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“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21)

T he above words were spoken by the Lord Jesus to His disciples when they asked Him the following:

(And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying,) Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age? (Mt 24:3)

In this discourse the Lord Jesus gave certain signs which would come to pass just before terrible times would descend upon this world.

The world wants things to continue as they are and rather better in economy, enjoyment, liberal living and questionable entertainment. However, that is not going to happen. Rather, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come (2 Tim 3:1)”. The root meaning of the word ‘perilous’ is close to harsh, fierce, savage. Do you see such times in front of you? Two decades ago, people wished each other with the greeting ‘Happy Journey’ but now the greeting has changed to ‘Safe Travels’. No travel is safe today and unpredictable as well.

The Bible says that as God intervened with His Judgment during the times of Noah with a worldwide flood, so also God is going to intervene in this age as well. But in a more severe way which the Bible refers to as the (global) Great Tribulation.

Few of the signs the Lord Jesus gave to indicate that those times would be near at the door are as follows, mentioned in the Scriptures in Matthew 24 and Luke 17:

1. “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence (fatal epidemic diseases) and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:6-8)”.
2. The nation of Israel shall enter in a very troubled situation and have more powerful enemies closing in than ever before.
3. The days will be like the days of Lot. The sins of Sodom will be rampant and prevalent. Those involved in such sins will be shameless, forceful and also powerful in society.

As God is Good and Loving, He is also a Righteous and a Holy Judge. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

This Judge, in the history of man, took the criminal’s punishment upon Himself in order to give a new beginning to the criminal. The Lord Jesus died on the Cross taking the punishment of mankind (death) upon Himself. He shed His Precious Blood to wash away our sins when we believe in Him. He rose again from the dead the third day proving He was God who cannot be defeated by death. The worst of the sinner can come to Him with a true believing heart and God will never turn Him away or cast him out.

God will judge sin. He cannot turn a blind eye to sin and wickedness. He has commanded all men everywhere to repent of their sins. He is long suffering and patient such that man would repent and turn to Him. But when this patience ends (tik tok tik tok) seven times wrath of God will be poured upon this world. The Book of Revelation expresses clearly the woes coming upon this world.

However, the siren sounds: Flee from the wrath to come. Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come. Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

On the Cross of Calvary, the Lord Jesus took upon Himself all judgement due on sin upon His Own Self. He bore our sins upon His Own Body. So, when a sinner takes refuge in the Lord Jesus, God counts the sinner as righteous because his punishment has been taken away by Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus will be your Refuge and Protection. Flee from the wrath and flee to Him in faith. Set your eyes upon the Cross. See His outstretched Arms open to receive any sinner who has realised the need of a Saviour. Today, this Saviour of the world is available but when the door closes it will be too late. The Judge is about to strike the hammer!

By Deepak Jariwala

One of the most fascinating sports events during my school days was relay race. It is very exciting to watch how the runners exchange the baton. Passing the spiritual heritage from one generation to the next generation is much more thrilling than this. There is no greater joy than to see that our children are walking in the truth (3 John v 4).

Family is the functional unit of a society and begins from the Holy matrimony. Usefulness of any individual to the society, by and large, would depend upon what he learns at home from his parents. Healthy and peaceful families alone can create a peaceful and crime free society. Psalmist in Psalm 128 describes the characteristics of a model God fearing family and concludes with peace upon Israel. If a society has God fearing families, it will usher in peace upon the nation. For the peace of Israel and for that matter any nation, we need God fearing families. Most of the inmates in our prisons are from broken families. Kids from a God fearing healthy family are tomorrow’s nation builders.

God designed families to carry out His eternal purposes

God designed families to carry out His eternal purposes. Family is important because of its origin and usefulness. God designed the family to carry out his eternal plan and purposes in this world. So, it is important for us to transmit the spiritual heritage from one generation to another generation. Moses clearly instructed these things to the children of Israel. “These words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Deut.6:6-7)

Family prayer, in the morning and evening, is a regular feature of a God fearing christian homes. In olden days they were considered as Bible teaching sessions. Father being the head of the family teaches the spiritual lessons to his children. Children get promotion without exams. Now a days in many families these healthy practices are vanishing; divorces and family break ups are the external manifestations of this serious spiritual malady.

Satan’s attack on families

Primary strategy of satan is to shatter the institution of marriage. From the beginning, he has been targetting families for the decimation of God’s purposes. He knows very well that God’s eternal purposes revolve around spiritual family. So, he attacked family in the garden of Eden, during Noah’s time, later on at the time of Lot. In all these cases divine wrath fell upon the family breakers. These days satan is violently attacking this holy institution because he knows that he has but a short time. He made the authorities to redefine the marriage itself. Same sex marriages are legalized. Divorce, abortion and transgenderism are all his devices to destroy the families In the light of these modern trend, believers need to be very very vigilant. David was a mighty man in the battlefield but in family front he failed miserably. David loved his children so much that he failed to discipline them. Both Absalom and Adonijah became spoiled children because of ‘excessive love’ of their father. Read how scripture speaks about discipline of David. “…his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, why hast Thou done so?” (1King 1:6) David gave Adonijah all the freedom to do whatever he liked. Whereas Job was a great father who interceded before God for his ten children ‘continually’. (Job. 1:5).

Four generation Strategy

Paul instructs Timothy, his spiritual son to transmit the spiritual truths which he learned from him to the faithful ones who can teach others. Paul had a “four generation strategy” in communicating eternal plan and purposes of God. Joel the prophet exhorts (Joel 1:3), to share God’s dealings with His people. “Tell you your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation”. Psalmist also narrates this “four generation strategy “. “I will utter dark sayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come, the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he has done……which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children” Ps.78:2-7.

World renowned family counselor and author of many books on Family Dr. James Dobson in one of his books, *explains this four generation strategy from the history of his own family. Dr. James Dobson’s great grandfather constantly prayed for four generations and God answered his prayer. All his four generations inherited the spiritual heritage and James Dobson was belonging to that fourth generation. Dr. James Dobson and his wife Shirley similarly fasted and prayed for their children one day in a week. God honored their prayer. Knowledge on parenting techniques is no guarantee that our children will walk in the ways of God. The last exhortation of our Savior to the daughters of Jerusalem before the crucifixion is to weep for their children. With prayers and tears, let us pass on the spiritual baton from generation after generation; that is the ultimate purpose of Family.

By Dr. Koshy Mathew

Taken from Harvest Times July 2020 Edition

Brethren, may I just say that if you have been looking at yourself – look away to the Lord of abundant mercy. Fixing yourself over and trying to straighten yourself out will not be sufficient – you must come as you are!

Paul Rader once told about the artist who had an idea for a powerful painting, depicting the plight of a tramp, a human derelict off the street.

He went to the Skid Row district and found just the subject he had in mind – a man who was dirty, disheveled, rundown at the heels, in rags, and completely at home among disreputable elements of the city.

“I will pay you a fee if you will come to my studio tomorrow morning,” the artist told him.

The bum’s face brightened and his eyes took on a new light and he said, “You mean you want to put me in a picture?”

“Yes I want to paint you into a picture and I will give you fifty dollars right now,” the artist said. “Just show up at my house tomorrow morning and I will tell you what to do.”

But when the artist’s doorbell rang the next morning, the painter hardly recognised the man who stood there. He had been shaved, he had on a white shirt and his pants had a reasonable facsimile of a press.

“I do not want to come to your fine place looking like a bum, so I spent the money getting myself cleaned up and fixed up,” the man said with pride.

“But I cannot use you now for the painting I had in mind,” the artist told him. “I thought you would come just as you were.”

Jesus told about two men who went up to the temple to pray.

One said, “God, here I am. I am all fixed up – every hair is in place.”

The other said, “Oh God, I just crawled in off Skid Row. Have mercy upon me!” God forgave the Skid Row bum, sent the other man away, hardened and un repentant and unforgiven!

We come to Him just as we are but in humble repentance, for when the human spirit comes to God feeling that it is better and more acceptable than others, it is automatically shuts itself away from God’s presence. But when human spirit comes to God knowing that anything it receives will be of mercy, then repentance has done its proper work! God promises to forgive and bless that man and take him into His heart and teach him that all of God’s kindnesses are due to His mercy.

What more can a sinner ask?

Excerpt taken from the book “I Call It Heresy” written by A.W. Tozer, published by GLS Publishing.

A.W. Tozer’s books available with us. Please visit:

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“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor.1:3).

From the beginning to the end, Bible describes God as a loving, compassionate and comforting one. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He came searching Adam and Eve when they disobeyed and committed sin. He comforted their broken hearts with the promise of a redeemer- the seed of the woman (Gen.3:16,21; Rev.13:8). In the last chapters of the Bible we see Him wiping away the tears of the saints (Rev.21:4). Martha and Mary were shedding tears at the grave of their brother Lazarus, He joined with them and -Jesus wept is recorded as the smallest verse in the English Bible. There was no need for Him to weep, yet he joined with them to identify with their anguish and agony. He is the God of ALL comfort and also the GOD of ALL grace (Jn.11:35; Rom.12:15; 1 Pet.5:10). He is the source of grace and comfort.

“When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them because they were faint, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Mat.9:36). God comforts His people as a mother comforts her children. A Mother comforts her suffering, sorrowful child in three fold manner. When a mother sees the child suffering and struggling in pain, her immediate and spontaneous reaction is to draw the child close to her. Birds care and safeguard the young ones under their wings. Same manner Lord takes care of His children under his wings. This idea of brooding the young ones under the wings are given in various places in the scripture (Gen.1:2; Isa.66:10-13; Mat. 24:37; Ps.91:1-4). In Isaiah God promises comfort for His people, “Comfort you, comfort you my people, said your God. Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem,”. Because “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isa.40:1-2,11). Who can give such care and comfort to weary and restless souls? Even today He invites us to Him. “Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat.11:28).

John’s Gospel Chapter 14 is called as the ‘Chapter of Comfort’ in the New Testament. In that chapter about twenty three times the word ‘father’ is appearing. Jesus repeatedly makes the promise of comfort and a comforter. “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (Jn.14:18). In that chapter He reveals to His disciples as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them because they were faint, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Mat.9:36). God comforts His people as a mother comforts her children. A Mother comforts her suffering, sorrowful child in three fold manner.

Mother draws the Child close to her

When a mother sees the child suffering and struggling in pain, her immediate and spontaneous reaction is to draw the child close to her. Birds care and safeguard the young ones under their wings. Same manner Lord takes care of His children under his wings. This idea of brooding the young ones under the wings are given in various places in the scripture (Gen.1:2; Isa.66:10-13; Mat. 24:37; Ps.91:1-4).

Isaiah beautifully narrates God’s motherly affections. “For thus said the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, …you shall be borne on her sides, and be dandled on her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem”. It is during our suffering we enjoy the intimacy with the Lord. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experienced God’s care in the midst of fire. When a child passes through extreme pain, he desires to have his mother besides him rather than father.

Mother comforts the Child with her words.

After holding the child close to her breast mother offers words of comfort. “Let, it be my child”, “please do not cry”, “don’t worry, the pain will go”; such words from a mother really comforts the Child. Same manner Lord comforts His children with His words. Paul calls it as ‘the comfort of the scriptures’. Word of God is given for our comfort. Suffering teaches us valuable lessons. In the school of sufferings, we learn patience. We get comfort, obtain spiritual experience and finally led to hope (Rom.5:3- 5;15:4).

Mother comforts the Child with promises of ‘gifts’

While comforting the crying child, mother makes some promises. “My dear son, don’t cry I will get you some chocolates” “I will get you some toys” etc When the child hears the promise of gifts, stops crying. God too sends some ‘gifts’ to comfort while we suffer. Once Paul was passing through extreme mental agony. “When we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fights, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforts those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation with which he was comforted in you,” (2 Cor.2:12-13; 7:5-6). Mother comforts the Child with promises of ‘gifts’. When Paul saw Titus, he received him as a ‘gift’ from the Lord. Paul was greatly comforted after hearing about successful mission from Titus. Similarly, when we pass through extreme sorrow God sends ‘unexpected visitors’ to comfort us. Their words and presence comfort us. God sent ‘angels in white’ to comfort Mary Magdalene who was passing through extreme grief (Jn.20:11-13).

Divine touch, divine words and divine promise of ‘gifts’ are sufficient to heal our broken hearts in these days of pandemic.

By Dr. Koshy Mathew

I see two kinds of faith in these verses from Hebrews 11. The more important, by far, is the long range, unchanging faith in God’s person and in God’s plan no matter how long His plan takes. I call this long-range faith. It is the quality of being able to trust God far into the future.

The other kind of faith is short-range. It is the faith of the beginner, the eager new believer who wants everything to happen now! These new creations in Christ Jesus have confessed their faith in Him and have sensed the joy of being forgiven for their sins. They are likely to be taken up with today’s blessings, today’s provision, today’s expectations. As yet, they know little of persecution, temptations, the wiles of devil, the loneliness of minority.

So far, their faith in God is short range, immediate. They have not yet heard of all those heroes of faith who believed, persevered, suffered, clung to all of God’s promises and died in faith not having seen the fulfilment of God’s great plan.

Generally in our Christian circles when we talk about the promises of God, we refer to God’s immediate provision and to blessings for our present needs. But in effect, Christ has said to us, “I have a long-range plan for you! I am asking you to forsake all for Me, transfer every allegiance to Me, trust completely in Me. Then in the day of My triumph and vindication, you will triumph with Me. When I come into My ultimate glory, you will share in that glory!”

Excerpt taken from the book “Jesus, Author of our Faith” written by A.W. Tozer, published by GLS Publishing.

A.W. Tozer’s books available with us. Please visit:

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Watchman Nee was born into a Christian home in China in1903, but he hadn’t received Christ as his Savior. As an educated young man, he considered Christian preaching to be the lowest occupation on earth.

In the spring of 1920, when Nee was 17, Dora Yu, an itinerant preacher was invited to hold ten days of revival meetings in the Church of Heavenly Peace in Fuzhou. Nee was determined to attend the evangelistic meetings to see what was taking place there.  After returning from the meeting he accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. When he was baptized, he declared, “Lord, I leave my world behind. Your cross separates me from it forever, and I have entered into another. I stand where you have placed me in Christ!”

Nee began to preach the gospel in villages and cities at an early age. He was greatly influenced by John Bunyan, Andrew Murray, George Muller, T Austin Sparks , JN Darby, John Fox , JG Bellet, Jessie Penn Lewis, Robert Govett and Plymouth Brethren teachings.

Watchman Nee was also frequently afflicted with serious illnesses. For the first eleven years of his ministry, beginning in 1922, he suffered alone. During this time he contracted and suffered from tuberculosis for several years. In 1934 at the age of thirty, however, Watchman Nee married a true “help meet,” Charity Chang. In later years he was also stricken with a chronic stomach disorder as well as angina pectoris, a serious heart ailment. He was never cured of the heart disease; thus, his ministry was sustained by the resurrection life, not by his physical strength.

At age 22, Nee established the first assembly in Sitiawan, Malaysia  and in 1926, Nee established up another local assembly in Shanghai, which became the center of his work in China, and was later known as the “Little Flock.” By 1949 the Little Flock had over 70,000 members in 500 assemblies. “Little Flock” made up 15-20 per cent of the whole Protestant church in China, and that they may have been the largest single denomination.

Nee produced more than 40 volumes of devotional, sermonic as well as theological works. His writings were translated into many Eastern languages such as, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Tagalog as well as Western languages, such as English, French and Spanish. His books continue to influence many Christian groups ranging from charismatic renewal groups to mainline churches all over the world.

On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was established. The communist government started forcefully closing churches and arresting leaders and believers.  Watchman Nee was arrested in March 1952 because of his professed faith in Christ as well as his leadership among the local churches. He was falsely condemned, judged, and sentenced in 1956 to fifteen years of imprisonment and an extended term of five years.

During this time, only his wife was allowed to visit him. Although there is no way for us to know what he experienced of the Lord during his long imprisonment, his last eight letters provide a glimpse into his suffering, feeling, and expectation during his confinement. Although prison censors did not allow him to mention the Lord’s name in his letters, in his final letter, written on the day of his death, he alluded to his joy in the Lord: “In my sickness, I still remain joyful at heart.” Watchman Nee was practicing the word of the apostle Paul, who said in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” He died in labour camp on May 30, 1972. Humanly speaking, he died in misery and humiliation. Not one relative or brother or sister in the Lord was with him. There was no proper notification of his death and no funeral. He was cremated on June 1, 1972. Because his wife had died six months earlier, her eldest sister was informed of his death and cremation. She retrieved his ashes. In May 1989 the ashes of Watchman Nee and his wife were transferred to and buried in “The Christian Cemetery” in Shiangshan in the city of Soochow, Kiangsu province.

Books published by GLS Publishing:-

^{Release of the Spirit (This book is a compilation of messages which emphasizes one basic lesson which every servant of God must learn- without breaking of the outward man there can be no release of the spirit.)}

^{Sit, Walk, Stand (Christian life consists of sitting with Christ, walking beside Him and standing in Him. The author affirms that a Christian begins his spiritual life by resting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This book is a deep study of Paul.)}

^{The Normal Christian Life (English and Malayalam) (The theme of this vital book is the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ set forth in the letter to the Romans chapters 6 to 8.)}

^{A Table in the Wilderness (Wonder and gratitude have a high place in these meditations, which are drawn from author’s widely varied ministry in China and beyond. They cannot fail to evoke from us a fresh response to God’s superlative grace in giving us the gift of His Son.)}

^{Twelve Baskets Full (As the title suggests, this book is reminiscent of the fragments collected after our Lord had fed the multitude. Previously published in 3 volumes, this single volume brings together some of the devotional writings of Watchman Nee.)}

^{Watchman Nee Biography in Hindi by  Bob Laurent. (Here is a Hindi translation of the book on the life of Watchman Nee – a writer, teacher and Church planter by Bob Laurent.)}

^{Engane Athmashakthi Prapikkam (This book tells how to be filled with Holy Spirit)}

Watchman Nee’s  books available with us. Please visit:

www.glsindia.com

www.glsindia.org

To many Christians Christ is little more than an idea, or at best an ideal; He is not a fact. Millions of professed believers talk as if He were real and act as if He were not. And always our actual position is to be discovered by the way we act, not by the way we talk.

We can prove our faith by our committal to it and in no other way. Any belief that does not command the one who holds it is not a real belief; it is a pseudo belief only. And it might shock some of us profoundly if we were brought suddenly face-to-face with our beliefs and forced to test them in the fires of practical living.

Many of us Christians have become extremely skilful in arranging our lives so as to admit the truth of Christianity without being embarrassed by its implications. We arrange things so that we can get on well enough without divine aid, while at the same time ostensibly seeking it. We boast in the Lord but watch carefully that we never get caught depending on Him. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Pseudo faith always arranges a way out to serve in case God fails it. Real faith knows only one way and gladly allows itself to be stripped of any second way or makeshift substitutes. For true faith, it is either God or total collapse. And not since Adam first stood up on the earth has God failed a single man or woman who trusted Him.

The man of pseudo faith will fight for his verbal creed but refuse flatly to allow himself to get into predicament where his future must depend upon that creed being true. He always provides himself with secondary ways of escape so he will have a way out if the roof caves in.

What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who are prepared to trust God as completely now as they know they must do at the last day. For each of us the time is surely coming when we shall have nothing but God. Health and wealth and friends and hiding places will all be swept away and we shall have only God. To the man of pseudo faith that is a terrifying thought, but to real faith it is one of the most comforting thoughts the heart can entertain.

It would be tragedy indeed to come to the place where we have no other but God and find that we had not really been trusting God during the days of our earthly sojourn. It would be better to invite God now to remove every false trust, to disengage our hearts from all secret hiding places and to bring us out into the open where we can discover for ourselves whether or not we actually trust Him. That is a harsh cure for our troubles, but is a sure one. Gentler cures may be too weak to do the work. And time is running out on us.

Excerpt taken from the book “The root of the righteous?” written by A.W. Tozer, published by GLS Publishing.

A.W. Tozer’s books available with us. Please visit:

www.glsindia.com

www.glsindia.org