Spiritual LEADERSHIP vs Religious MANAGEMENT

 

Let’s read Matthew 23:1-7(MSG) & Luke 6: 39, 40(NIV) in tandem

Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behaviour. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer. “Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’

…. “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher”.

A “Manager” is one who controls and administers a group of people. A “Leader” is one who leads a group of people to a common target/destination. A Manager does not expect his sub-ordinates to follow his footsteps. He is happy as long as the job gets done within the given time frame/resources. A “Leader” on the other hand, expects his followers to “be-like-him” in his talk and walk alike because their goal is common.

In the above scripture portion (Matthew 23:1-7) Jesus is highlighting a few distinctive characteristics of the “religious managers” (Pharisees & Scholars) of His time on earth. Unlike Jesus, who is the superlative “Spiritual Leader”, these Pharisees & Scholars were competent ONLY in the teaching of the Law and not in the doing/living of the same. They would burden others to walk righteously, but never seek to walk in the righteous WAY themselves. They would talk about truth, but never seek the TRUTH themselves. They would preach about a life acceptable in the sight of God, but never seek the LIFE eternal. JESUS (the WAY, the TRUTH & the LIFE) was right in the midst of them, yet they did not recognise Him or seek the Heavenly pathway through Him (John 14:6).

Even today, there are many “religious managers”, who don’t WALK their TALK. They are blind themselves but fervent always to lead others. They will one day fall into the pit of hell along with the ones who follow them “blindly”. There are however, a few (very few) true “Spiritual Leaders” even today, who can confidently say just as Paul the Apostle did through God’s all-sufficient grace - “Follow me, as I follow CHRIST” (1 Corinthians 11:1).  

Spiritually speaking - Are you being “managed” or are you being “led”??

Never succumb to the dreadful “religious management”. Always seek the Kingdom of God (Romans 14:17) looking ONLY unto Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).

The Simplicity of CHRIST vs The Complexity of Everything & Everyone else…!!

Let’s read Matthew 13:10-13, 16&17

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ‘But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Rabindranath Tagore once said this – “It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.” You may not understand it the first time you read it. Hence, read it again and again till it makes sense.

In Spiritual terms, the above statement could be restated as follows: “It is very simple to be Joyful, but it is very difficult to be simple”; “It is very simple to be God’s very Son/Daughter, but it is very difficult to be simple”; “It is very simple to live Christ, but it is very difficult to be simple”…!

Jesus was a very simple man. He was in fact the simplest of all men. He was thus, because He was born of a Spirit who is the simplest of all beings.  

But, what does it mean to be SIMPLE? The opposite of SIMPLE is COMPLEX. So, being SIMPLE simply means to be “uncomplicated”. God’s instruction to Adam was a very simple one - “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.”(Genesis 2:16, 17 MSG). God’s expectation of Adam & Eve was also a very simple one. But Adam & Eve chose the easy, complicated & truth less way of having their eyes opened, and be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5b NIV). It is indeed difficult to be (present continuous) SIMPLE…!

All of Jesus’ preaching & ministry was very simple, yet very difficult to comprehend and practice. This is because we are more inclined to the easy, complicated & truth less way of this world than we are to the difficult yet Simple & Truthful way of God.

The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven is exclusive ONLY to those who diligently seek God through Christ (read Hebrews 11:6). If you are Spiritually driven, you will yearn to be SIMPLE (even though it is difficult) but if you are fleshly/religiously/worldly driven then you will yearn to be COMPLEX (just because it is easy..!)

Have your spiritual eyes open to see the “God’s-eye-view” and have your spiritual ears open to hear the very “voice of God”.

Is your life SIMPLE or COMPLEX right now??

The Repulsive or Propulsive Revelation of CHRIST…!

Let’s read Mark 5:2-8, Matthew 16:13-17 & John 6:68, 69 in tandem

“When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

In the first scripture portion above (Mark 5:2-8), we see the impure spirit’s confession of the divine Sonship of Jesus – the CHRIST. Till the possessed man saw Jesus, he was a slave to the impure, strong and self-destructive spirit. This evil spirit made him lonely, wounded and pathetic. This evil spirit did recognise the true identity of Jesus and thus knelt down before the Holy Spirit of God. The coming of Jesus to him was a torturous experience, because of his evil nature. The evil spirit worshipped Jesus (bowed down and obeyed His command) only to repel from the vicinity of the Holiest of all beings…!!

Anything revealed by flesh and blood is mere INFORMATION, but that which is revealed by the Spirit is REVELATION. The evil spirit did not have mere information on who Jesus really was, he had a revelation, but alas it wasn’t a divine one.

In the second and third scripture portions above (Matthew 16:13-17 & John 6:68, 69) we see the propelling effect of the revelation of Christ. This revelation draws the seeker closer and closer to the Lord. Out of this very revelation did Peter not only recognise the true identity of Jesus, but also live as His witnessing apostle till the very last moments of his earthly life.

Today, there are many fake-christians who find the Word of God boring, torturous and instinctively repelling. This natural reaction is a clear sign that the in-dwelling spirit in such hypocrites is NOT the Holy Spirit…!

If you are one among the repelling/counterfeit christians – empty yourself of sin, repent and seek for the in-filling of the Holy Spirit whose divine revelation will always propel you towards your Heavenly Father, His Son, His Word and His Holiness and will never ever repel you away from Him..!!

HARDWARE controlled by SOFTWARE…!!

Let’s read John 14:26(NASB), John 3:5-8(NIV) & Romans 8:11(KJV) in tandem

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

 ^“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you”

Before the computers were invented, all hardware was controlled by hardware. In other words all of the machinery were controlled by some or the other form of external equipment or tools through an external force or influence.

For example, when the first gas-lamp traffic lights were installed in London in 1868, they were controlled manually by a police constable who would operate the lights with a lever at the base. But once the computerized traffic signal system was introduced in 1963 in Toronto, the external control of the traffic signal system was minimized to mere supervision. Computer SOFTWARE (set of pre-programmed instructions) controlling the traffic signal HARDWARE (set of traffic lights)…!

Similarly, before the day of the Pentecost (Acts 2) the children of God were controlled by an external force (God’s instruction to men directly and individually; God’s instruction to a nation/nations through His prophets; God’s instruction to mankind, especially to the Jews, through the Law). Even when Christ Jesus was physically present (before His death, resurrection & ascension) on this earth, He controlled His disciples as an external influence. Jesus (the hardware) was controlling the disciples (the hardware) mainly through His speech and by being a living example to them. Some disciples yielded to His influence, while others (like Judas Iscariot) did not. Jesus acknowledged this limitation of being with them and not in them which is why He said “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7)

Computer software at its core, functions on the basis of a binary number system of “0” or “1” which is translated into specific instructions like “Yes” or “No”, “Save” or “Delete” etc.

The Holy Spirit, who is our Spiritual software, also functions in a similar fashion. His communication is basic and clear. But, unlike the computer hardware, our flesh is capable of rejecting the instructions from the software (read Romans 8:1-17 for more light on this!)

Have you let the Holy Spirit God install Himself in you? And is He the Lord of your life?

3 DIFFERENT CURRENCIES FOR THE TRINITY OF MAN

Let’s read Proverbs 22:7 , Proverbs 24:5 , Proverbs 2:10b & Romans 3:23-24, Romans 5:1-2 & 2 Corinthians 12:9 in tandem

“The RICH rule over the poor,and the borrower is slave to the lender”

“A WISE man is full of strength, and a man of KNOWLEDGE enhances his might”

“…KNOWLEDGE will be pleasant to your SOUL”

“..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his GRACE through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this GRACE in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God”

“….he said to me, “My GRACE IS SUFFICIENT for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me”

Every Man is a tripartite being, meaning to have 3 parts. You and I are made of Body, Soul & Spirit. These 3 distinctive parts belong to 3 different realms or kingdoms. Just as there are different currencies for different man-made kingdoms (countries) on this earth, there also are different currencies in the 3 different realms of man.

Currency for the BODY – Money in general is the currency for the body. Money empowers man to satisfy his bodily needs, wants and desires. The RICH in money always supersede the POOR in money as far as the temporary bodily satisfactions are concerned.

Currency for the SOUL – Wisdom, Knowledge & Understanding are the currencies for the soul. These currencies empower man to satisfy his soulish/mental needs, wants and desires. Human intellect and emotions would be non-existent without these currencies of the soul. The RICH in Wisdom, Knowledge & Understanding always supersede the POOR in Wisdom, Knowledge & Understanding as far as the soulish/mental satisfactions are concerned.

Currency for the SPIRIT – Grace and Truth are the ultimate of all currencies. These are spiritual currencies. TRUTH brings freedom (John 8:32) and GRACE bestows the all-sufficient empowerment (2 Corinthians 12:9). GRACE & TRUTH are personified exclusively in and through JESUS CHRIST alone (John 1:14&17). The RICH in Grace & Truth always supersede the POOR in Grace & Truth as far as the spiritual standard is concerned. When you first seek the spiritual kingdom of God and become richer and richer in its currencies (Grace & Truth), everything else that is NEEDED, WILL be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).

Are you chasing the spiritual currencies or carnal/soulish currencies? Are you seeking to be spiritually rich or otherwise?

The EXPLOSIVE, ALL-POWERFUL Word of God…!!

Let’s read Psalm 29:3-9 & Jeremiah 23:29 in tandem

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

Sound is produced as a result of a vibration. The sound produced by the vibration of God’s vocal cords is literally explosive in nature. “Cedars” are very tall and sturdy trees. They can grow over 100 feet tall and can have a trunk of over 2 meters wide.  The psalmist says that the voice of the Lord can break through these cedars with ease. The voice of God can break through ANY material of ANY quality. It can shake mountains, quake the earth, mow the forests and break rocks in a flash….!!

The Word of God broke-through the barrier of vacuum that surrounds the earth and was made manifest in flesh through Jesus Christ, the very Son of God. This Word-in-flesh broke through the intellectual, religious and political giants of His time and still does. This Voice-of-God-on-earth was so powerful that He broke through Time itself (BC & AD).

The Word of God (Jesus Christ) is gentle, humble (John 12:12-16), compassionate (Matthew 9:36) and yet zealous with righteous anger (John 2:13-25).

The word of man (Mark 15:13-15) put Jesus to death, but the Word of God (Christ) defeated death itself, once and for ALL (2 Timothy 1:9, 10). The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ proved that the Voice-of-God can break through EVEN DEATH..!!

Nothing can stop this POWERFUL & EXPLOSIVE Word of God from making or breaking anything, except for the heart of man. He does not force Himself into our hearts. The Word of God is ONE DOOR away from your heart and mine. He said: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20).

If the door of your heart is ALWAYS OPEN to Jesus Christ (the all-powerful WORD OF GOD), He is willing to BLESS you with an unparalleled BLESSING – ‘make rivers of living water flow out of your heart’ (John 7:37-39).

Go check the door of your heart NOW, to make sure it is wide open for Jesus…!!

The Cross of CALVARY vs The Cross of CADBURY..!

Let’s read Luke 14:25-27 & Matthew 16:24-26 in tandem

“Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.  And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

To most of humanity (christians & non-christians alike) “The Cross” is nothing but just a symbol of identity. For some it is more sacred than God Himself! For some it is “cool” to wear crucifix jewellery. For some it is nothing more than a good-luck talisman (An object that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck).

But, what is the REAL CROSS?

Physically speaking, the Roman Cross was constructed using two rugged wooden beams. The cross was used to cause an extremely painful death. The accused was nailed to the cross with the arms stretched open wide resulting in fatigue, breathlessness and even heart attack in some cases. The word “excruciating” originated from the Latin word “crux”, meaning “cross”. Excruciating pain means unbearable, killing pain. Such was the gruesomeness of the death on a Roman Cross.

The above two scripture portions refer to the time BEFORE the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This clearly highlights the fact that He was not referring to a physical cross to be carried everyday to be His disciple. The CROSS which Jesus Christ was (and is) referring to is a spiritual one. It is a symbol of “self-denial”, “complete-dedication” & “total-sacrifice”. It’s an extremely painful yet abundantly profitable separation from the World. Scripturally illiterate and Spiritually immature people think that Jesus Christ carried His Cross ONLY ONCE in His lifetime. But, if we consider the REAL meaning of the Cross, we can understand the fact that Jesus Christ carried His CROSS all the days of His earthly life. In fact He took-up His CROSS even before His birth on this earth! (read Philippians 2:6-8). 

The CROSS of Calvary is not sweet as a chocolate, it’s bitter than vinegar. It is not smooth as polished rosewood, it’s a rugged bark. It is not meant for satisfaction, it’s meant for sanctification…!! Yet, the CROSS (sacrifice) is all but temporary. But, Redemption and Resurrection through the CROSS are comfortingly ETERNAL..!!  

Did you take up your REAL CROSS yet??