A Brief History of Philippians

It was during Paul's second missionary journey in AD 49 that the church at Philippi was founded.

Acts 16 tells us that Paul shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with several women of which Lydia was converted. It seems she was the first convert at Philippi.

Paul's second convert was a demon-possessed girl. This young girl heard the gospel, believed and became a Christian.

However, Paul was thrown into jail for preaching the gospel. This led to his third convert - the Philippian jailer. Of course, Acts informs us that his whole family was converted to Christianity.

Malachi 3:3

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." 




This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. 


One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. 


That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. 

Paul And The Sinner’s Prayer

Paul And The Sinner’s Prayer

     In Acts chapter 9, Saul of Tarsus, who later was named Paul, was struck blind when he met the Lord on the road to Damascus .  Then we read in Acts 9:6 about Paul, “So he, trembling and astonished said, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’  Then the Lord said, ‘Arise and go into the city and you will be told what you must do’”.  Notice, Paul would be told “what you must do”.  Then we read “But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus .  And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” (Acts 9:8-9).  Did Paul have faith in the Lord?  Yes.  Was Paul saved by “faith only” at this point?  No; as we will see, Paul still needed to be baptized to wash away his sins.

God’s Word Of Truth

God’s Word Of Truth

The truth of God’s word is found in the Bible.  Jesus says in John 8:32, "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."  Only the truth that is found in God’s word can make us free from sin so we can be saved.  God wants all people to be saved.  1 Timothy 2:4 says concerning God, "Who desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."  Before one can be saved one must first come to a knowledge of God’s truth.

The Conversion of Paul

The Conversion of Paul

     In the book of Acts we have the account of the conversion of the apostle Paul.  In Acts chapter 9, Paul is traveling on the road up to Damascus to persecute Christians.  The Lord appears to Paul on the road and strikes him blind.  In verse 6 Paul asks, "Lord what do you want me to do?  Then the Lord said to him, Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."  The Lord did not tell Paul what he must do, but that someone in the city would tell him "what you must do".

     Let's see now what Paul was told what he must do.  In Acts chapter 22, a man named Ananias, came to Paul, taught him, and told him in Acts 22:16, "And now why are you waiting?  Arise, and be baptized and wash away your sins,

Through the Deep Waters

                      Through the Deep Waters
Let us trust our heavenly Father not to spare us from pain and suffering, but trust Him to use all things for good and spare us from actual harm. Good is whatever is needed to help us grow wiser, stronger, and more useful to God. Harm is whatever stunts our growth. Do depend on Him for protection, but that is not the ultimate good and God and we both want the ultimate good.

If you are a true follower of Jesus--I define that as one who endeavors to walk in all the teachings of the Bible--and have rough waters or dry deserts, know that God is in it with you and will use it for good, yours and maybe others also--the witness of how God brings you through with benefits and/or the lessons that pain and suffering teach.

Did Jesus Make Alcoholic Wine?

Did Jesus Make Alcoholic Wine?
The miracle of Jesus turning the water into wine is found in John 2:1-11.  Some people try to justify the drinking of alcohol by saying that Jesus made alcoholic wine.  But was the wine Jesus created alcoholic?  When they ran out of wine at the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus had them fill six water pots to the brim, each of which held about 20 gallons.  This would make a total of about 120 gallons.  When it was taken to the master of the wedding feast to taste, he was surprised and said, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now" (John 2:10).  The good wine in those days was grape juice that had not yet fermented.

THE REFINER'S FIRE

                                 THE REFINER'S FIRE
"He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver." Mala 3:3.
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."-- 1Pet 1:7.

Nothing is harder to bear than the apparent aimlessness of suffering.
They say that what breaks a convict's heart in gaol is to set him to say carry stones from one side of the prison to the other, and then back again! But we must never look upon the trials of life as punishments, because all penalty was borne by our Lord Himself. They are intended to destroy the weeds and rubbish of our natures, as the bonfires do in the gardens. Christ regards us in the light of our eternal interests, of which He alone can judge. If you and I knew what sphere we were to fulfil in the other world, we should understand the significance of His dealings with us, as now we cannot do. The Refiner has a purpose in view, of which those who stand beside Him are ignorant, and, therefore, they are unable to judge the process which He is employing.
Dare to believe that Christ is working to a plan in your life. He loves you, so be patient! He would not take so much trouble unless He knew that it was worth while. "We do not prune brambles, or cast common stones into the crucible or plough sea-sands!" You must be capable of some special service, which can only be done by a carefully-prepared instrument, and so Christ sits beside you as the Refiner, year after year, that you may miss nothing.

Should We Make Judgments?

There are those who say, "Oh, you are judging".  But the one who says this is guilty of doing what he has just accused you of doing, judging.  Jesus does says, "Judge not that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1).  Judge here means to condemn with harsh and rash judgment when all the facts are not known.  It is bitter fault finding that Jesus is condemning.  But we all must form opinions based on facts.  Jesus says, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment"  

(John 7:24). 

What does Worship mean to you?

I am not talking about a technical or a theological definition. I mean what does it mean to you. Because what it means to you is going to determine how you worship. What kind of image comes to your mind when you think of Worship. What you think causes an image and then you respond and act based on the image. For ex… when you are hungry you think of a Biriyani or kappayum meenum and an image oreo in your head and next thing you know its a KFC or our home food.
Most of us we limit our understanding of worship … “singing”, “dancing”, “praying” ….. and so the list goes on. Now that is not wrong but the problem is the Limitation that we place on it. The image that we have of worship will determine what kind of worshipper we will be. If we put limits on our understanding of worship then thats what our worship will be. If we put time limits on it then we will worship in schedules and time tables whereas the TRUTH IS WE WERE CREATED TO WORSHIP GOD

Christian Worship or Rock Concert?

As you enter the concert hall, the house lights are off. You stumble to your seat amid the overflowing crowd of young people. There is a hum of conversations all around, and the atmosphere is charged with a palpable excitement. Then suddenly the stage is bathed in a blue light, and smoke fills the front of the auditorium, closely followed by an explosive guitar riff as the band begins to belt out a number at a level of decibels that is guaranteed to cause hearing damage to every person in the building. The auditorium is still in darkness, but all around you young people are on their feet, jumping and waving to the thumping beat.

No, you are not at a rock concert. This is a church service at a large city church whose congregation is predominantly young people. What you are experiencing is what they call worship.
Apart from practical concerns of possible injury from trying to find your way in the dark, almost certain hearing damage from the noise, and the question of how anyone over the age of 30 could possibly relate to this, the whole scenario raises some very serious spiritual questions.

The meaning of the cross

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."-- Phil 2:5.

Faith is not simply an intellectual experience of a statement of fact, but it is our personal trust and confidence in Him of whom the fact is true. We are not saved merely because we believe that Jesus Christ died for us on the Cross, but because we trust in Him who died. It is the personal touch between Christ and ourselves that causes His life to pass into our nature, making us sound and healthy, as well as secure and safe.
What does the Cross mean to you and me? Does it not mean that there our Lord gave Himself absolutely to the Father's will? Never in any way did He make Himself the origin and fountain of His action, but was ever the empty channel through which God poured Himself. "He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." It seemed as if He went down lower and lower, on rung after rung of the ladder until He reached Hades, giving up everything only to follow the Will of God; but out of the lowest depths God raised Him to the Eternal Throne.

The Rich Man & Lazarus

Our Lord, in trying to get us to go to Heaven and to warn us to not go to Hell, gives a true account of what happened to two men in Luke 16:19-31.  In verses 19-21 Jesus says there was a "certain rich man who fared sumptuously every day" and "there was a certain beggar named Lazarus full of sores who the dogs came and licked his sores".  These are not fictitious characters but were "certain" people.  Satan would like for us to reason Hell out of existence.  There are those today who falsely teach that there is not going to be a Hell

In verses 22-24 Jesus says, "So it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.  The rich man died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hell, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. 

THE WATER OF LIFE TURNED TO WINE!

"Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim."John 2:5-7.

DO NOT forget the necessity of obeying the inner voice of Christ, which may be recognised by these three signs-it never asks questions, but is decisive and imperative; it is not unreasonable nor impossible; it calls for an obedience which costs us some sacrifice of our own way and will. "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it!"
Do as you are told. It was a severe test to obedient faith to fill up those big jars, which stood in the vestibule of the house. Each would contain about twenty gallons, and as they were probably nearly empty, it would be a long and tedious business to fill them, especially at a time when guests required other attention... "They filled them up to the brim!"

Your Super Bowl Ticket is No Comparison to God's Ticket to Heaven

THE GOSPEL LIGHT MINUTE X

with Daniel Whyte III

As you may know, Superbowl tickets can cost over $10,000. One man paid $70,000 for a Superbowl ticket. But may I offer you God's ticket to Heaven? You don't have to pay for it, and that's a good thing, because you could never afford to buy it! It's free, but only because someone has already paid the ultimate price for it.
 

God loves you and not only wants you to have a fulfilling life on earth, He also wants you to live with Him in Heaven forever. He's the one who offers you a paid-in-full ticket. No one wants to go to hell where there will be no joy and no pleasures whatsoever, and God doesn't want anyone to go there either. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9 that God is "not willing that any should perish".

Worth More Than Rubies

Am I Making the Right Decision?
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14
“How do you know if you are making the right decisions in life?”
Everyone wants to know the answer to this question. The truth is, it’s easy to know if the decision you’remaking is right because as children of God we don’t have to walk blindly. He has given us a roadmap tofollow. That road map is the Word of God.
As children of God we must surrender ourselves to be led of the Holy Spirit. Because the Bible remindsus in Psalm 37:23 and 24, “The steps of a good (righteous, born-again) person are ordered by the Lord,And

ആരോഗ്യം തരുന്ന ചെറുപുഞ്ചിരി :തോമസ് മുല്ലയ്ക്കല്‍

ശരീരത്തിന് ആരോഗ്യം വര്‍ദ്ധിപ്പിക്കുവാന്‍ എല്ലാക്കാലത്തേക്കാളുമധികം മനുഷ്യന്‍ പണവും സമയവും ചിലവഴിക്കുന്നത് ഇക്കാലഘട്ടത്തിലാണെന്നതിന് തര്‍ക്കമില്ല. സമ്പന്ന രാജ്യങ്ങളില്‍ ജീവിക്കുന്നവര്‍ തങ്ങളുടെ സമ്പത്തിന്റെ നല്ലൊരു ഭാഗം ചെലവഴിക്കുന്നത് പോഷകങ്ങള്‍ കുത്തി നിറച്ച ആഹാരങ്ങള്‍ക്കുവേണ്‍ടിയാണ്. സൗന്ദര്യവും ആരോഗ്യവും വര്‍ദ്ധിപ്പിക്കാനായി കഴിക്കുന്ന മരുന്നുകളും വളരെ വ്യാപകമാണ്. ഹോര്‍മോണുകള്‍ ശരീരത്തിന്റെ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങളെ ഏകോപിപ്പിക്കുകയും ത്വരിതപ്പെടുത്തുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നതിനാല്‍ കൃത്രിമമായി ഹോര്‍മോണുകള്‍ കുത്തിവെച്ച് ശരീരത്തിന്റെ സ്വാഭാവിക പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങളെ വേഗതയിലാക്കുന്നത് സര്‍വ്വസാധാരണമായി തീര്‍ന്നുകൊണ്‍ടിരിക്കുന്നു എന്നത് അതിശയോക്തി­യില്ല.

En Yeshuve.

ക്രിസ്തുവിനെ ഏറ്റു­പ­റ­യാന്‍ മടി­യി­ല്ലാതെ ഒരു അംബാസിഡര്‍

ദിജിഎംന്യൂസ്‌, യൂറോപ്പ്‌

സിയോള്‍:യേശു­ക്രി­സ്തു­വിനെ പരസ്യമായി ഏറ്റു­പ­റ­യു­ന്ന­തിലും തന്റെ ക്രിസ്തു­വിശ്വാസ­ത്തി­നു­വേണ്‍ടി നില­കൊ­ള്ളു­ന്ന­തില്‍ യാതൊ­ന്നിനും പ്രതി­ബന്ധം സൃഷ്ടി­ക്കാന്‍ കഴി­യി­ല്ലെന്നും കോസ്റ്റ­റി­ക്ക­യുടെ തെക്കന്‍ കൊറി­യന്‍ അംബാ­സി­ഡര്‍ ഫെര്‍ണാണ്‍ടോ ബോര്‍ബണ്‍. തന്റെ ജീവി­ത­ത്തില്‍ ദൈവ­ത്തിന് ഒന്നാം സ്ഥാനവും കുടും­ബ­ത്തിന് രണ്‍ടാം സ്ഥാനവും മൂന്നാം സ്ഥാനം മാത്രമേ തന്റെ ഉദ്യോ­ഗ­ത്തിന് നല്‍കി­യി­ട്ടു­ള്ളെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം വ്യക്ത­മാ­ക്കി. ഒരു പ്രമുഖ ക്രിസ്റ്റ്യന്‍ ഓണ്‍ലൈന്‍ മാഗ­സിനു നല്‍കിയ അഭി­മു­ഖ്യ­ത്തി­-

LEAVE BEHIND YOUR PAST

"Lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus."Heb 12:1-2.

Leave behind your past sins. They have been many and great, more than you can count. But if you have confessed and forsaken them, they have been put away, "as far as the east is from the west.'" Nothing could be more explicit than 1John 1:9. It is useless to brood over the past. God has buried it in the grave of Christ. Go and sin no more!.....

CHRIST OUR LIGHT

"I am the Light of the World: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."-- John 8:12.

It was the Feast of Tabernacles when our Lord uttered the words of our text, and it is supposed they were lighting the two great candelabra, which commemorated the fire-cloud that led the desert march. It was in direct allusion to the fiery pillar that our Lord used this metaphor. What that was to Israel, He is to His Church.
The wilderness was a trackless waste to Israel. The people absolutely depended on the cloud to show their path, and to find a resting-place at night. When it gathered itself up from the Tabernacle on which it brooded, the people must strike their tents and follow. However desirable the site of their camp, they must leave it; however difficult the desert paths, they must traverse them; however uninviting the spot where it stopped, they must halt there, and remain as long as it tarried. To linger was to run the risk of wandering aimlessly in the desert till death supervened. Only where the cloud rested did the manna fall, the water flow, or the Divine protection avail.

God Cares

I came across this verse from 1 Peter 5:7: "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 
The Amplified Bible renders this verse: "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."
And the New Living Translation says: "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you."

How wonderful it is to know that God loves us affectionately as He cares for us and watches over us so diligently. Many times our view of God is that He watches us only to judge us, to be critical of what we have done or haven't done. While it is true that He is a Holy God who is grieved by sinfulness, He is also our loving Father who wants us to realize that His love for us as His children is compassionate and unending and deeper than any love we have ever received from even those who love us best here on earth. Do you know how much God loves you? Look at Jesus Who is God Himself and yet because of His love for us, He chose to be born on earth and became man and died for us, in our place, to take our punishment...learn from Him how much He loves you.
May you be blessed in your search for the One who made you and loves you and delights in you! 

LOVE

Love …. What is it really?? A feeling or a strong emotion or an act or good deed? Who do you love? Your children, your spouse, your family, your friends, your pets? What do you love? Your job your home, your hobbies, your possessions, your talents..??

We often use the word “love” lightly lightly - as in "I love pizza or "I love to shop!" True love is more than just a feeling - it is an action - of sacrifice and commitment and devotion. When we truly put God first and strive to love Him with "all our heart and all our soul and all our strength and all our mind" (Luke 10:27)... then all our "loves" are put into proper perspective and we can truly love others the way we were meant to.

What kind of love is in your home and life?  

DETERMINATON

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built. 

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

By Soumya Elizabeth Thomas

                                         "Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

And naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

May the name of the Lord be praised.”  – Job 2:21

The amazing words from one of the most blameless and upright men of the Bible. He is admitting here the fact that, nothing in this life belongs to us, even the seemingly ‘our own’ things and that He who has given us these gifts in our lives has the absolute authority over them-be it to take them back or to ask us to give account for them. If that’s true, we have a huge responsibility of using those God-given things, in a manner pleasing to Him, in a manner which adds to His glory! Large or small, doesn’t matter here, what matters is how faithful you are, at utilizing how much ever He has given you. Which are those  gifts which our Master has allowed us to possess and keep for some time? Well, that’s a  long list! But let me pick up a few which I think, are really valuable:

Worrying or Worshiping?

by Selin Philip Oommen

               I was an active worrier for long time. My worries began when my dear mother began her battle with cancer seven years ago. It was not merely her battle but the whole family’s battle with that dreadful disease. Through the many years of that battle, I used to fear and worry about losing her any time. The unrelenting trials that I had to encounter during those years affected my functioning and I began to slowly slide into pathological worry. I failed to bring my worry to God’s presence. Even after bidding farewell to my loving mother from this earth to her eternal abode, I couldn’t stop worrying, but began to worry about the other “important” things that concerned me.

പുതു­വ­ത്സര ചിന്ത­കള്‍

ബഞ്ചമിന്‍ ഇടക്കര

പോയ­വര്‍ഷത്തിലെ സംഭ­വ­വി­കാ­സ­ങ്ങ­ളുടെ വിട്ടു­മാ­റാത്ത ഓര്‍മ്മ­കളെ തൊട്ടു­രുമ്മി പുതു­വര്‍ഷ പുലരി ഉദി­ച്ചു­യര്‍ന്നു കഴി­ഞ്ഞു. കളിച്ചു തീര്‍ന്ന പദപ്രശ്‌ന­ത്തിന്റെ (പസ്ല്‍) ഒടുവില്‍ ഇനിയും കളി­ക്കണൊ എന്ന ചോദ്യ­വു­മായി രണ്ടാ­യി­രത്തി പന്ത്രണ്ട് വന്നു നില്‍ക്കു­ന്നു. ജീവി­ച്ചി­രി­ക്കു­ന്ന­വന്റെ മുമ്പില്‍ കളി­യ്ക്കു­വാ­നുള്ള തിര­ഞ്ഞെ­ടു­പ്പ­ല്ലാതെ (ഓ­പ്ഷന്‍) മറ്റൊ­ന്നില്ല തന്നെ.
ഭീക­ര­വാ­ദ­ത്തിന്റെ ചുക്കാന്‍ പിടിച്ച് ലോക രാഷ്ട്ര­ങ്ങ­ളുടെ ഉറക്കം കെടു­ത്തിയ ഉസാമ ബിന്‍ ലാദനെ നീണ്ട പത്തു­വര്‍ഷത്തെ വേട്ട­യാ­ട­ലി­നൊ­ടു­വില്‍ വക­വ­രു­ത്തി­യ­തി­ലൂടെ അമേ­രിയ്ക്ക ഉണ്ടാ­ക്കിയ നേട്ട­ത്തിന്റെ കണക്ക് ക്ലോസു ചെയ്യാ­നാ­കാതെ ഭീകര പ്രവര്‍ത്തനം ഇപ്പോഴും ലോക രാഷ്ട്ര­ങ്ങ­ളുടെ ഉറക്കെ കെടു­ത്തു­ന്നു. ഈജി­പ്റ്റി­ലും, ലിബി­യ­യിലും മറ്റ് അറേ­ബ്യന്‍ രാജ്യ­ങ്ങ­ളിലും അടി­ച്ചു­യര്‍ത്തിയ ജനാ­ധി­പ­ത്യ­ത്തിന്റെ വിപ്ലവ കൊടു­ങ്കാറ്റ് ലോക സമാ­ധാ­ന­ത്തിനു നല്‍കാന്‍ പോകുന്ന സംഭാ­വ­ന­കള്‍ വലി­യൊരു ചോദ്യ­ചി­ഹ്ന­മായി നമ്മുടെ മുമ്പില്‍ നില്‍ക്കു­ക­യാ­ണ്.

എഡ്വേര്‍ഡ് കിംബാള്‍: ഒരു വിശ്വസ്ത ദാസന്‍

കെ കെ ഷാജി

എഡ്വേര്‍ഡ് കിംബാള്‍ എല്ലാ അര്‍ഥത്തിലും ഒരു സാധാരണക്കാരനായിരുന്നു. ഒരു ചെറിയ ജോലി ചെയ്തു താമസിക്കുന്നതോടൊപ്പം അടുത്തുള്ള ഒരു ചെറിയ സഭയില്‍ ആരാധിച്ചു വന്നിരുന്ന ഒരു ചെറുപ്പക്കാ­രന്‍. ആഴ്ചതോറും എഡ്വേര്‍ഡ് ഒരു ബൈബിള്‍ ക്ലാസ്സ് നടത്താറുണ്‍ടായിരുന്നു. ഒരിക്കല്‍ ഡ്വയ്റ്റ് എന്ന ഒരു യുവാവ് തന്റെ ഒരു ക്ലാസ്സില്‍ പങ്കെടുത്തു. ഡ്വയ്റ്റിന് ബൈബിളിനെക്കുറിച്ച് വേണ്‍ടത്ര അറിവൊന്നുമില്ലായിരു­ന്നു.

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What Does the Bible Say About Making a New Year's Resolution?

By Wanda Ball

Celebrating New Year's started in March around 2000 B.C. with the ancient Babylonians. The planting of crops symbolized new life and new opportunities. The Romans first used Jan 1st as the beginning of the year in 153 B.C. The date was unusual because it had no agricultural or seasonal significance. Julius Caesar wanted to change the date, but Jan 1st of 45 B.C. was the date of a new moon. And it would have been bad luck to change it. Wikipedia's definition of New Year's Resolution says; "A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous." The top ten most popular resolutions are: 1) Spend more time with family and friends. 2) To get more fit with regular exercise. 3) Lose weight. 4) Quit

60 Seconds?

The one and only God who is holy and perfect, the creator of the universe, made us in His image to love, know and obey Him.We sin by disobeying and turning away from God. In simplest terms, we break the law of God in our hearts, minds and even physically making enemies with God. This condemns us to death and to eternal punishment.