Serve!

Serve!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

John 13:5
After that, Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

What an example Jesus has set for us! Think about this, take some time and meditate on this; Jesus, the Son of God washed the feet of His disciples. Life is incomplete and dry without service.

Generally, servants used to wash the feet of people. Jesus took the place of a servant and performed the work of a servant. Jesus said in Matthew 23:11, But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. The world sees those who are being served as the greatest but the Lord sees the one who serves as the greatest. Jesus said in John 13. 14-15, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." Love is incomplete without giving and serving. Jesus said in Matthew 20.28, I have not come to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. The source and motive of service is love. The love of Jesus compelled Him to wash the feet of His disciples, to serve His disciples. He kept His reputation aside, the opinions of people aside and the trend of this world aside and served His people. Glory to God! This is genuine Love! If you love Jesus, you will serve Him. If you love people, you will serve them. To serve simply means to give up your life in fulfilling the calling and commandment of God which is for the glory of Jesus and for the benefit of people.

Friend, wherever you are, be the first to serve. Whether you are in church, office or in your house, be eager and ready to serve. Serve you way to the top. Love serves! Humility serves! Don't let pride or selfishness or anything else keep you from serving others for in serving others you are serving your Lord Jesus Christ. Keep your eyes on Jesus and serve faithfully, serve with all your heart, serve not for recognition, attention or reward, serve simply because Jesus served. Jesus said in John 13:17, If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Be blessed! Serve! Go Higher!

Your Shepherd knows your name!

Your Shepherd knows your name!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

John 10:3
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Psalms 23.1 says, The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not lack. Jesus is our shepherd and we are His sheep. He is not a bad shepherd, He is a good shepherd and He laid down His life for you. You are eternally precious to Him.

This verse says, He calls His own sheep by name. The Lord knows your name, He has not forgotten you. Isn't it amazing to know that the Lord is personally involved in your life and has the best in store for you? Sometimes, because of the pressures and challenges of life, we feel the Lord has forgotten us but thats not the truth. Hebrews 13.5 says, the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you. Jesus said, In Matthew 28.20, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. The key is to trust Him no matter where you are and no matter what you are going through. He knows your name. He is well aware of whats happening in your life. He is working on your behalf. He is working behind the scenes. He is working for you good. Romans 8. 28 says, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Our five senses may conclude, nothing is happening but by faith we believe Jesus, our Shepherd is working and all things will turn out for our good. Will you trust your Shepherd,  the one who calls you by your name? Your unbelief blocks Him and therefore blocks you. Your trust releases Him and therefore releases you.

Friend, just because you can't see anything happening, doesn't mean nothing is happening. Jesus is not irresponsible and careless. He knows everything about you and is working tirelessly for your good. If you knew and believed this, you would sing like Paul and Silas, who were in jail, facing tremendous persecution for their faith in Jesus. You cannot be defeated and you will not fail because your Shepherd, Jesus knows you, loves you and will lead you to the green pastures and still waters He has for you. Trust your Shepherd!

God lives in you!

God lives in you!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Corinthians 3:16 NKJV
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

God lives in you. Elshaddai lives in you. Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Shalom lives in you. You are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells, abides and abodes in you. This makes you a champion! Glory!

The day you got born again, the Holy Spirit joined himself to your spirit and you become one with the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 6:17 says, But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with  Him. Be God inside minded. Every day and every moment of your life be conscious that God Almighty lives and dwells in you. The Apostle Paul said in II Corinthians 4.7, we have this treasure in earthen vessels. He was talking about the precious treasure of the Holy Spirit residing on the inside of us. You are the home of the Holy Spirit. He dwells and lives in you. This was a mystery in the Old Testament, but was revealed to the Apostle Paul and He said in Colossians 1.27, To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. In the Old Testament,  God dwelt in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle, but in the New Testament because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, every believer becomes the tabernacle of God and God Almighty dwells in each one of us. Glory to God!

Friend, it's important for us to know that not only does the Holy Spirit dwells in us but He is also greater than anyone and anything in this world. I John 4.4 says, You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Be conscious that the Holy Spirit, the Greater One, dwells in you. Be sensitive to Him, Yield yourself to Him, Consider Him, Involve Him, Obey Him and He will make you an undeniable success. This is your time. Go on with Jesus!

Holy Spirit is a person!

Holy Spirit is a person!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

II Corinthians 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

The communion of the Holy Spirit is the key to success in the life of a believer. Without the Holy Spirit, its impossible to know and experience the love of the Father and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in an intimate way. Without the Holy Spirit, its impossible to live the Christ life and walk the Christ walk.

In having communion with the Holy Spirit, its important for us to know that the Holy Spirit is a person, who has a mind, will and emotions. The Holy Spirit is not a thing, He is not wind, oil, water or a dove. He is not an influence, a power or a force. He is a person who has power and influence. You cannot have communion with a thing, a substance or a force. The Holy Spirit has a will, I Corinthians 12:11 says, But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. He has emotions because He can be grieved, Ephesians 4.30 says, And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. He has a mind, Romans 8.27 says, Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the  will  of God. The Holy Spirit speaks, Acts 13.2 says, As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” All of these scriptures prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Holy Spirit is a person. Like you fellowship with your friends, fellowship with the Holy Spirit. This is the key to success. He is your Helper and He longs to help you in every area of your life. We need help, let's take His help.

Friend, befriend the Holy Spirit and develop a deep and intimate relationship with Him. As you grow in your relationship with the Holy Spirit, you will begin to experience His power in every area of your life. Spiritual things will become real to you, the word becomes alive and prayer becomes lively. Your love for Jesus will grow immensely because the Holy Spirit always magnifies and glorifies Jesus Christ. Walk with the Holy Spirit, Go on with Jesus!

His voice is your life.

His voice is your life.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

Believer, Jesus is your Shepherd and you are his sheep. Psalms 23 gives us a good picture of the Shepherd and His sheep. As our Shepherd, Jesus is responsible for us, His sheep - Our protection, our provision, our health, our victory, our peace, our guidance and everything that concerns us.

Jesus said, I am the good Shepherd and the good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. Finding green pastures and still waters is not our responsibility, it's our Shepherds responsibility. Our only responsibility is to follow His voice. The only thing the sheep has to do is follow the voice of the Shepherd. His voice is our protection. His voice is our provision. The Shepherd's voice is the life of the sheep. This verse says, my sheep hear my voice. The Shepherd is always speaking to His sheep, the Lord is always speaking to you. There's never a moment in your life where your Shepherd stops speaking to you. He always speaks because He loves you unconditionally and because you are His responsibility. Hearing His voice is not an issue, the problem is recognizing His voice. As you fellowship with the Lord, you will be able to discern and recognize the voice of your Shepherd and differentiate His voice from other voices in this world. The key to recognize His voice is by having a deep and intimate fellowship with your Shepherd. His voice is your life!

Friend, let the word of God dwell in you richly. Let prayer become your priority. Let worship be your lifestyle. Let speaking in tongues become your daily habit. As you do these things consistently, you will be able to recognize perfectly the voice of your Shepherd and you will never ever lack in your life. You do hear His voice, now recognize it, speak it and do whatever He tells you to do. This is your time. Go on with Jesus!

Love : The evidence of new birth

Love : The evidence of new birth
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I John 3:14
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

The moment you believed and received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you passed from death to life. The word 'death' refers to spiritual death and the word 'life' refers to eternal life. By faith in Christ, you moved from spiritual death to eternal life. This is called new birth.

Spiritual death refers to the nature of Satan while eternal life refers to the life and nature of God. According to this verse, love is the evidence that you are born again, that you have moved from death to life. God is love and to have the life and nature of God simply means to have the nature and life of Love. The moment you are born again, you get a love nature and a love life. A born again person has passed from selfishness to love, from hate to love. A born again person cannot walk in selfishness and hatred. This verse says anyone who doesn't love and walks in hatred is still in spiritual death and still has the nature of Satan. Love is the evidence of new birth - Love is your nature and love is your life. You are born of God, from God and for God therefore you are born of Love, from Love and for Love. You are a love being and the love of God is in you because Romans 5.5 says the love of God has been shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit.

Friend, believe and know that God loves you unconditionally and passionately. Love God. Love others. Love life. Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Your love for Jesus is measured by your obedience to His commandments. He who loves Jesus obeys His word and anyone who doesn't love Jesus doesn't obey His word. Therefore obedience is proof of love. Since love is our nature, obedience becomes our delight. You are a love being and that's why you do exactly what your Love Commander, Jesus says. What a life in Christ! Go on with Jesus!

"I am born of God therefore I am born of Love. Love is my nature and obeying Jesus is my delight. I know and believe God loves me. I love people as Jesus loved me. Love never fails. Love always wins. God is Love."

The kingdom entrance.

The kingdom entrance.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The only way you can see and enter the kingdom of God is by being born again. In the Bible, born again also means new birth, born from above, born of God, born of the word and born of the Spirit. Unless a person is born again, he or she cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Born again doesn't refer to physical birth, it refers to spiritual birth. You are a spirit, you have a soul and you live in a body. When Adam heard Satan's voice and disobeyed God, He connected himself to Satan. He received the nature of Satan into his spirit. He was the first person to be translated from the kingdom of light to the kingdom of darkness. Because of Adam's disobedience, humanity was locked in the kingdom of darkness. But Jesus, because of His great love, took on himself the sins of humanity and entered the kingdom of darkness, defeated Satan and set humanity free from the dominion of darkness. His blood has forgiven our sins and His resurrection has made available God's nature - eternal and everlasting life- to every one who believes in what Jesus has done. Jesus was the first person to be translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. The moment you believe and receive Jesus and what He has done, you are born again. You receive eternal life, the life and nature of God. 2 Corinthians 5.17 says, If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation, old things have passed away and behold all things have become new.  You cannot enter God's kingdom by good works. No amount of sacrifices, prayers, givings, crying or good works can give you entrance in the kingdom of God. Only Jesus! New birth is possible only through Jesus Christ.

Friend, Jesus has done everything that needs to be done to give you access into God's kingdom. No more work is needed. His work is not incomplete, His work is perfect and complete. Believe on what Jesus has done for you! Believe on the person and the finished works of Jesus Christ! The only way you can change kingdoms is by being born again. New birth is the only way to enter God's kingdom and Jesus is the only way to New birth. Go on with Jesus!