Greetings in the sweet name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, let us consider ourselves privileged to listen to his word. As we are continuing the COVID-19 Lockdown, I see many verses and articles related to Christ's Second Coming circulating in the social media, and I don't know to which Christian IT company God is revealing Jesus Christ's Second Coming and how accurate and reliable they are only God knows, because even pastors and church educated leaders are circulating, it seems, like we are only spending time in studying the times and seasons but the main teaching of Second coming we are very ignorant, that Jesus will come like a thief, this means he's not going to come secretly, but it means it will be sudden and will be as fast as before twinkling of an eye. Jesus can come now, in fact, any time he can come, he can come now, at night, tomorrow, anytime, stop listening to such false teachers and IT companies, I think these people will try to stop Jesus' coming because they have already set a time and date for His return. And have invited many believers to the event of Second Coming. We have not learnt lessons from failed prophesies from the false prophets, However, the bridegroom will return in his time as believers let us not be slumber, let Jesus not find us in sleep, let Jesus not find that we went to buy oil.
Anyways my topic for today is not about Jesus Christ's Second Coming will talk about it some other times. But my topic for today is 'Church's responsibility towards our society' or as believers our responsibility towards our society', but if time permits I may highlight a few questions that Jesus will ask to those who will be with him after his Second Coming. If we are not ready to face these questions at least through this reminder message it should provoke us or motivate us to do at least some good works.
The present scenario of the world and our nation under lockdown had given us the best chance to shine our lights in the darkness but seemed like more than others we hid our light under a basket, we should have been the salt in a tasteless world it seemed again like we lost our taste and we are worthy to be thrown out.
Matthew 5:16
[16]Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
I got so much of motivation during this lockdown from one of the religious groups in India, even though they knew nobody even buying vegetables or any groceries from their shops but still, they were very very active socially in distributing the essential commodities for free.
Then what happened to us Christians why couldn't we be salt, light or a good neighbour to our society. Let us learn how God is seriously serious about our roles in society.
Now let us turn our Bibles to Eph. 2:8-10
'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them'.
Let's pray, 'Heavenly Father we come before you again, Lord whatever we study today help us not to hear in an arrogant manner or neither let me be an arrogant preacher in any point of time, we all humble ourselves, we know we have disappointed you many times and we are disappointing you again but God let the mind of Jesus be in all of us, in Jesus name Amen.
1) We are his workmanship, we are his masterpiece, designed by the greatest Engineer of the Universe, he can never make mistakes, we were there in his plan before the foundation of the world. To do good works can you imagine. We didn't choose him but he chose us to bring fruits and that our fruits may remain. We are saved by grace through faith, to do good works, we are not saved by our good works but our salvation should result in good works. And what are these good works, speaking scriptures, memorising the verses? no, but in living according to the Bible.
2)In the OT we see God has asked us to be mouthpieces for the orphans, strangers and widows living with us, to raise our voices for them
Psalms 82:3
[3]Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Defend and deliver the poor and needy.
Psalms 10: 14 also we can read if we keep silent God will be their protector.
Isaiah 1:17
[17]Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
Let us stop memorising the scriptures that is good for children and new believers, now let us live the Bible or live according to the
Bible.
If we as disciples of Jesus Christ fail in our responsibilities then God will be the ultimate judge for both the rich and the poor.
Psalms 146:7-9
I will read vs 9 only
[7]Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
[8]The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous.
[9]The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow, But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
If we fail in our responsibilities God won't, he watched over the fatherless and widow.
Deuteronomy 15:7-11
I will read vs. 11 straight away.
[7]“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,
[8]but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.
[9]Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cries out to the Lord against you, and it becomes sin among you.
[10]You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.
[11]For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and you're needy, in your land.’
Three very quick lessons from the passage
1) poor will never cease from the land, that's why the poor are there so God can know who obeys his command
2) It is also a command to take care of the needy.
3) Give generously to the needy
There are many verses in the OT and NT but I think these verses should be able to convict us if not, then we won't be convicted from other verses also.
Here are two examples with which I will try to explain my points
The second great commandment is Love your neighbour as yourself, then who is this neighbour?
We read this incident in Luke's Gospel 10: 25-37
The question was asked by a very smart person a learnt lawyer like us, He knew two of the greatest commandments so well, we also know where it is, like him, but he still wanted to justify himself and asked who is my neighbour?. Then Jesus continues to explain him via a parable. Let me not read the entire story I think most of us know the story, the priest arrives near the wounded but passes by he didn't want to dirty his cloth, being a priest, the teacher of the scriptures, knowing more scriptures than this young lawyer, forgot his responsibility, now second person a Levite, a Levite also a kind of priest, assistant priest, he saw he left, he was also good in scripture knowledge but left, two preachers failed to live what they preach, didn't we fail in the present scenario? but certain Samaritan who knew no scriptures didn't know whom he was worshipping came to the scene but didn't pass by and started helping the wounded person paid for the hospital charges, and now Jesus asks this lawyer who was the neighbour of the victim? As he was a smart person gave the right answer. Now Jesus gives the simplest answer, let us not only read but apply because Jesus himself tells us to do the same Luke 10:37
[37]And he said, the lawyer said: “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Discussion over, Go and do. No more question. If we forget the entire story no problem, but we should never forget this verse in this parable. The person one who is in need is our neighbour no matter what religion he belongs. Individually we may not have helped all but collectively as a church, we could have helped the many needy, a church of 50 members into 500 each could have contributed 25000 rupees and you know collectively just for 50 members it's a big amount to help, there are churches with hundred members, five hundred, thousand, five thousand, even thirty thousand could have represented Jesus on earth, but we have failed miserably.
Now let us see the second example, which is not a big story, the feeding of the five thousand, again very famous miracle but there is also a very practical verse in that let us see what it is.
2) Matthew 14:13-21
Again I will not read all of these verses but will read only vs. 16
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were leftover 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. him on foot from the towns.
In three gospels the incident is almost the same but for the verse which we are reading is slightly different in John's Gospel.
Jesus had compassion on the people who were sitting there for the whole day then Jesus said
Vs. 16 "Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
They don't have to go away, do not send them away, you feed them. Before praying for those five loaves and two fish
Jesus asked his disciples to feed them that means Jesus was asking them to help, every time Jesus didn't feed people, in his 3 plus years of ministry only twice he has fed, once provided the wine, they were managing themselves. Therefore nobody imagined what Jesus was about to do, in this case, think about the boy who was a great help in this miracle, when disciples had asked, he happily gave whatever he had, this is called to be a channel of blessing. Maybe we have only little but trusting in God's power and sacrificing for some social work will rescue many people. Jesus is asking us today 'feed them', what is the excuse we are giving, are we going to tell God all through our lives we know only how to ask, how to take, how to debate, how to preach but never giving, let us be responsible church members, social workers, we are chosen for good works if our salvation doesn't lead us to good works we are dead spiritually, time to resurrect ourselves before Christ resurrect us for that dreadful day.
Hebrews 10:24'
'And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
We have to stir up one another to love and to good works. Let us so regard the welfare of others as to endeavour to excite them to persevere in the Christian life. The idea is, that much might be done in securing perseverance and fidelity by mutual, kind exhortation. They were not to be selfish; they were not to regard their own interests only, (Ph. 2:4) they were to have a kind sympathy in the concerns of each other.
We know for sure Jesus is going to come, and if we know this then we might also know that he's going to reward according to our deeds. He's going to take an account of our each works, thankfully Jesus has given us some hints of what he's going to ask.
The question is are we ready to answer Jesus' questions, let me quote directly the verses without adding anything to it.
Matthew 25:41?-?43
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
Vs. 44?-?45
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
If we are confident to be caught up with Christ? Then are we ready to face these questions?
If not, instead of waiting for the Second Coming which is going to be very dreadful for the unprepared, let us involve ourselves in some good works.
We've missed the great opportunity to feed, Jesus, shelter Jesus, quench his thirst, hope we are not ready to hear 'Depart from me, you cursed', and those sinner Samaritans came to their own rescues, and we preachers and Levites same as in the parable passing by without even actually helping. Many labours were carrying children on one shoulder and on the other carrying the luggage walking miles and miles but seem like they had become people's time pass talk, entertaining news, selfie pictures, fun factor but the real pain only they knew, and Jesus knew, not us.
They could have been helped by church, I don't know why as a church we are afraid of social responsibilities, let us provoke each other for good works. We should have been there as light, salt and good Samaritan.
Not only this situation but even in our own churches we face so many social injustices, so many of our women facing domestic violence, if the pastor goes there alone the person may not listen but if all the church leaders and in fact all the church members go there and ask at least once or twice then that person will surely feel ashamed for the third time. Church come forward there are many people need our support, don't you think that many children are thinking if we could go to school. Think about it.
In India, the growth is not as real as we have shown in the media, the long-running problems, difficulties are still the same, let me read a data which I have taken from a magazine
We have seen phenomenal growth in terms of technology and science, but basic needs like sanitation, hygiene, education, healthcare still remain a distant dream. India still has a long way to go to become a superpower in the true sense and achieve social and economic development.
Rape victims, this is one issue which does not need any further explanation. It is the fourth most common crime against women in India. In 2015, there were over 34,600 rape cases and yet, as we can see, rape conviction rates continue to remain low. The victims suffer physically and mentally are in their own bars but the culprits are on the streets revered, respected and even given some higher positions in the society.
One more issue, it is estimated that 88% of the households in India have a mobile phone but 732 million people in India do not have access to toilets and clean sanitation. Where else at least, sanitation is a basic right of every citizen of the country.
The data is taken by youthkiawaz, please see below in the description for more detailed information.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.youthkiawaaz.com/2017/12/7-social-evils-india-has-to-work-on-for-better-2018/amp/
So many other social issues like child labour, yes, of course, still it's there, global warming, corruption, air, sound and water pollution, India has four of the five most polluted cities in the world. Depopulation, suicidal cases, malnutrition was a big social problem but I believe surely it might have reached the record heights during the lockdown. The above-mentioned problems can be controlled to a large extent by the active participation of the church itself. Most of the problems are based on attitudes and perceptions and just a slight change in our thinking can make a huge difference to our brothers. We as a church, if we come together, can make a very big difference.
we pass by these situations the victims every day but are passing by like that priest and Levite but not stopping like that Samaritan, many issues we can raise our voices against, how much we are responsible to pray that much equally we are responsible to act.
God is looking for someone like Joseph who can handle the crisis and rescue the world, who can be his minister to these heathen leaders, God is looking for someone like queen Esther who can rescue her people, plead for his people, God is looking for Nehemiah and Daniel who can rebuild the broken walls with the help of heathen kings, and represent us before the rulers and the kings, church time to wake up, support good leaders to be in politics from the church, we are capable of choosing our own ward members, sarpanch not the ones who are womanizers, rapists, rowdies, thieves, gangsters or criminals but who have the concern for the church and related issues, support pure politics from the church to represent us. Who will raise their voices for these issues?
James 1:27
[27]Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father are this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Collectively when we try could have made big differences, there were only a few soldiers of Christ who were least bothered about the virus and more worried about their social responsibilities from God and God bless all those who have risked themselves and were on streets helping the needy, but they were only a few, and were worried for the resources, once again God really bless them, should have been most of us, remember fifty into five hundred only, were contributing twenty-five thousand, which is a big amount. We are simply studying the Second Coming of Christ. It is going to be the most shocking, heartbreaking, dreadful incident in most of our lives.
James 2:14-17
[14]What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? No, absolutely no. Many so-called Christians think they are saved and however they live will go to heaven. This is nothing but fooling ourselves.
[15]If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
[16]and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
Here is a question again and I have given my answers so far, now you give the answer like that smart lawyer. What does it profit?
[17]Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
19-20,26
[19]You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
And in fact, Satan knows scriptures also, even better than us but he doesn't do according to the scriptures. We should be different. If the lifestyle of preachers don't matter then anybody can preach through the Bible, there are so many motivational speakers, stand up comedians, inspirational speakers, who can tell things in more funny ways, interesting and exciting ways. But what should distinguish real preachers of Christ and just preachers is the experience of the cross and the changed lifestyle after the cross.
Let me continue reading
[20]But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
If this verse doesn't pierce us then we have to read it again.
[26]For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Time to act my dear brothers and sisters stop giving excuses and explanations, Be the light, be the salt be a good neighbour so through our good deeds people may glorify God, Church and social works should go hand in hand, together we can make real change, may God bless you all, in Jesus name Amen.
This is my YouTube channel link please click on the link to listen with audio
https://youtu.be/stpvM4ugas4
