Just a twist

Somerset Maugham, the English writer, once wrote a story about a janitor at St Peter's Church in London. One day a young vicar discovered that the janitor was illiterate and fired him. Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny shop, where he prospered, bought another, expanded, and ended up with a chain of stores worth several hundred thousand dollars. One day the man's banker said, "You've done well for an illiterate, but where would you be if you could read and write?" "Well," replied the man, "I'd be janitor of St. Peter's Church in Neville Square."

Acts14: 19-21
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.  20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples.

   When Paul and Barnabas faced opposition in Iconium during their missionary journey, it could have easily been the end of the road for them. As they preached their heart out in Iconium they would have loved to plant a Church there and settle down. But the trouble did not allow them to stay there. But once they moved ahead to Derbe, they were able to win many for Christ.

      Every trouble that comes our way is not going to stop us and finish us. It is just another twist in the tale to give us a better vision and further progress to be blessed and be a blessing. If we let God control our mess, He will make it beautiful as we keep going. Let’s remember it’s not a turn, just a twist.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Tough times don’t last but tough people do

A story is told about two shoe sales executives who were once sent to a new area. One reported that this place is best for business as no one wears shoes here. The other one was disappointed and wrote back saying, there is no scope for business here as none wears shoes. The attitude towards the situation matters.

Acts 8.4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

      The persecution was never a good thing to happen. It could have been easily the end of the Jesus movement. But it was an opportunity for sure. The perspective mattered. The early Christians were smart enough to latch onto the opportunity and preached the Word wherever they were scattered. It was a time of trusting God who is in control of every situation.

    When things go wrong with us it’s easy to blame and sit back disappointed. But a Child of God must believe in the big God who can bring out something good even from the worst situation. Let’s continue to do everything that we can do even when it’s tough. Tough times don’t last but tough people do.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

HE will make HIS face shine upon us

It's a proven fact that information is power and power corrupts. Unless we are careful in using the information, we might end up harming some. The abuse of information takes place only due to evil and selfish intentions.  When things don't work out one adds cooked up stories to stir up the matter.

Acts 6.11, Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.

     Stephen was a man of God who was doing God’s work. There were many who did not like Him. Stephen was a talented, humble and an effective person. He was all excited about ministry and did not care about those against him. So, the losers and the insecure, so-called custodians of the law tried to frame charges against him to stop him from doing God’s work. But that was not enough to stop a man who was sent by God.

   The enemy is insecure when you and I have a desire to serve God and make conscious efforts towards it. Thus the enemy uses people to bring our morale down and put us on the backfoot. But let us not be discouraged by such advances of the evil one. You and I will face opposition and allegations in our walk with the Lord. Let’s receive our motivation from above and not from those around. HE will make HIS face shine upon us.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Let’s obey God

“Be God pleasers and not men pleasers.” This has become more of a cliché for people to do their own thing. People go their own way and say God told them. We are in times where there is so much of faction and confusion inside the Church, with the so-called people of God.

Acts 5.29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

     When Peter and Apostles decided to disrespect the Jewish authorities they were doing so to honor the command of God. They were not fulfilling their desires. It was not about their group or doctrine. It was about doing God’s work at any cost. Not even once they doubted their call or thought of their lives.

        Today the Church at large has failed to stand up for the real cause. We think we are pleasing God by standing up for our own cause and thoughts. Let us please God in the real sense. Let’s obey God for what HE says and not for what we hear. Let’s obey God.      

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Mess into message

My parents were once part of a delegation in the early 1980’s led by their Pastor who met Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. They shared the gospel with her, gave her a Bible and also prayed for her. I saw the pictures and realize how wonderful it was to take the gospel to the authorities who are rarely reachable.

Acts 4:5-12
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

      Peter and John were arrested and it was not a good thing for sure. But the flip side of it was that they got to witness to the high authorities in Israel. God brought something really good out of it. The High Priest and the Sanhedrin would rarely make it to any of the House Church meeting or personal witnessing. But God brings out something great out of this arrest. The big shots get to hear the true and real gospel.

Several times when we end up in some kind of mess we feel that’s the end of the world for us. Honestly speaking God doesn’t like us to be there. But He makes use of the situation to do something great. Let’s give our hardships in the hands of God and let Him turn the mess into message.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Let us bless

We have witnessed emergency services in the hospital and even some other places. They work with real passion. They rush to the place and get into action for the benefit of those affected. Most of the time it is selfless and a help for others.

Acts 4. 1-2 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

 One witness an emergency service as Peter and John were heard preaching the good news to a dying and a struggling society. The so-called religious council rushed to the spot to make sure that nobody is blessed. They just did not want anybody to be healed or delivered. The so-called religious leaders were selfish and concentrated power with them for their self-interest.

    Many are passionate unfortunately for the wrong reasons. It is not to bless but to curse. We as ambassadors of Christ are expected to deliver the goods in all circumstances and bless others. Let us be passionate for the right reason. Let us bless.   

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Let's be willing to learn

Hoagy Carmichael, the story goes, once decided to take up golf. Lessons were arranged with an instructor. At the first session Carmichael was patiently shown the basics of the game: how to hold the club, How to stand, how to swing, etc.
Finally, after a half hour of this, the instructor felt Carmichael was ready to drive a few toward the first hole. The ball was teed up. Hoagy stepped up to it, swung, then watched the ball sail down the fairway, bound onto the green and roll into the cup--a hole in one!
The instructor was dumbfounded. Hoagy flipped the club to a caddy with a jaunty motion, then turned to the still speechless instructor. "OK," he said casually, "I think I've got the idea now."

Acts 5:10-11
At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

      When Ananias and Sapphira went wrong by being hypocrites they lost their lives. People could have easily become judgmental and curse them. Instead, the Church was seized with great fear. They took this as an opportunity to learn and realize that we can go wrong anytime. So let's be on our guard.
      

     When we see people in mess we are tempted to exploit the situation. But It's not the time for us to justify the situation or condemn them. We just can't explain it. Perhaps we are no one to explain it. Probably it should be used as a learning experience. Let's be willing to learn.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Opportunity in every situation

Growth is exciting. It gives enough reason to continue the endeavour and stay motivated. But often times we are not prepared for the whole package. Along with growth, comes a lot of challenges and real concerns. It simply depends on how one deals with the situation. You can make it or break it.

Acts 6.1
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

    When the First Century Church started growing, there arose some concerns. It was more to do with material things. The Apostles were quick enough to respond to the situation. They dealt with the problem in the first stage and were able to resolve it. And while dealing with the problems they set up a team. It only gave rise to some good and effective leaders.

       We as individuals look for growth in everything that we do. That’s the way to go. But often we are not prepared to deal when we have a situation. Our maturity and ability is tested in times of crisis. Let's be able to keep a cool head on our shoulders and trust God to lead us out of the crisis. And Indeed He makes things beautiful. There is for sure an opportunity in every situation.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

He is too good

Cricket is a very famous sport in India. People go crazy about it. Sachin Tendulkar is considered to be one of the greatest Indian cricketers who has played the game. Sachin’s fans have always believed in him. Even when he was not scoring well, they would cheer for him expecting him to make it big in the next game. Such was the belief in the talent of the legendary Indian who retired in November 2013. Cos form is temporary but class is permanent.

Psalm 34:1
I will extol the Lord at all times;  his praise will always be on my lips.

When we follow God, often times we don’t find things going the way we want to. It really leads us to disappointment. We are in fact discouraged to follow HIM anymore. Probably that comes because we sometimes forget the worth of Jesus. We tend to be carried away by the concepts of the world and do not believe in God’s time and HIS ways.

The psalmist reminds us that as a mature believer you and I need to trust in the ability of God at all times. Come what may let's not forget that HE IS A GOOD GOD. We can have questions, but let’s never doubt HIM. He is too good.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Do you trust THE best ?

Some of us limit God to Church and its four walls. We feel that God has very little to do with my studies, struggles and career. So even after singing the best song and praying our hearts out, we trust in our own abilities to make it big in life.

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

My New Testament professor would often remind us of God as the orchestrator in the authorship of Scriptures. It helped me understand how God is involved in even the smallest details of my life. Most of us walk with the fear of not making it big in life. It is mostly because we are still trusting in our own abilities whereas God wants to lead us from strength to strength and victory to victory.

Let us be able to invite God even in the smallest decisions of our life. Someone said: “Fear God and then you have to fear none. “Let that be our story. Do you trust THE best ?

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Let’s give him the glory

It was St. Francis de Sales who said that, Some men become proud and insolent because they ride a fine horse, wear a feather in their hat or are dressed in a fine suit of clothes. Who does not see the folly of this? If there be any glory in such things, the glory belongs to the horse, the bird and the tailor.

Acts 14 : 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.

We are living in times of self centeredness, self-glory and self-praise. Some People do not wear out talking about themselves. They can just go on. When Paul and Barnabas were used by God to heal a lame man, they almost got a celebrity status. In fact, more than that. They could have easily enjoyed it and lived their whole life like that. But they were quick to respond and give glory to God, the real source of blessing. They did not take the glory of God because God’s plan for them is even greater.

Often times in the rat-race of this world, we try to stand out of the world. This leads in taking away the glory of God. God expects us to keep it simple and follow him. HE will use us as we walk with HIM. Let us not settle down with peanuts. Let’s give him the glory.  

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Let’s mind our own business

While on an airplane the first thing to notice is the air hostess and the safety instructions given by them. Most of us do not care about it. One of the instructions about emergency landing or landing in water is very interesting. The team uses a phrase that you better take care of yourself before you help others. That means, you better have the oxygen mask and life jacket on before you try to be the Hero. Else you will land up creating more harm than intended while rescuing.

1 Thessalonians 4:11
and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,  

Take care of yourself before you help others. Does that sound selfish? It might, but it’s actually the other way round. You take care of yourself so that you can effectively help others. Apostle Paul writes to the community in Thessalonica who were awaiting the imminent return of the Lord. Some were so much depended on others that it was actually becoming a burden to get things going. So Paul tells them to mind their own business. It simply means to be self-dependent and not bother others in the pretext of being a follower of  Christ Jesus.

Several times in Christendom we exploit the fact of depending upon each other. True that we are called to love and help each other. But our calling is not to become a burden on each other. Let us grow and be self-dependent as a Christian in all the facets of life. Let’s mind our own business.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Let’s be working

Some years ago a former American astronaut took over as head of a major airline, determined to make the airline's service the best in the industry. One day, as the new president walked through a particular department, he saw an employee resting his feet on a desk while the telephone on the desk rang incessantly.

"Aren't you going to answer that phone?" the boss demanded.

"This isn't my department," answered the employee nonchalantly, apparently not recognizing his new boss. " I work in maintenance."

"Not anymore you don't!" snapped the president

Acts 12:8

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.

When the angel of the Lord took the chains off and told apostle Peter to wear his shoes, Peter was surely surprised. But for sure he knew it was the work of the Lord and he was quick to respond to the situation. Actually if God could break the chains and open the prison doors, God could easily get Peter dressed up as well. But God doesn’t waste any miracles. He lets us do what we should do in our walk with HIM.

Several times in our walk with the Lord we have had moments when we hold ourselves back to let somebody else do the things for which we are empowered by God. Those are times when we distract ourselves from the purpose of God. As HE continues to work, HE helps us work. Let’s be working.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

Bringing the Truth to the Youth

Come and join us for the Youth Meet on Saturday, the 14th of April 2018 for a time of interaction, discussion, games, worship and prayer #BringingtheTruthtotheYouth #Crossway Church

Let us not worry

A story is told about Uncle Oscar who was apprehensive about his first airplane ride. His friends, eager to hear how it went, asked if he enjoyed the flight. "Well," commented Uncle Oscar, "it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I'll tell you this. I never did put all my weight down!"

Acts 12:5-6,
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

While Apostle Peter was kept in prison by Herod, Church kept him in prayer. Peter was in prison after the execution of Apostle James the brother of John. But Peter had no fear. He could simply sleep in prison and did not worry about his future and the ministry. He simply realized the fact that his life and ministry is in the hands of God and HE knows the best.

We often tend to place our trust in almost everything except God. In times of need and despair we forget the promises of God and displace our Christian character. But the finished work on the cross reminds us that HE has done it all. Let us not worry.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

We shall overcome

In 1924, two climbers were part of an expedition that set out to conquer Mount Everest. As far as is known, they never reached the summit; and they never returned. Somewhere on that gigantic mountain they were overpowered by the elements and died. After the failure of the expedition, the rest of the party returned home. Addressing a meeting in London, one of those who returned described the ill-fated adventure. He then turned to a huge photograph of Mount Everest, mounted on the wall behind him.
"Everest," he cried, "we tried to conquer you once, but you overpowered us. We tried to conquer you a second time, but again you were too much for us. But, Everest, I want you to know that we are going to conquer you, for you can't grow any bigger, and we can!"

Acts 14:22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

When Paul and Barnabas went about planting churches they had this one thing in mind. They encouraged the new believers and made it clear that struggles will surely come. Every day has it’s struggles of its own. Everyone has their share of sorrows. But we need not give up, and keep going. Our strength comes from the simple and most powerful fact that, when God is for us who can stand against us.

Several times in life, situations seems to overpower us. We are always having some or the other challenge as we strive to walk with the Lord. Let us be encouraged that HE continues to help us grow and be victorious over every struggles that we face. We shall overcome.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

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