Lecture 1: Three perilous forces faced by a spiritual man

(GB Message)

We use the word ‘spiritual’ to distinguish those things that are not earthly but pertain to divine matters. For us, these terms are special terms used exclusively in connection with God. To be spiritual minded is not an ability that can be acquired by human beings on their own. Rather the ability is only imparted by God through the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him (simply because they are beyond the capacity of the earthly mind); nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual (having the help of the Holy Spirit) judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one”, 1 Cor 2: 14, 15.

Such a mental attitude as referred to in the quotation cited above cannot be attained unless God grants it. To begin with, the person must have been born of water and the Spirit. The other two qualifications are (a) being a healthy member of an anointed church (b) being one who walks seriously in the path of sanctification observing all the discipline found therein. Thereafter, knowledge improves as his experience in the path of sanctification progresses.

Need For Taking Up The Cross Daily

(GB Message)

“And He was saying to them all, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?”, Luke 9:23-25 (NASB).

Taking up one’s cross daily indicates the believer’s responsibility to make spiritual discipline a daily routine. Satan and the carnality in us cunningly make us overlook this aspect and instead imparts to our minds the ‘Discipline yes but daily no’ rule. We have to devise ways and means of bringing it into our daily routine in spite of the counter suggestion of evil forces. Here, the God-given mind can come to our rescue in devising the ways and means of accomplishing this aim.

When God gives us the command, it is our duty to fulfill it. It is very wrong to assume that we can fulfill His command only to the extent ‘possible’. According to this logic, no one can be in hell.

There is nothing reclusive or remote about taking up one’s cross. It does not refer to a hermitic existence. Instead, it requires that we be very much ‘in the world but not of the world’. It requires that we be ‘not conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of ones mind.’ The question may arise as to how exactly this is accomplished. The clue here is in the word ‘daily’. Unless one makes it a routine habit, it will not be possible to fulfill His commandments.

Tragedy of “. . . but few are chosen”

(GB Message)

When those originally invited by the king refused to come to the wedding feast, the king’s servants went into the streets and invited all the people they could find to come to the wedding feast. Many of this second group of invitees came, but even in that group, we are told about one man who did not come appropriately. Jesus concludes this parable by saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt 22:14). We know that we have been invited to the kingdom of heaven. But are we among the few who are chosen?

We see the earliest group of godless people in the book of Genesis, at the time of Noah.

• 6:3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
• 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
• 7:4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”

Nature of the path of sanctification

(GB Message)

Satan constantly attempts to prevent believers from reaching the heavenly kingdom offered by Lord Jesus Christ. The magnitude of his venomous mischief in this matter is unimaginable. That is why the word of God has warned believers time again about this danger. The enemy’s various attributes described in scripture such as “murderer” (Jn 8: 44), “liar” (Jn 8: 44), “enemy” (Mt 13: 25, 39), “devourer” and “adversary of the believer” (1 Pet 5: 8), an “accuser” (Rev 12: 1o), and many more are sufficient evidence to understand how venomous he is.

Being sure of going to heaven

(Murali’s notes about GB’s message)

Every growing church should have intelligent questions about the topics they study and should provide regular feedback to the preacher.

Every heaven-going believer will have great grief for people whom he knows will go to hell.  What is our feeling towards people whom we know for sure will go to hell if they do not change their course?  Do we really grasp the implications?  What have we done for them?  Have we done everything short of falling at their feet and pleading that they accept Jesus?

Hospitality and simple kindnesses

(Discussion between GB and Nahomi)

Click for Tamil translation 

Dear Daddy,
While the Bible tells us very clearly that His kingdom and spiritual matters are the most important for us, it also clearly shows that we are not to be lacking in social graces such as hospitality and simple kindnesses.

Rest in Lord Jesus

(GB message)

Click for Tamil translation

Click for Tamil translation of questions

The world is an alien place for believers and as such they face troubles, turmoil, and at times tribulations too. Spiritual progress is always an up-hill task for believers. Although believers can at times feel troubled in spirit, they need to avoid reaching that stage of extremity. As believers, they have the privilege of taking shelter in the Lord’s loving concern and care. However, in the midst of an agitated life situation, they are liable to overlook this special privilege and then tend to suffer unnecessarily.

Poignant situations

(GB Message)

Introspection

When I look back, I realize that I have lived a life so rich, so varied, and so pleasant, of course with occasional unpleasantness. I am filled with gratitude for the abundant mercy of God and praise Him. I am now quite busy giving the final touches to my various teachings, which I must do prior to meeting the Lord, who will also, I am sure, be equally eager to meet me because this has been a life given by Him to me.

Strangely, I understand that I am old only when I look at my face in the mirror.

Introducing ‘Spiritual Reinforcement’

(GB Message)

Click for Tamil translation

Bend circumstances

We have introduced a new publication called Spiritual Reinforcement. Is this a happy or sad thing? Everyday, we leave work undone as arrears to complete on the following day. Will we be able to find the time to read this? While we are expected to bend circumstances that hinder our spiritual growth, we cannot hold back from reading what God supplies for our spiritual growth to suit our circumstances.

These special publications are equivalent to God’s message coming to individuals. I am being guided constantly by God and am sharing these thoughts with you. I am also not unaware of the problems each one of you is faced with, but at the same time, I am also not unaware of the fact that we are in the end times (which means that we are heading towards more and more difficult times). So we have no choice other than to bend ourselves in order to accommodate Gods word. If we consider this as a difficulty, how are going to face the situation in the Tribulation period? Of course it should be a constant prayer of the church that we leave this earth before the tribulation.

Advice for B’lore church

(GB Message)

Venomous schemes of Satan against members of the church

Thirty years ago, I witnessed a scene that is vivid to me even today. I was in Calcutta, and the institute where I was employed (IIM) was at that time situated on the Barackpore Trunk Road. Being a highway in the city of Calcutta, it was a road with very heavy but fast-moving traffic at speeds up to 80 kmph. I did not usually need to cross this road because I used the institute bus. Once I happened to cross that road myself. It was a double road. I crossed the first road, stood on the traffic median till the traffic from the opposite direction thinned and then ran across to the opposite pavement. There was no problem except that I had to wait for a long time on the traffic median between very fast-moving vehicles on both sides.

As I was returning to the institute by the same process, I saw a good-looking dog with four or five puppies trying to cross that road.