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Sunday, April 27, 2014

April 27, 2014 | Sunday Service Report





Good Afternoon to all!

Welcome to 'The Nathan Report'. We hope you had a blessed week. Before I start, I have this beautiful photograph to share which I posted last year. I think it looks even more beautiful with the verse.



Alright, as usual, we started off with powerful Praise and Worship. Below is today's playlist:


1) Shout to the North and the South - Delirious? 



2) You are holy (Prince of peace) - Michael W. Smith




3) Hallelujah to the Lamb - Don Moen



4) Majesty - Jack W. Hayford




A powerful prayer and worship session ended with a strong prayer.

We have few announcements post offerings, as below:

- Men's fellowship will begin at 6:00 AM at  Hotel Avion on 30th April, 2014.

- We will be having Baptism service on 1st May, 2014 at Free Methodist Church, Andheri. For more information, log in to our Church Website (The River of Life Assembly) by clicking here

Post service, we have Child Dedication. Our church member brother Jerry and sister Neenu have been blessed by a baby girl, "Joann Sarah Abraham". Pastor along with entire church prayed for the child and we move on the the main sermon.

As you all know, this month's theme is "Jesus / Cross", so today's reading is taken from the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35. We named today's service "The Resurrection of our Savior".

Before we start post opening prayers, we have some encouraging words and a question, "If Jesus wouldn't have come back to life, then? What about hope? Salvation? 

Well, if Jesus wouldn't have come back, we would not know God's complete faithfulness, we would not know the fullness of God's love, we would not know the depths of God's humility and compassion toward us and if Jesus did not come, we would not know His atoning death and life-giving resurrection, and thus we would not know our own salvation. There would be no salvation for sinners, as Romans 5:10 say, "If while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." In short, if there is no Resurrection, then there is no point of hope or salvation.

Jesus' death and resurrection is not a story of survival but indeed a demonstration of the power of God. Resurrection is one of the main reason that separates any religion or philosophy from a Christian. 

If we notice, on Easter's day (Resurrection Sunday), most of us are  overjoyed and happy. We are dressed up pretty well, have good meals and enjoy the day to its fullest. 2000 years back, it was not like this way. People were confused. There were various news floating across the city. Few mentioned "The tomb is empty", few told "They Saw Jesus", few mentioned about "Angel Visitations" etc. Later people understood that we will learn more as we move further. The difference between now and then is, we know, Jesus has died for our sins and we will be saved only by His blood. We do not require any other sacrifice for us.

As Hebrew 9:28 says, "so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."


We move ahead with today's reading...

Luke 24:13-35 | English Standard Version (ESV)

On the Road to Emmaus
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Footnotes:
Luke 24:13 Greek sixty stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters


This appearance of Jesus to the two disciples going to Emmaus, happened the same day that he rose from the dead. It well becomes the disciples of Christ to talk together of his death and resurrection; thus they may improve one another's knowledge, refresh one another's memory, and stir up each other's devout affections. And where but two together are well employed in work of that kind, he will come to them, and make a third. Those who seek Christ, shall find him: he will manifest himself to those that inquire after him; and give knowledge to those who use the helps for knowledge which they have. No matter how it was, but so it was, they did not know him; he so ordering it, that they might the more freely discourse with him. Christ's disciples are often sad and sorrowful, even when they have reason to rejoice; but through the weakness of their faith, they cannot take the comfort offered to them. Though Christ is entered into his state of exaltation, yet he notices the sorrows of his disciples, and is afflicted in their afflictions. Those are strangers in Jerusalem, that know not of the death and sufferings of Jesus. Those who have the knowledge of Christ crucified, should seek to spread that knowledge. Our Lord Jesus reproved them for the weakness of their faith in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Did we know more of the Divine counsels as far as they are made known in the Scriptures, we should not be subject to the perplexities we often entangle ourselves in. He shows them that the sufferings of Christ were really the appointed way to his glory; but the cross of Christ was that to which they could not reconcile themselves. Beginning at Moses, the first inspired writer of the Old Testament, Jesus expounded to them the things concerning himself. There are many passages throughout all the Scriptures concerning Christ, which it is of great advantage to put together. We cannot go far in any part, but we meet with something that has reference to Christ, some prophecy, some promise, some prayer, some type or other. A golden thread of gospel grace runs through the whole web of the Old Testament. Christ is the best expositor of Scripture; and even after his resurrection, he led people to know the mystery concerning himself, not by advancing new notions, but by showing how the Scripture was fulfilled, and turning them to the earnest study of it.

If we would have Christ dwell with us, we must be earnest with him. Those that have experienced the pleasure and profit of communion with him, cannot but desire more of his company. He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. This he did with his usual authority and affection, with the same manner, perhaps with the same words. He here teaches us to crave a blessing on every meal. See how Christ by his Spirit and grace makes himself known to the souls of his people. He opens the Scriptures to them. He meets them at his table, in the ordinance of the Lord's supper; is known to them in breaking of bread. But the work is completed by the opening of the eyes of their mind; yet it is but short views we have of Christ in this world, but when we enter heaven, we shall see him for ever. They had found the preaching powerful, even when they knew not the preacher. Those Scriptures which speak of Christ, will warm the hearts of his true disciples. That is likely to do most good, which affects us with the love of Jesus in dying for us. It is the duty of those to whom he has shown himself, to let others know what he has done for their souls. It is of great use for the disciples of Christ to compare their experiences, and tell them to each other.

Do you ever get down, depressed or discouraged?

Being depressed or discouraged does not in itself make you a bad or a weak Christian. Pastor gave a reference of one of the great British Baptist preacher Charles H. Spurgeon, who led scores to Christ through his powerful sermons. Yet he suffered numerous severe attacks of depression and discouragement where he would be unable to preach for weeks at a time. He often felt as if he had accomplished nothing in his life. He once lamented, “I have got the blackest heart in Britain.” Frequently he would go into his garden, raise his hands to God and cry, “Lord, I have never desired you more, yet my spirit has never been so low. Why is this happening?” When we do get discouraged we are tempted to quit, to throw in the proverbial towel, to give up. But the reality is that is exactly what the devil would have us do. 

When faced with discouragement or depression there are four steps we need to take when we get discouraged: 

1- Pray.
2- Trust. 
3- Commit. 
4- Work.

All of us gets discouraged at times. This includes us, as a church, the worship team, the pastor et al. We must always pray for each other. When we are discouraged, many times we do not feel like praying. And when we do we pray foolishly charging God with being uncaring, aloof, or indifferent. But we need to still go to the throne of God and pour out our petition before Him. 

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Dr. A. C. Dixon, a pastor, Bible expositor and evangelist who was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries speaking upon this theme of prayer. Said this: "When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do, when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we reply upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do; and so on. Nor am I disposed to undervalue any of these things in their proper place. "But," he added impressively, "when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do."

Psalm 34:15 “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

We need to realize that in order for God to hear and answer our prayer we must confess any sin and seek His will and glory first above all else. 

Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

Isaiah 40:31 "but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Waiting on Him is to persistently come before Him and listen for His voice and meditating on His word, hear His commands, and learn His will.

1 John 5:14, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us.”

Why worry? David Jeremiah tells the story of a French soldier in World War I who carried into battle a prescription for worry: "Of two things, one is certain; either you are at the front, or you are behind the lines. If you are at the front, of two things one is certain; either you are exposed to danger, or you are in a safe place. If you are exposed to danger, of two things one is certain; either you are wounded, or you are not wounded. If you are wounded, of two things one is certain; either you recover, or you die. If you recover, there is no need to worry; if you die, you can't worry.

In-spite of several discouragements, we have Jesus. He has risen and with our resurrected savior, we hope victory.

We encourage you all to read and understand these verses, whenever you feel discouraged:

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Romans 15:13 
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Isaiah 41:10 
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Joshua 1:9 
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Zechariah 9:12 
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

2 Timothy 2:4-7 
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

John 5:30 
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

We come to the closing with a powerful closing prayer followed by a meet and greet session.

Here is one of my personal favorite songs, that I was using as my cell phone caller song lately. I like it, hope you will enjoy it as well. :)



Dear church, be blessed, happy and encouraged. Christ has risen, He is with us and He is faithful. We hope you all enjoyed today's Sunday's service. How was your's, please comment below. 

God Bless!




Sunday, April 20, 2014

Resurrection Sunday Service - April 20, 2014




A very blessed Resurrection Sunday regards to all of you!

Welcome to the Nathan Report. What a day, beautiful. As you all know today we had only one service at 8:00 AM. So we reached on time and grabbed the first row seats. We started off with usual praise and worship. Here is the list of today's songs:



1) My Savior lives - New Life Worship





2) Happy Day - Jesus Culture





3) Christ The Lord is risen - Hymn





4) In Christ Alone - Stuart Townend





5) Amazing Grace (My Chains are gone) - Chris Tomlin





Powerful worship and praise. I missed the fiddler today, but Kevin on Lead guitar was doing an amazing job. Today Pastor James Joute was absent, so Rev. Vivek Dindorkar lead the offerings as well as announcements. We greeted eachother (neighbors) by shaking hands and saying "Christ is Risen". It was fun, I like this, should happen more often. Here is the list of announcements:



- We have three Sunday services. Timings are 8:00 AM, 9:45 AM and 5:30 PM. For more information, log on to our official church website by clicking here



- Men's fellowship will be at Hotel Avion on 30th April, 2014 starting at 6:00 AM. 



Rev. Vivek DIndorkar, started off by saying, "Now no need of sacrificing sheep, goats etc. Lamb of God has been sacrificed for our sin. A perfect and final sacrifice for all of us." We started off with a prayer lead by one of the church member. Today's theme is "Resurrection Sunday" and the question that arises, is, "What is so big deal about the Resurrection of Jesus?" Well, if we notice, there are several tombs. Here is a list of few known tombs:




Why is Jesus' tomb more important than many tombs across the world? Well, because Jesus' tomb "IS EMPTY". Christ has risen and we worship a living God. 



Pastor said, "Resurrection gives us hope". Why? Because Jesus conquered death, and saved us from our sins. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 that “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” In other words, if there isn’t any resurrection, our faith is pointless.



Today's reading is taken from Matthew 28 with various other references, which we will discuss later in this report. Matthew 28 talks about three things. 

- The resurrection.
- The report of the guard.
- The great commission. 


Here are the verses (entire Matthew 28):



"The Resurrection - 

1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”


The Report of the Guard -

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.


The Great Commission -

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”


Footnotes:

Matthew 28:6 Some manuscripts the Lord
Matthew 28:19 Or into

We have some cross references here:


Revelation 1:18, "and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."



Matthew 27:65-66, "Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard."



Acts 1:3, "He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God."



1 Corinthians 15:8, "Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me."



Romans 8:11, "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."



1 Corinthians 15:51-52, "Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed."




Moving ahead, Pastor explained that the resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons. First, it witnesses to the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, He has power to raise the dead. If He does not have such power, He is not a God worthy of our faith and worship. Only He who created life can resurrect it after death, only He can reverse the hideousness that is death itself, and only He can remove the sting that is death and the victory that is the grave’s (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.



Second, the resurrection of Jesus is a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic tenet of the Christian faith. Unlike all other religions, Christianity alone possesses a founder who transcends death and who promises that His followers will do the same. All other religions were founded by men and prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians, we take comfort in the fact that our God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day. The grave could not hold Him. He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. 



We can follow the example of the thousands of martyrs through history who gladly traded their earthly lives for everlasting life via the resurrection.The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scripture. And, He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who remain and are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important to salvation? It demonstrated that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It proves that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that those who believe in Christ will not remain dead, but will be resurrected unto eternal life. That is our blessed hope!



We have few more references:



Acts 2:32, "This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses."


2 Peter 1:16, "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty."

As we move ahead, pastor explained how apostles were persecuted for the sake of Christ. They accepted death because they knew the promise of our risen Lord and that we will be resurrected. Here is an interesting list of apostles who were persecuted for their faith in Christ:
- Acts 12:1-2 says that James was put to death by sword by the order of Herod. 


- Matthew 27:5 says that Judas threw down the silver in the Temple and went and hanged himself. The priests took the blood money and bought the potter's field, which they called the field of blood. Acts 1:18 has a different story, that Judas bought a field with the reward of iniquity, and fell headlong, bursting asunder and all his bowels gushed out. Because of this, the field was called the field of blood. In other words, neither Matthew nor Luke knew how Judas Iscariot died, but Matthew seems to have got his story from the Book of Zechariah. 



- Various traditions have grown up around the supposed deaths of other disciples, but there is no evidence that supports those traditions. Here are some of these: 



- Peter - widely believed to have been either beheaded or crucified (upside down) in Rome. 



- Matthew - arrested in Ethiopia and there nailed to the ground with short spears and beheaded. 



- John - John faced martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos. The Apostle John was later freed and returned to what is now modern-day Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully. 



- James, the brother of Jesus (not officially an apostle) - thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat him to death with a club. This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the temptation. 



- Bartholomew, also know as Nathanael - a missionary to Asia, he witnessed in present-day Turkey and was martyred for his preaching in Armenia, when he was flayed to death by a whip. 



- Andrew - was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece. 



- Thomas - stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church there. Reports say Thomas was pierced with a spear in Chennai.



- Matthias (the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot) - stoned and then beheaded. 



- Paul - tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. 



There are traditions regarding the other apostles as well, but none with any reliable historical or traditional support. 



- James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded by King Herod in Palestine. 



- Philip was crucified. 



- James the Less (son of Aphaeus) was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple at Jerusalem and dispatched with a club where he fell, or crucified or stoned. 



- Simon was crucified. 


- Jude was "cruelly put to death" by the Magi of Persia, or crucified. 


Pastor concluded with a quote from Cyprian (AD 200 - AD 258) while he was discussing with Donatus over persecution. Here is the quote, "It is a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a company of quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not: they are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, are the Christians —and I am one of them."



The early centuries were known as a tumultuous time, especially for those who professed to believe in Christ. Many were angered by the faith of Christians. Because of this, there was much persecution of those who claimed Christ was Lord. Rulers such as Nero, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian were hostile toward the belief in God, and had much to do with the persecution of believers. This was a difficult time to be a believer. Nevertheless, as the man stated above, there was a sense of joy in the lives of Christians, a joy that could not be contained or explained.



One thing that has caused many Christian martyrs to stand out throughout history has been the joy expressed even in suffering. Even when burned at the stake, cast to the lions, or publicly executed, Christians have praised God for His goodness in saving them. How could Christians have such joy in "an incredibly bad world"? What caused them to stand out as joyful people during this time? They didn't feel joy due to pleasant circumstances; they felt joy knowing God was in control. We can have joy today because we know that God is watching over us. 


Knowing you have a home in Heaven, a Savior who loves you, and all the blessings of Heaven-how can any Christian not be joyful? Those who focus on themselves and the situations around them rarely express joy. But Christians who acknowledge the blessings they have are often seen expressing joy even in the toughest of situations.


As we come to the closing, pastor tells a story of a 12 year old boy in a countryside wanted to see the circus, as it was coming to his town for the first time. Since it was early 19th century, he wasn't aware of what circus was. So he asked his father, "Dad, I want to go and see the circus". His dad responded with agreement provided his son finishes household work. Boy agreed and finishes the work. In the meantime, his father told him, "I will try to get some money for you to buy tickets. Finally the time comes, and dad manages to send his son to Circus. The son was so excited to leave, his father suggested him to be careful. As soon the boy leaves his home running, almost reaching the venue, he hears sounds of drums, trumpets, people singing. As soon he approaches, he sees a huge parade with all bands, jugglers, jesters, animals, acrobats etc. Finally after a long session, the parade ends with a group of jokers. He feels very excited and happy and finally gives his money to one of the joker and returns without seeing actual circus, as he wasn't aware of what circus is like. He ends p being happy by watching the parade and assuming he has seen circus.



The point of this story is, we have heard about the crucifixion and Jesus defeating the grave by resurrecting, yet there are many things which he haven't seen, are yet to come. We can say, we might have seen a mere parade, what is coming would be even more exciting.

If we summarize today's message, the lines of evidence: the demonstrable sincerity of the eyewitnesses (and in the Apostles’ case, compelling, inexplicable change), the conversion and demonstrable sincerity of key antagonists- and skeptics-turned-martyrs, the fact of the empty tomb, enemy attestation to the empty tomb, the fact that all of this took place in Jerusalem where faith in the resurrection began and thrived, the testimony of the women, the significance of such testimony given the historical context; all of these strongly attest to the historicity of the resurrection. We encourage you to thoughtfully consider these evidences. What do they suggest to you? Having pondered them ourselves, I personally resolutely affirm Sir Lionel Luckhoo's declaration:



“The evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt.”



If the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical event, then there is a Savior who loved us enough to die for us so that we might live.

We have a closing song, "Because he lives by Bill Gaither" that you can see below. I encourage you not to miss this one: 




As we come to the closing, we have Church youth with a beautiful action song "Shout your fame by Hillsong United", which you can watch below:





We close with a powerful prayer followed by meet 'n' greet session and snacks. I hope you enjoyed our service. How was yours? Please mention below in the comment section. 



God Bless!


Good Friday Service - April 18, 2014




Welcome to the Nathan Report!


First of all, accept my apology for delay in my report, since I wasn't keeping well and also was pretty tied up with my office. Alright, we have one of the day, in remembrance of one of the MOST IMPORTANT event of history, specifically for a Christian, "Good Friday". Jesus laid his life for all of our sins on the Cross. 



Alright, as usual, we began our service, but this time it was at one of the Auditorium as informed on previous Sunday. Actually it has a wonderful capacity to accommodate than that of our usual Sunday place. We opened with the worship. Followings are the list of songs we sang:

1)  Redeemed - Maranatha



2) O What a wonderful day - Heaven Came Down



3) Jesus is the Lord - Antioch Community Church




4) Worthy is the Lamb - Hillsong United




Praise and worship was great as usual. We move on to announcements lead by Pastor James Joute. Here are the announcements:
- Women fellowship will begin at 4:30 PM at Hotel Avion on 19 April, 2014.
- Men fellowship will begin at 6:00 AM at  Hotel Avion on 30th April, 2014.
- There will be only one 'Resurrection Sunday' service at Hotel Avion, will begin at 8:00 AM.

As we move ahead, Pastor Vivek Dindorkar pointed towards the three crosses set up on the stage wall and informed us about the symbol. The early Church were not familiar with the Cross symbols. When Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (reigned 306–337) ruled Rome, Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Historians remain uncertain about Constantine's reasons for favoring Christianity, and theologians and historians have argued about which form of Early Christianity he subscribed to. Although Constantine had been exposed to Christianity by his mother Helena, there is no consensus among scholars as to whether he adopted his mother's Christianity in his youth, or gradually over the course of his life, and he did not receive baptism until shortly before his death.


Constantine's conversion was a turning point for Early Christianity, sometimes referred to as the Triumph of the Church, the Peace of the Church or the Constantinian shift. In 313, Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan legalizing Christian worship. The emperor became a great patron of the Church and set a precedent for the position of the Christian emperor within the Church and the notion of orthodoxy, Christendom, ecumenical councils and the state church of the Roman Empire declared by edict in 380. He is revered as a saint and isapostolos in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church for his example as a "Christian monarch." The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and started on the path that led him to end the Tetrarchy and become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during the battle.



According to chroniclers such as Eusebius of Caesarea and Lactantius, the battle marked the beginning of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Eusebius of Caesarea recounts that Constantine and his soldiers had a vision of the Christian God promising victory if they daubed the sign of the Chi-Rho, the first two letters of Christ's name in Greek, on their shields. The Arch of Constantine, erected in celebration of the victory, certainly attributes Constantine's success to divine intervention; however, the monument does not display any overtly Christian symbolism.


We move further, we have a clip, to give you an idea, how brutal it was for HIM. By His glorious wounds and stripes, we are healed. Here is the clip:




Personally speaking, I wasn't able to watch it. Too much of suffering. But great song in the background, "Above all powers, above all kings". 

Today's reading is taken from the Gospel of Luke, 23:13-56. Here it is: 
""13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” [17]
18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
The Crucifixion of Jesus

26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them,“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then
“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
    and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The Death of Jesus

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
The Burial of Jesus

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment."



Footnotes:


Luke 23:17 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matt. 27:15 and Mark 15:6.

Luke 23:30 Hosea 10:8

Luke 23:34 Some early manuscripts do not have this sentence.

Luke 23:42 Some manuscripts come with your kingly power

Luke 23:46 Psalm 31:5

Imagine, few days back in Jerusalem, everyone was singing  "Hosanna, Hosanna", now same person Carrying the weight of Cross on his shoulder. Here are few references:
1 Corinthians 1:18: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 22-25: "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."


While talking about the Crucifixion, Pastor mentioned about the long history of crucifixion with a reference from "Third Servile War", which tell the story of casuality/loss of  30,000 (including Crixus) killed by Lucius Gellius Publicola, 6000 crucified by Crassus, 5000 routed and crucified by Pompey, almost all others are killed or crucified. The rebellion of the Third Servile War had been annihilated by Crassus. Although Pompey's forces did not directly engage Spartacus's forces at any time, his legions moving in from the north were able to capture some 5,000 rebels fleeing the battle, "all of whom he slew". After this action, Pompey sent a dispatch to the Senate, saying that while Crassus certainly had conquered the slaves in open battle, he himself had ended the war, thus claiming a large portion of the credit and earning the enmity of Crassus. While most of the rebel slaves were killed on the battlefield, some 6,000 survivors were captured by the legions of Crassus. All 6,000 were crucified along the Appian Way from Rome to Capua. To read more about this in detail, please click here.


Why was Jesus Crucified next to thieves? Also, why Jesus had to die? Well, remember, the holy God cannot let sin go unpunished. To bear our own sins would be to suffer God’s judgment in the flames of hell. Praise God, He kept His promise to send and sacrifice the perfect Lamb to bear the sins of those who trust in Him. Jesus had to die because He is the only one who can pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus came to save the lost. Even while dying, He was surrounded by the lost people waiting to be saved.

There were two more crosses next to Jesus, on which thieves were crucified. If we notice the first thief, in Luke 23:39, says, "



One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" Well, this is a picture of a man without hope, whereas if we notice the second thief, specifically in the same Gospel, Luke 23:40-43, "But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”


Be like the second person. There is no other way, but Jesus.

We have a reference from Luke 23:44-46, "It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

We have another two references:

2 Corinthians 5:18-19: "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[a] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation."

Isaiah 53:2: "For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."

As we move forward, this one is THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO UNDERSTAND. Pastor focused on the 7 last words of Jesus and what it meant, the seven statements that Jesus Christ made on the cross were (not in any particular order):


(1) Matthew 27:46 tells us that about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Here, Jesus was expressing His feelings of abandonment as God placed the sins of the world on Him – and because of that, God had to “turn away” from Jesus. As Jesus was feeling that weight of sin, He was experiencing a separation from God for the only time in all of eternity. This was also a fulfillment of the prophetic statement in Psalm 22:1.



(2) “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Those who crucified Jesus were not aware of the full scope of what they were doing because they did not recognize Him as the Messiah. While their ignorance of divine truth did not mean they deserved forgiveness, Christ’s prayer in the midst of their mocking Him is an expression of the limitless compassion of divine grace.


(3) “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). In this passage, Jesus is assuring one of the criminals on the cross that when he died, he would be with Jesus in heaven. This was granted because even at the hour of his death, the criminal had expressed his faith in Jesus, recognizing Him for who He was (Luke 23:42).

(4) “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Here, Jesus is willingly giving up His soul into the Father’s hands, indicating that He was about to die – and that God had accepted His sacrifice. He “offered up Himself unblemished to God” (Hebrews 9:14).

(5) “Dear Woman, here is your son!” and “Here is your mother!” When Jesus saw His mother standing near the cross with the Apostle John, whom He loved, He committed His mother’s care into John’s hands. And from that hour John took her unto his own home (John 19:26-27). In this verse Jesus, ever the compassionate Son, is making sure His earthly mother is cared for after His death.

(6) “I thirst” (John 19:28). Jesus was here fulfilling the Messianic prophecy from Psalm 69:21: “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” By saying He was thirsty, He prompted the Roman guards to give Him vinegar, which was customary at a crucifixion, thereby fulfilling the prophecy.

(7) “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Jesus’ last words meant that His suffering was over and the whole work His Father had given Him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for His people, was done, accomplished, fulfilled. The debt of sin was paid.


Now after all of this, if we read John 3:16, how beautiful it sounds: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

What we understood today is "Cross of Rebellion" and "Cross of Salvation". For few, Jesus had first and for few He had the latter. We have few more cross references, as we move to the closing: 


Romans 5:8: "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."



Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."



Revelations 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

John 1:12: "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

John 3:18-19: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."


Pastor mentions a very interesting story, here it is: 


Back in 1830 George Wilson was convicted of robbing the U.S. Mail and was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. "A pardon is a slip of paper," wrote Marshall, "the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged." 



2,000 years ago God the Son – Jesus the Christ issues a pardon…. BUT just like in the case of George Wilson – the value of the pardon is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned… If it is refused, it is no pardon…. 



Pastor also mentioned a young man from nearby, who recently bought a new apartment, was on his way to take the possession, passed away in a tragic car accident along with two other people with him, who joined him for a short tour and to see the new place. Well folks, the point is, the thief on second cross was very blessed, since he had a chance to speak with Jesus face to face and acknowledge HIM. Not everybody is as blessed at him. So I encourage you all, seek Lord, pray and repent today.


We reach the closing, and we have a skit from the youth group. A brilliant performance. I will speak with pastor and see if I can get that footage, I will upload it. It made me cry, and I am sure, if you will watch it, you will get emotional as well. :)



We have another closing hymn, "JUST AS I AM", you can watch it below:





A closing prayer by Pastor James Joute, and we close. I hope you enjoyed today's service. Please let us know how was yours, comment below and please share with us also.



God Bless!