Br. Francis D’Souza 27th November 2012
If we want to touch each other with the touch of Christ we must
remember we must strive to lead holy lives.
When we make Jesus the centre of our life we can be certain that our service to the Lord will bear fruit.
In John 15:16 reminds us that He chose us for a purpose.
16You did not choose me but I chose you.
And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will
last.
With Christ at the centre of our life we can tap
into the source of His power so it can flow into us. We do this by cultivating the habit of daily
personal prayer, reading the Holy Bible, Weekly Fellowship, Service, Devotions, the Sacraments and last but not
least the Church. Everything that we do
must be touched, influenced and powered by the core which is Christ.
John 15:5-11
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in
me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6Whoever
does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches
are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you abide in me,
and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for
you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and
become my disciples. 9As the Father has loved me, so I have loved
you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide
in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and
that your joy may be complete.
Growth, maturity and fulfillment are possible when the branch resides in
the vine receiving all it requires to
grow and bear fruit.
The life of
the Christian becomes a powerhouse when centered on Christ who is the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End, the First, the Last and Forever. God and I are an army.
The power that flows from the
Word of God springs from Jesus and flows into every area of our Christian life through:
1. PRAYER
Through prayer power flows from Jesus into our
lives. No prayer no power. When man prays God works. A combination of pray and work improves efficiency yielding more abundant fruit.
Matthew 7:7 ”Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and
you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew
21:22 And whatever you ask in
prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe
that you have received it, and it will be yours.
John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will
do it.
2. WORD OF GOD
When the power of God’s word enters my life it is
transformed. Books can reform and inform us but the Holy Bible is the only Book that has the power to transform us because it is God's living Word.
Prayer and Scripture go hand in hand.
They are complementary. When God
speaks to us through His Word we listen.
Jeremiah 23:29
29Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and
like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
Hebrews 4:12
12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit,
joints from
Isaiah 55:10-11
10 For as the rain and the snow come down from
heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
3.FELLOWSHIP
The meeting of like minded people to pray and fellowship together on a
regular basis is very important if we are to grow spiritually. We do not grow in isolation but as a
body. It is a place where we encourage one another. We pray for each other. We serve one another. We praise God together.
Psalm 133:1-3 speaks of the blessedness of unity
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life for evermore.
when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life for evermore.
Hebrews 10:25
5not neglecting to meet together, as is the
habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day
approaching.
In prayer we are united with God vertically and in fellowship
we unite horizontally with our brothers and sisters.
This an important aspect of Christian fellowship. Like the early Church we too ought to meet in order to exhort
and encourage each other.
4. SERVICE
Jesus went about doing good and so must we.
Acts 10:38
38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all
who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Ephesians 2:10
10For we are what he has made us, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of
life.
Matthew 25:40
40And the king will answer them, “Truly I
tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my
family, you did it to me.”
Acts 13:2
2While they were worshipping the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work
to which I have called them.’
It is through goodness, kindness and compassion that
we touch Jesus in our service as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta demonstrated so beautifully and powerfully
in her life.
5.DEVOTIONS
The lives of the saints we venerate should inspire us to
live in such a way that just as God was pleased with them He will be pleased
with us too. We have different Devotions
in honor of Mother Mary and the Saints but they are not solely for the purpose of
obtaining favors from God through their intercessions. The Church encourages us to
use these devotions in the right way which is to live the Kingdom values as the
saints did and to learn from them.
6. SACRAMENT
The Sacraments were part of Jesus’ life.
BAPTISM – Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan
HOLY EUCHARIST – The Last Supper
MATRIMONY – Jesus sanctified marriage by being
present at the Wedding Feast at Cana and by performing his very first
miracle at a wedding.
present at the Wedding Feast at Cana and by performing his very first
miracle at a wedding.
RECONCILIATION - Mary Magdalene and Peter
Sacraments are God’s way of living with us. Through the Sacraments we remain in contact with God. They have the power to sanctify, edify and
glorify God for who He is.
7. CHURCH
We are called to be fully Catholic and fully Charimsatic
The Church is always represented as having a spousal
union with Christ.
Ephesians 5:25
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved
the church and gave himself up for her,
We are called to obey the teachings of the Church and show her the same love the Christ shows her. He loved her so much that He gave His life for her. It is through the Church that
we are united to Christ. We must have the mind of Christ and like Him we must give ourselves to her.
When all the spokes of the wheel are present that is when
Jesus flows into our life and we begin to grow, mature and bear fruit.
Our Christian life will have power if we have all the
spokes active in our life.
John 15:16
16You did not choose me but I chose you.
And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will
last,
so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in
my name.
Acts 17:11
11These Jews were more receptive than those in
Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the
scriptures every day to see whether these things were so.
We must imitate the Jews in Beroea rather than the Jews
in Thessalonica who welcomed the message and examined the scripture to see if
all that was preached was true.
We must be enthused, gripped, empowered by the Word of
God. We must study it and examine it as
the Beroeans did.
Acts 20:28
28Keep watch over yourselves and over all the
flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church
of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.
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