earth to reveal His Father. In the parable of Prodigal Son, we see that even though his younger son took his share, spent away everything, and came back to his father, out of love and grace, he was accepted by his father.

In the Bible, it is written that we must honour our fathers. We must honour all the elders but especially fathers. We are called to honour and respect our parents. Train your children to respect their elders.

We must thank God for fathers. One of the greatest problems in the world is fatherlessness. Let us look at some of the main responsibilities of a father.

1.        Provide for children

If you have the ability, you must provide for your children. In slum areas, we see that the men get drunk, gamble, smoke and don’t work. It is the women who go to different houses to work had and provide for the family.

1 Timothy 5:8 - Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

2.        Protect the family

John 17:12 - While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by^[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

Jesus protected his disciples. WE must protect our children too.

Disciplining them is a part of protecting them. We must protect their character, values and future. Don’t dump everything on your wife. It is your responsibility too.

3.        Instruction and Example

Ephesians 6:4 - Fathers,^[b] do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Start training your children at an early age. A part of the instruction is an example.

If we instruct them to read the Bible and pray, we should be doing that too. Schools and churches are only to support the children. The primary responsibility lies in the hands of the parents.

·        Teach them courtesy, honour, giving, serving, respect, handling conflict, help them to cast their burdens on Christ.

·        Love them. Children are looking for love, affection and affirmation. Mothers do it more. Fathers must do it too.

4.        Leave an inheritance

Proverbs 13:22 - A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

Let us look what we can leave as an inheritance for our children.

a)        Convictions, beliefs, philosophies

Genesis 18:19 - For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

We must keep the way of the Lord. Generation after generation, we must follow God’s ways. So, spend time with your children by telling them bible stories, sharing the gospel and pray for them

b)       Name

Here “name” is reputation, credibility, track record.

Genesis 12:2 - “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

c)        Relationships

The world functions on relationships. We must pass on our relationships to our children,

d)       Physical assets

Cash, property, gold etc., are all physical assets. Do not be biased when it comes to son and daughter. Leave behind equal assets for all the children. Daughters are as valuable as sons. Make a will and keep it ready.

There are no perfect fathers in the Bible. To be a godly father, we need the grace of God and strength of God.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Back to Basics - Part 1 - Who are you following?

 

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on June 2nd 2024 by Lasya. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Who am I following?

Let’s start with a quiz - what were Jesus’ first words to any of his disciples? 

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 5:18-19 

About 10 times in each of the gospels, Jesus says, ” Follow me” to his disciples. 

You can be a social media follower of Jesus- enjoy his teachings, subscribe to his beliefs, and tomorrow if you see something that doesn’t align with how you think or feel, you can unfollow. 

University style of following - listen to sermons, learn the Hebrew and Greek but don’t actually know how to put it into practice. Spiritually obese.

A disciple is a life-long learner: not an academic acquiring information about God, but a craftsman acquiring skills in the faith.” –Eugene Peterson

Apprenticeship- In the Jewish culture of apprenticeship, the apprentice would go with his master everywhere, learn from him and one day, become like him.

Matthew 8: 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Does this model work? 

Illustration of the Meenakari work, Stradivarius violin, Kintsugi art centuries old crafts that are still alive today. It’s not because of a university, but because of apprenticeship. Each master in his lifetime will only take 6-10 apprentices. Is he ineffective? No, these crafts have lasted centuries without compromising the quality. This is the model of discipleship that Jesus laid down for us. How did Jesus take on the world? By taking Peter, John, James, Andrew and other disciples.

Each of them left something or someone behind to follow Jesus. How do we think of following Jesus today? 

There are 3 steps - the tagline of Word of Grace. 

1. Enjoying God - Being with him/ beholding him 

1. The primary call of God is to himself. Mark 3:13-15 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

2. How can you be with someone who is invisible? John 4:24 - God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

3. What do you do with him? Thank him (Psalm 100), Listen to him (my sheep listen to my voice), talk to him (prayer- ask and you shall receive), delight in him(behold, contemplate the glory of the Lord)

4. Reflection question - What rhythms do you have in your life to be with Jesus? What is your sacred space, time? Do you have times when you will not touch your phone or any digital devices and completely turn your attention and affection towards Jesus? (Not just Sunday morning worship)

2.               Making Friends - Do as he did.

 

a.               Imitation - we are so scared of that word because we all want to protect our individuality. 

                                     i. But we are called to imitate Him. John 13:14-15 “14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. ” 

                                    ii. In fact, we are called to imitate those who imitate him! 1 Cor 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Illustration of an artisan. What are we supposed to imitate? Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Heb.13:7).

                                  iii. Reflection Question- Who are you imitating? 

 

b.               Picture of apprenticeship. Eric Metcalf - 5 stages of apprenticeship - 

i. I do , you watch, we talk  

ii. I do, you help, we talk

iii. You do, i help, we talk

 iv. You do, i watch, we talk

  v. You do, someone else watches. Jesus did this with his disciples.

 

c.               Meals not meetings - Christian life is lived around meals not meetings. Jesus was always eating. With his brothers and sisters(those who were for him), with his enemies(those who were against him), with noted leaders of the synagogue (those who were socially above him), with sinners (those who were beneath him). 

Reflection question- What meals are you putting off with any one of these categories of people? 

3.     Changing lives - Becoming like him 

          

Q. What is the goal of your Christian life? 

Believe → become?

Romans 8:29 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”

 

Believe → Behold → Behave → Become 

Salvation Sanctification

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2 ESV

a.               Who transforms us? So just as you would go to the doctor and ask why I am not losing weight, when we feel stuck in our spiritual growth, we need to go to his word and spirit and ask where I am stuck

b.               Jesus is committed to finish what he started. But what did he start in you? Not your job, your finances, your fame, or even your ministry. Jesus is not committed to your success. He is committed to forming Christ in you. 

c.               This is a long road. So much so that it is not going to be complete on this side of eternity. But it can be an indicator of who you are following. The partially formed version of Jesus that is in each of us. 

d.               Reflection Question - Are you more like Jesus today than you were a year ago? 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.