give this book

Please give this book to someone you love so that they may better serve Jesus. Presented To: _______________________ By: ________________________________ Date: ______________________________

DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to His church, to my beloved wife, Sarojam, and to my children and grandchildren. This book is also dedicated to my fellow disciples who have suffered and labored with me in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in order to expand the kingdom of God in India and abroad.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NAS are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,19 71,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. DISCIPLESHIP 2011 by Moses Paulose 3rd Edition, 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in print without permission in writing from the publisher. Published by Body of Christ Ministries Bethel House, West of TNSTC Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, 623526 India International Phone # : 011-91-944-312-1340 Email: billybcm@gmail.com Email: israelpaulose@yahoo.com

Acknowledgements
We are thankful for Brother Adam Kautz who transcribed the audio version of these teachings. May God bless him abundantly for his involvement and sacrifice. Thanks also to Sam Daniel John at Grace Chapel Media, along with Paul Ebenezer at Body of Christ Ministries, for producing the first edition of this teaching in print form. May the almighty God bless everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this book a reality.

DISCIPLESHIP
JESUS said, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I AM with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV)

Personal Note from the Editor

Beloved Readers,
I first learned of the ministry of Pastor Paulose in 1983, as I journeyed among experienced church planters in North India. Various leaders I met kept mentioning Moses Paulose in South India as the best pastor by which to be trained, for those willing to succeed at any cost. And, cost it did. Some, I was told, would lose heart and not endure. But those who stuck with his uncompromised teaching and arduous training would be planted deep as unbending oaks, set to do great things in the crusade to plant Gospel churches throughout Indias unreached villages. It is to be understood that the unique discipleship and ministry training, offered by Moses Paulose as his legacy from a lifetime of Gospel work, cannot be fully conveyed through books. These are some of the vital things which cannot be imparted through printed words: the dusty heat, hardships, hunger and loneliness; the sense of forfeit, in walking by love back into a village that just mistreated you and burned your tracts; your quiet forbearing of those who fail or misunderstand you, and the unexplainable joy that pours into godly hearts through those darkest of hours of difficulty and disappointment. I pray for each of you readers that, as you read this simple book, you will garner the gumption to go on into heartfelt discipleship, to hearken to Gods call for each of us to lose our lives for Jesus and the Gospel, and therein discover those precious jewels only mined from a life of real discipleship, to which this book invites you.

Stan Avery
December 2011 The fuller picture and history of Body of Christ Ministries can be found in the book, Missionary Challenge, which is available through these sources.

Table of Contents
Introduction Who Can Be a Disciple of Jesus 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

....................... 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... ....................... 13 21 33 46 52 56 59 61 71 76 80 84 89 97 104 110 118 123 125 128 134

Part I - The Demands of a Discipleship

Love the Lord Above all Take Up the Cross and Follow Deny Yourself Not Ashamed of the Gospel A Heart to Obey Forsake Everything Humility Submission Faithfulness A Teachable Spirit A Disciplined Life Hard Work Do Not Be Covetous

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Part II - The Qualities of a Disciple

14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Part III - The Mentality of a Disciple

A Content Heart A Mind to Serve A Heart of Reconciliation Following Without Expectations Counting the Cost No Turning Back Remaining in the Word Losing Ones Life

Part IV - The Foundation of a Disciple

22. The Benefits & Blessings of Following Jesus 23. Be Lovers of Christs Appearing

Part V - The Rewards of a Disciple

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 152 154 157 159

Trails and Tribulations for the Name of Christ ........... How to React in the Times of Sufferings ........... Rewards of Suffering ....................... Concluding Prayer ....................... 7

Annexure

Introduction
Years ago, the Lord specifically told me to teach on the subject of discipleship. In this book I am writing about the imperative value of being a disciple of Jesus. God is moving with a purpose and plan of reconciliation. He sent His only Son, Jesus, into the world to do ministry. Jesus then trained His followers and sent them out to do the same things that He had done, healing the sick, casting out demons and preaching about Gods Kingdom. Before sending His disciples, Jesus told them they were to make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (NIV) However, before they could go and make disciples, they had to become disciples themselves. Unless we become disciples, we cannot make other disciples. Jesus had many disciples. From among those disciples, He chose twelve whom He called apostles. He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there. Luke 6:17 (NIV) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles. Luke 6:12-14 (NIV) People came to Jesus sick, and He healed them. People came to Him hungry, and He fed them. People came to Him full of demons, and He cast them out. He never delegated His power to anyone except His disciples! In order to receive power and authority from Jesus, we have to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus gave his disciples power and authority over evil spirits. He called His twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. Matthew 10:1 (NIV) In the first century, wherever the disciples went, they preached the Gospel. They not only preached the Gospel, they made disciples as they 8

moved from place to place. They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra Acts 14:21 (NIV) They preached, and the people believed. Those who believed were made disciples, and then they moved to other places also making disciples. In the first century, the disciples were fulfilling the command of Jesus Christ, which was to make disciples. As a result, in Jerusalem, the number of disciples multiplied greatly. In those days when the number of disciples was increasing Acts 6:1 (NIV) The number of disciples increased in Jerusalem. People saw disciples of Jesus wherever they went in Jerusalem. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly Acts 6:7 (NIV) Eventually much of Jerusalem became disciples. The disciples were clearly fulfilling the commission given them by their Lord. Men are not the only ones who can become disciples; women can also become disciples. In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha. Acts 9:36 (NIV) In Antioch, the disciples were called Christians. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Acts 11:25-26 (NIV) If we are disciples, then we are worthy to be called Christians. At Antioch, only disciples were called Christians. If you are not a disciple, then you are not worthy to be called a Christian. Amen. Going to church regularly, giving alms to the church, giving help to the poor, does not qualify one to be a Christian. Only disciples can be called Christians. In the first century, those who break bread were disciples. Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. Acts 20:7 (NKJV) Being a disciple is very, very important. Jesus did not talk about his second coming publicly. He spoke of it only to His disciples. 9

Jesus told his disciples that if they went into a village, city, or town, and they were not received, then they were to leave the city and wipe the dust from their feet. On the Day of Judgment their dust will speak. If someone gives a cup of water to a disciple, then they will be rewarded. Amen. So, being a disciple and living as a disciple in Gods presence, brings great power. However, there is a cost that we will have to pay, a standard we must meet, to be a disciple of Jesus. As you read the following lines, may the Holy Spirit stir your heart to become a true disciple of Jesus. Let us pay the price of reaching the lost with the Gospel as true disciples of Jesus Christ. We who are called by God cannot spend our lives on any other matter. We will build His Kingdom. May the Lord help us to fulfill His great commission, even though the cost is great. Your brother in Christ,

Moses Paulose
(Founder, President, Body of Christ Ministries, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India)

10

WHO CAN BE A DISCIPLE OF JESUS?

Gods ultimate purpose in creating man was to have fellowship with him. But man sinned against God by disobeying His commandments. Adam followed his fleshly desires and became addicted to sin. Through Adam, mankind was separated from God and became children of darkness. Gods chosen people, the Israelites, sought redemption with God, demonstrated as commanded through animal sacrifices. Later, God, out of His unconditional love towards all of mankind, sent His one and only son Jesus to this world. Jesus was born to His mother, Mary, and worked under His lawful father, Joseph, as a carpenter. In His thirties, He was baptized by John. At His baptism the Holy Spirit, in the form of dove, descended upon Him. After that, Jesus started preaching about the Kingdom of God. Many people, who were under social and traditional burdens, accepted Jesus Christ, and pursued a new life with Him. Now, consider these passages: For from within, out of mens hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. Mark 7:21-22 (NIV) Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind; to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know Gods righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:26-32 (NIV) Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV) 11

From the above verses, we can see that a person is addicted and enslaved to sins. In order to escape, we must acknowledge, repent, and forsake them. How do we accomplish that? In order to be free, a person must believe that Jesus sacrificed His own life for our sins, was crucified on the cross, buried, resurrected on the third day, and is now living in full authority over heaven, as Lord and Savior. When a person surrenders himself to Jesus, he can receive new life and become a child of God. The believer will have personal fellowship with Jesus, strengthened through reading the word of God daily, praying, keeping fellowship with the people of God, and living a testimonial life. Thus, the believer becomes a true disciple of Jesus. After becoming a disciple, he needs to grow in the characteristics of a true disciple. A disciple is a person who follows his teacher Jesus Christ and walks in His same footsteps.

12

The Demands of Discipleship

Part I

Chapter 1

Love the Lord Above All

John the Baptist beheaded, AD 23

13

We must love the Lord more than anything in the world. We must love Jesus alone. Our supreme love must go to our Lord Jesus Christ. Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them He said: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sistersyes, even his own lifehe cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-26 (NIV) This does not mean that we do not love our family members, talk to them or care for them. It means that when we compare our love for the Lord to our love for others, others must come second. Our first and best love must be towards the One who gave His life for us on the cross. He carried all of our shame, sickness, and sin upon Himself, and offered us eternal life. He opened Heaven for us. Amen! Our greatest love must be reserved for Him. Our love for everyone else, wives, husbands, friends, and relatives, must be secondary. There may come times of testing in which you will have to prove that your love for the Lord is genuine and supreme. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:37 (NIV) In the passage above, Jesus addresses parents as well as children. Not worthy means not worthy. It is that simple. Jesus is concerned with how much we love Him in the present, not how much we loved Him in the past. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Revelation 2:3-4 (NIV) Here, Jesus laments that the church at Ephesus has lost their first love. He declares that they once loved Him, but do not love Him now. Their love has been drawn toward something else. When we begin to follow Christ, He becomes our all in all. But that is only the starting point. From there we need to excel and grow in our love for Him. I ask a question to those of you who are married. Has your love for each other increased or decreased? Just imagine if your love decreased. That would mean that your love has gone somewhere else. If we lose our love for God, then our love goes either to the world and the things of the world, or to someone else. From the moment we start to love Him, our love needs to grow more and more. Love Jesus. The day that we will meet Him is getting closer and closer. To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are 14

like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Revelation 2:18-19 (NIV) In the passage above, Jesus told them that he knew their deeds and their love. He did not rebuke them about their love because they did not lose their love. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. Peter responded yes every time, but later he denied Jesus. Why do we lose our love? There is a reason. Satan knows that if we love Jesus there will be blessings in our lives. Satan will put many obstacles in place in order to stop us from loving Jesus. Satan wants to hinder Gods blessing from fully flowing into our lives. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full. Proverbs 8:1721(NIV) The Lords eyes are looking towards the people who love Him. He wants to bless their lives. Amen! You can receive blessings by loving the Lord with a pure heart. The enemy knows this. So he tries to place obstacles in our lives to block the blessings. You need to overcome the obstacles. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39 (NIV) There is no power in the universe that can separate us from Jesus! Amen. I was born and brought up in a small village. There was no electricity, and no bus. I did not even have a bicycle. People in my village did not wear watches. It was a remote village. One day a missionary came to our village. He started visiting all of the homes in our area. During that time, my mom was very sick. She had just been released from the hospital, and she was lying in bed waiting to die. The native Indian missionary came and shared the gospel. He also prayed for my mom; however, my mom was not healed. The missionary went 15

home and continued praying for forty days. Then he came back and prayed, and my mom was healed. She received the Holy Ghost and other spiritual gifts. Her life was totally changed.totally changed. She wanted to serve the living God. She wanted to worship Him and go to a Spirit-filled church. My father was absolutely opposed to my mom in this. My father was very happy that my mom got healed, but he was absolutely against my mom going to church. My father told her, Let our peace be kept. If you continue to go to the same church, then I will lie down on a mattress, eat no food, and die. When anybody comes around, I will tell them I am dying because of my wife. My mom thought that he was joking, so she kept going to the church. Our house is not very far from the roadside, and one day my father got out a mattress and laid on it in the middle of the day. His friends came to meet him, and my father told them, I am going to die because of my wife. He did this in order to shame my mom. She never anticipated that all this would happen. When somebody fasts for more than two days, usually they get weaker. My father, however, was not getting weaker. My brother and I wanted to know why he was still strong. So, one day, when everybody went to bed, we hid ourselves. My father slowly stood up and went to the kitchen. He opened all the containers and took out tapioca, rice, fish and curry. He ate everything. Because we discovered him, his plan utterly failed. My father made a second threat to my mom. He said, If you dont leave your faith, then Ill take a rope, and hang myself and die. Ill write a letter and keep it in my pocket. The letter will say I died because of my wife. My mother never thought that this sort of situation would come; however, she was a very bold lady. She called both of us boys and said, Children, those that really kill themselves will never tell anybody. This is only a threat. Since he already told us, he will never kill himself. Sure enough, he never did it. Next, my father threatened, If you continue, I will divorce you. My mother said, I will gladly accept the divorce. My father announced the day he would divorce her, but my mom did not think he was serious. On that day, at about 8 oclock in the morning, my father entered. My mother was cooking something at the stove. My father pulled her by her hair from the kitchen, through all the rooms, out to the veranda and into the yard. He took a stick that he had hidden just for this occasion and started beating her like he was beating a cobra snake. As he beat her, the stick broke. He threw that stick away and collected another twenty or so sticks, and then started beating her again. He told her, Now I am going to undress you and 16

drag you through the roads to the church. My mom opened her mouth and said, If you want to kill me, kill me. Im willing to die, but do not shame me like this. God may not forgive you. He took note of that, but he still beat her. He took her to the public road and threw her down. He pushed, kicked and beat her saying, You are no longer my wife, and I am no longer your husband. Do not enter the house. Then he locked the door. My mother embraced me and my elder brother in the middle of the road. She looked up to Heaven and said, Children, you have no father on this earth, but you have a Heavenly Father. He will take care of you. Just leave the house. I will be back to feed your tummies. God is enough. Mom did not know how she was going to survive. She was a young lady. If anybody gave shelter to her they would be excommunicated such were the anti-Christian attitudes. But, my moms brother Thomas had died, and his wife was a widow. She was also a new believer, and she gave shelter to my mom. We brought all our stuff and stayed in her house. When the other children went to school with umbrellas, I had no umbrella. I would go to school with a banana leaf. The other children would take lunch boxes, but I had no lunch box and no lunch. During the one hour lecture at school, I would stare at the canteen with all its soda, candy and cakes and swallow my saliva. Every day, the other children wore different shirts and trousers, but I had only one white shirt and one pair of trousers that were torn on the backside. I came up with a plan for new clothes. I bought some rose powder, made a liquid dye and dipped my shirt in it. The shirt became rose colored. I pressed the shirt with an iron. In those days, we had high-tech cordless irons that were charcoal heated. When I wore my newly dyed shirt, everyone looked at it and said, What a wonderful shirt, but I knew the truth of how my shirt had become rose colored. After a few days, I washed the shirt, and it became neither rose nor white. I couldnt wear it. I thought, What should I do? I bought yellow powder and dipped the shirt in it. I pressed it, and it became a yellow shirt! After that, I ended up alternating between a yellow shirt and a rose shirt. My mom told me, My son, our God is great. Light afflictions and suffering we go through can bring us eternal glory in Heaven. Mom never stored up any wealth for us. She showed us what real Christianity was through the life she lived. Amen. Because of my mothers perseverance and faith, my father eventually changed his mind and called us back home. When we 17

returned, my father accepted us. One day, my father became sick and said to my mom, You pray. My mom answered, No. There are only certain people who can pray for you My mom knew that everyones prayers are accepted by God, but she called the same pastor that led her to Christ to pray for my father. He came and prayed for my father. My father was healed and the pastor shared the way of salvation with my father. He received Christ, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and ended up becoming a missionary! As he went to preach the gospel to other people, a small team of three people would follow him. That team was composed of my mom and us two children. We went to village after village. Finally, my father became the pastor of a church the same church that my own elder brother is now pastoring. Amen! Because you are following Christ, there will be obstacles and trials. Enemies will try to stop you. However, if you continue in faith and perseverance, God will remove all your enemies and make them your best friends. They will lift your hands and help you to fulfill Gods calling!

Making God First

One member in our church is a businessman. Twenty five years ago, he was earning more than a thousand rupees ($50 USD) per month. They have four children: three boys and one girl. One day, the man said to his wife, You are such a wonderful wife. I love you so much, but I love Jesus more than you. She said, How can you love Jesus more than me? No, no, no, you must love me more than Jesus. He told her, Up to this point I have loved you, and you have been my god, but now, I have found somebody else. Jesus is my King and Lord. She told him, Unless you love me more than Jesus, I will never live with you. He said, I cannot love you more than Jesus, and he went away for business. One day, after all the children left for school, the wife took a rope, tied it in the house, stood on a stool and jumped. As she was suffocating, some neighbors came and found her hanging. They untied the rope and laid her flat. The news was sent to her husband, and he came home. She was okay, but she said, Tell me you love me more than Jesus. He said, I love you very much, but I love Jesus more than you. It was a crisis. On another occasion, while the husband was away at his business, she drank poison. People rushed her to the hospital almost dead. The news got back her husband, and he came to our house asking, What shall I do? 18

Should I go and meet my wife? We told him, Yes, you must go and meet your wife. He went, and she said to him, Tell me that you love me. He told her, I love you. I love you very much, but I love Jesus more than I love you. One day, while he was praying in his room, His wife locked the door from the outside. She asked him, So you think you need Jesus? You need me. Let Jesus free you, and she put the key in her sari. When breakfast time came she wanted to show some compassion on him because he was her husband. She put tasty Indian food like sambar and chutney on a plate and gave it to him through the window like a prisoner. The man received it and ate it without washing his hands before or after the meal. When noon time came, she gave him more food through the window. At this time, a loan they had applied for at the bank was granted. The money was to purchase some jewelry for her, but she couldnt get the money from the bank without her husband. She told her husband, The money is sanctioned. I will release you on the condition that if I open the door, you will go to the bank. Dont go to Pastor Paulose. He is the one spoiling our life. He didnt say anything. He knew that she would have to open the door because it was the last day to secure the loan. He kept silent. Finally she opened the door, and he came out. When he came out he said, First I will go to Pastor Paulose, and only then will I go to the bank. She became angry and looked for a stone. Instead, she found a broken brick and threw it at his knee. It skinned his knee. He was bleeding when he came to our house. He said, Pastor, see my wifes gift. I thought, What kind of gift is this? I had never seen such a gift before. He said, I will explain to you later. Now, I need to go to the bank. He went, got the money and then, he explained everything to us. Later she put poison in the food and gave it to him. He knew there was poison in the food, but he ate it anyway, and he never died. This made her think. One day, the man called me and said, My wife is seriously sick, please come and pray. I told him, It is a good time to come. We went to the house, which previously she had never let us into. I preached the Gospel, and she gave her heart to the Lord! She even decided to be baptized in the night. Even now, I can remember baptizing both mother and daughter in the water. It was a good baptism. Amen! Now she is a prophetess and prays and intercedes. There may be times of testing that will reveal whether you love your dear ones more than the Lord. Now that youve found Jesus, you long for your spouse to also be a God-lover. For others, God may be telling you to cut off ungodly, dating relationships. Jesus asks us to love Him more than anyone 19

else. Jesus knows what is best for your life. If you made a wrong decision, then openly admit that to the Lord. If God does not want it, be willing to pay the price and leave it. God will honor this. Amen. You may think you are catching some good fish, but they may just turn out to be crocodiles! You may be thinking, I can fry and eat nicely, but what you thought was a nice fish, will end up eating you. Do you hear me? As you hear these things you are becoming more and more accountable. It may be painful to make a decision, but If you make the right decision in the sight of God, then He will give you grace. He will take care of everything. When the Lord spoke to Gideon, He knew that Gideon didnt know anything about war. He knew that Gideon was a feeble man, but He chose him to be a warrior anyway. The Lord told Gideon that he needed to do one thing. His father was a priest to a false god. God told Gideon to cut down the idol and destroy the altar. Gideon destroyed the idol in the night because he was afraid of the people; nevertheless he obeyed! He paid the price to obey God! What happened the next morning? All the village people came to worship as usual, but there was no altar! Just imagine.no altar or idol! When they found out that the priests son had done it, they wanted to kill him. Poor Gideon didnt know what to do, but the Lord took care of the problem. Gideons father reasoned with the people and told them that they should let the god whose altar was destroyed deal with Gideon. The people agreed, and the problem was solved. When you stand for God, God will take care of everything. Amen. If you love somebody, you want to spend time with that person. You want to get to know them. You talk and talk. Even after talking for two hours, it will seem like only fifteen minutes. If you love Jesus, it will be the same way. Even if you spend unlimited time with Him, you want to spend more time with Him. That is the kind of love he expects from us. Amen. For your personal notes:

20

Chapter 2

Take Up the Cross and Follow

Jesus Christ crucified outside Jerusalem

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If anyone wants to follow Christ, he should first be willing to take up the cross and follow Him. A throne shows power and majesty. A cross shows shame and rejection. If we want to follow Jesus, then we must be willing to be mocked, put to shame, and despised. All of these things will happen. Again and again Jesus mentioned the cross. Then Jesus told His disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (NIV) And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34 (NIV) And He said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 (NIV) Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27 (NIV) We must be willing to take up the cross daily and follow Him. Amen. This topic is very, very, very important. Throughout the public ministry of Jesus, many people were healed, set free, blessed and saved. They wanted to follow Christ. He expected them to take up their crosses. Today, His conditions are the same. They are not changed, reduced, or diluted. Amen. If Jesus were walking on the earth today, He would require the same obedience he required in the past. Even now, He is in Heaven expecting His followers to observe, obey and follow. It may be a cross, it may be painful, but there will be joy forever and ever and ever. Amen. There are two parts to the suffering Jesus experienced while on earth. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND. I will call these parts, Part-A and Part-B. Part-A includes the time from when Jesus received His baptism by John until He went to Gethsemane. During this time, He suffered many things. Much of the suffering we dont even know about. Through suffering and persecution Jesus fulfilled the mission that His Father intended for Him. Many times we think casting out demons, healing the lepers, feeding five thousand people, raising Lazarus, walking on the sea were Jesus ministries. These were His ministries, but they came along with great persecution and difficulty. We may also experience this kind of suffering. So, PartA is the suffering which Christ endured in order to show His followers that they will suffer in a similar way if they are following Him. We will later look at some details of this. Part-B of Christs suffering is the period of time from Gethsemane until He 22

died on the cross of Calvary. This suffering was preordained by His Father and was only for His Son to undergo. Jesus had to die as a propitiation for the whole world. This is a suffering that we cannot take part in. This is a suffering that we can only remember. Through Jesus death, God wants to bring salvation to the entire world. After he received baptism from John and was baptized by the Holy Ghost, Jesus told the disciples that there was a baptism he had to drink. This was the baptism of His suffering. There was a cup he had to drink. This was the suffering His Father prepared for Him. Amen. Many times we remember Part-B suffering when we break bread. When we preach the Gospel, we also preach about the Lords suffering. Part-A suffering, however, is often omitted or ignored. People are not taught about it. I am going to teach about it now. The Part-A of Christs suffering is recorded in all the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When you have time, go through the Gospels and take notes. I have taken notes from all the Gospels, but I am only going to teach here from the Gospels of Luke and John. Jesus came to His own Jewish people with great expectation, but they never received Him. This caused pain in His heart. He came to that which was his own, but His own did not receive him. John 1:11 (NIV) All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove Him out of the town, and took Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way. Luke 4:28-30 (NIV) This passage above documents Jesus very first ministry. It was conducted in His hometown. Earlier in the text, the people gladly received His words. But, then, they became so angry that they forcefully took Him from the synagogue and tried to throw Him off of a cliff to kill Him. In Johns Gospel, Jesus said that he was the bread which came down. This caused the Jews to grumble. His disciples did not yet grumble, only the Jews in the public audience grumbled. At this the Jews began to grumble about Him because he said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. John 6:41 (NIV) A little while later, however, His disciples started grumbling. Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, Does this offend you? John 6:61 (NIV) 23

Those who walked with Him, talked with Him, ate with Him, and had good fellowship with Him, were now grumbling about His words. Previously we saw the Jews grumbling, but now His own disciples are grumbling. He bore all these things. He didnt fire them. He led them. Even after hearing their grumbling, He stayed with them. People argued sharply with Jesus, and this was part of the suffering he endured in during his ministry. John 6:52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? (NIV) The Jews began to argue sharply with Jesus! Then the disciples began arguing about who could listen to his teaching. On hearing it, many of His disciples said, This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it? John 6:60 (NIV) The disciples wondered who was going to be able to accept Jesus teachings because they were so hard. Those that had been walking with Jesus said this; How difficult His words were! In fact, many of them turned back from following Him. From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. John 6:66 (NIV) Jesus is trying to train His disciples so that one day they will become great leaders, but many of them leave without even informing Him; just left.. gone! They may have felt there was some reason to accuse him, but there was none. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. John 7:7 (NIV) The world did not gladly accept Jesus or His teaching. They rejected and hated Him. He lived in the midst of that hatred. Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about Him. Some said, He is a good man. Others replied, No, He deceives the people. John 7:12 (NIV) Murmuring.whispering.some said he was a good man, but most of them thought he was evil. If this happened to Jesus, the same thing may happen to us. We need to be prepared to be exposed to these things. We need to be vaccinated now. People get a vaccination for typhoid fever so that it wont affect them. Similarly, we must have a vaccination of heart and mind, so that we wont be discouraged. Amen. If this happened to Jesus, the same thing can happen to us. Not everyone who came to hear Jesus speak had good intentions. 24

When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose Him fiercely and to besiege Him with questions, waiting to catch Him in something He might say. Luke 11:53-54 (NIV) Sometimes even spies were sent out, who pretended they liked Jesus, but their intentions were evil. They were trying their best to trap Him into saying something against the government and Caesar. The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest Him immediately, because they knew He had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. Keeping a close watch on Him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something He said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned Him: Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? He saw through their duplicity Luke 20:19-23 (NIV) Some people only listened to Jesus in order to try to trick him into slipping up. The same may be true when we go out to preach. Dont think that everyone in the crowd is interested in hearing the Gospel. Some may simply be there to try to trap you. While obeying His Father in Heaven, and performing a wonderful miracle of healing, Jesus upset the ruler of a synagogue. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath. The Lord answered him, You hypocrites! Doesnt each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Luke 13:14-15 (NIV) Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? John 7:23 (NIV) At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him, Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you. Luke 13:31 (NIV) The fact is that many people were endeavoring to kill Jesus. Every day He was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Luke 19:47 (NIV) 25

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Luke 22:1-2 (NIV) Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me? John 7:19 (NIV) Now consider that all this happened before Gethsemane and Jesuss crucifixion! If this happened to the One we are following, then we need to be prepared for it to happen to us as well. People tried to kill Jesus. There may come a time during our ministry that people may try to kill us. It can happen to us. However, because our Lord lives, we will live also. Before Gethsemane, an attempt was made to arrest Jesus. At this they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd put their faith in Him. They said, When the Christ comes, will He do more miraculous signs than this man? The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about Him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest Him. John 7:30-32 (NIV) Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. John 7:43 (NIV) At these words the Jews were again divided. John 10:19 (NIV) People accused Jesus of being a sinner. A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. Give glory to God, they said. We know this man is a sinner. John 9:24 (NIV) The Pharisees said they knew that he was a sinner, but we know Jesus never sinned. In fact, He forgave the sins of other people! You are demon-possessed, the crowd answered. Who is trying to kill you? John 7:20 (NIV) The Jews answered him, Arent we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed? John 8:48 (NIV) When a demon saw Jesus, the demon cried aloud and said that He was the Son of the Most High God. But when the people saw and heard Jesus, some said He was demon-possessed! He bore everything calmly. He knew who He was. Amen. Many of them said, He is demon-possessed and raving mad John 10:20 (NIV) Many said that He was demon possessed and crazy! Not only demon pos26

sessed, but out of His mind. People may think that of you, too. Do not try to please everybody. You cannot please people and God. Just imagine that there is a precious diamond I can obtain. However, in order to grab the diamond, I will have to let go of some cheap thing that I am already holding. The cheap item is only worth one dollar, but the diamond costs thousands of dollars. It is worthwhile to forsake the cheap thing in order to get the valuable thing. Amen. In trying to win approval from man, do not lose Gods approval. Do you know who said Jesus is mad? It was not the public. It was his own people, his relatives. When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, He is out of his mind. And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons. Mark 3:21-22 (NIV) His family members declared that He was out of His mind. If we are following Christ we have to expect all these things. What happened to Him may happen to us. If the world has done this much to Jesus, how much more will the world do to us? Jesus taught and showed us this so that we will be prepared to live a Godly life here on this earth. Amen. At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. John 8:59 (NIV) When Jesus was teaching in the temple, the audience tried to stone him. Where did they find stones? Not there. It was Solomons porch, with pure, clean marble.there were no stones there. We surmise that they carried the stones with them in their coats, coming prepared to do him harm. If this happened to Jesus, it may happen to us. When we preach in the villages of India, people have thrown things at us: stones, cow dung, or human waste. People will do these things. Amen. Again the Jews picked up stones to stone Him John 10:31 (NIV) So from that day on they plotted to take His life. John 11:53 (NIV) This is what the world offered to Jesus. What do we expect? We should expect the same treatment. Amen. The disciples that lived with Jesus saw the difficulties and troubles Jesus underwent. John may have only recorded a few of the troubles. There might have been much more. In regards to Jesuss miraculous works, John said he only wrote about a few because if he had written about everything 27

He had done, the world could not contain the books. Similarly, John probably only wrote about a few of the difficulties. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25 (NIV) John, chapters fifteen and sixteen, is Jesus last teaching while they walked to Gethsemane. What was the main thing Jesus taught in John chapter fifteen and sixteen? If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent Me. John 15:18-21 (NIV) Do not take these verses lightly. Amen. When Jesus said, If they persecuted me, he was telling you that you will also be persecuted. If you decide to take a bath, then you have to decide to get wet. Keep in mind that the world hated Jesus first. If the world hates you, then it Indicates that you are chosen by Jesus Christ. Oil and oil go together, and water and water go together. Darkness and darkness go together, and light and light go together. Light and darkness will never go together. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because there deeds were evil. Everyone who does the evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he done has been done through God. John 3:19-21 (NIV) The reason the world hates you is that He has chosen you out of the world; you are no longer of the world. If the world hated Him, the same world will hate you. Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that the things that happened to Him would also come to them. He wanted them to be prepared in their minds. Many times people who go into the mission field will fail, unless they have minds already prepared for persecution and difficulties. Matthew chapter ten is Jesus graduation speech before He sent the disciples into the field. John chapter sixteen records what Jesus said before entering into Gethsemane. 28

All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. John 16:1-2 (NIV) Now, just before Gethsemane, Jesus told his disciples they would they be put out of the synagogue, and those who killed them would think they were offering a service to God. With such intentions they will kill you! That means the disciples understood that one day.either now or later. they would become martyrs. This is what Jesus told them, and they understood. Unless you understand and embrace this, do not go into the mission field. Amen.

Rejoicing in the Cross

One day my wife Sarojam and a team went to a village in Rameswaram called Thanneroothu. It is a small village. A lady who saw our team going to the village thought that she needed to honor my wife and the team members in a particular way. So she kept some cow dung and human waste in a clay pot for three days and poured it out on their faces. I will have my wife Sarojam tell the story: We used to go regularly to the village and have meetings. One day, I turned and saw two people walking up behind us. The people began scooping dung from a bucket and throwing it at our faces. They threw it not only on me but on the other team members as well. When I asked for water to wash myself, I didnt get any. When we reached the place to take the bus home, we boarded the bus. The people around us began expressing how terribly we smelled. They began saying, Please do something about them. Please get them off of the bus. We had already received our tickets, so we were allowed to stay. We kept praying and continued the journey. Eventually, the Lord not only saved the lady who did the awful act but also saved her family as well. Two of her children are now coming to the church. Her sisters-in-law are serving the Lord as well. Now there is a church in that area, and lots of people are serving the Lord. Amen! When we face difficult people, we should not turn and run away. We need to go to them, start loving them, and share the Gospel with them. The Lord will turn them towards Himself. If we diligently follow the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly, the Lord who has the 29

victory will give us the same victory. The Lord will add many more souls to Himself. I would like to share one more incident that happened to me. During Christmas time, a few brothers went to the street corners in order to share the Gospel. After lunch, some of us sisters got together and decided that we would also take time to go share the Gospel. Before we began sharing the Gospel, we made sure that all the sisters were well aware of the fact that they needed to be prepared to go through persecution. In spite of the persecution, they must continue. We went to the junctions, sang a few songs, shared some testimonies, and then shared the Gospel. There was no main road in that place, so we stood wherever we could to share the Gospel. There was a travellers lodge where we had already conducted seven meetings, and we were getting ready to conduct the eighth meeting. While we were having the meeting, an unbeliever came and snatched the microphone from my hand. Without the microphone system, I continued preaching the Gospel. After this, a man came holding a horse and threatened that if I shared one more word, then he would cut off my head. There were a lot of people listening to the message. I closed my eyes and continued praying. While I was praying, most of the message came through the prayer. I closed my eyes because I did not want to watch the man cut my head off. Instead he started smashing my face into the horses head. After that he went away, but I continued praying. Even though I had pain in my mouth as I went back home, I continued to share the Gospel. When I reached home, I had a lot more pain in my mouth. After a few days, some of my teeth began falling apart, and I was in much pain. By the grace of God, I now have a wonderful set of new artificial teeth. It is a great privilege to have the honor of serving God and going through suffering. For the sake of the Gospel and for Jesus, it is a privilege to suffer such things as losing teeth. In the midst of all persecutions and trials, the greatest privilege that we always have is to continue suffering for Him. Those trials help us to live with all our heart for God. All these persecutions will help us to continue to be stronger in the Lord. They will keep us from straying away from Him. Amen! Hallelujah! Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount to the people whose sins had been forgiven and who had been set free from bondage and demons. When he 30

taught, He taught them Kingdom principles.Kingdom style living. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12 (NIV) Blessed means blessed. No need for an interpretation. You can use any Bible. Jesus very clearly said this. He used only one sentence for each of the other Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, but for this point regarding persecution, He used three verses. He used three verses in order to prove and explain the blessings of persecution, because it is a very tough point to get across. When persecution happens, Jesus says, rejoice! That means be glad. That means leap for joy! That is what Jesus said. He said to rejoice because your reward in Heaven is so great! Did He say it or not? Without willingness to suffer, the expansion of His Kingdom is impossible! Hardship, hard labor, sleepless nights, prayer, fasting, suffering, persecution, and difficulties are essential for the expansion of His Kingdom. Amen. When you go through persecution, always rejoice. Stephen was brought into the court. They also brought in false witnesses to accuse Stephen. Those who sat in the judges seat looked at his face, and they found his face to be like an angels face. He was remembering that they were adding to his rewards in Heaven. Amen. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. Luke 6:22-23 (NIV) When do we rejoice? When these types of things happen, rejoice! Amen. The world cries when things like this happen to them. We also will cry, but there is a difference between you and the world. When this happens, rejoice. Leap! Dont just leap; jump up and down, and clap your hands! Jesus said your reward in Heaven is so great! Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him 31

who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross and despised the shame. Because of the joy that was set before Him, He is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. Remember Him when you go through difficulties, so that your heart may not fail or grow weary. Amen. When you go through trials, remember so that your heart will not get weary. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaohs daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Hebrews 11:24-26 (NIV) When Moses grew up, he despised his position and refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter. He abandoned all the treasures of Egypt and chose to be afflicted with the people of God. Amen. Dont think that those who have left their jobs and gone out to serve God are fools. The world may think they are wasting time. There is a far greater reward awaiting them in Heaven. Amen. For your personal notes:

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Chapter 3
Deny Yourself

Stephen stoned outside of Jerusalem, AD 34

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Whenever people wanted to follow Jesus He told them that they must be willing to deny to themselves. Why? There was a reason. Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (NIV) Why did Jesus say that his disciples must deny themselves? Many different kinds of people followed Jesus: tax collectors, fishermen, and so forth. They were a mix of both educated and uneducated people. Many of them were probably illiterate. When there was a dispute among the disciples, Jesus told them, You must deny yourself, in order to bring about unity. Deny your worldly status.become a nobody. Dont try to show what you are; instead, become a nobody, so that God can make you somebody. Amen. Jesus clearly demonstrated this through His life. Even though He was equal with the Father, He denied Himself. He came as a man and took the form of a servant. He came not to be ministered to, but to minister and become a ransom for many. Amen. In Matthew chapter ten, Jesus delegated His power and authority to the disciples even though they were merely ordinary fishermen. Wherever the disciples went, miracles took place. The disciples healed people of diseases, removed leprosy, raised people from the dead, and cast out demons. Mighty miracles happened. Wonderful! But then in chapter eighteen, after Jesus had delegated authority and power to the disciples, a certain question arose among the disciples: At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-3 (NIV) The disciples came wanting to know who would be the greatest: Peter, James, John, Andrew, Bartholomew, Judas.who? Jesus answered them by describing what characterizes the greatest person in the kingdom of heaven. It was totally a different reply then they expected. The disciples wanted to know which disciple would be greatest. Instead, Jesus describes what kind of person would be the greatest in Gods Kingdom. Unless you change the way you think about greatness, you will never be able to enter into the eternal kingdom of heaven. After we enter into heaven, God will determine who is first, second, third, fourth, etc. Let us remember, Jesus gave this correction to the apostles. These were the ones who were already going everywhere with Him. They were preaching the 34

Kingdom of God, calling people to repentance, and witnessing many people repenting. Now, to the very ones who preached about repentance, Jesus says, repent. These words are difficult. When Jesus preached an important message, He would normally begin with one of two phrases: Verily, verily or He who has ears, let him hear. Here, in Matthew 18:3, Jesus used the word verily, which in the NIV is translated, I tell you the truth. And he said:I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3-4 (NIV) Whoever humbles himself is the greatest. Jesus is not merely speaking to Peter, James or John. In other words, it is not who you are, but the kind of person you are, which is the focus. Whoever humbles himself as a child will be greatest in His Kingdom. Amen. Do you hear me? This is a very, very important issue. Peter answered him, We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us? Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Matthew 19:27-30 (NIV) Here we see Peter asking Jesus a question. They had left their boats, nets, parents, businesses, everything, and followed Jesus. They wanted to know what they would get in return. Jesus promises them that whatever things they have left behind for Him, will be restored a hundredfold in this life. Also, they will inherit eternal life! Jesus also tells them that when he comes with the glory of His Father and sits on the throne, they will sit with Him on twelve thrones and judge Israel. Suddenly it clicked in their minds: they want to know who will be seated on the right and on the left of Jesus. They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, What were you arguing about on the road? But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all. He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name 35

welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me. Mark 9:33-37 (NIV) In the passage above, the disciples are walking towards Capernaum. On the way there is an argument among the disciples. Wherever Jesus went openly with his disciples, there were multitudes of people on both sides of the street. This time the disciples argument was loud enough that even Jesus, perhaps a little ahead of them, was able to overhear them. Not only did Jesus hear, but perhaps others also heard them arguing. When all of them then arrived in Capernaum, they entered a house. Jesus asked them what they had been arguing about. They should have answered, Dear Jesus, we were arguing about who would be greatest. Instead, they kept silent. This is a problem everywhere. People may often gather to drink coffee, talk, and laugh and joke about their leader. When the leader appears, everyone goes silent. If the leader asks, Hey, what are you discussing?, the people say, Nothing, nothing. This is a very old problem. Jesus also faced this problem in His life, but He handled it very nicely. The reason the apostles kept quiet was that they had been arguing about who was greatest among them. Maybe they had even been jostling one another as well. Who knows? Fishermen have hot tempers! Can you believe the apostles were arguing this subject? If the apostles had this problem, then any group, any community, any school, any disciples can have this problem. It is a problem that may stay hidden for a while, but eventually it will come to the surface. After Jesus asked the question, He sat down. In the house there were probably plenty of people: men, women, children, educated and un-educated. He called the twelve apostles and began to publicly berate them. It is so sad. It was shameful for them. Jesus taught that when people make mistakes, they should be corrected privately. If they dont listen, then you should bring two or three others and correct them. If they still wont listen, then correct them publicly. Jesus said: If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two brothers along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would pagan or a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17 So why is Jesus correcting them openly? He is confronting them publicly 36

because they erred openly, and he knows they needed a serious rebuke. Amen.

Suitable Soap
When I was a small boy, sometimes I would go to the pond or river about half a kilometer away in order to take bath. Once in a while, there was a rich man who would also come in order to bathe his elephant. The elephant was probably dirty from pulling logs in the forest. I wanted to see what kind of soap the man used to wash the elephant. In those days I used Malabar Glory Soap. Malabar Glory Soap came in a small cake. I thought, I use Malabar Glory Soap for myself, but what kind of soap cake does the man use on the elephant it must be enormous! I waited to see it. The man made a small dam in the small river using rubbish, coconut leaves and banana plants. The elephant knelt down on all four legs in the water. It was then that I saw my first shower bath! The elephant would suck water up in his trunk and spray it all over himself. What a wonderful shower. Today we just open the tap and the water comes out. The elephant took a long time spraying himself. Then the man washed it with some sort of hay or old rags. Still I waited to see the soap! Then the man searched and found a rough, unpolished piece of stone from the river and began brushing the elephant with it. Finally, I understood that for this elephant, this kind of soap was perfect. With normal bathing soap the dirt would have never come off of the elephant. It needed a more suitable soap. This is similar to what Jesus is doing to the disciples. He is giving them a suitable rebuke. He called the twelve, and publicly rebuked them. Whenever He rebuked them, they would humble themselves for the moment; however, in His absence the same issue would come up again. If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very, very last. He must be the servant of all. We will be able to identify the person who has these character traits coming from the heart. One day, sooner or later, he will become a leader. He does not need to promote himself; God will promote him. Place yourself under Gods hands, and those hands will come under you and lift you up. There will be a limit to how far man can exalt you, but if God lifts you, there is no limit to exaltation. Amen. Jesus used a little child to illustrate this important truth. Jesus stands up, goes forward, gets a child, picks it up, holds it and speaks to the disciples. What a wonderful moment to see! 37

The apostles came to understand that there should not be any more arguments about who is the greatest among them. So they kept silent for a time; however, inwardly, like lava festering under a volcano, the subject would burst forth again. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him. Teacher, they said, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. What do you want me to do for you? He asked. Mark 10:35-36 (NIV) James and John were hoping that by asking Jesus in this way they could corner Him. He would first say yes, and then they would get whatever they asked for. Instead, Jesus tells them to tell him what they want, and only then will he answer yes or no. They wanted to trap Jesus, but instead they fell into his trap. There was no way out, they had to tell Him what they wanted. They replied, Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory. You dont know what you are asking, Jesus said. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? Mark 10:37-38 (NIV) You know what they said? They declared that they were ready to drink any cup, small or big. They just didnt want him to give the right and left position to anybody else but them. We can, they answered. Jesus said to them, You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared. Mark 10:39-40 (NIV) Jesus used a good method. He didnt say yes or no. If He had said yes, what would the other ten disciples have done? They may have become furious at James and John. If Jesus had said no, those two may have become disappointed and departed. When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Matthew 20:24 (NIV) So Jesus told them the seats would go to whomever they were already prepared for. Who will fight for a position? People who are uncertain about their position will fight for their position. If somebody is certain about their position, they will never fight for it. Suppose you have reserved a berth on a train. When you board the train, you discover there are already passengers sitting in your berth, in a seat that they have not reserved. When the ticket master comes he will send them away. In a similar way, your seat is reserved in heaven by God! If you are preserved for God like Aarons rod, one day you will surely bud and bring forth fruit. 38

Amen! It seems that later these same two disciples, James and John, went back to their mother and told her that they had been disappointed. Their mom asked why. They asked her to please go and put pressure on Jesus because they wanted to sit on the right and left. Then the mother of Zebedees sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of Him.Matthew 20:20 (NIV) Initially, their mother might not have wanted to go, but I think these two applied a lot of pressure. Finally she agreed to go. She approached Jesus, and her two boys followed behind. What happens? The Scripture says she kneeled down, or in some versions it says she bowed down. In other words, she fell at His feet to make her request. What is it you want? he asked. She said, Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom. Matthew 20:21(NIV) Here we have the same request being made by the same two disciples; however, this time it is their mother making the request. Standing behind their mother, James and John were thinking that their mother would be able to gain their request. Jesus asked her what she wanted, and she replied that she wanted her two sons to sit, one on the right and one on the left in His Kingdom. What was Jesus response? You dont know what you are asking, Jesus said to them. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink? We can, they answered. Matthew 20:22 (NIV) Can you drink? is the question that Jesus asks their mother. She never expected this question to be asked. She didnt know how to answer, but the two boys declare that they will have no problem drinking from that cup. This problem of people wanting to be greatest is everywhere. This problem is in churches and politics. Wherever you go you see it. Why did James and John ask Jesus for this? In their minds, maybe they thought that after the death of Jesus, Peter would become the leader and that they needed to kick Peter out. Thats just politics. This same John wrote the book of First John which is about love and loving one another. In First John He says that if you hate your brother you are a murderer. From his own life experiences, John was able to write these truths. So what did Jesus say next? He faced the problem very wisely. Jesus said to them, You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at 39

my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father. When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Matthew 20:23-24 (NIV) He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. I John 2:9 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. I John 3:15 When James, John and their mother came to Jesus, the other ten disciples were surely nearby. How foolish the disciples were. At least they could have asked Jesus privately. In this situation, if Jesus had said, Yes, I will grant it, what would have happened? When Jesus left, the other ten would really have hated them. To prevent a problem, Jesus wisely handled the situation. Amen. Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me Luke 22:24-29 (NIV) The same exact argument that occurred while they were sitting at the Passover table occurs again in this passage. When this dispute arose, Jesus was moved with grief in His heart. It was at this time that He stood up, took a bowl of water, tied a towel around his waist, as slaves do, and started to wash the disciples feet. He did this in order to show them humility. When Jesus rebuked the disciples they would keep silent for a time. But the same issue would arise again. There is a story which illustrates this: A small boy had a dog. Many of his friends also had dogs. All of his friends dogs had straight tails while the boys dog had a bent tail. One day the boy asked one of his friends, Can you help me to make my dogs tail straight? The friend said, Get a straight tube, and put the dogs tail through it. Tie it on, and keep it there for a week. Then the problem will be over. He searched everywhere until he found a piece of pipe. He put the dogs tail through the pipe, tied it, and kept it there for a week. The 40

dog looked funny. After one week, the boy slowly removed the pipe. What happened? When he took the pipe off, the tail bent back to its normal condition! The same thing would happen after Jesus gave a rebuke to his disciples. Things would return to normal. What is the remedy? Jesus spoke very clearly to the disciples and told them that they needed to love one another. Love one another! His heart was moved. He pondered what the disciples would be like after He departed, if they were already acting like this in His presence. His heart was broken. In John chapter seventeen, Jesus entered into Gethsemane to pray. In that prayer, He mentioned one particular matter again, and again, and again. He pleaded with the Father for unity among His disciples. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your namethe name you gave meso that they may be one as we are one. John 17:11 (NIV) Jesus prayed that they would be one as He, the Father, and the Holy Spirit were one, with no division, no arguments, and no separation. Again and again, Jesus repeated the same thing. In Gethsemane blood started to flow through His pores. Some people believe that Jesus was sweating blood because of the sorrow and agony that He was facing in the future. I suspect that He might also have been thinking about the disciples and wondering if they argue like this in His presence, what they would do after He departed. His heart was broken. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20-21 (NIV) I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:23 (NIV) Jesus prayed that they would be united.one in unity. They needed to become unified so that the world would believe that the Father sent Jesus. Amen. In this way Jesus submitted to the will of His Father. Amen. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9 (NASB) 41

Jesus came to taste death for everyone; it was not a savor of bitterness, but with the anticipation of joy. Amen. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) Because of the joy that was set before Him, He despised the shame. He endured the cross gladly. These verses tell us that He was carried through all the human agony with divine joy. However, even in the midst of his pain, he was still concerned about his disciples. Again and again, He prayed for unity among His disciples. Amen. After Jesus died and rose again, but before He ascended into Heaven, his disciples asked him a question. So when they met together, they asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? Acts 1:6 (NIV) This time all the apostles asked Him the same question about being promoted in His Kingdom, but in a slightly different way. They asked Him if this was the time when He was going to restore Israel, when He would give them positions of power and authority. What answer did Jesus give? He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:7-8 (NIV) In verse eight, Jesus gives the solution to their problem. When they would later receive the power of the Holy Spirit, then the problem will be solved! Three of the disciples had a light taste of the Holy Spirit when they were on the Mount of Transfiguration. This account illustrates the solution that the Spirit brings. There were six people on the Mount of Transfiguration: Jesus, Elijah, Moses, Peter, James, and John. In reality, six tents were needed, but when the disciples entered into the glory cloud they forgot about themselves. The disciples asked if they should make three tents for Him, Moses and Elijah. They didnt ask about tents for themselves. The Spirit-filled life is one in which we forget ourselves and learn how to esteem others. When the flesh is in control, we neglect other people and want all the best for ourselves. When the disciples were in the glory cloud, they forgot about themselves. They denied themselves. Amen. So, the solution Jesus gave His disciples was to wait for the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, the Holy Spirit would take care of 42

all of their problems. So they waited ten days. Waiting one day, two days, three days, four days, five days.I think James and John were probably thinking, We have a problem. We wanted to kick Peter out from the position. This could be why the Holy Spirit is delaying His coming. We need to reconcile with Peter. Lets go. So James and John might have apologized to Peter: Peter, we really had a big problem with you and wanted to kick you out. Please forgive us. Lets work together to build Gods Kingdom. When their hearts became united the Holy Spirit fell upon them! After the Holy Spirit fell upon them, they had to decide who was supposed to speak first. At this point John and James were probably saying, Hey Peter, come, come, come! You preach, and we will stand behind you. We will pray for you. We will lift up your hands. We dont want to be first. We dont want the best position. Preach, preach, preach! The Holy Spirit never divides; He melds together and binds. That is Gods Spirit! There are many spirits: the spirit of anger, the spirit of selfishness, the spirit of bitterness and many other spirits. But, the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of submission, a Spirit of humility, a Spirit of unity, a Spirit of exhortation, a Spirit of seeking Gods Kingdom and honor. Amen! From here onward we see Peter and John in one company all the time. Amen! Jesus went to the temple many times. He might have seen the crippled man. He may have thought that he would let the disciples heal him after their hearts became one. One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayerat three in the afternoon. Acts 3:1 (NIV) As Peter and John were coming together to the Temple, the crippled man asked them to give him some alms. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, Look at us! So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Acts 3:3-6 (NIV) The crippled man got up and walked. Amen! Unity brings healings. Unity brings miracles! While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomons Colonnade. Acts 3:11 (NIV) In this account we see the name of Peter and John together. They were 43

together all the time. They preached together. They were in jail together. As traveling companions they were together. Going to Samaria they were together. As a result, there were a lot of miracles and spiritual gifts operating. Unity is a great strength. Amen. When Peter and John were arrested, they probably asked to be in the same cell. Amen. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. Acts 4:3 (NIV) Peter and John preached together. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (NIV) But Peter and John replied, Judge for yourselves whether it is right in Gods sight to obey you rather than God. Acts 4:19 (NIV) The apostles in Jerusalem heard that there were repentant and baptized people in Samaria in need of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. They pondered who they should send and finally decided to send Peter and John. Amen. When they went to Samaria and laid their hands on the people, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. Spiritual gifts began to operate. Unity brings great revival. Amen. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:14-17 (NIV) Do not take this lightly. There is a price we have to pay. Jesus paid the ultimate price, but on our side there is a price we have to pay as well. As suffering and affliction increases in our life, the comfort of Christ will also increase in our life. If we submit to God and place ourselves under His hand, the same hand will one day lift us! Amen.

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POINTS TO REMEMBER: Love the Lord with all of your heart. Be willing to take up the cross and follow Jesus. Be willing to deny yourself. For your personal notes:

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Chapter 4

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

The Apostle James (the major) beheaded in Jerusalem, AD 45

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Be bold about any opportunity that you get to share the gospel. For the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Amen. When the Son of Man comes with the glory of His Father, He will be ashamed of the people that are ashamed of Him. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16 (NIV) If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in his Fathers glory with the holy angels. Mark 8:38 (NIV) What a shame! If the enemy deceives us, we will not know weve been deceived until Jesus returns. So Jesus tells us repeatedly to not be deceived. Jesus answered: Watch out no one deceives you. Matthew 24:4 (NIV) Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. 1Corinthians 6:9 (NIV) Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7 (NIV) Dont be deceived, my dear brothers. James 1:16 (NIV) How long will the shame of being deceived last? Not for a day, a month, or a year.the shame will last forever and ever. Here on earth, we may think that we will look at His face for endless years. That may be our expectation. But, if we are ashamed to speak about Him in this sinful and adulterous generation, then when we meet Him, He will turn His face away from us. We wont see Him because He will be ashamed of us. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2 (NIV) Those who sleep in the earth will be raised to two different destinies. One group will rise to everlasting life and will shine like stars forever and ever. The other group will rise from sleep and will be ashamed and condemned forever and ever. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3 (NIV) There are different rewards after the resurrection. In First Corinthians, 47

Paul clearly speaks about the resurrection. Some of the people who lived in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection. It was a new teaching for them. Paul got his revelation from Jesus and wrote to them. He told them that in the resurrection there are differences. To prove this he used two illustrations: Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 1 Corinthians 15:39-41 (NIV) Number one: Not all flesh is equal. The flesh of a bird is different from the flesh of a mammal and also different from the flesh of a fish. Number two: All the stars in the sky are not the same. The brightness of the sun is different. The moon is different. The stars are different. Just as there are differences of flesh and of brightness there will also be differences in rewards. Those who are pioneers and gave up everything for the Gospel are not fools. They have received a revelation from God, and they run with the revelation like an athlete competing in a marathon. The world might think they are fools, but God knows who they are. Amen. When I found this truth, in my heart I decided that the Gospel was important! I decided that there was nothing else more important than the Gospel. Nothing! I decided that if my father gave me his property I would sell it and give the money towards missions and Gods Kingdom. My father loved me, but he knew if he divided the property that I would sell it and give it to missions. As a result, he never divided it. When my mom was very old, she divided the property. I decided to sell all my goods, even my house. The enemy whispered in my ear, Paulose, you can sell all your other property; no problem. But, what about your house? You have a wife and three children. Where will you sleep? At that time a bridge was being built at Thiruvananthapuram because they were constructing a new railway track to Kanniyakumari. I told the enemy, I will build a small hut with a sari or some coconut leaves, put it under the bridge, and give my address as M. Paulose under the bridge at Thiruvananthapuram. The devil left that day and never approached me on that subject again. 48

That same night however, the Lord told me, I appreciate it, but dont sell the house and the property. Leave it. So the house and a portion of the property is still left to this day. With my wifes permission, we sold everything else. We never took a single rupee for my ministry. I totally handed the money over to another mission and blessed them. But what I sacrificed, the Lord has restored to me a hundredfold, just as He promised! This is true. If we believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only remedy for all of mankind, then we will give up everything. Otherwise our faith is not faith, and our belief is not a real belief. If we are ashamed of the Son of Man in this sinful and adulterous generation, when He comes, He will also be ashamed of us. And that shame will be forever and ever. Do not be deceived. Look for opportunities and chances in which you can share your faith and show Gods love to other people. Do not think it is foolish. People that you share with may mock you, but there may be some who will want to hear. Amen. I will tell you how it works when you share your faith. Saul, along with some companions, went to Damascus in order to persecute the Christians. On the way they saw a marvelous light shining at midday. Everybody fell down. They heard a voice in the Hebrew language, which none of them could understand except Saul. Jesus said, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? To all Sauls companions Jesus voice was just an unintelligible noise, but to Saul it was not a noise. It was a clear, word-by-word sentence that he understood perfectly. Similarly, when you share the Gospel or your testimony with people, some may consider it unintelligible religious stuff. However, it will go into the hearts of those whom God determines to save, and they will understand it! This is the way sharing the gospel works.

Singing for Jesus

Once I was flying from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee. People commonly refer to Nashville as the music city. As I was going through airport security, an officer asked me where I was going. I told him, Im going to Nashville. He asked, Do you know about music and singing songs? I thought, This is a perfect timing to share the Gospel! I opened up the Bible and turned to John chapter three, verse sixteen. I had never sung it before, but I just started singing it. I made it into a song right there on the spot. Not only did the security agent hear it, everybody could hear it! Amen. 49

Why should you be ashamed of Jesus? When Jesus carried a heavy cross through the streets of Jerusalem, He was never ashamed. When He hung on the cross because of your sins, He was never ashamed. Dont be ashamed! Amen.

Eternal Perspective
After my marriage, I asked my wife, Honey, do you need anything? I will buy it and give it to you. She said, Let me think. The next day she came to me and declared, I need a megaphone. I said, Why do you need a megaphone when there are so many other things you need in the home? At the time, we had no fan, no iron, and no refrigerator. She told me, The people are unbelievers, and they dont know the Gospel. I dont need anything else. Just buy me a megaphone. So, I went and bought a batteryoperated megaphone. I woke up a little late the next morning because I went to bed late. When I woke up, I didnt see my wife. She had gone with somebody to do some public Gospel preaching! Amen. Why do we live on this earth? We are only pilgrims here. Our permanent residence is in heaven with Jesus forever and ever. Amen. Even after he did missionary work for many years, Paul stood before King Agrippa and took the time to share the Gospel. Paul told him how he had seen a marvelous light on the way to Damascus. Agrippa wondered why, after so short a period of time, Paul was trying to convert him to Christianity. Paul replied that he wanted everyone who listened to his preaching to become Christians. That was his heartbeat. Wherever Paul traveled he preached the good news of the Gospel, even when his hands were in chains! When my wife and I were in Rome, we visited a jail cell where Paul may have been imprisoned. It is about ten feet below the ground. It is a cold place. There is a stone pillar there that their hands were chained to. From there he would have been taken to be executed. It was perhaps even the same prison that Peter was also in. Paul was not able to travel or preach as his heart desired. Yet, by faith he knew that the day was coming in which every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Amen. Our ultimate goal should be to see every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will 50

award to me on that day-not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Tim 4:6-8 (NIV) There are many false gods mentioned in the Bible. Not the real God, but false gods like Baal and Ashtoreth. No nations worship those gods now. They have just become historical facts. In like manner, the names that are now being exalted will also be debased. But the name of Jesus will be exalted above all other names. Amen. It is true. It is Gods purpose.Gods strategy. If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NIV) How do you interpret this verse? It is so simple. As disciples, there is a cost we have to pay. Do not be ashamed. If there is an opportunity, share the Gospel! Amen. For your personal notes:

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Chapter 5

A Heart to Obey

The Apostle Philip stoned in Hierapolis, Phrygia, AD 54

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A disciple must obey his Master. Obey whatever the Master says. He said to another man, Follow me. But the man replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. Luke 9:59-60 (NIV) Jesus is calling a man to follow Him. The man says that his father is very old, and he doesnt know when he will die. The man feels that it is his responsibility to take care of him. But Jesus asks him to obey and follow. That means if Jesus calls you, do not wait. Go, go, go! God will take care of the outcome. The Lord will not ask us to make sacrifices of our children, like He asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. But He may ask other painful things from us. We need to listen and obey. When we obey, He will bless us. Amen. This does not mean we should forget our responsibilities; instead, we should find proper solutions for our responsibilities. We should obey Jesus and not reject His call. God called Abraham, and Abraham immediately obeyed without even knowing where he was going. Abraham had a responsibility toward his family; he also had a responsibility to obey God. Abraham found a solution by taking his wife and household along with him to the new land. Later God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his one and only son. Abraham had begotten Isaac in his old age. Without turning his face away, Abraham obeyed God. He did not even mention it to his wife, Sarah. What a great obedience. On the way to the Mountain, Isaac asked his father about the Lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham replied that God would take care of finding a sacrifice. Isaac was obedient to his father and prepared the altar. Because Abraham obeyed God, Isaac also obeyed his father Abraham. After preparing the altar and his son for the sacrifice, Abraham lifted a knife to kill his son. Suddenly, he heard an audible voice: Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. Genesis 22:15-18 (NASB)

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Obeying my Heavenly Father

Obedience brings blessings to nations. When God called me for ministry in 1966, I was just a young teen. My parents had five children; I was the youngest. Our life was joyful until my fifth year when we were suddenly hit by sickness and three of my siblings died. I was the youngest son, and I had a very close relationship with my father. Because of this, It was a struggle for me to leave for the ministry. I decided to try to leave home without his knowledge. One day, after my father left for the fields, I took my bag and ran to the bus stand to await the bus. My father returned from work at the end of the day and discovered I was gone. He was very disappointed. When I boarded the bus, much to my surprise, my father was standing in the bus. He was all sweaty and muddy in his field clothes. I was in the front of the bus; he was in the back. He said to me, My beloved son, wherever you are going please take me with you. He started to beg and plead with me to take him. This was very difficult for me. I loved my father greatly, but I knew I had to obey the call of God on my life. I did not know how to make him understand that I had to go and that I had to go alone. The bus driver gave me the signal that the bus was leaving. The bus started to move, and my father was still holding on to the rail. The conductor asked me where I was going and how many tickets I wanted to purchase. I told him the name of the town I was traveling to and told him I would purchase just one ticket. He asked me, what about this old father? I told him that I did not know what my fathers plans were. The driver stopped the bus and told my father that he needed to buy a ticket or get off the bus. My father asked me to buy him a ticket, and with a heavy heart I refused. Finally the conductor pushed my father to the floor of the bus. My heart broke when I saw my father like this. My father got off the bus with tears in his eyes and returned home. I cried as the bus pulled away from him. My mind was racing even faster than the bus. I had all sorts of questions for God. Here I was leaving everything that was familiar to me, my birth place, home town, my parents home and my family. I wondered what would happen to my father and mother. I was travelling a thousand miles to northern India; I would be in a new place, with a new culture, and a new language. Even the food would be different. However, it is only because of my obedience to Gods call that I am now able to be a blessed servant to many in India today.

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In 1979 the Lord spoke to me and told me that he wanted me to go to a place called Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. At this time we had four children: Billy Graham, seven years old; Israel, five years old; Susanna, two and a half years old, and my wife, who was pregnant. I did not even have enough money to get to Rameswaram. The Lord spoke to me and gave me a promise that He would provide 200 rupees ($4.50 USD), which was just enough for our train fare. The postman came later that week. I went out to meet him and asked if he had 200 rupees for me. He was very shocked and said, Yes. How did you know that? I answered, The Lord spoke to me and told me you would be bringing me these 200 rupees. The fact that the Lord would speak to someone was a testimony to the postman. After this my faith towards God grew. I knew that He would take care of everything because I was being obedient to His call to go to Rameswaram. God has now abundantly provided for every need of the ministry. God has blessed us with an orphanage, schools, training center, a vehicle fleet, computer center, and infant rescue home. He also has more plans for this ministry. If you are reading this book, then you should be strengthened to walk in obedience. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 6

Forsake Everything

John the Baptist beheaded, AD 23

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It can be easy to sell everything, but still be hard to forsake all. Nothing I have belongs to me. It all belongs to Him. Just live. Do not try to hold on to everything. We should share all that we have with one another. In the first century, the disciples sold everything and shared with one another. In order to meet one anothers needs they let go of their property and possessions. Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33 (NIV) All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Acts 2:44-45 (NIV) Unless we give up everything, unless we are willing to forsake all, we cannot be His disciples. This does not mean that we must continually sell everything, or that we should never own property. It means that whatever we have belongs to the Lord. He is the owner of our houses, property, wealth, cars, and whatever else we have. Amen. If He says to give something to somebody, then we must gladly give it to them. If he says to hold on to it, then we should do so. Is Luke 14:33 clear? You can use any translation of the Bible and the meaning will be the same. Discipleship begins with forsaking all. When Jesus called Peter, James and John, they left everything. They left their nets, their boats, their businesses, their families and followed Him. It is good to learn more about Jesus and His expectations of us. While you may be a good student or businessman, that does not mean are also a servant of the Lord. A time may come when Jesus will call you for full time ministry. Your parents may have spent a lot of money on your education, and you may wonder, How will you pay it back if I go into full time ministry? There may be a lot of questions, but if your heart is right, there will be hundreds of solutions. When you obey the Lord, He will take care of everything. If He calls you to forsake and go, then He means, Forsake and go! Amen. Sometimes the Lord will call tenderly. There are several ways to catch fish. Some fish are caught very easily. We put a net into the water for the easy fish. However, other fish are very cunning and refuse to come. We have to use a hook to catch them. The fish caught by a hook will be hurt in the process. It is better to be caught by the net, and not on a hook! Listen right away, when God calls you gently. Amen. You may have ambitions to build a good house or have a good car. God can provide! If you seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, He will give you everything else you need, as He has promised. If you are work57

ing at a secular job, how much can your employer provide? I tell you, the Bible says if we have shelter to live in, clothes to wear, and food to eat, we are to be content because it is enough! What else do we need? Some people have a lot of money, but they are too sick to eat good food. They have a lot of clothes, but they cant wear them because they are bedridden. The Bible says that if we have shelter to protect us, clothes to wear, and food to eat, we are to be content. It is enough! What else do we need? God will take care of everything else. Be content in life. Amen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:19-20 (NIV) Peter answered Him, We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us? Matthew 19:27 (NIV) When Jesus called, His disciples were willing to leave whatever they had, in order to follow their Master, the Creator of the whole planet! He is unchanging! He demands the very same from His disciples today. Amen. For your personal notes :

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The Qualities of a Disciple

Part II

Chapter 7
Humility

Barnabas burned at Salamanca on Cyprus, AD 64

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The Lord says that he lives with those of a humble and contrite spirit. A humble spirit is a place where God wants to dwell. Amen. For thus says the high and exalted One, Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit, in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 (NASB) Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Proverbs 16:18-19 (NASB) Wherever there is a humble spirit, Gods presence is there. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB) Even though He was equal with the Father, Jesus emptied Himself of everything and took the form of a servant. He humbled Himself not just for one day, or two days, or one year. Jesus humbled Himself until He died on the cross. Because of His great humility, God the Father has exalted Him above all names. The Father gave Jesus the greatest, mightiest name in all creation. Amen. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:10 (NASB) Be humble before the presence of God, and He will exalt you. He will lift you up. When man exalts you, there will always be a limitation, but when God exalts you, there is no limitation. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5 (NASB) Clothe yourself with humility toward one another. Consider and esteem others better than yourself. These are the principles that Jesus expects from His disciples. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 8
Submission

John the Baptist beheaded, AD 23

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Submission to God, submission to parents, submission to husbands, submission to leaders; submission to one another is very, very important. Submission is from the Spirit of God. At the age of twelve, Jesus went to the temple. He was able to answer all of the difficult questions asked by the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus mother Mary was a house wife and His father was a carpenter. Jesus had a lot of knowledge, but He still submitted to His parents. Submission is Godly. My parents only have two sons. My elder brother is four years older than me. When my father was very old, he kept telling my brother, Hey, you need to get married. I am waitingI am waiting My father eventually told me, Paulose, you are the younger son. Please get married so that I can see the marriage. I said, Yes dad, I will do it. So, against the strong social customs of our culture, I never waited until my brother got married. I got married, and my wife gave birth to our first child, Billy. While my wife was carrying our second child, my elder brother finally concluded, I better get married. But, meanwhile, our father passed away. Sometimes it may be hard for us to understand, but it is good to submit to our parents. It is good to submit when they want us to do good things, not bad things. Submission is not natural for us. We grow up with a human tendency to be rebellious, arrogant and stubborn. This mentality will not change easily because submission is very hard. Before my marriage, we planned every detail of the wedding. I decided to wear black pants at my wedding. I also wore an expensive shirt, which I tucked into my belt. Our family had two houses. I went from one house to the other in order to meet with all my relatives. From there we went to the brides house. That is the way the marriage ceremony was conducted. I grew up in a church in which the minister never wore shirts with a collar. They also never wore colored pants or shirts, only white on white. So, when the pastor saw that I was wearing black pants, he was disturbed. He called me and said, Paulose, dont you know today is your marriage? Yes, I replied, I know today is my marriage. He said, You are wearing black pants. You must wear white pants. What was I to do? I was already wearing black pants, and I had to leave within a half hour. In our world back then there was no readymade clothing. Nor was there time to buy cloth to give to the tailor to sew. It would take three to four days to make new pants. I knew that if I told my friends what the pastor had said, they would come and make the pastor understand. He had never been to out of Kerala. He 62

had only traveled maybe two or three hundred kilometers. I had traveled throughout most of India. Wearing black pants was common elsewhere. It was not a big issue for me. When I entered into the room where my brother was, I said, Brother, the pastor says I must wear white pants. What should I do? My brother only said one thing: This is a good day of your life.your marriage.dont displease your pastors heart. Obey whatever the pastor says. So, what did I do? There was no place to go and buy pants, but my brother said, I have a white table cloth that has been used only once. It is washed, but not pressed. Take off your black pants, wear that and go!, (as a traditional wrap-around mens garment). It was just a plain white table cloth, which only cost ten rupees (twenty cents). I said to my brother, This is my wedding! He said, Dont say anything. Just obey. I remembered when I was a small boy. This same pastor was then my Sunday school teacher. During that time, the disease of cholera was spreading everywhere throughout our area. There were no treatments or hospitals available. Healthy adults could overcome the disease, but infants and small children would die quickly. The disease began to spread throughout our community. I would hear my father say, That boy died, and that boy died. Then I became infected. I had diarrhea and uncontrollable pain. My mom said to my daddy, Please go, and tell the Sunday school teacher to pray for our son. There is no need for him to come, but tell him to pray. When my pastor was told, he said, No, I will come. He came, took me from my moms lap into his lap, and started to pray, God give him life. All the energy that I had lost immediately came back! He would only leave after he saw that I was walking. I knew he once risked his life for me, and now I did not want to displease his heart on such an important day in my life, my wedding to Sarojam. I went into the next room, took off my pants, and put on the ten rupee table cloth. When I came out, I was pained, but my pastors face was smiling. The marriage ceremony was conducted. The pastor came and joined my hand with my wifes and started to bless us. As he blessed us he smiled. He prophesied many things over our lives. Whatever he uttered that day during his blessing has since then fully come to pass in our lives! I know many people who grieve their pastor. You may have grieved your pastor or your leader verbally or in deeds. This can result in a stumbling block in your life, and it will not leave until you are reconciled to him and 63

blesses you. Submission is very important!

Leading Wolves
Early in the ministry, soon after joining up for mission training in 1967, I was with a ministry in Kothamangalam, Kerala. My leader, Mr. Thomas Matthai, called me and said, Paulose, the team members are all going to Bombay for the annual seminar. There are a few students that I dont want to take because they are stubborn and rebellious. If I take them, I will have to spend money to send them back from Bombay. Instead, I am going to hand them over to you here. If you are pleased with them, then you can keep them, but if not, you can send them home. With that condition, he handed the team over to me. Some of the students were good students, and some of them were very stubborn. Five in the morning was exercise time, and I would give a signal for everyone to come. Some of the students would come, but two, the engineer and doctor, would never come to exercise. These two were older, more experienced, and better educated than me, but spiritually I was appointed at that time as their leader, by our overseer, Pastor Matthai. I would try to wake them up, but they would not get up. They would just angrily glare back at me. I knew that if I kicked them they might kick me back. So, I would stand a little bit back and kick them, but all they would do is turn over and sleep another hour. They would always show up early for breakfast! If breakfast was at 8:00, they would come at 7:50. They would come on time for food, but they would not come for work. Their fulltime job was criticizing me. They would gossip all about my weaknesses. The rest of the team, without the engineer and doctor, would go from village to village preaching and sharing. We would also sell books in order to make money for food, as was the manner of Operation Mobilization. One day, the two grumpy students made a decision that they would finally come along with us on outreach. They told me, We washed our clothes. Please take them into town to have them pressed for us. Then we will come with you tomorrow. I was so glad. I packed everything in paper and gave it to a lady with an iron who was pushing a banana cart. I said Please iron these. She said, Okay. I didnt know that she had never pressed pants; this was going to be her first time! I went back at four oclock, picked up the pants wrapped in paper and gave it to the two students. In the morning, when they went to put their pants 64

on, the pant legs were pressed in such a way that one leg was creased completely different than the other leg. I thought, Who would press like this? Nobody. They said, You purposefully told the ironing lady to do it. I said, No, I didnt. I tried to help you. They both said, You know what we are going to do now? We are going to do karavo. I thought, What is karavo? At the time, we were in a church. They told me, We will get a chair, and when we tell you to sit down you must sit down. Dont get up until we tell you to stand. Thats called karavo. They said, Do you understand? I said, I understand. There were two doors in the room. All the other students were crying outside the room. One of men put a chair next to one door, sat down and put his leg across the doorposts so that I could not run out. The other one did the same thing at the other door. Then one of them screamed, Sit down! I slowly sat down. I wanted to solve the problem. I remained silent, but it grieved my heart. One of the other students, K.T. Samuel, rushed to find another pastor and told him what was happening. He came in a taxi, rebuked those two fellows, and they released me. I forgave them. Later, Mr. Thomas Matthai and the team returned from Bombay. I brought all the team members to Emakulam and told my leader, It is easy to lead sheep, but it is not easy to lead wolves. He didnt understand what I meant, so I told him to ask the team members, and they would tell him. They told him the whole story. Then Mr. Thomas Matthai disbanded our whole team. Later he invited those who had not caused any trouble to come back, and we formed another team. After many years, I went to Rajasthan, another state of India. My friend K.T. Samuel, the one who had previously helped to get me out of the situation with the engineer and doctor, said, Hey Paulose, do you remember what happened in Kothamangalam? I said, Yes! He said, You know that doctor who was the key to putting you in karavo? He became crazy and is still out of his mind. When I heard this, I was really grieved. Because of our knowledge, energy, or youthfulness, we may behave in a way that grieves our leaders. Maybe we want to win the argument, but that may hurt our leader or our pastor. These things, which are result of lack of submission, are dangerous! If something like this was done by you in the past, there is only one way to rectify it: apologize to God, and write a letter or call the one you have grieved. Say, Im sorry. If you wholeheartedly do this, then God will forgive you and take you into a new dimension of blessing. It is absolutely true. Amen. 65

Sometimes, because of the old nature, submission may not come easily. Submission is a Godly thing. There is a blessing when we submit to God. Hallelujah! We were once traveling from Ernakulam to Mysore. There are two roads to Mysore. One road, which is a single lane road, goes through Perinthalmanna and Nilambur to Mysore. Another, wide, double lane road goes from Kozhikode to Mysore. I was the leader of our Gospel team and the only one that could understand English. The driver was a foreigner from Denmark a Christian man. I told the team, We are going to Mysore. Lets go on the wider road so that we can go fast. The driver is supposed to obey the leader, but, instead of just obeying me, he asked someone to give him a Kerala map. He looked at the Kerala map and said, Oh, theres another road thats shorter. Why should we go the long way? Lets go the shorter way. I decided not to argue. I often went to Mysore and knew both roads. I know the difficulties and the positives and negatives of each road. The Malapuram road is a single lane road, and at that time there was a channel being dug on the left side of the road. When a vehicle came from the opposite direction, you would have to pull over and stop in order to let it pass. As a result, it would take a much longer time to travel, even though it was a shorter distance. After the driver looked at the map, he decided to take the road he wanted. A heavy rain came, and the whole ditch on the side of the road was filled with water. As we were driving, a big truck with a heavy load came in the opposite direction. The big trucks cannot go an inch off of the main road because if they go off, they get stuck! This poor man from Denmark did not know what was on the left side of the road. As he moved over to the left, the vehicle went into the ditch. The big truck kept going on down the road, but now we were in danger. Trying to back out in reverse gear, the van sank. Trying to get out in first gear, we sank more. The van was sunk to the floor. It was not going anywhere. The man called to me, Paulose, try to get a tractor. I went out, looking everywhere and found a tractor for one hundred rupees ($2.25 USD). Thirty years ago a hundred rupees was a lot of money. The tractor was eventually able to get us pulled out with a rope, but we were four or five hours delayed. It was an expensive and avoidable delay. Many times we think we know everything, and we refuse to be submissive. The opposite of submission is rebellion. Submission brings blessings. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is op66

posed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 1Peter 5:5 (NASB) Does it say elders are to submit to the younger? The younger often want the elder to submit because that is the natural human tendency. Sometimes there is no other way, and the elder submits to the younger to solve the problem, but the Bible says the younger are to submit to the elders. Amen. Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NASB) The Bible does not just say, Resist the devil and he will flee from you. The Bible says, Submit therefore to God and then Resist the devil. If you are not a person submitted to proper authority, the devil will not flee from you. Satan knows when you are not submitting to God or your leader. Submit to leadership; then, resist the devil. The devil will flee from you. Amen. Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17 (NASB) When leaders lead you, they must lead you gently, humbly, and with a peaceful heart. I know that when I remember some people.oh the headache! I used all my diplomacy with them, but my diplomacy would never work with their stubbornness. On the other hand, when I hear some other names I think, Oh, what a wonderful brother! It takes time to learn submission.

A Spirit of Submission
In 1967, I was in Bangalore with a team of Christians. I was very young in the ministry. On the team there was a brother who spoke English very fast. He wanted to argue combatively with everybody. Our leader decided to send us out two by two for the outreaches. Whoever was sent with this particular person would come back with some kind of complaint. I was praying, God, please dont send me with this guy because I dont speak English. But, everybody had a turn to go. One day the leader told me, Paulose, tomorrow you must go with this guy. My heart started to beat fast. I didnt know how it would end up. The two of us put on our shoulder bags and left the office. The town was a little far, and we had to walk a ways alone where nobody was. He started asking me many questions about my family. I did not understand English. I just said, No, no, no nothing, nothing. That was nearly all the English I 67

knew. He yelled, Tell me! I said, I do not know. He actually put down his shoulder bag to fight me. I looked around. Nobody was in sight. I also put my shoulder bag down. My father had taught my brother and me how to fight back, so when this man gave me one punch, I gave him two punches! He gave me one kick, I gave him two kicks! Then he stopped, and I stopped. He ended up getting more of a beating than I did! If the team leader had found out about our fight, he would have sent us away, so we made a commitment to each other that we would never tell. I would never do such a childish thing today, but I am just being open and honest about some of my experiences from the past. Learning submission takes time. As another example of submission, we can look at David going forth to fight Goliath. He chose five stones. Not broken stones, but polished stones from the brook. How did these stones become polished? Starting out, stones are very rough broken pieces, but as they roll around in the water together they begin chipping away at all the rough corners until they become polished. Amen. The only way to smooth sharp pieces is to agitate them together for a time. Then, the corners will go! When you are alone, you think you are fine. It is only when we live and work together that we come to understand how much roughness and sharpness there still is in our souls. David slew Goliath with a polished stone, not with a rough stone. Submission does not develop naturally or immediately; it takes time. Jesus knew about submission; He was subject to His parents. When people in the church receive spiritual gifts and they start to operate in those gifts, they often find it very difficult to submit to one another and to their leaders. This is a dangerous problem. They will insist, What I say is true! and they will not submit to others. But, Gods plan is that even if we receive visions and dreams, we still should submit to one another. We must have the Godly spirit of submission; otherwise, there will be a selfish spirit, or a striving spirit, or a spirit of anger. These other spirits are all works of the flesh. And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 1Corinthians 14:32 (NASB) If it is really Gods Spirit at work, it will be subject to the Spirit in another man of God. If there is stubbornness, pride and rebelliousness, then it is not Gods Spirit at work. I would now like to touch upon an important issue. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those 68

who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christs at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all. 1Corinthians 15:20-28 (NASB) All power in Heaven and Earth has been given to me. Matthew 28:18(NASB) He puts everything under subjection and removes all enemies, including death. What will He do next with His great power? After placing all things under subjection, He Himself will be subject to the Father and reign in the eternal kingdom. All authority and power is handed over to Jesus. After everything is subdued, He Himself will submit to the Father who has entrusted Him with all power and authority. He will be all in all. One of Gods Kingdom Principles is that we must submit to leaders. Submit to the One who has delegated to you power and authority. Amen. This passage is very important in the Kingdom message. Let us read verse twenty eight again. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all. (NASB) All things become submitted to Jesus. All of His enemies will become His footstool. However, even though Jesus has all power to subdue all things, Jesus will submit to the Father so that the Father may become all in all. Submission is from God, and it pleases our God. Praise the Lord. Sometimes as children we become disobedient and arrogant towards our parents and grieve their hearts. Or worse, through wrong dealings and interactions, we can hurt them. We have to apologize and ask them for pardon. Let them bless us. Amen. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. Ephesians 6:1-3 (NASB) 69

To live long on the earth, obey your parents. If there were times in the past when we hurt our parents, then we should reevaluate. We may need to mend our lives from uncharitable conversations and dealings with our parents. Sometimes children will not talk to or call their parents, but they will rather communicate their friends. They will talk to their friends, but they will not talk to their parents. I know some people who never call their parents. Even when their parents call them, they have no time to listen. The parents ask, How are you? Im fine, theyll say, and then leave. That is not good. When you are away from your parents, contact them. Find out about their health and how they are doing; it will please their heart. Amen. You need to remember that one day you also may become a parent. What you sow, you will reap. You will long to hear your childrens voice, but they will have no time to speak to you. Change your heart. Your parents have much instruction and counsel to give you. Some people do not want to listen to their parents. They want to live their youthful lives without interference. Your parents have good advice about what you should say and do. Submission will always bring blessings into your life. As a follower of Jesus, a disciple must have a heart to submit to God, parents, pastors, and to one another. That is the Spirit of Jesus. Even with all power and authority Jesus Himself is submitted to the Father. Amen. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 9
Faithfulness

The Apostle Paul beheaded in Rome on Neros orders, AD 69

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Faithful means trustworthy. A disciple must be faithful. A leader may send you to do something. After you go, what should you do? You have to come back and give an account to the leader about what happened. If you have been sent somewhere to do a job, then you must come back and give an account to your leader. That is faithfulness. Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 1Corinthians 4:1-3 (NKJV) When your leader gives you a lot of money and sends you to do something, then work, come back, and give a report. But, suppose you have spent some of the money on personal needs, instead. Do not wait for your leader to call you and get the report. Call him, and tell him what has happened. Once we were conducting a small village crusade. We had two types of speaker systems. One speaker ran on electricity using an amplifier. The other system worked on a battery. At the crusade, the electricity totally failed. We had to rent a gas light to hang on the stage. I told one of the teens, Please go get a car battery. There is a house on the left side of the road. Pick up the car battery, and bring it back here. Meanwhile we began singing. I thought that the boy would return within five minutes. But five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes passed, and still he did not come! I wondered where he could have gone. Eventually, I went to find the battery myself. What did I find? The boy was sitting there eating a jackfruit! I did not send him to eat jackfruit; I sent him to get the battery. What had happened was that there was a lady who loved the boy very much. She wanted to give him plenty of jackfruit while nobody else was around. So, when she saw the boy, she cut up the jackfruit and gave it to him. After eating two or three pieces, he totally forgot about the battery. When I found him, his mouth was full of jackfruit, and he said, Im eating. I said, You sit there and eat the jackfruit, but dont touch my battery. If you touch my battery, my battery will be polluted. I sat down, took a small towel, and rolled it so it was like a cushion. I put the big, thirteen-plate battery on my knee. From my knee I lifted it to my shoulder, and from my shoulder I was able to lift it onto my head. Meanwhile the towel fell off, and I ended up carrying the battery on my head. Feeling sorry, the boy followed me. But, it was too late. He had not been faithful. Another time we did ministry in Bihar near Patna. Our ministry was very difficult. We used to go to villages and preach the gospel. Our leader told us that we were to go two by two to share the Gospel with all of the 72

houses. If there were people at the house, then we were permitted to go in. However, if there were only ladies in the house, then we were to just give them the tracts and remain outside. So, two by two, people began traveling in different directions. My friend and another member of the team found a nurse who was home alone on vacation. She had been wanting to find somebody to talk to, and she and the other team member began talking. During their conversation, he found out how many days she would be on vacation, which hospital she worked at, and what her salary was. By the time the conversation was over, a lot of time had passed, so he and my friend returned to our office. The next day the leader divided the team into different teams and sent them in different directions. But this guy decided to exchange places with another friend. He said, You take this portion and I will cover that area. He went back and continued his conversation with the nurse. Their relationship became stronger and stronger. When his visit was over, he thought, I must return with the team, but I will come back tomorrow so that we can continue talking. Meanwhile, a telegram from ministry headquarters in Calcutta had been sent to the team leaders that said, Stop immediately. Come to West Bengal. When we started to leave for Bengal, he fell down, clutching his stomach and screaming in pain: Oh, oh, ohstomach achestomach acheSTOMACH ACHE! All the students gathered around him, but he didnt have a fever. If he had said that he had a fever, then we could have easily found out whether he was telling the truth. Instead, he said, I cannot travel, I cannot travel. The leader, a good man, told one other guy to stay with him. He took the rest of us to West Bengal. After everyone else left, the man staying with him asked, Do you want to go to a hospital? The pretender gave him the name of the hospital that the nurse was working at! He went there, and of course his sickness automatically left without the need for any treatment! Such people are duplicitous, false disciples, who bring risk and damage to the ministry. If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in bigger things. If you are not faithful in little things, nobody should entrust you with bigger things. The Lord will never ask you to do something that He will not equip you to do. There is a true saying: God does not call the equipped; He equips the called. When I joined Operation Mobilization many years ago, it was my job to wash the toilet. I used to keep it very clean. In those days there were no Western toilets, just Indian toilets. The village people did not clean them 73

properly, so I had to use a brush and abrasives to rub and rub and rub. After I washed one toilet neatly, my leader gave me lots more toilets to wash! Amen. Those who are faithful in one thing will be entrusted with many things! I know some people that only clean one half, while the other half remains dirty. Whatever work is given to you, do not do it unto man. Do it unto the Lord. Amen. There are some people who work if other people are watching, but when nobody is watching they do not work. We should not be like this. Whether people watch us or not, whatever you have to do, do it faithfully. Learn to work faithfully. There may be a time when nobody will be there to oversee you, but you will have to give account to God. While you are young you must learn the way of faithfulness. Amen! He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is anothers, who will give you that which is your own? Luke 16:10-13 (NASB) If you are faithful in a few little things, you will also be faithful in many great things. This is a principle: if you want to hand over responsibility to others, then give them a little responsibility before you give them more. See whether they are faithful with a little. If they are, then give them a larger responsibility. If you start by giving all the responsibility to them, you may lose everything. Amen. When David was king, Joab was the main captain, and Uriah was his armor bearer. David committed adultery with Uriahs wife Bathsheba. In order to cover his sin, David called Uriah to come home so that he would lay with his wife. See the crooked mind? David was not repentant. He sent a message to Joab, and Uriah was sent back to the palace. Most likely Uriahs house was on the way to the palace, so he could have visited the home and then gone to the palace. But, he did not go home. Just imagine how a married couple longs to see each other, to communicate with one another, to share news and stories, etc. Uriah also had these urges, but he was committed and faithful to his calling. When Uriah heard that King David wanted to meet with him, he went straight to the king. David inquired about the state of the war from Uriah, and Uriah said that everything was going well. Then David gave Uriah permission to go to his house. 74

If we were in the place of Uriah, we might have gone to our house. Uriah, however, never went to his home. He said that he would not go home while the war raged. He knew that the Ark of the Covenant was in an open field, and that Joab his leader and the rest of the armies were fighting. Uriah would not go home. So, David tried another tactic to cover his sin. David gave a command to the soldiers to make Uriah drink alcohol. David hoped that he would get drunk, forget about the war and remember his family. But, even when Uriah was drunk he never went home. He simply went to the outer court and slept on the porch with the soldiers. So David tried a final tactic to cover up his sin. David wrote a letter to Joab and told him put Uriah in the front row of the battle. His letter then instructed Joab to withdraw and let Uriah be killed In battle. David gave the letter to Uriah, and Uriah ran back to the war with the letter for Joab. If someone gave you a letter to post would you read it? Uriah was faithful. God permitted us to have a certain portion of Uriahs biography in the Bible. Uriah was faithful to king David. David had him killed, and God condemned and punished David for this act. Because of Davids deed, a curse came upon his family, and his kingdom was divided in two. After this incident, many calamites, troubles, and problems happened in Davids family. God always honors faithful people. You may not know about it at the time. People may not recognize your integrity and faithfulness, but there is a reward waiting for you. Be faithful till the end of your life, and you shall receive the crown of glory. Amen! For your personal notes :

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Chapter 10

A Teachable Spirit

The Apostle Peter being crucified upside down in Rome on orders of Nero, AD 69

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A teachable spirit means that we must have a heart willing to receive rebuke. If someone rebukes you, listen to it, and be willing to be corrected. If someone rebukes you, admit you are wrong. The Lord says that he dwells among those with broken hearted, teachable, humble spirits. Many times Jesus rebuked his disciples as a group, or as in individuals, in public and in private. A true disciple will never faint from hearing a rebuke. A person who is loved more is rebuked more: For thus says the high and exalted One, Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit, in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 (NASB) They would none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof. Proverbs 1:30 (KJV) My son, do not despise the LORDs discipline and do not resent his rebuke, Proverbs 3:11(NIV) Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Proverbs 9:8 (NKJV) Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid. Proverbs 12:1(NKJV) A wise son heeds his fathers instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Proverbs 13:1(NKJV) Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who regards a rebuke will be honored. Proverbs 13:18 (NKJV) He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. Proverbs 15:32 (NKJV) He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward Than he who flatters with the tongue. Proverbs 28:23 (NKJV) And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; Hebrews 12:5 (NKJV) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Revelation 3:19 (NKJV) Those who are loved by God are also chastened by Him. This is a portion of scripture wherein Jesus rebuked his disciple harshly. But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Mark:8:17 (NKJV) 77

Many years ago we traveled from Kottayam to Bangalore for training. We had all been born and raised in small villages. For a toilet at our homes, we would have to go out into the bush. So, when we came to Bangalore, we did not understand about having a toilet inside our house. I could not tolerate it. Also, growing up, we would only have one sink. After we ate our food, we would go to the wash basin, rinse our mouths out with water and then spit it outside. Here in the house in Bangalore there were two wash basins. After I ate, I went to the kitchen with a mouth full of water, but just as I was about to spit the water, the leader yelled, No, stop! He pulled me back by my collar and said, This is not the place to spit. Go over there to the wash basin. This is the place for washing dishes. Suppose my leader hadnt pulled me back and stopped me? I would have spit there, and then all of the team would have started spitting there! It was good that he stopped me. If we have a teachable spirit, then we will have a heart to listen and to change. When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Galatians 2:11 (NIV) Sometimes people may correct us privately, which is good. However, sometimes they may correct us publicly. Whether we are corrected privately or publicly, we need to be open to correction. Amen. Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Galatians 6:1 (NASB) If somebody does something wrong, then correct that person with a gentle spirit. There are several kinds of spirits: a spirit of anger, a spirit of jealousy, etc. Let all the other spirits die down, and then a spirit of gentleness will rise. With that gentleness, try to correct others. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. 1Timothy 5:20 (NASB) Those who keep sinning, and doing wrong, despite having been previously corrected privately, you should rebuke in the presence of all. Regardless of whether people rebuke us privately or publicly, we must be easily entreated, willing to change our minds. Amen. A teachable spirit is very, very important! The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. Isaiah 50:4 (NASB) 78

The Lord awakens us to listen, and He has given us the tongue of a disciple. That means we speak with gentleness and comfort. Amen. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 11

A Disciplined Life

The Apostle Matthew crucified, stoned and decapitated, AD 70

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Many people can run a hundred meter race, but only one wins. You are not just in the group in order to run; you are there to win! Be a winner! Amen. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. 1Corinthians 9:24-27 (NASB) Winning a race requires wisdom and discipline. Just imagine running a five hundred meter race. A person given to eating ice cream and wearing fancy clothes would be foolish to run such a race. First, they would need to stop eating ice cream, lose weight, change clothes, practice, and exercise. If you cannot even run, you will never win. In school there were many sports that I used to join in. But, the one sport I used to play all the time was the dry-bread bite. The game consisted of a rope with a piece of dried bread hanging from it. Someone would shake the bread while the player had to try to eat the bread with his hands tied behind his back. I always played this game as a child because, even if I lost the competition, I would still get bread to eat. I knew if I took just one bite it would never go to anybody else. We have to compete to win! Amen. Paul said that he put his body under subjection. He wrote this passage of Scripture after planting many churches, taking many mission trips, and doing a lot of ministry. He wrote to the Corinthians and said that he was running with an aim to win and get the prize. Amen. That means that we need a lot of discipline in our lives, in our speech, in our conversations, in our dealings, in our behavior towards those of the opposite sex. It all requires discipline. As disciples we may be good people, but our friends may not be. These friends can influence us greatly. Paul warned Timothy to avoid bad company, because bad company can spoil good morals. So you need to be disciplined in who you hang out with. Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals. 1Corinthians 15:33 (NASB) Why did Paul write this? There is an incident in the Old Testament that I want to read. Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beauti81

ful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so frustrated because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, Davids brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. And he said to him, O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me? Then Amnon said to him, I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom. Jonadab then said to him, Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, Please let my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat, and let her prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat from her hand. 2 Samuel 13:1-6 (NASB) Absalom was Davids son. Absalom had a beautiful sister. Ladies tend to spend a lot of time and money to make themselves look pretty. As you increase your beauty you need to realize that you are increasing temptation as well. Absaloms sister was beautiful. Tamar was Davids daughter, and Amnon was Davids first son. Both were Davids children, but had two different mothers. Amnon was attracted to Tamar, which was not good. Amnon was very frustrated because Tamar was his sister. He was getting weaker and more feeble every day. Amnon was tempted, but he had not yielded yet. His situation was like a man who has a small bird flying around his head looking for a place to sit. First the bird just sits on the mans hair. Later, it tries to build a small nest and hatch babies. If the man just sits there, the bird will end up building a nest in his hair and laying eggs. However, if the man had been zealous to resist the bird when it first came, the bird would have flown away. In the beginning, Amnon did not do anything wrong. But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah. Jonadab was a very cunning, crooked guy. He had two PhDs in crookedness. When Jonadab came to Amnon, Amnon confessed why he was depressed. Jonadab should have told Amnon that his thoughts were not good for either himself or his family. He should have told him to get out of the place; insteads Jonadab told Amnon to lie down and pretend to be sick. Up until this point the temptation was only in the mind, but now Amnon acted on the temptation. He lay down and pretended to be ill. David his father came and asked Amnon why he was ill. Amnon asked for Tamar to come and cook food for him. Poor David believed his son and sent his daughter Tamar and some attendants to assist her. They all came, and she started cooking food in front of Amnon. Now Amnon was watching Tamar 82

with his eyes, and the emotions began to shoot through him. Amnon commanded all the others to leave the room, and then he committed forcible fornication with his own sister. She told her brother Absalom. Absalom wanted revenge, but he waited until just the right time. After two years, Absalom invited all the kings sons to a special dinner, and he gave instructions to his servants to kill Amnon. That night Absalom murdered Amnon. If Amnon would have avoided Jonadab, then he would not have been murdered. Because of Amnons bad friend, horrible shame came to Davids family, and Amnon lost his life! After Absalom killed Amnon, news spread everywhere that all the kings sons had been killed. But when the news came to Jonadab, he knew that only Amnon had been killed as revenge for violating his sister Tamar. Ironically, it was the instigator Jonadab who was the first to tell King David that only Amnon had died. The Bible tells us to avoid bad company. As you are following Christ, worldly people will try to get you to do wrong things. If you follow their advice, then you will end up being trapped. So avoid them. Discipline your life. But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these. 2 Timothy 3:1-6 (NASB) In the above passage Paul is writing to Timothy. He is not merely writing in order to state that in the end times crooked people will exist. That is not the point. Rather, he wanted Timothy to avoid such people! Paul is giving a warning to Timothy to stay away from people like this. He wants Timothy to keep himself pure because Christs coming is near! As disciples of Jesus, we need to discipline our lives. We need to run to win. For your personal note :

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Chapter 12
Hard Work

The Apostle Andrew crucified at Patras in Achaia, around AD 70

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A disciple cannot be a lazy person. They must be hard working! One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. Proverbs 18:9 (NIV) The Scripture passage above says that the person who is lazy in doing the Lords work is actually destroying the work of the Gospel! That means we need to work hard! Jesus was a hard working person. During the night he would spend hours in prayer. Sometimes he would pray all night and then work all day. Amen! We need to be hard working people. This is very important as disciples. Sometimes we may think preaching and teaching are the real ministries, which is why so many people strive to be the one in the pulpit. No! Washing dishes, washing clothes and getting our hands dirty are also ministry. For example, when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, His hands got dirty. He wanted the disciples to not hesitate to get their hands dirty in ministry. Amen. Jesus showed the disciples two things: One is humility, and the other is hard work. We can read about how Davids kingdom expanded. Similarly, Gods Kingdom needs to be expanded everywhere. Isaiah tells us that the expansion of the Lords Kingdom will have no end. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6 (NASB) Davids kingdom succeeded in expanding because of his mighty warriors, so likewise we are to expand the Lords kingdom as His soldiers. Amen. When David fled from Saul others also fled with him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him. 1 Samuel 22:2 (NASB) In the beginning, David had four hundred followers who were distressed, in debt, and useless. However, as David shared his life with these four hundred people, he motivated them to change from ordinary people into extraordinary people. Amen. Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. They were equipped with 85

bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; they were Sauls kinsmen from Benjamin. 1 Chronicles 12:1-3 (NASB) These men were able to sling stones with both hands, and they were able to use the bow and arrow with both hands as well. How was this possible? It was because they were practicing all the time. They didnt just sit around idly. They diligently occupied themselves learning warfare. And from the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains. 1 Chronicles 12:8 (NASB) Here we read about men who looked like lions. Their speed was like a deer. They were not lazy people. They wanted to be busy all the time. These of the sons of Gad were captains of the army; he who was least was equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand. These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west. 1 Chronicles 12:14-15 (NASB) The Scripture says that the least person was equal to a hundred men, and the greatest was equal to a thousand men! So, instead of sending a group of a thousand men, David could send just one, and the job would be finished. That is how well this army was equipped. Because they had been with David, they were absolutely different people; their minds and bodies were disciplined. When the Jordan River was overflowing, these people were unafraid to cross it. They defeated the enemy and added their land to Davids kingdom. Amen. These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Joshebbasshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains, he was called Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain by him at one time; 2 Samuel 23:8 (NASB) One man from Davids army was able to kill eight hundred people! . . . and after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn. He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain. 2 Sam 23:910 (NASB) 86

When the Philistines came, everybody else left except Eleazar. He decided that he would not leave, and he stood and fought. He fought until his sword until his hand became stuck to it. God gave him victory! Eleazar worked zealously, and God gave him the victory. Amen. Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great victory. 2 Samuel 23:11-12 (NASB) Here we see a similar account. Everyone else fled, but Shammah stood there firmly and defeated the enemy. Because he stood for God, God gave him the victory. In your life there may be times when other missionaries leave or cant endure. But, if God puts you there, be there! God will fight for you! Amen. Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name as well as the three. 2 Samuel 23:18 (NASB) Here again, we see just one man, Abishai, defeats the enemy and kills three hundred people. Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptians hand, and killed him with his own spear. 2 Samuel 23:20-21 (NASB) This story is very similar to what David did in his youth. I think David may have told his friends about how he killed a lion and Goliath. His stories might have made Benaiah hope for a similar opportunity. He went into a pit with a lion and killed it! He also went against a big Egyptian. Even though Benaiah was only armed with a club, he took the warriors spear from him and killed him with it. Benaiah was a mighty warrior. How did these people learn to fight like this? At one time these people had led ordinary lives, discontent, indebted and distressed. David trained, motivated and transformed them into mighty warriors. How did Davids kingdom expand? It expanded through the mighty warriors of David. How will Gods Kingdom expand? It will expand through the hardworking servants of Jesus Christ. Amen. 87

Even though we should imitate good traits in our leaders, ultimately, we are to imitate our Master, Jesus. Even Paul told his followers to follow him as he followed Christ. Follow Jesus. Listen to His Word. We have a great task to accomplish. We must reconcile the world to God while there is time! Amen. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 13

Do Not Be Covetous

The Apostle Bartholomew skinned alive and afterward beheaded in Armenia, AD 70

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Covetousness is a sin. It makes a person discontent with what he has. It is a craving spirit to acquire more, and it leaves us unsatisfied. Covetousness will turn a person from Godliness. The Bible gives us several examples of covetous people and the consequences of their covetousness.

Shechem the son of Hamor

Jacobs daughter Dinah is a good example of covetousness, and the consequences are well defined in this passage: Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force. He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to her father Hamor, saying, Get me this young girl; for a wife. Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came in. Then Hamor the father of Sechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacobs daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done. But Hamor spoke with them, saying The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in marriage. Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves. Thus you shall live with us, and the land shall be open before you; live and trade in it and acquire property in it. Sechem also said to her father and to her brothers, If I find favour in your sight, then I will give whatever you say to me. Ask me ever so much bridal payment and gift, and I will give according as you say to me; but give me the girl in marriage. But Jacobs sons answered Sechem and his father Hamor with deceit, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. They said to them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become like us, in that every male of you be circumcised, then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. But if you will not listen to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go. Now their words seemed reasonable to Hamor and Shechem, Hamors son. The young man did not delay to do the thing, because he was delighted with Jacobs daughter. Now he was more 90

respected than all the household of his father. So Hamor and his son Sechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, These men are friendly with us; therefore let them live in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage, and give our daughters to them. Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock and their property and all their animals be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will live with us. All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city. Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacobs sons, Simon and Levi, Dinahs brothers, each took his sword and came upon the city unawares, and killed every male. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechems house, and went forth. Jacobs sons came upon the slain and looted the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks and their herds and their donkeys, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; and they captured and looted all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives, even all that was their houses. Genesis 34:1-29 (NASB) The account above exposes covetousness and its consequences. Here the sown covetousness is reaped as deadly consequences. So get rid of covetousness. It will destroy everything.

Achan the Son of Zerah

Likewise, one persons covetousness may spoil the whole society, institution or even a country. It depends on the mistake committed by the person. Many times in the Old Testament, the whole nation of Israel was defeated by enemies because of the mistakes of their kings. It is very important for individuals, as well as leaders, to be righteous before God. When Joshua was trying to defeat people of Ai, he failed, and thirty six Israelites died because of one persons covetousness. Because Achan coveted, the whole Israelite nation had to face the consequences, and Joshua was covered with shame. But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard of the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zebdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, 91

therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel. Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Bethaven, east of Bethel, and said to them, Go up and spy out the land. so the men went up and spied out Ai. They returned to Joshua and said to him, So not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; so not make all the people toil up there, for they are few. So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water. Then Joshua tore his cloths ad fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of the Israel; and they put dust on their heads. Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, why did you ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. So the Lord said to Joshua, Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; for they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst. In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribes which the Lord takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the Lord takes shall come near by households, and the household which the Lord takes shall come near man by man. It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel. So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought the family of Judah near, and he took the family of the Zerehites near man by man, and Zabdi was taken. He brought his household near man 92

by man; and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was taken. Then Joshua said to Achan, My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me. So Achan answered Joshua and said, Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: When I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it. So Joshua set messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was concealed in his tent with the silver underneath it. They took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and they poured them out before the Lord. Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor. Joshua said, why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. They raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day, and the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the valley of Achor to this day. Joshua 7:1-26 (NASB)

Gahazi, the son of Elisha

Another example for reaping consequences for covetousness is visible in 2 Kings at the time of the prophet Elisha. It was a transferred consequence of leprosy. When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now. But he said, As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing. And he urged him to take it but he refused. Naaman said, If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules, load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon me in this matter. He said to him, Go 93

in peace. So he departed from him some distance. But Gahazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him. So Gehazi pursued Naaman, when Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said Is all well? He said, All is well. My master has sent me, saying, Behold, just now two young men of the sons of prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of cloths. Naaman said, Be pleased to take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in the bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them before him. When he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and deposited them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they separated. But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, Where have you been, Gehazi? And he said, Your servant went nowhere. Then he said to him, Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive cloths and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever. So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. 2 Kings 5:15-27 (NASB) This story very clearly warns about covetousness. The consequences were severe, and it led to the destruction of his entire family.

Ananias and Sapphira

In the New Testament when Peter and John were doing the ministry, the believers shared their possessions and put them at the apostles feet. Because of their covetousness, Ananias and Sapphira lied about what they offered to God, and they were punished by death. But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wifes full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Sprit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. And as he heard these words, Ananias fell 94

down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price? And he said, Yes, that was the price. 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. And immediately she fell at his 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. And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things. Acts 5:1-11 (NASB) The above incident indicates that covetousness leads to destruction. Here covetousness causes the couple to lie to God. So, do not covet Gods portions or offerings. They belong to God, who created and gave everything for us. Amen! Apostle Paul warns Timothy about covetousness in his first letter: For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:7-10 (NASB) Gods people become covetous when they compare themselves with the rich. Nearly everyone in this world longs to become rich. Their whole hope rests on their wealth. When disaster hits, everything will be wiped away. Knowing this, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy to warn people. Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which life indeed. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NASB) Our hope and faith should not be rooted in wealth. It should be deeply rooted in Christ who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Amen! 95

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The Mentality of a Disciple

Part III

Chapter 14
A Content Heart

Thomas, tortured by natives in Calamina or Chennai, India, thrown into an oven, and stuck through with spears, AD 70 97

Being content in life is very important. Whatever your circumstances are, live a joyful life. Do not murmur or complain; be content. And some soldiers were questioning him, saying, And what about us, what shall we do? And He said to them, Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages. Luke 3:14 (NASB) There are people who are unsatisfied with what they have. They always want more and more. They are not happy with what God has already given them. Live a life of peace and contentment, and the Lord will add what you need at just the right time. Otherwise you will constantly look at others and compare yourself to them. If you go to a poor village and see all the poor people, then you will know how rich you are. If we always compare ourselves with high, rich people, we will find ourselves worrying about how we can become like them. If God wants to elevate you, then He will lift you in His timing. Amen. Before the ministry of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist came to preach. He did not preach his own message; he preached the message of God. The Bible says that he was sent from God and that his message was also from God. He was content with the message God had given him. When I was a child, we would go to the pond to swim. As we swam, we would go underneath the water and come up somewhere else. That is like people today. They disappear and pop up somewhere else. They will leave one ministry just to join another that pays more money. They are not trustworthy because they are not content with what they have. Wherever you are, God can provide. If you want to live, you must live with a peaceful heart and the blessing of the leader. You must understand that Gods blessing is over your life; otherwise, you will be discontentedly moving from place to place until you die. A huge part of the Christian life is contentment. In the larger passage mentioned earlier, Paul writes some very hard words to teach Timothy. He warns him to choose material contentment and to keep himself pure in the ministry. But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. But 98

flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:6-12 (NASB) Paul tells Timothy to flee from discontentment and the desire to be rich! He didnt say walk; he didnt say resist; he said flee! Flee means to flee. Run away. Sometimes people are not content with what they have, and they borrow in order to get a big car or an opulent house. To constantly want to get bigger and better things is dangerous. Discontent brings all sorts of trouble. It is true.

Becoming Content with Little

I joined the ministry in 1966. I had to walk and travel by trucks and bus. In the early 1970s I purchased a second-hand bicycle for two hundred rupees ($4.50 USD). Somebody said, Paulose, its a good bicycle, but it would be good if you repainted it. I thought repainting meant just buying a can of paint and a brush and repainting it, but thats not how it is done. In those days you would take the bike to a shop to get painted. The shopkeeper would sand off all the old paint and then repaint it with spray paint. I didnt know that. So I bought paint and a brush and repainted it. Actually, before repainting it, it looked nice, but after repainting it, it became dull. Nevertheless, it was a good bicycle. I put a carrier on the bike so that I could carry a big car battery. I used to carry a big, heavy thirteen plate battery on the back to use for my projector. It weighed more than a cement bag, over 35 kilograms. On top we put a rice sack for a bulb (i.e. tube) amplifier to sit on. On top of that we placed a gramophone to play records. There was so much weight on the back of the bike that the front tire would lift off the ground! In order to help balance the cycle, I put the horn, its magnet unit, the stand, and all the cables in the front. I would put the pedal in the up position, and then jump on the bike, and start pedaling. I would sometimes ride with this load for thirty or forty kilometers, pedaling up and down hills. Amen! Sometimes, if I was doing outreach near my house, I would put two of my children on the handlebars of the bicycle. When we got to a hill, my wife and I would push from the back while the children steered. Other times my family would take the bus to meet me near the bottom of a large hill just in order to help me push the bike. I can remember many times when I had to lay down beside the road just to catch my breath. But there were 99

always more places to go. Because I sat and pedaled so much, the backside of my pants would tear. Before the tear I would tuck my shirt in. After the tear on my pants was patched, I would wear my shirt out so that no one could see the tear. In this way, I could wear my pants for another two months. When the other side tore, I would also patch it. The patches always ended up being different colors. I remember those days. I went up hill after hill. One night, I locked my cycle outside my room on the veranda and went to bed. When I came out in the morning, the bicycle was gone. Somebody had stolen it. I was distressed. How could my bicycle be gone? It was locked up! My wife and I both were praying. We told God that I had only one cycle, and now it was gone. The Lord promised, Paulose, I will take you to many countries on a plane. I told the Lord that I didnt know how to fly and that I needed a bicycle. I remember that day. Amen! If there is a fire in your heart to reach the people at any cost, you will forget what people think about you. You will not look for your acceptance or identity from other people. You will do only one thing: win souls for Jesus Christ! Amen. One day our team was walking from a small town called Tiruvalla to another town called Mallappalli. We had no money for a bus, so the entire team walked with shoulder bags full of supplies on both shoulders. It was a long walk, and the team was very hungry. I saw one of the team members take a banana skin from the road. He rubbed it to clean it so that he could eat it. I said, God, how long will we preach with empty stomachs? I dont want nutritious food, just something to quench the hunger. Once, when we were going through a rice paddy field, one of our team members plucked some tender grass. I saw him eat it like an animal. God will never forget these sacrifices. He will never forget. There were many Bible school students who joined us for training. They wanted to become more effective in ministry, discipline, and spiritual principles. Many leaders even sent their own sons to be trained by me. Many times we would go to high elevations up in the mountains where there were tea plantations. We told the team, Tomorrow we will go to that mountain. They asked, How are we going to carry all the stuff.the battery, equipment and literature? Are we going to get a Jeep? I said, Nope, no Jeep. We will only use two legged vehicles! They knew then that we would have to walk. Immediately, they would come, select the lightest pieces to carry and go their way. In the end, it would just be me and the battery left. At least they could 100

have helped me put the battery on my head. But they all left! So, I would put a small towel on my head for padding, sit down, put the battery on my lap, then onto my shoulder, and finally onto my head. Inevitably during this process, the towel would fall off my head, and I would end up having to walk with the battery on my bare head for one or two miles. I walked very slowly like a porter. The others would smile, laugh and enjoy life while I carried the heaviest load. Sometimes two brothers on our team went along with me, one from Tiruvalla and another one from Paul Gopalakrishnan. If we were going somewhere, they would never allow me to carry the battery. They would carry it. Because of the heat and hard work, I would often break out in a heat rash. Wherever the rash was, boils would later appear. I thought to myself that if I waited until I felt better, then many people would die and end up going to hell. So, I continued to carry the battery even with the boils all over me. As I traveled, there were times that I was not even aware of a boil breaking open and bleeding! When you go into the field, these types of things may or may not happen to you. Whatever the case, it is all done to expand Gods Kingdom. In 1970, when I was in Bikaner, Rajasthan, I watched the movie about Sadhu Sundar Singh. He would climb into the mountains of Tibet. He climbed not just one time, but fifteen times. Why did he go? He had been to America and England. He studied at and graduated from Lahor Bible College. The Bible College president offered him a position as overseer of the whole campus, but he refused. Rather than that, he went to Tibet! Sadhu Sundar Singh had a great burden for souls. He would walk through the snow in Tibet in bare feet. This caused his feet to break open and bleed, yet, again and again, he would go. The movie struck my heart! I made a decision that whenever there was the opportunity I wanted to show films like Sadhu Sundar Singh to people. In the Christian life there is enjoyment, happiness, and joy; however, there is also another side that involves suffering and persecution, difficulties and crises. We must be willing to take the difficult side of the coin along with the joyful side. Only then can we be fully effective. Amen. During one very difficult season, my son Billy often walked to school without having had any food to eat. One day, on the way to school, Billy fainted and fell on the roadside. Somebody who passed by carried him back to our home. When this happens, what is the remedy? The solution is the God of Elijah Who is still living. The God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed101

nego is alive! He will provide. In the book of Revelation, when Jesus spoke to the church in Smyrna, He reassured them that He knew their sufferings. He knew where they lived, their pressures and their difficulties. If you are going through difficulties, even extreme difficulties in which you have nothing, remember the Lord knows. He will honor you in His time. You will be able to bless others someday who are going through similar trials. Amen. When I was in Houston Texas, in 2007, a man who had read my book, Missionary Challenge wanted to meet me. He met me at the airport and said, Paulose, I know you have gone through a lot of suffering and hunger. I said, That is a part of ministry. He said, I want to take you out for breakfast. Do you mind? I said, I dont mind. So he took me to breakfast, and my mind was blown away at how much food was offered. I said, Wait. Please let me count the number of items on the menu, and then I will eat. There were one hundred and fifty different items to choose from! Just seeing all the different varieties of food satisfied my appetite! The same day, my friend, Pastor Bob Phillips, approached me and said, Pastor Paulose, I want to take you out to lunch today. We went to a buffet style restaurant. I thought, Wait, let me count! There were one hundred and seventy different items to choose from. The Lord can turn no-class into high-class! But, whatever situation arises, you need to go through it without murmuring or complaining. A content life is important. There are some people who can only live in the upper classes of society. They cannot handle being lower class. In reality we should be content and comfortable in upper class, middle class, and lower class society. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:16 (NIV) The reason I am telling you this is because we must be content in life. It is very, very, very important to be content. It will give you peace of mind. Amen! I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

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Chapter 15
A Mind to Serve

Matthew the evangilist pinned to the ground and beheaded in Maddayar, Ethiopia, AD 70

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A true disciple has a mind to serve, not to be served. Jesus wants anyone who follows Him to have the heart of a servant. We must serve the Lord from a pure heart, free from wrong motives. There will come a time when the Father will honor us. Amen! He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. John 12:25-26 (NASB) And calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:42-45 (NASB) For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13-14 (NASB) We need to look for opportunities to serve one another. Some people study and go to school in pursuit of money or status. To have this as our central motive is wrong. Our ambition should be to serve the community with our talents, abilities, and gifts. Our intention must be to serve others. Amen. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10 (NASB) Whatever gifts we have received are given so that we may serve other people. You may have a gift of healing, or of prophecy, or of administration, or of helping. Whatever God has given you, use it to serve others. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. 1 Corinthians 9:19-20 (NASB) If you make yourself a master, you cannot serve people, but if you make yourself a slave, you can serve all people. That was why Paul was so successful. If we make ourselves slaves to all people, then nobody else can make us a slave. If we make ourselves bosses, we may be forced into slavery. If you sit on the floor, you cannot go any lower. However, if you sit on a chair, someone may pull you down. Paul made himself a slave to all. He could 105

go no lower. He was able to serve all. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus sake. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 (NASB) Here Paul does not say they were bond-servants (i.e. slaves) of Jesus, but of the Corinthians! Many times the Scripture refers to us as bond-servants of Jesus, but in this passage Paul says that they had become bond-servants to the Corinthians. That is how Pauls ministry grew. When we become bond-servants to others, they will gladly accept and trust us. Amen. I tell you that if you keep this truth in your heart, and practice it in your life, you can win more people. You will be different from other people. Also, that is what God expects from you. I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. 2 Corinthians 12:11 (NASB) Paul says that even though he was one of the greatest apostles, he was really nobody. Probably most of us want to become a somebody, a person of note and esteem, and that is a problem. In the Old Testament record, God uses Cherubim as workers. God often used them as channels to bless people. Right after the creation, God used cherubim to protect the Garden of Eden from intruders. In the book of Ezekiel, the cherubim have four faces. And each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. Ezekiel 10:14 (NASB) One of the faces was the face of a Cherub, but what does the face of a Cherub look like? The first chapter of Ezekiel tells us. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.Ezekiel 1:10 (NIV) Again the Cherubim are described as having four faces. Three of the faces are identical to those described in chapter ten: the face of a man, the face of lion, and the face of an eagle. However, what was described as the face of Cherub in chapter ten is now described as the face of an ox. That means a cherub was characterized with the face of an ox, indicating the nature or character of an ox. Special lessons from the ox: The ox has no demands. 106

The ox has no expectations. The ox does not complain. The ox adjusts easily. The ox depends totally on the master. The ox accepts whatever is given. The ox is always ready for service. The ox does not negotiate. The ox never murmurs.

Oxen do not demand or complain. An ox will never say, Hey, today you gave me grass, tomorrow you must give me something else. It will eat whatever you give it. It will not say, Hey, I need air conditioning. There are many things we can learn from oxen. The ox adjusts easily to every circumstance without demand. A farmer in a village may decorate an oxcart and an ox with fragrant flowers so that they can be used to convey a bride and bridegroom. The ox will enjoy the nice smelling flowers while they last. However, a few days later, the same ox may be used to pull cow manure from one place to another. The ox will never say, This is too stinky, I will not pull it! If it ever imposed that, it would be taken to the butcher! There may be difficulties, but there are no complaints. The ox depends totally on the master and accepts whatever He gives. Whatever the Lord gives, never tell Him, It is too much. We need to pull whatever load the Lord wisely gives us. An ox works all day long on the farm, plowing the ground. In the evening, he is brought in, given some food and allowed to rest. However, if a woman in the village goes into labor in the middle of the night, and her family wants to hire an oxcart to take the woman to the hospital, then they will come and wake the ox up. The ox will never respond, Hey, dont you know I worked all day? I wont come! It will get up, shake its head and stand ready for service!

A Lazy Ox
During 1968, our ministry used an office building in Bihar. On the third floor was a storage room where we kept of Bibles. The Bible Society would deliver Bibles in big wooden boxes that were very heavy. Officially, four people were needed to carry each box, but the steps going all the way up to the third floor were so narrow that only two people could go. Eight or nine of us students would have to unload a full truck. It was hard work. 107

Even though the truck came at midnight, we were super happy at the thought of distributing so many Bibles to the villages. However there was one guy who would go to the toilet whenever he heard the truck horn. He would sit there until we unloaded everything. After the truck departed he would reappear. But the ox is not like that. An ox is ready to work anytime and do any kind of work, without complaining or demanding. Oxen dont negotiate. The oxen in Tamil Nadu work very hard, but when they get old and can no longer work, nobody waits until it dies to bury it. When it gets old, it is slaughtered to make beef. In its old age, after years of hard work, the ox retires by being slaughtered. Now we are going to take a look at two types of oxen: the hardworking ox and the lazy ox. This is the different between the real ox and the imitation ox! The hardworking ox is always ready to do work without complaining, demanding, expecting, or murmuring. They are ready to do the masters task. On the other hand, the lazy ox doesnt get up on time, even if you beat him. If you kick him he might run at you with his horns. It can be very dangerous to use a lazy ox, because they are very hard to control. Our family home in Kerala is near a small hill where there is a tea shop at the bottom of the hill. Every Wednesday and Saturday was market day. In those days the people who had goods such as jackfruit, coconut, mangos, bananas, etc. would put them into a bullo, an ox pulled cart. They would have their oxen pull it all to the market. Normally, the bullo man would keep the hardworking ox on the left side and lazy ox on the right side, because then it was easier to beat the ox on the right side! Every Wednesday and Saturday, one particular bullo cart would come to the area where our house was. Even before it started up the small hill, the lazy ox would fall down! On one particular day the bullo man was shouting and beating the ox on his ears and tail, but it would not get up. My brother and I sat and watched to see who would win, the ox or the man. The man tried one thing after another to get the ox to move. The ox never got up because he was a lazy ox! All the other carts passed by on their way to the market. If one doesnt get to the market on time, they wont be able to sell their goods. The man began getting more and more unhappy. Finally the man took a handful of hay from underneath the cart and put it under the oxs nose. Then he lit the hay on fire. First the oxs back came up, then its front, and then it 108

took off running up the hill. Every Wednesday and Saturday the lazy ox was a problem. It never changed. But the hardworking ox doesnt need a fire to start work. A hardworking ox knows what to do and does it. Even if the master falls asleep on the way home from the market, the ox will go straight to the masters house and stand there. Sometimes when you go to a village or a town you will pass by an ox waiting to transport a water tank. Even though there are a lot of people coming and going and a lot of noise and distractions, the ox will stand immovable for hours! Such an ox did not become disciplined in one day. It took time to train. Amen. If God wants to use us, we have to become a hardworking ox. We have to die to ourselves, to our flesh, to sin and to the world. We must become totally sold out for His purposes, knowing that He has chosen us. Jesus paid the ultimate price, and we no longer belong to ourselves. We belong to Him. We are His bondservants, His slaves. Having this understanding will allow us to be used by God. Amen. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 16

A Heart of Reconciliation

Simon the Zealot crucified in Syria, AD 70

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When disagreements occur, we must always have a heart to be reconciled. We must first be reconciled, and then offer our sacrifices to God. If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Matthew 5:23-25 (NASB) First, means first. When you brush your teeth, do you brush first or put the toothpaste on the brush first? Do you comb your hair and then take a bath, or take a bath and then comb your hair? We know what first means. Very clearly Jesus says we must first seek reconciliation, and then offer our sacrifices. This is very important.

The Bitterness of Assuming

One day our team was going on outreach in a huge truck. I was the leader, and our driver was from Denmark. The truck got perhaps four or five miles per liter. Whatever money we got from selling books would go to fill the tank. Since I was the cashier, my job was filling the gas tank. The driver was driving in third gear, and I kept wondering why he wasnt driving in fourth. He never changed gears. I knew that if the driver did not change into fourth gear, the truck would consume a lot more gas. I had growing bitterness towards the driver because he was not changing the gear. Finally, I sat with the driver and asked, Why are you not changing gears? He told me, Paulose, this truck is not an Indian truck, it is a foreign truck. It only has three gears. Fourth gear is the reverse gear. Should I drive in reverse gear? I had been Ignorantly assuming that the truck had four gears like an Indian truck, and I had been foolishly allowing bitterness in my heart towards my brother. Misunderstandings will grow bigger and bigger unless we resolve them. In order to have unity, we need to be open about our problems, be entreatable, clear them up, and be finished with them. Reconciliation is important!

An Example of Reconciliation
We were in Bangalore. In those days, we would have beef only once a week. It cost around one to two rupees per kilogram ($0.05 USD). We would cook it with potatoes and tomatoes. Although there were a lot of people, we only bought one kilo. We had to add the other ingredients so 111

that the meal would feed everyone. Those were very austere days. The ones who were serving the food had control of the meat. They could give it to us if they wanted, otherwise we would just get potatoes and tomatoes. One day our team leader, Puthuraj, was the cook, and I was his assistant. He was a good cook, and the food smelled wonderful. Everyone had gone out to do outreach in the region called Majestic. So after the food was finished cooking, we put it on plates and placed the plates on a shelf to await the teams return. Everyone was supposed to be at lunch at one oclock, but most of them arrived early. I think they could smell the food far away! I was not able to catch the bus because I had sold no books that day and had no money. I was drinking tap water and carrying two shoulder bags. I arrived very tired around 1:30. But, before I arrived, something happened. Our area overseer was an Englishman who had resigned from his job and come to India to serve the Lord. Before he came, he had been a wealthy engineer and had graduated from Oxford. He was out visiting when everyone else finished their lunch meal. Only my plate of food was left for me. When he noticed the good smell, he assumed my plate was leftover. He never asked if the plate was left for somebody. He just took it and ate it. Then he started to have a guilty conscience. He called George, the watchman who was from Chengannur. He asked, Has everyone come back and eaten? George said, Paulose hasnt come yet, so we saved a meal for him. My leader replied, The meal is gone. Where too? asked George. Into my tummy, said the leader. George suggested that the leader just give me money, and send me to a hotel for a good meal. My leader replied that he would do that but that he felt he needed to apologize and tell me that he was sorry. George told him to just ignore it: Forget about it. The matter will pass. Just give him lunch money. But my leader was determined to apologize. He asked how do you repent in this culture? George wondered what he should tell the leader. Finally he said, Okay, the best way to repent if you do something wrong is to fall down at the persons feet that you wronged and say, I am sorry, so sorry. Since this was his first time in India, the Englishman thought that this was the method that all Indian people use to personally repent. So the Englishman determined, When Paulose comes, I shall repent by falling at his feet. This man was my leader! When I returned from outreach, I put my shoulder bag in the literature room and went into the kitchen. There was a good smell, but when I went to the shelf my food was not there. Somebody had eaten my food and then washed the plate. There was nothing. If I asked who ate the food, 112

it would be foolish, because no one would be willing to admit they were wrong. I became angry, went to my bed and pulled the blankets over myself. I thought, They could have eaten it some other day. Why did they have to eat it today? We only have meat once a week. While I was in bed, my leader came and grabbed my hand. I didnt know what he was doing. He asked me to stand, and then he fell at my feet weeping and said, Brother Paulose, I am so sorry. I ate your food, brother. Forgive me brother. Please forgive. I tell you brethren, that day, my heart broke. It was a small, silly matter, but my leader repented wholeheartedly of his mistake. The Lord showed me that what I was seeing was real, Biblical Christianity. Today, God is using this man in several other nations. Now he is in South Africa. Amen. Many times our words and dealings may hurt others. We may not want to repent and say, Im sorry brother. Im sorry sister. Instead, we will want to pretend we did nothing wrong. It is our carnal nature to accuse others, In order to try to cover ourselves. As a result, the problems never get solved.

Reconciling with Your Wife

Reconciliation is very, very important. Sometimes my wife has a very difficult life. She has to take care of the children and send them to school. In my absence, she also has to take care of church administration. Once, I had to take care of everything at a seminar. Although my wife was pregnant and ready to deliver at any moment, I decided to go to the seminar. I did not think that she would have the baby while I was gone. I told her, See you later. I dont even think she had sufficient money. I took all the boys with me to Kerala from Rameswaram. When I came back, I saw my wife with a new baby. I had not been there! She must have been hurt, but she still smiled at me gladly. She never said a single word of resentment or reproof. A friend from England used to visit my wife and me twice a year to give us spiritual instruction and Godly counsel. One day, my wife said to me, I want to see our friend. Lets go to the hotel. You translate what I want to tell him. So we both went to the hotel, and I translated what my wife said. She began by saying, My husband is a wonderful husband, I am so happy. I felt badly because I knew how bad I was at taking care of her. I would often leave her alone with all the pressure and burdens. There were times when she wanted to talk, but rather than sit and listen to her, I would change my clothes, put my shoulder bag on and leave. 113

Then my wife said, My husband didnt marry me. I wondered what she was trying to say, and my face reddened. She continued, He married somebody else. I looked at her with astonishment, and my friend said, Hey, translate what she just said. There is something there. I told him, My wife is saying that I didnt marry her. I was sweating. Then my wife said, He married the ministry, not me. His wife is his ministry, not me. I was relieved when she said that. Think of the pain, agony and the loneliness my wife endured. Around the time when she spoke to our friend she had lost more than fifteen kilograms of weight. Things were very difficult. Just to open her eyes she had to use energy. The children had chickenpox. Our second son was going to school, but sometimes he couldnt go because there was no food. One day we compelled him to go to school, and on the way to school he fainted and fell down on the road because he was malnourished. Often I was not there. My wife had to take the entire burden. I took no time to sit and listen to her hearts cry or to what she had to say. Ministry, ministry, ministry, thats all, she said to our counselor. I am not his wife. Ministry is his wife. Sometimes when people, like our spouse, speak openly, we may be tempted to become arrogant and angry. Instead, we need to consider what is said and change our lives accordingly. One day we will give an account to God for everything. I can still remember that day. I had to change many things. My leader told me, Paulose, you need to slow down. Slow down! I knew that I had to spend more time listening to my wife. I needed to take her where I went, so that she could pray and relax. Our love and unity became greater. I am openly telling you this. I am speaking to you here as a friend. If you are married, spend time with your wife. If you have children, spend time with your children. I am not saying I am perfect in this area. I still have a lot of responsibilities. In Rameswaram we are very busy. We have three childrens homes, one infant home, two schools, lots of ministry, and so many activities. Just to take time away to go to a conference is very difficult. We still find it very challenging to find time together. Traveling together is the main way that my wife and I find time to talk alone together. Unknowingly at times, our dealings and words will hurt each other. Even in the midst of love and unity, divisions can sneak in. If, in the midst of responsibilities, some problem arises, we need to reconcile with each other quickly. Reconciliation is very, very important. Amen.

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Reconciling with Your Children

Sometime in 1983 or 1984, the Lord told me to go to Nepal. The Lord told me that I was to pray for the country because he was going to bring about changes and deliver the country. So, I began to pack everything. I called my son, Billy Graham, and instructed him to pack certain things for me to also take. He said he would pack them, but afterwards, he went out and started to play with some friends. He totally forgot. As there were no autos there, I had a horse cart come to the house to take me to the train station. When the horse cart came, I put my luggage on it and then asked my son to bring the things that I had told him to pack. He said, Daddy I forgot to pack them; I will pack them now. I became angry. I looked around and found a thin bamboo stick. I spanked him, but because he had thick trousers on, the spanking did not hurt. So, I pulled the trousers taut and spanked him again. Billy said, Daddy Im sorry. Please, Im sorry. But, I was full of anger, so I gave him one or two more spanks before I was satisfied. Then, I began traveling to Nepal. I had booked my ticket all the way to Raxaul, but the Holy Spirit started speaking to me, Paulose, you are going to Nepal. Do you think God will answer your prayers? I said, Yes, Lord. Many times before, God had answered my prayers. The Lord told me, There is nothing wrong with disciplining your son, but when he apologized, that was when you should have stopped. You continued spanking him afterwards, and that was wrong. You were wrong, and you need to apologize. How could I apologize? There was no cellphone or on the train. I decided that after I reached Madras I would write a letter to my son. I reached Madras, but there was a problem. If I wrote the letter in English, then my son wouldnt be able to understand it. Neither would he be able to understand a letter written in Malayalam. The only language he knew at that time was Tamil, which I was unable to write in! So, I purchased a piece of blank paper and gave it to a man sitting in the railway station. I asked him, Could you write a letter for me? I will speak the words, and you can write. He said, Yes. I began speaking in Tamil, My dear son Billy, I love you. Thank you very much for all your efforts. I told you to do something, and you didnt obey me, so I spanked you. I shouldnt have spanked you after you apologized. Please forgive me, I am sorry. The man who was writing stopped and asked, To whom are you writing? I told him, My son. He replied, You are a fool to apologize to your son. I said, Please help me, I cannot write 115

the language. Finally he wrote the letter. That was the first letter I had ever written to my son. When he received the letter, it pained his heart more than the spanking. He started crying. I continued my journey to Nepal, but again the Holy Spirit pricked my heart, Paulose, do you think the problem is solved? I said, Yes. I wrote a letter. The Spirit said, You need to apologize personally to your son. Only then will the problem be solved. I replied, Lord, my son is only eight or nine years old. If I apologize to him now, then he will never obey me. This is not the way we do things in our culture. I would not yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit! I went to Nepal, and do you know what happened? I began to have pain from my feet all the way up to my head. It was as if needles were poking me. I could not sleep. I could not sit. I could not even walk! In Nepal people carry luggage on their backs. My friends had to carry me like luggage from place to place. As the pain increased I said to the Lord, Lord, I will repent with a condition. When I arrive at the railway station, I do not want to see him. After I arrive home, Ill apologize. I was still trying to negotiate with God. Many things transpired during that sojourn, and my wife thought I was lost. Because there had been no communication, she thought I was dead. Anyway, when I reached the railway station, both my wife and son were there. After going home I told my son, Billy, I am sorry. He asked, Why are you sorry Dad? I said, It was wrong that you disobeyed me, and it was right that I spanked you. But, when you repented, I was supposed to stop. I kept spanking you, and it was wrong. The Lord convicted me. You need to forgive me. I tell you, after that day Billy never disobeyed me! If I say something, he keeps it in his heart and obeys. Now he has two sons of his own. I am describing to you, day by day, my life as a disciple. I am using my mistakes as an example for you to learn from. We need to be examples to other people. The world needs to learn from us. Amen. When I refused to be reconciled to my son, my whole body was full of pain. I really thought I would die in Nepal. There was a demon there that tried to attack and kill me. It is true. After I made the commitment to repent, the pain started to decrease. This is something real. I tell you, if you continue living without reconciliation, harboring resentment, hatred or bitterness in the heart, you are opening a door through which a foul spirit may enter in. So, whatever the situation may be, whether it is someone who has taken advantage of us, or stolen something, or caused our name to be slandered, or abused us, or mistreated us, we cannot harbor bitterness and anger. 116

We need to be reconciled. Amen. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 17

Following Without Expectations

Antipas roasted alive in a copper steer, AD 95

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Once a rich man came to Jesus and told him that he would follow wherever He went. What did Jesus say? He told the man that he did not even have a place to stay at night. If you follow Jesus, this could be your life as well. The man in Scripture never followed because he expected something more. As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus replied, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Luke 9:57-58 (NIV) Sometimes people follow Jesus with wrong expectations. They want to follow Jesus because they have seen other people who followed and were blessed. Do not follow man; you will become a fool. Trust in the Lord, put your faith in God, and live for Him. Either He will bless you materially, or He may abase you. Either way, follow Him. I will share a story. In a village there was a farmer. He went to a forest, collected firewood, and sold it. With the money he received, he purchased rice and vegetables, and cooked a meal for his children. One day, when the farmer and his children went to the forest to gather firewood, his house burned down. He was very disappointed, but what could he do? After three or four days, he gathered all the piles ash into a sack and sold it in the nearby market. With the little bit of money he obtained, he purchased some rice and vegetables and made food for the hungry children. The next day, as the farmer was coming back from the market, he came across four robbers who were dividing up jewels and valuables that they had stolen. They were arguing and fighting with each other. The farmer very wisely stood there and, as the thieves were fighting, they moved away from their stolen goods. The farmer then gathered all the loot, put it into his sack and returned home. Among the stolen goods were a lot of small coins, gold, rings, and jewelry. He even found a large emerald. The small coins needed to be measured. In those days, instead of using a metric scale for measurement, they used a bamboo scale. In a neighboring house lived a very rich man. In the evening, the farmer sent his son to borrow the rich mans bamboo scale to measure the little coins. The rich man tried to be clever, however, and he put a little sticky glue inside the bamboo liter container in order to find out what the farmer was measuring. The rich man wanted to know if he had a lot of rice, or wheat, or corn, or whatever. The farmer measured the small coins, and they measured twelve ounces. Afterward, the farmer returned the bamboo scale. The rich man looked in 119

the liter and found two tiny silver coins. He thought, How did he get these coins? Suddenly a thought came to him, When the house burned down, he must have gotten a lot of money for all the ashes.a lot more than normal. So he reasoned, If that poor mans house got that much money, how much more would I get if my larger house burned down? So, at midnight, the rich man set fire to the four corners of his wooden house. All the village people came out to watch the house burn while the rich man cried and howled. But, inwardly he thought, Im going to get a lot of money for this! After his house completely burned down, he gathered all the ashes and put them into six or seven small sacks. He loaded them on his donkey and went to the market. He put the ashes up for sale, but no one wanted to buy them. He was demanding a lot of money, but the people told him, Sir, all ashes are the same price; there is no difference. He was deceived. He took whatever money he could get for the ashes, and on the way home from the market he purchased a rope and hung himself. So do not copy anybody. Do not follow anybody. You will be cheated and deceived. Follow Jesus. Amen!

Both Sides of the Coin

We were living in a small house. The rent was only seventy five rupees ($1.60 USD) per month, so you can imagine what kind of house it was. There was no toilet, so I asked the house owner of the house to please build a toilet. He said, You build it, and when you go, you can take it with you. What could I do? We used to have to go to the bush, which was especially difficult when we had stomach problems. I had decided up until then never to buy land or build a house. However, one day, very clearly, I saw a finger drawing a road. It was drawing National Highway 49, the Madurai to Dhanushkodi Road. The finger outlined a piece of property, and the Lord told me, Paulose, you are to buy that land. You will receive fifty thousand rupees ($1,100 USD) from a man. The Lord told me the mans name and that he would first give me twenty thousand rupees, and later thirty thousand rupees. This would enable me to purchase the land and start building. It was very clear, but I still didnt want to buy the land or build. I had previously sold everything and decided to live a sacrificial life. That was my decision. So, I told the Lord, No Lord, I wont buy. However, my relationship with the Lord began to suffer; I had to change my mind. I decided to obey the Lord.

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I went and looked at the property. It was about a fifth of an acre. It was a good piece of property. Just as the Lord had told me, the man He named gave me twenty thousand rupees and later thirty thousand rupees! When I received all fifty thousand rupees, I purchased the land. Next, we started to build a building. The Lord spoke to me, Paulose, you will receive nineteen thousand dollars from a person to finish the building. As the Lord promised, a man provided nineteen thousand dollars, and the house was nicely built. My wife and children got to live there, and with plenty of plumbing. I am saying these things because I genuinely want to share my heart with you. I want to share both sides of the coin. Obey the Lord and follow Him. Do not try to please people. I felt that if I bought the land and built a house, then it would be difficult to preach to others to live sacrificially and sell everything. I was worried that, once I had bought land and built a house, it would look like I was saying one thing and doing another. But, I had to take up the cross and please the Lord. Some people misunderstood me, but when I explained things to them, they understood. Amen. Follow without expectations. Jesus said, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Is this what you expect in following Jesus? It is true that many times Jesus gives multiplied rewards to those who have left everything and followed Him. However, even if you dont get rewards, dont complain. I joined a mission to serve the Lord in 1966, but it was not until 1972 that the Lord gave me a secondhand bicycle for two hundred rupees ($4.50 USD). Up until that time I had to walk. I walked up mountains and down valleys with bare feet. I traveled by bus, carrying luggage. It was hard work. Then, around 1982, God gave me a new bicycle! I had no complaints. I saw many people who were novices in the ministry, and yet, they were flying to many different nations. But, it was not my time. Amen. There is a time for everything. Do not be hurried. A woman may be very anxious to have her baby, but the baby must be born on time, otherwise it will be premature baby. Doing things without expectations helps to empower a person to achieve more than what he would otherwise expect to do. The world is full of selfishness. People are not concerned about others. Even in the spiritual realm, the ministry of Christ in the church is being diminished because of selfish motives. In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul commends Timothy for his sacrificial and selfless work. 121

For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the Gospel like a child serving his father. Philippians 2:2122 (NASB) While teaching His disciples, Jesus spoke a lot about humility. He himself showed humility to His disciples by washing their feet. We want to be noticed. Our carnal expectation is to be honored by everyone as a great person. Jesus told a parable: And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them. When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, Give your place to this man, and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, Friend, move up higher; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Luke 14:7-14 (NASB) Be humble, and be preoccupied with humble people. If you have a feast in your home, invite people who cannot repay you for your feast. Today people want to invite honorable, rich people to their feasts. Some people do not ever think about the lowest members of the society. For your personal notes :

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The Foundation of a Disciple

Part IV

Chapter 18

Counting the Cost

Luke the evangelist hung from an olive tree in Greece, AD 93

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Dont follow foolishly, follow wisely. Count the cost and follow. There will be a cost to following Jesus that you must be willing to pay. However, you will be blessed for the price you pay. Amen. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, This fellow began to build and was not able to finish. Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. Luke 14:2832 (NIV) The man mentioned in the passage above is counting the cost before starting to build a tower. He is calculating whether or not he will be able to finish. When we count the cost, we can always count on the Faithful One who is calling us. He said that he would never leave us or forsake us. When we cast all of our cares upon Him, He will take care of us. We can fully trust Him and depend on Him. He is unchanging. There may come a time when everyone around us changes and we are left alone. The Lord will change the circumstances and prove that He is with us. You may find yourself in a position like Daniel in a den of lions. You may wonder who is going to rescue you. The Lord can change the course of events and bring us forth! You may think that everything is destroyed, but you can be sure that God will resurrect according to what He has promised. He will bring it to pass. Amen. Counting the cost means that when you follow Christ you dont expect everything to be easy and smooth. There may be rough times, difficult situations and hard times. He will allow you to go through hard situations; however, He will also lead you out of those situations. Be faithful until you finish the mission. Amen. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 19 18

Counting No Turning the Back Cost

Vitalus buried alive in Ravenna around the year 99

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After you make your commitment, never go backward, never look backward; always press forward.Excel.March higher and higher. Still another said, I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family. Jesus replied, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. Luke 9:61-62 (NIV) You have put your hands to the plow. Now, go forward. After they left Egypt, the Israelites often looked back. It became a trap for them. When we put our hands to the plow, we must go forward.no turning back. When the Apostle Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he said, For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 2Tim 4:10 (NASB) Here, Demas, who was a faithful Minister of God, later gave his heart to this world. The world pulls everyone back from the presence of God. Do not be a lover of money or of this world. Lots wife was instructed by the Angel of God to go to the nearby mountain without looking back. She disobeyed the instruction given and looked back. As a result, she became a pillar of salt. She stands as a fearful reminder for every one of us today. Remember Lots wife! Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. Luke 17:32-33 (NASB) In order to stand firm in Christ, faith is necessary. A person who holds on to his faith will not turn back from God and His will. The letter to Hebrews says: But my righteous one shall live by faith. And if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Hebrews 10:38-39 (NASB) In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the deep fellowship a believer finds in the love of Christ. This love preserves a person from turning back or separating from God. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principali126

ties, nor things present, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39 (NASB) As the wonderful song says: I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back. The world behind me the cross before me, No turning back, no turning back. Though none go with me, still I will follow. No turning back, no turning back.

For your personal notes :

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Chapter 20 18

Counting the Remaining in Cost the Word

Felicitas killed in Rome along with her seven sons, AD 104

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Jesus instructed us to abide in His words. This means continually obeying and living by His Word. We are not supposed to merely listen and obey in the beginning and then walk away. Continually, day after day, throughout our entire lives, we must abide in His Word. As His disciples, we must live conformed to and trusting in the Word. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, If you continue in My word,thenyou are truly disciples of Mine;and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.John 8:31-32 (NASB) The word of God helps us to remain in Him and to be His disciples. In his first letter, the Apostle Peter says, For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23 (NASB) Through the word of God we are given rebirth. The word strengthens a believer to stand firm in Christ. It also conveys life to everyone who believes it. The word of God makes us grow: Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 1 Peter 2:1-3 (NASB) In his final letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul says, All scripture is inspired by God and Profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB) The word of God is a lamp to our path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalms 119:105 (NASB) The word of God is sweeter than pure honey. How sweet are your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalms 119:103 (NASB) The word of God brings joy to our heart. I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart. Psalms 119:111 (NASB) 129

The word of God is a sword. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any twoedged sword, and Piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NASB) The word of God helps us to pray effectively. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7 (NASB) The word is more valuable than gold The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalms 119:72 (NASB) The entirety of Psalms 119 lists the benefits of hearing, reading, studying, meditating and memorizing the word of God. The word of God leads a person into righteousness. So, be wise, and receive the benefits of daily meditating on the Word of God. A common way to remember the methods to hold onto the Word of God:

Your five fingers can remind you of five ways to inhale the word of God.

Hearing
People who cannot read or write can still listen to the Word of God and understand it. In order to know or understand something, you must first hear about it. Hearing the word of God is an important first step to understanding it. In the book of Revelation the Apostle John says, Blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, 130

because the time is near. Revelation 1:3 (NIV) In the book of Nehemiah, the Israelites listened attentively as Ezra read the Book of the law to them. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the law. Nehemiah 8:3 (NIV)

Reading
Reading the word of God is as important as hearing the word of God. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy to pay attention to the word of God. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 1 Timothy 4:13 (NASB) In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John states that the one who reads the word of God will be blessed. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy. Revelation1:3 (NIV)

Studying
After hearing and reading, studying comes next. When the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, he says that studying the Word of God makes a person wise. You however continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NASB) The people who learn to study will become wiser than those who refuse to study. The Bereans discovered this truth. . . . they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed Acts 17:11,12 (NKJV)

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Meditating
Meditating on what we have studied is important as well. Without meditating a person cannot be a proper teacher of the Word. Meditating on the Word of God causes a person to prosper, as well as to be a good teacher. Jesus is the perfect teacher, and He is a model to everyone. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalms 1:2-3 (NASB)

Memorizing
Keeping or hiding His words in our heart is vital. Our hearts should always be filled with the Word of God in order to defeat Satan. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He overcame it by the Word of God, which He had stored in His heart. So, always be saturated with His Word in order to lead a victorious and holy life. How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word. With all my heart I have sought you; Do not let me wander from your commandments. Your Word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against you. Psalms 119:9-11 (NASB) The Christian life is based on faith through the Word of God. Through this Word, the whole world was created, and all of humanity is redeemed. People are benefited according to their belief in the Word of God. The Apostle John writes, I have written to you, young man, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have over come the evil one. 1John 2:14 (NASB) The book of Psalms explains the Words benefit more than any other book. From his own experience, David gives insight into the value of Gods Word. The law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul. The statute of the Lord is trustworthy making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They 132

are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalms 19:7-11 (NASB) For your personal notes :

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Chapter 21 18

Counting Losing Ones the Cost Life

Ignatius, a student under John, devoured by wild animals in Rome, AD 111

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To be willing to lose ones life means we must even be willing to become a martyr for Jesus. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25-26 (NASB) He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it. Mathew 10:39 (NASB) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 (NASB) The world teaches us how to protect and cling to our life, but Jesus teaches how to lose our life. On the way to Gethsemane, Jesus taught his disciples about what their lives were going to look like. These things I have spoken to you that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. John 16:1-2 (NASB) In order for His disciples to be prepared and alert, Jesus warned them that they would be cast out of the synagogues. Not only that, everyone who would kill them would think that he was offering a service to God! That means the disciples were to expect a time when they might be killed. As followers of Christ, we need to be ready to die, or to live with a mind to let our lives go, to be spent. Now we are going to take a look at witnesses in the Old Testament who were willing to lose their lives so that they could gain much in the Kingdom. Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, by putting David to death without a cause? 1 Samuel 19:4-5 (NASB) Here we see that Saul is trying to kill David, and Jonathan is being a witness for David. When the Philistine Goliath came to attack Israel, even King Saul was afraid to go into battle. But David risked his life because he could not bear to hear the Philistine giant cursing God. It caused a fire in Davids heart, and he went up against Goliath. Just imagine if the stone David slung at the giant had missed? Because David risked his life, God gave victory to all of Israel! The reason that Saul was alive was because of David. 135

Jonathan reminded his father Saul how David had risked his life! Jonathan was a witness on behalf of David. Likewise, others should be able to give an account of us as people who are risking our lives for God! Amen! And David had a craving and said, Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord; and he said, Be it far from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. 1 Chronicles 11:17-19 (NASB) In the passage above, David is living in caves in the mountains. He was born and brought up in Bethlehem. There was a well that he particularly liked to drink water from. He was longing for some of that good water. Three of Davids mighty men were with him as he was wishing for the water. Even though Bethlehem was encamped full of enemies, the three men decided to sneak through the enemy lines get water for David. Either God blinded the enemys eyes, or these men fought and killed to get water from the well in Bethlehem for David. When David saw their sincerity and hard work, he realized that they had risked their lives. He would not drink the water; instead, he poured it out on the ground as a sacrifice unto God. Later, when David became king, he promoted these same three soldiers to captains. Davids servants were people who risked their lives. How do promotions come? According to the worlds system, we must pull someone down so that we can be lifted up. But Gods principle is that we must take the lower seat and uplift other people so that God will lift us up. Amen. We do not pull down; we lift up. Next, let us take a look at Jonathan and his servant. Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits. 1 Samuel 13:5-6 (NASB) Here we see thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and an 136

uncountable number of soldiers. The enemy is encamped like the sand on the seashore, and two people decide to go up against them! And between the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines garrison, there was a sharp crag on the one side, and a sharp crag on the other side, and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba. Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few. 1 Samuel 14:4-6 (NASB) Despite the difficulty of having to travel through a sharp crag, and the overwhelming number of enemies on the other side, Jonathan decided to go. Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him. And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land. And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and the raiders trembled, and the earth quaked so that it became a great trembling. 1 Samuel 14:13-15 (NASB) This was a great victory. It seemed like an earthquake. God gave the victory to two people who risked their lives! Next, let us take a look as Esther. Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish. Esther 4:16 (NASB) Esther risked her life to save others. Esther knew that without the kings permission, no one was allowed to visit him. If someone was to enter and the king did not extend his scepter in acceptance, that person would be executed. Esther knew that without having a command or an invitation from the king, she was risking her life. However, she was prepared to die. Because of her willingness to die, there was a great salvation for all of the Jews! We have to do our part, and God will do His part. Previously we explored the need to be hard working. In second Samuel, we saw how all the people fled from the enemy, while only one man, Shammah, stood and fought. 137

As a result of his stand, God gave him the victory. He did his part, and God did His part! Amen. Now, let us look at how God used four lepers to bring salvation. Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, Why stay here until we die?If we say, Well go into the citythe famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So lets go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die. At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there,for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also. Then they said to each other, Were not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Lets go at once and report this to the royal palace. 2 Kings 7:3-9 (NASB) While the four starving lepers abode in Samaria, they knew they were doomed to eventually die of starvation. They considered venturing their lives to go to the Syrian camp, probably to be killed. However, if they decided to stay where they were, they were also going to die. Perhaps they thought they might at least be able to eat something before they died if they went to the camp of the enemy. Also, they might possibly be allowed to live! However, when they arrived in the Syrian army camp, there was no one there. The enemy was gone. Because the four lepers were willing to risk their lives, they were able to bring good news back to the city and save them from starvation! Now we will take a look at the apostles in the New Testament. Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have 138

risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 15:24 (NASB) We do not naturally want to risk our lives, but Jesus is expecting His disciples to risk their lives for Him. He will give us strength, courage and victory. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:22-24 (NKJV) In the passage above, Paul says that his only goal is finishing the race with joy. Amen. Then Paul answered, What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 21:13 (NASB) This is what Jesus is expecting from us. Martyrdom may not come immediately. It may never come for some of us. We do not know whether it will come shortly or far ahead in the future. In either case, we need to have a mind that Is ready to die for our Master. If God gives you an opportunity to die as a martyr, then you will enter the promise of an immeasurably better resurrection, and a great reward in Heaven. This is absolutely true. Let us look at Stephen, who was stoned to death, as an example. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Look, he said, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell on his knees and cried out, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:55-60 (NIV) History records that, in those days, they did not stone people by throwing stones at the chest or head first. Rather, they would begin with the abdomen, allowing the person to suffer. Then, after their anger was appeased, they would throw stones at their chest and head. This is probably why Stephen knelt down while he was being stoned. 139

Jesus could have stopped that stoning, but He didnt. While being martyred for the faith, Stephen saw Heaven opened. He saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Jesus did not sit. Jesus stood up, ready to receive Stephens spirit. I visited Oxford University in England. It had long been an ambition of mine to visit Oxford and Cambridge. In the central part of Oxford University, where three roads come together, there is a particular stone which marks the place of a martyr. I am quoting from a small booklet published by The Pitkin City Guides. The section is entitled, The Oxford Martyrs. In 1554 the Catholic Queen Mary imprisoned the influential Protestant leaders, Archbishop Cranmer and Bishops Ridley and Latimer, in Oxfords Bocardo prison at the north gate. They were cross-examined at the Divinity school and later tried for heresy in St Marys Church. Ridley and Latimer were burned at the stake in the town ditch, now Broad Street, on 16 October, 1555, while Cranmer was forced to watch from St Michaels tower. Though Cranmer had earlier begun to renounce his faith, he was burned on 21 March 1556, having first thrust into the fire his right hand, with which he signed the recantations. A cross in the road at Broad Street marks the site of the fire, and the Martyrs Memorial in St. Giles was erected in 1841. Many others have also burned for their faith, such as John Huss and William Tyndale. Martyrdom is not a thing of the past. Even today, people are being slain In may ways, just as Jesus was crucified, because of their faith in Him. When we were in Rome, we went to the Coliseum where Christians were taken to suffer and die. The Coliseum gates would be opened and lions and tigers would tear the Christians to pieces. I saw a picture that really moved my heart. It was a picture of a father and mother with their children: a twenty one year old, a nineteen year old, a seven year old and a four year old. They were just children.small children.wearing white garments, carrying palm tree leaves, walking towards the Coliseum. If that magnitude of persecution comes to our country, are we willing to lay down our lives? We must be willing. Life on earth is short; this is not eternity! I do not teach this in order to frighten you, but rather, to vaccinate you. I know this kind of teaching is uncommon. People do not talk much about martyrdom, but this is also part of the Bible, and we have surely seen it in India. Amen. And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out 140

with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth? And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also. Revelation 6:9-11 (NASB) While I was in England once, a family came to me in Wales. They were the children of missionaries who had served in Mizoram in Northeast India. The missionaries had translated a portion of the New Testament that spread everywhere. As a result, many in the Northeast became Christians. Those missionaries have since passed away, but their sons and grandchildren came to meet me. They said, Because of our father and grandfather expended their lives in India, a portion of India was able to hear the gospel. Amen. What are we going to do with our lives? Just imagine living in England and moving to India. In those days, when British people came to India they could be affected by anyone of numerous diseases like malaria, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, etc. They knew this. Today, traveling from London by air, we can reach India in eight and a half hours. In those days, depending on the seas, it could take six to ten months to travel by ship. They would only see water for almost the entire journey. There was no canal in those days, so the ship would have to go all the way around Africa to get to India. The rough seas would cause seasickness, illness and sometimes even death. People leaving from England would begin their journey at the Thames River, where the London Bridge is located. The missionaries would pack all their belongings in a small coffin box, carry it on their shoulder and push their way onto the ship. If they missed the ship, they might have to wait another ten months for the next opportunity to go. These people were not fools. They were well educated, and in those times they could have gone as a civil administrators to some other country. But, rather than going as leaders, they chose to go as missionaries. Because there was no freezer system in those days, if someone died, the body could not be kept to take to India or England. They would put the dead body in the coffin box and throw the coffin into the ocean. There was a missionary who worked in India at Palayamkotai and Nagercoil for many years. As an aged man, he decided to leave Thiruvananthapuram to go back to London. He died after only one or two kilometers of traveling. They stopped the ship and dropped the dead body into the ocean. Similarly, William Carey never returned to his homeland of England. After 141

many years of working in India, translating the Bible and the New Testament into several languages, starting several schools and colleges, he died. His grave is in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Unfortunately, today, we do not even think we can live without phones. We want to be able to visit our parents and eat good, home cooked meals. We easily capitulate to homesickness and faintheartedness. We have to overcome all these desires for Gods Kingdom and its growth. Amen. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. Revelation 12:11 (NASB) Earlier we looked at John chapter sixteen, where Jesus very clearly told His followers that there would come a time when those who killed them would think that they were offering a sacrifice to God. The early disciples embraced the notion that, one way or another, now or later, we will all become martyrs. Amen. Now we will look at how the Apostles died. Apostle Peter (Simon) (Cephas) Manner of Death Where Homicide: Crucified Rome, Italy upside down at his request saying he wanted to kiss the feet of Jesus Homicide: severely Edessa, Greece scourged and tied to an x-shaped cross from where he preached to more than 3,000 people & hung 2 days to expire When 54-68 AD

Andrew Brother of Peter.

James Homicide: Beheaded Jerusalem, Israel Son of Zebedee and with sword after Salome and elder ministering in Spain brother of John. John Thrown in boiling Son of Zebedee and oil, but unharmed; brother of James. Imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos died of natural causes. 142 Isle of Patmos

44 AD

98 AD

Apostle Phillip Bartholomew (Nathaniel) Thomas (Didymus)

Manner of Death Homicide: crucified Homicide: beaten, skinned alive, then crucified.

Where Hierapolis, Syria India or Armenia

When ? ?

Homicide: lanced Chennai, India with spears by idolatrous priests & burned in an oven. Homicide: axed to death Nadabah, Ethiopia

Matthew (Levi) James Son of Alphaeus and half-brother of Jesus. fullers club at age 94 Jude (Thaddeus) (Judas) Simon the Zealot (the Canaanite)

60 AD 66 AD

Jerusalem, Israel Homicide: thrown down from the Temple tower & did not die, clubbed to death with a fullers club at age 94. Homicide: crucified Edessa, Greece

72 AD

Homicide: crucified and cut to pieces.

Britannia, Europe Jerusalem, Israel

? ?

Matthias Homicide: stoned Chosen by the Apos- and beheaded tles to replace Judas. Paul Chosen by Jesus on the road to Damascus

Homicide: beheaded Rome, Italy

66 AD

This is the record of the pioneers who finished their race. Perhaps they are watching how we are running our races. They are saying, You can, you can! We have finished. You can, too! Amen.

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For your personal notes :

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The Rewards of a Disciple

Part V

Chapter Chapter 22 18

The Benefits Counting the and CostBlessings of Following Jesus

Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna killed by fire and the sword, AD 168

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The Bible lists the blessings that a follower of Jesus receives. You will be a fisher of men. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 (NIV) You shall not walk in darkness. When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12 (NIV) You shall have one hundredfold in this life and, also, eternal life. Peter said to him, We have left everything to follow you! I tell you the truth, Jesus replied, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel, will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fieldsand with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. Mark 10:2830 (NIV) You will have eternal and everlasting treasure. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:33 (NIV) You will receive the kingdom of God. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32 (NIV) You will possess His life-giving light, shining in the darkness. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12 (NIV) You will be honored by God the Father. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. John 12:26 (NIV) You will sit with Him on the throne. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. Revelation 3:21 (NIV)

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There are many, many more blessings to following Jesus Christ. I have only mentioned a handful here for you to consider. Wherever you go, wherever you stand, whatever circumstances you encounter, you must remember that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. Try to exalt the name of Jesus around other people. Regardless of whether people listen to you or ignore you, you need to remember that you are a disciple of Jesus. Amen. For your personal notes :

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Chapter 23 18

Counting Be Loversthe of Cost Christs Appearing

Blandine half-roasted on a grill and then thrown between wild bulls, AD 172

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Today, how expectant are believers for Christs coming? Are we eagerly awaiting and expecting the appearance of Christ like the early disciples? After his resurrection, Jesus Christ appeared before his disciples and gave them the hope of his second coming. The disciples hearts were always alert to meet Him at His appearance. The early disciples expected the immediate reappearance of Jesus. The beginning of the Acts of the Apostles indicates this clearly: And after he had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, Men of Galilee, why so you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven. Acts 1:9-11 (NASB) The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the church of the Thessalonians, encourages the believers to have the hope in Christs second coming. Furthermore, he gives a clear description of Christs appearing. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first, Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NASB) Jesus Himself talked about his second appearing to His disciples. He taught His disciples about His second coming through parables. Jesus did not give the day or the hour, but he gave enough information. He gave the qualifications for meeting Him when He appears. The Gospel of Mark speaks of this. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert - for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, Be on the alert! Mark 13:32-37 (NASB) Awards and rewards will be given to everyone who longed for His appear149

ing. There are not many people who can say that they will meet the Lord confidently. But, the Apostle Paul speaks boldly about his meeting and awards on that day: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who love His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NASB) Today, there are not many believers eagerly waiting for the Christ appearance. But for the early disciples, Christs second coming was their blessed hope. True disciples wait for that blessed hope by living Godly. This is emphasized in the letter to Titus: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. Titus 2:11-13 (NASB) God expects everyone to be holy as He is holy. He expects us to be holy at His second coming, because without holiness no one can see God. He poured out His blood to make us holy, so that we may be with Him. So that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NASB) Finally, along with the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter speaks in his second letter about Christs appearing. Early disciples had much curiosity and eagerness about the day of the Lord. Because of their eagerness, Apostle Peter encourages them to make every effort to be blameless. Furthermore, he gives a glimpse about the destruction to come, and about the new heaven and earth: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and anew earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore beloved, 150

since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless. 2 Peter 3:10-14 (NASB) The Apostle Peters call to be blameless and spotless for the day of the Lord is the same call to all the disciples who live in this present age. Let your eagerness and happiness to meet the Lord grow day by day. Be lovers of Christs appearing. Amen! For your personal notes :

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Annexure

Trails and Tribulations for the Name of Christ

1. Persecution 2. False Accusation 3. Reviling 4. Hunger 5. Weeping 6. Hatred 7. Separation 8. Reproach 9. Cast out your name as evil 10. Imprisonment 11. Interrogation 12. False Witnessing 13. Gnash with teeth 14. Roar against 15. Dragged 16. Cast out of the city 17. Do evil 18. Suffer 19. Destroy and bind 20. Vex 21. Sword 22. Bind with chains 23. Turn away from faith 24. Blaspheme 25. Envy 26. Contradict 27. Tear off cloths 28. Stocks 29. Wound 30. Mock 31. Stir 32. Push 33. Shed Tears Matthew 5:10-12 Luke 6:21-22 Acts 4:3, 8:3 Acts 4:7 Acts 6:13 Acts 7:54 Acts 7:57 Acts 6:12, 8:3, 16:19 Acts 7:58, 13:50 Acts 9:13 Acts 9:16 Acts 9:21 Acts 12:1 Acts 12:2 Acts 12:6 Acts 13:8 Acts 13:45 Acts 16:22 Acts 16:24 Acts 16:33 Acts 17:32 Acts 19:23 Acts 19:33 Acts 20:31

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34. Cry against 35. Bound 36. Bloodshed 37. Throw dust 38. Smite on the mouth 39. Great cry 40. Compel to blaspheme 41. Declare mad 42. Compelled Fast 43. Beaten 44. Suffer 45. All dangers 46. Fools 47. Weak 48. Despised 49. Hunger and thirst 50. Naked 51. Buffeted 52. No certain dwelling place 53. Defamed 54. Filth of the world 55. Offscouring of all 56. Tolerate suffering 57. Bear wrongs 58. Jeopardy 59. Dying daily 60. Affliction and anguish 61. Perplexed 62. Cast down 63. Delivered unto death 64. Outwardly perishing 65. No rest 66. Great trail 67. Deep poverty 68. Infirmities 69. Reproaches

Acts 21:28 Acts 22:4 Acts 22:20 Acts 22:23 Acts 23:2 Acts 23:9 Acts 26:11 Acts 26:24 Acts 27:21 Acts 5:40 Acts 27:21 Romans 8:35 1 Corinthians 4:10-14 1 Corinthians 6:7 1 Corinthians 15:30 1 Corinthians 15:31 2 Corinthians 2:4 2 Corinthians 4.8 2 Corinthians 4:9 2 Corinthians 4:11-12 2 Corinthians 4:16 2 Corinthians 7:5 2 Corinthians 8:2 2 Corinthians 12:10

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More References
Romans 5:3-4 Romans 8:17 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 2 Corinthians 4:17 Philippians 1:29 1 Peter 2:20-21 Hebrews 11:6

How to React in Times of Suffering

Rejoice Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. Luke 6:23 (NASB) So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. Acts 5:41 (NASB) Shining Face And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel. Acts 6:15 (NASB) Persevere And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; Romans 5:3 (NASB) Consider Your loss well worthwhile For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18 (NASB)

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Pray Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, Romans 12:12 (NASB) Do Good Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. Romans 12:17 (NASB) Do Not Avenge Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Romans 12:19 (NASB) Do Not Murmur Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 1 Corinthians 10:10 (NASB) Do Not Despair We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NASB) Be Content Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christs sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NASB) Take Joy For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Hebrews 10:34 (NASB)

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Choose to Suffer Choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, Hebrews 11:25 (NASB) Esteem the Reproach Considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. Hebrews 11:26 (NASB) Look unto Jesus Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:2-3 (NASB) Revile Not And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 1 Peter 2:23 (NASB) Do Not Return Evil Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9 (NASB) Arm Yourself To Suffer Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 1 Peter 4:1 (NASB)

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Rewards of Suffering
Greater Reward in Heaven But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate youThen your reward will be great. Luke 6:27-35 (NASB) Patience And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; Romans 5:3 (NASB) Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1:3 (NASB) Glory And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:17 (NASB) Christs Consolation For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5 (NASB) Life in Others So death works in us, but life in you. 2 Corinthians 4:12 (NASB) Exceeding and Eternal Glory For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NASB) Exceeding Joy Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf; I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction. 2 Corinthians 7:4 (NASB)

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Glory Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. Ephesians 3:13 (NASB) Furthering the Gospel Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel; Philippians 1:12 (NASB) The Kingdom of God This is a plain indication of Gods righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 (NASB) Reigning with Him If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; 2 Timothy 2:12 (NASB) Perfection For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10 Crown of Life Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 (NASB) Favor with God For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 1 Peter 2:19-20 (NASB)

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Freedom from Sin Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. 1 Peter 4:1 (NASB)

Concluding Prayer
Lord, Your Words have power. They are sharper than any two-edged sword. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that these instructions and Your Word would go as sword and a spirit into the hearts and lives of your people. May your word bring changes in them. May Your word cut every unnecessary thing into pieces and remove it. Make them into good soldiers and fearless warriors for You! Father, I pray that these verses will become alive. Although life is full of joy and happiness, at the same time let us be available for your hand to make us good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Let us be willing to go from the east to the west, proclaiming the good news and sharing the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us deliver people from darkness into Your marvelous light, from Satans clutches to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and from hell into Your wonderful Heaven! Lord, I pray that wherever your disciples serve you, that You would grant them gifts, ability, boldness, courage and protection, so that they may receive an unfading crown in eternity. Bless them all in Jesus name I pray. Amen.

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This book will also be available in MP3, CD audio, VCD, e-book and DVD formats. Other books, audio, and DVDs are available in several different languages. Our most popular book, Missionary Challenge, a book about M. Paulose and the beginning of Body of Christ Ministries is available in English and several other languages. Please contact us for more information. Unreached Villages P.O. Box 1848 Bandon, Oregon 97411 US Phone: 541-347-1910 billybcm@gmail.com israelpaulose@yahoo.com sendthelight@earthlink.net website: www.unreachedvillages.org

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, Your God reigns! - Isaiah 52:7

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