Present is great as well

1 John 3:2

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

A few years back I was under a real personality crisis. I would compare myself with others and then feel bad about myself. I would then go into a sort of depression which would affect my behaviour and performance in all the areas of life. But then I met a person who mentored me and filled me with God’s goodness and taught me to take life as it comes. This is the best for today and realize the best for tommorow is yet to come.

We often live so much in the present that we don’t tend to learn from the past and the future looks dark. Several times we don’t realize that each one of us are different and our journey’ are also separate. There can be healthy competition but we need not stretch it into everything. Somethings are planned by God the way they should be.

When our lives are in the hands of God, you and I should know that we are in the right place now. As you learn from the past you will realize that the best is yet to come. But lets not forget that the present you live in might be tough, simple, dull or even crazy. That’s were God wants you to be now. This is the best for today. Lets accept it, live it and enjoy it. Greater things are yet to come but the present is great as well.

Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at Stanleytisac@gmail.com

Let us serve willingly

Romans 5:8

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Once a crowd was standing at a poolside and enjoying the view. Suddenly a little girl fell down and there was panic in the air. A middle aged man jumped into the water and got the girl back on ground. But once he got back, his first reaction was, WHO PUSHED ME INTO THE WATER. ???!!!

         When Jesus went to the cross HE was completely willing. HE was on earth to Die and without the shadow of a doubt HE was up for it. We did not deserve HIS sacrifice, but he went ahead to bless us and give us a new life. HE knew this is the need of the hour and involved HIMSELF completely to save the Humankind.

         Often times we are involved in things without any willingness and passion. Thus we do not enjoy the process. This in turn leads to affect our personality and behavior. When one is  not involved completely, it brings more harm than benefit. Let us serve willingly.

Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at Stanleytisac@gmail.com

Wait on the Lord

Psalm 27:14

"Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD."

We live in an era where practically most amenities can be ordered on demand. We're comfortable with instant meals, instant banking, and wireless communications. Literally ALL information that we seek can be accessed at the stroke of a few keys via huge search engines. Technology has so revolutionized the world that people have forgotten the concept of waiting. We become angry with people who drive too slow and intolerant with little children who want us help. It seems like the word "patience" has been erased from the minds and vocabulary of human beings. But God teaches us to be still and wait primarily because He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is the God who created the heavens and the earth, and all that is therein. It is better to put our trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding. Let us learn to wait on the Lord.

Stephen Thomas

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com

Christ our redemption

1 Corinthians 1:30

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 

A guy got a ticket for speeding. When he reached the courtroom he rejoiced seeing his best friend at the court as the judge. During the court proceedings the judge heard the charges, and to this guy's disappointment the judge fined him 300 $ for speeding. He was so upset and disappointed. But soon after the court proceedings got over, the judge, his best friend took 300 $ from his wallet and paid the fine. Was he guilty of the crime? Yes, he was found guilty but his fine was paid too. He no longer needs to be concerned about the fine or the ticket. 

God purchased us by His own blood, the forgiveness of our sins from Himself because He considered us valuable (Ephesians 1:7). We lost our worth because of sin, but God raised our value by purchasing us by His blood. He purchased us at a much higher price i.e. His blood so that we can come to Him feeling worthy. Our present worth is in Christ as Christ. 

Slavery was common in the Roman world especially during the time Paul lived. There were families that purchased these slaves and gave them the privileges of their children. Redemption paints the picture of a marketplace where a slave is purchased to be set free. God has set us free once and for all and has brought us into His marvellous light (Colossians 1:13). Jesus is our redemption.

Samuel Thomas (Sam)

Sam is a Christian minister who is serving the Lord in various capacities. He is working through Cross Impact and also involved with Crossway Church. He can be reached on samvthom16@gmail.com

Christ our santification

1 Corinthians 1:30

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

For a very long time I struggled as a Christian to live a holy life. The question that I often asked myself was “what should I do?”. To be really honest, there are times when I still ask this question. The point I’m trying to make here is that we either want quick solutions or easy steps. Religion

(including Christianity) gives us a set of ‘to-do’ list to straighten our lives, but God gave us a savior.

Sanctification is a state of separation unto God, which includes progressive purification. As believers, our sanctification means to be Christ conscious from being sin conscious. Repentance is not just turning away from sin, but is more importantly keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. Our sanctification is based on what He has done at the cross and is now doing in our lives. Only Christ can lead us into a holy life, for its no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us (Colossians 3:3, Galatians 2:20).

The moment we come in contact with water we get wet. Similarly when we are in Christ our lives are being transformed continuously. It is impossible to remain unchanged being in Jesus 

(2 Corinthians 3:18). God accepts us just as we are but He loves us so much that He wants us to be conformed to the image of His son ( Romans 8:29) . It is His work and He will complete it

(Philippians 1:6) . Christian living is not just difficult but impossible and only Jesus can live it right. Is your focus for sanctification on yourself or on Christ?

Samuel Thomas (Sam)

Sam is a Christian minister who is serving the Lord in various capacities. He is working through Cross Impact and also involved with Crossway Church. He can be reached on samvthom16@gmail.com

Christ our righteousness

1 Corinthians 1:30

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 

Martin Luther once said, “When God's righteousness is mentioned in the gospel, it is God's action of declaring righteous the unrighteous sinner who has faith in Jesus Christ. The righteousness by which a person is justified (declared righteous) is not his own but that of another, Christ.” 

I personally believe, righteousness in light of the new covenant only refers to the right standing that we have with God which is quite different from right living. In the old covenant, right standing with God could only be attained by right living. No one can be justified in the presence of God by their deeds. Isaiah 64:6 says, “all our righteous acts are filthy rags”. Right standing with God can never be attained by our righteous deeds. Only Christ can please God the Father and has become the cause of our right standing. When the Father sees us in Christ, He sees Christ and is completely pleased. 

We have received this gift of righteousness through faith in Christ (Romans 5:17). The struggle we have with ‘right living’ is that we are working from the outside. Christ has given us the gift of righteousness that empowers us to live right from the inside. We no longer do righteous deeds because we want to become righteous, but because we have been made righteous by Him. The philosophy of this world works something like this, first prove your worth and then you become deserving. But God made us deserving first, and now we are called to live a life worthy of His calling (Philippians 1:27). Our righteousness is not based on what we do but on what Christ did and who He is.

Samuel Thomas (Sam)

Sam is a Christian minister who is serving the Lord in various capacities. He is working through Cross Impact and also involved with Crossway Church. He can be reached on samvthom16@gmail.com

Christ our Wisdom

1 Corinthians 1:30

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 

King Solomon was known for his wisdom, wealth and literary skills. In his book of Ecclesiastes, he talks about the wisdom of the world (Ecclesiastes 1:13) that causes grief and sorrow (Ecclesiastes 1:18). There is no doubt that this world has wisdom, but the results of this wisdom is not glamorous. 

I am often reminded of Psalms 73 which was written by Asaph who was the worship leader at the courts of King David. From verses 1-16 in Psalms 73, I find him whining and complaining about his circumstances. But from verse 17 there is a change in the tone of how he sees things. Verse 17 goes like this, “till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny”. Asaph finally was at peace about his circumstances because in the presence of God he got a glimpse of God’s wisdom and saw the bigger picture. 

The wisdom of God does not bring sorrow and grief, but like Asaph the wisdom of God enables us to approve God’s will which is always good, pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2). Jesus the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24) has become for us the wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30). We have complete access to this wisdom of God in Christ Jesus who is greater than King Solomon (Matthew 12:42). The wisdom of God has been lavished on us in Jesus (Ephesians 1:7,8) so that through us the eternal purpose of God may be made known to others (Ephesians 3:10). Only through Christ can we see the bigger picture. The choice is really ours to be either shortsighted under the influence of this world or to see God’s eternal purpose through His wisdom.

Samuel Thomas (Sam)

Sam is a Christian minister who is serving the Lord in various capacities. He is working through Cross Impact and also involved with Crossway Church. He can be reached on samvthom16@gmail.com

Christ is all we need

1 Corinthians 1:30

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 

Kevin is 7 years old. He is one of my favourite nephews and likes me a lot too. Well, it's the games on my phone that he really loves! As of now I still have tricks up my sleeve to get him around me. But I doubt if his fondness for me will still be the same as he gets older. 

It is quite a saddening thought that as Christians our attitude towards God is to always seek something from Him. And as time passes, we lose our fondness for Him too. The focus of our Christian walk is usually on the gifts and not on the giver. 

The person of Christ has Himself become for us the wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. God revealed Himself to Abraham in Genesis chapter 15 as Abraham’s exceedingly great reward. For Abraham, God was His prosperity. John mentions in John 1:17 that grace and peace is the person of Christ Himself. Paul in Ephesians 2:20, says that “Jesus Himself is our peace”. Jesus in John 14:6, says “I am the way and the truth and the life”. 

We get deluded when we separate our blessings from the person of Christ and often are shortsighted when we seek material blessings. Let us remind ourselves that He is the complete package of blessings (mentioned in Ephesians 1:3) from God for us. Christ is all we need.

Samuel Thomas (Sam)

Sam is a Christian minister who is serving the Lord in various capacities. He is working through Cross Impact and also involved with Crossway Church. He can be reached on samvthom16@gmail.com

Trust in Christ's Ability

Jude 24,25

 “24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord….”

In our Christian walk, Jude wants us to be mindful of the truth that the forces seeking to pull us down are too powerful for us. More often than not, our tendency is to succumb (1 John 2:1—2) to temptations, rather than resist them. We often end up practicing the very evil that we do not want (Romans 7:19), because we are governed by a different law in the members of our body, waging war against the law of our mind and making us prisoners of the law of sin which is evidently present in our members (Romans 7:23). Who can better remind us of this truth than Solomon who said: “The righteous man falls seven times, and rises again” (Proverbs 24:16).

Our victory completely rests upon our total dependence on the marvelous ability of Jesus Christ, who stood against the combined power of evil, and triumphed. And just as it seemed that the forces of darkness had prevailed, he rose victorious from the grave. He is not only one who is able to keep us from stumbling, but also, present us faultless (blameless), and with exceeding joy before His presence. This is the security of those who trust in the Lord. Therefore, Christian, “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4a). “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday (Psalm 37:5—6). Because “Your steps are established by the Lord, and He delights in your way. When you fall, you will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds your hand” (Psalm 37:23—24).

Stephen Thomas

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com

Be Still to hear from God

Psalm 46:10

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

The story is told about a young man and an old preacher. The young man had lost his job and didn’t know which way to turn. So he went to see the old preacher. Pacing about the preacher’s study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched in fist and shouted, “I’ve begged God to say something to help me. Tell me, preacher, why doesn’t God answer? The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply—something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. “What did you say? He asked. The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair. “Sorry,” he said. “I still didn’t hear you.” With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. “God sometimes whispers,” he said, “so we will move closer to hear Him.” This time the young man heard and understood.


The words, “be still,” literally means to let drop, to release, to relax. Let us learn to release the pressing issues of our lives to God, and relax in His presence. Certainly, in the quietness, our ears will be attentive to hear His whisper.

Stephen Thomas

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com

God has not Abandoned You

Psalm 139:5

“You have hedged (enclosed) me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me.”

As humans, we have all experienced loneliness at some point in life.  We look for sources of encouragement, and find none. Often, the pain is too hard to bear.  We feel we have been rejected, and abandoned by everyone around us. It may even seem like there is no one who cares. Sometimes it hits so hard that we are left with a tremendous void deep in our soul.  It’s during times like these, that God’s love is all the more priceless.

The Psalmist who has gone through such experiences, throws himself into the loving arms of the God who knows him inside out, and rests on the truth that God has enclosed him. The Message reads: “I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there too—your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful—I can’t take it all in!”  It may feel like we’re alone and lost, but God assures us His constant abiding presence.


Realizing this truth, David continues: “7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell (or Sheol), You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, 10 even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”  O child of God! God has not abandoned you.

Stephen Thomas

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com

Be Devoted to God!

Acts 10:1-8

 “1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.”

In this day and age, with all the hustle and bustle that life has to offer, Christians, including most of us, seldom have time for God.  Cornelius is one character that challenges me, and cause me to reevaluate my relationship with God.  Often we are quick to verbalize our love for God; but are we truly devoted to God?  

Cornelius was a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort.  Usually a Roman cohort is made up of 600 men.  With such huge responsibility on his shoulder, Luke has a threefold description of his devotion to God: 
1. He feared (revered) God with all his household, 
2. He was always liberal in his many deeds of charity to the people, and 
3. He had the habit of praying to God.
He was doing the two things which rabbinical Judaism honored most—alms giving and prayer.  This man was religiously, emotionally, and socially linked to the synagogue, although he was not a full convert.  The only reason he was prohibited from entering it was that he was not circumcised, that is, he was a Gentile.  Hebrews 11:6 reads: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Cornelius’ prayers and alms ascended as a memorial before God (vs. 4).


The nearer we come to God, the more He’ll reveal Himself to us.  When the prodigal son comes to his father, his father runs to meet him (Luke 15:11—32).  When the wandering dove returns to the ark, Noah put out his hand to pull her in unto him (Genesis 8:9).  If we draw near to others, they may eventually grow weary of us, and even leave us.  But God’s promise is that he will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Stephen Thomas

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com

Authentic Worship

Act 5:1-11

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.  3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?  4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?  And after it was sold, was it not under your control?  Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart?  You have not lied to men but to God.”  5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.  6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.  7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.  8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?”  And she said, “Yes, that was the price.”  9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?  Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”  10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.  11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.”

As the young church began to grow, the grace of God was clearly evident in the growing church.  Acts 4:32—37 recounts a church that was absolutely united, with one purpose in mind; that is, to make the Gospel known.  They stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the apostles, when the Gospel was preached.  Moreover, this new “Message of God’s Love” was validated through their way of life.  But this was short lived, until Ananias and his wife Sapphira.  What were they thinking?  Did their hearts crave the publicity and popularity that Barnabas was receiving (Acts 4:36—37)?  Were they also trying to get on the good books of the Apostles?  After all, it was evident that Barnabas was noticed by the Apostles, and was quickly rising up the ranks (Acts 4:36).  Did it not dawn on them the seriousness of the act that they were about to undertake?  Did they not calculate the consequence of their action?  Wouldn’t we all wish that we were there to warn Mr. A and Mrs. S?


So quick to judge are we for what they did.  But are we not in the same boat as they?  How many time have we deceived ourselves, the exact same thing that they did?  How many times has Satan filled our hearts to lie to the Holy Spirit?  Just as they (vs.3)?  Their foolish action to lie to the Holy Spirit, for a momentary satisfaction of popularity, reaped immediate repercussion.  And thus, great fear came over all who heard of it (vss. 5, 11).  May God awaken us from our spiritual lethargy, and teach us to live before Him with reverence and fear.  May He also grant us the grace be sincere in our worship.

Stephen Thomas

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com

Be an Encourager

Acts 4:36-37

“Now Joseph a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet.

Everyone needs encouragement at some point in their life.  Often, all it takes is a kind word of concern or a simple statement of appreciation to boost the spirit of a person who is downright discouraged.  Even at our places of employment, people are much happier if they feel appreciated for their work.  But the sad reality faced by this self-centered, busy generation, is the apathy towards the wholesomeness of our fellow human beings; and busyness is often taken as excuse for neglecting them.  The New Testament church exists to be concerned about others—about their welfare, happiness and spiritual growth.

How fitting that the Holy Spirit introduces Barnabas to us at this crucial moment of the early church growth.  As more and more people in Jerusalem believed (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4), there needed to be someone to be an encouragement to the new converts who were leaving Judaism and professing their faith to Jesus Christ.  Could it be possible that Barnabas rose up to that occasion and did his part to encourage them to stand for the faith?  His positive, uplifting personality, was so evident that he was designated by the apostles as the “Son of Encouragement.”  It is particularly noteworthy that his very character had earned him this reputation.  The growing church in Jerusalem had a truly amazing spirit, as recorded in Acts 4:32: “…the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things that he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”  In that atmosphere of absolute cooperation and brotherly love, the Levite from Cyprus, Barnabas, stood out as a positive influence.  God is calling us also to play our part in being that Barnabas in our circle of influence.

Stephen Thomas

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com

The pre-requiste to a miracle : a sincere call to God

ACTS 9: 39-41

On October 6, 2001 the world of football witnessed one of the most memorable moments in the glittering career of the great David Beckham. England were playing Greece at Old Trafford in their last world cup qualification match and needed either a win or a draw to qualify. The resilient Greek were leading 2-1 and it was the 93^rdminute of the match. Time was ticking fast and England’s hopes of qualifying hung on a loose thread.  Just then England were awarded a free kick  inside the Greek half which was going to be the last official kick of the match. It was now or never. Beckham calmly stood a few metres away from the ball, measured his steps, set his sight on the angle he desired to hit and then boom, in his trademark style kicked and curled the ball far and deep into the left corner of the goal. The whole stadium went into a delirium. In the post match interview Beckham’s teammates profusely heaped  praises on their goal scoring captain and spoke of how he kept urging each player to  play sincerely and whole heartedly, to give in their very best no matter what the scoreline read. Beckham’s sincere effort and the call to his team mates to get real and deep in whatever they did on the pitch that day turned the match into a memorable draw.

In the passage we read the account of how Peter heals Tabitha. We love reading this text and giving glory to God for what happened in Tabitha’s life. That’s great, but have we ever paused and given a second thought on what went behind the scenes for this miracle to happen. This is how it transpired. Peter sent all the women out of the room. Now why did he do that? He did it, so that the prayer he utters doesn’t become a public spectacle but remains a moment of solemn solitude earnestly seeking the face of the Lord barring all distractions and interruptions. Next, he kneeled down and cried out to God. In the Jewish tradition bowing down is considered the highest form of reverence. Peter knew that if he desired a miracle he had to be in a constant communion with God. If we notice closely we will find a lot of similarities in Peter’s conduct here as compared to the miracle where Jesus healed the daughter of Jairus. Peter said, arise and Tabitha gets up. These words show an air of confidence and immense faith Peter had in the wonder working power of God. People heard of it and many in Joppa came to believe in the Lord. In John 14:12-14, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it"

There is a story of how a whole village prayed for rain. But only one old man came to the meeting with an umbrella. We often wonder why miracles don’t happen today. The reason being , our prayers are not sincere and heartfelt but just a few words of vain babble and monotonous repetition uttered in high disbelief not expecting the big miracle.

A real prayer doesn’t wait for a crowd. It doesn’t seek fame or name but it only desires to call out to the one true God in all earnesty and sincerity to solely see His name being glorified in all the earth. There is immense power hidden in a sincere prayer to birth a miracle. Today, Have you prayed the real prayer?

Paul Samuel

Paul is serving as the Worship Coordinator of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at musicbuff99@gmail.com

Reaching the world with Love and Compassion

ACTS 9:36-40

According to a survey ”Love” is the most abused word in the human culture. Love is a verb, an action word but sadly it’s just remained a word in many lives. Love is not a feeling or a whim, but it is what you do for someone else without expecting anything in return.

In the passage, the focus is mainly on Peter healing Tabitha. But I would like to draw your attention to this simple ordinary woman, Tabitha. She is the only woman in the New Testament explicitly referred by the title “disciple”. She lived her whole life serving the widows in Joppa. In those days in the 1^stcentury, if a woman became a widow and there was no one in the family to take care of her, she would be forcefully abandoned to the streets to live a life of beggary. Tabitha served the widows and she not only gave alms for them, she also knitted clothes for them. Now knitting clothes is a long process and one needs to know the actual size of cloth required for each person. This is essence means that Tabitha was personally involved in each one of their lives whom she served. She went much beyond, than just putting coins and giving money to the widows.  She had immense compassion for the widows and she chose serve them in love with whatever she could.

We are so exited and exuberant to preach the Gospel  to a dying world, but much more than the words we preach is the life we live and the love we exhibit that brings them to the saving knowledge of Christ. Today Love has become an empty word, far from the love that Jesus spoke of in the scripture in Mathew 22:37-39, where it’s written "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' When we love the Lord, loving others will be a natural overflow of the love we have for God. Tabitha was a faithful follower and disciple of Jesus and she also loved the needy folks in her community which clearly exhibited her walk with Christ to all the women in Joppa.

We live in the times, where the world desperately seeks a saviour and is craving for love and acceptance. The little we could do to make this world a better place is by sharing some real love and leading the lost and perishing to the biggest lover of their souls ‘Jesus’.

Paul Samuel

Paul is serving as the Worship Coordinator of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at musicbuff99@gmail.com

Following Christ: not a bed of Roses

ACTS 9:20-29

God transforms our lives and He also helps us to become a medium of blessing to others by helping them change for the better. But often, when new believers come to Christ a false doctrine is propagated that, now your life is going to be great, free of troubles and stress and you will have nothing to worry about. It’s true that when God is there by our side, we don’t have to worry anymore because He cares for us and He watches over us. However the most essential aspect about the walk with the Lord is that there will be opposition from unexpected quarters. We all expect great blessings from God when we walk with Christ as the shepherd in our lives, but what we do not take into account is that there will also be struggles when we choose to do what God wants us to do. Life with Christ is not a bed of roses. God gives us the grace to overcome all the struggles and problems and He leads us victoriously but this doesn’t guarantee that your life is going to be a cakewalk. Theodore Roosevelt once famously said, “Never in history has a man who lived a life of ease, left a name worth remembering”.

Paul got baptised and now he was a changed man. His transformation was nothing short of a miracle. The man who travelled everywhere to hunt down Christians would now travel to the ends of the earth to tell people about Jesus. John MacArthur says, “From a volatile, energetic, dynamic enemy of Jesus Christ, persecutor, blasphemer came the greater part of the New Testament. Came the noblest statements of Christian theology. Came the sweetest songs of God’s love. And he became the most saintly, heroic person who ever named the name of Jesus Christ. What a transformation.”We all marvel at this dramatic change in Paul and His great exploits but what we forget to notice is the multiple life threats, warnings, beatings and untold sufferings he encountered to pursue the vision God had laid in his heart. Paul had been told right after his conversion that he was going to suffer many things for Christ. On one hand, the Jews and the Hellenists were waiting to conspire and kill him and on the other hand, many Christians (even the disciples) still didn’t believe that he was a changed man.

When you follow Christ and preach the gospel it will offend people because the gospel hits at the root of everything most people hold dear, and the popular modern day belief that we are accountable to no one and that we can do anything we set our mind to. The gospel comes along and says “you’re not the center of the universe and you’re helpless to save yourself.”This core truth is hated and scorned by the world. Jesus said, “don’t be surprised when the world hates you.”Are we ready to take a stand for Christ and follow him even when the road ahead looks tough?

Paul Samuel

Paul is serving as the Worship Coordinator of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at musicbuff99@gmail.com

Seeing someone through the eyes of God

ACTS 9: 13-16

Oscar Wilde once said “ Every saint has a past and every sinner a future”. How many times have we come across stories of people who are doing good work now , but still being judged and condemned by the society  for their past behaviour or actions.  Alexander Pope said “ To err is human, to forgive divine”. The human race is such that we are quick to judge and  slow to forgive. But our God is a God of great compassion and love who changes and moulds people for His glory. He doesn’t look at the past but instead He chooses to transform them to be instruments of blessing for all.

The Lord appeared to Ananias, a disciple in Damascus in a vision and told him to go lay hands on Saul Of Tarsus, to help him regain his sight. Saul had lost his sight after he had encountered the Lord on the way to Damascus. But Ananias replied “ Lord I have heard from many sources, what evil he has done to your people in Jerusalem and he has authority to imprison all who call upon your name”. But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles,  their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Then Ananias meets Saul, lays hands on him and Saul regains his sight and is baptised.

What a glorious turnaround in the lifestory of Saul of Damascus. But friends Ananias initial reaction to God , when told to go heal Saul, is a telling reflection of  how we react when presented with a chance to change someones course of life down in the doldrums. When we look through the eyes of God, just like Ananias did , we realise the great plans God has for his children whom he made in his very own image. Then we no longer condemn them for their past but we accept and forgive them in totality so that they become great channels of blessing for the kingdom at large. This is how we gracefully lead them to the glorious future in their walk with Christ. We were created to be in the image of Christ and to exhibit his unending love and compassion for people like Saul of Tarsus..

Today,lets examine our hearts. Have we seen someone through the eyes of God?  

Paul Samuel

Paul is serving as the Worship Coordinator of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at musicbuff99@gmail.com

AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

Acts 9: 5-8

We have all noticed that troublesome kid who is constantly warned by the parents not to touch the burning candle. But the more they say a no to the kid, the more the kid wants to touch the flame. Eventually when the parents are not watching, the kid attempts to touch the flame and in a fraction of a second we hear the kid bawling loudly because the flame was too hot to handle.  

Quite often just like the small kid curious to play and touch the burning flame, we play with God and the things of God. God in His abundant mercy and grace extends a long rope of grace to see how far we do play our games. Then when He eventually sees us going too far, He suddenly snaps the rope,  and that  leaves us on our own to realize our human fraility.

In the passage above, we see Saul who was literally breathing fire and persecuting Christians in Damascus. But on one such journey to Damascus where he had all but planned to trouble and make life a misery for the Jews , he had a life changing encounter with God. Suddenly a light from the sky flashes and he falls to the ground. Please note that he coudnt see God but he only heard the voice, and that voice was enough to shake him and tremble him to ask in submission "who are you"? The reply was emphatic and prompt. “ I am the Lord whom you are persecuting”. When Saul opened his eyes he coudnt see anything at all and for three days he was blind till he was brought to Damascus.

Saul had played enough of his games, troubling and persecuting the Jews at will, but on this trip to Damascus God dealt with him head-on and brought him to his knees and made him realize his fault. This encounter with God changed his life forever.  From a imperious persecutor , he became the most ardent follower of Christ in His time.

Have you had a life transforming Damascus encounter with God?

Paul Samuel
Paul is serving as the Worship Coordinator of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at musicbuff99@gmail.com 

Serve the Lord at all times

Acts 8.40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

   When any Sportsman goes out of form and is not doing well, The coach advices him to go back to the basics. In the same way when He/she is doing well, the coach advices the same.

When God used Philip for an amazing ministry with the Ethiopian high officer. That was a high point in his ministry. He could have taken a break and bragged about it. But he continued to preach the gospel and serve God.

Whatever be the season of life. You and I need to continue to preach the gospel. Serve the Lord at all times.

Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at Stanleytisac@gmail.com