ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER...!

The last ministry of Moses was the ministry of encouragement. The Lord told him, "Go and encourage Joshua." It's after that that the Lord took Moses into glory. Similarly, the last ministry of Jesus was the ministry of encouragement. He told the penitent thief, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." What an encouragement that thief must have got! Let us encourage others with the Word of God.

Look at one of the last ministries of St.Paul. For forty days and forty nights they had no light, no sun, moon or stars - the ship they were in was caught in a tempest. Nobody could eat; everyone was discouraged. But in that moment of despair, Paul stood up before everyone. "Be of good cheer," he said, "There stood by me this night the angel of God Whose I am, and Whom I serve." He was able to encourage others because he knew God was on his side. Child of God, do you know that God is on your side? Then you can encourage others.

The Lord has given you the ministry of encouraging others. Speak the word of faith. Don't speak out what you see with your natural eyes, and discourage others - like the ten spies did. Let it never once be said of us, "Our brethren have discouraged (melted) our hearts!" Like Joshua and Caleb, let us tell others, "We are well able to overcome!"

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in "Morning Manna"

CONQUER THE LION...:

"The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid" (Judg 14:6).

Once Samson was confronted by a young lion. The roaring lion we may be facing is possibly a lion-like person, problem or situation, but let us be of good cheer, for, as Caleb said about the giant-like people they saw in the land of Canaan, "they are BREAD for us... THE LORD IS WITH US" (Num 14:9).

God was with Samson and he was able to kill the lion, as if it had been a kid. When God is with us, the lion that we are facing is nothing but a kid. However, if God is not with us, even a kid can be as terrifying as a lion. A lion rose against David when he was young, but he slew it. In this modern world, young people face lion-like temptations in their flesh, but often, instead of conquering them, they are conquered by them.

Samson's victory in his first trial greatly strengthened his faith. "Each victory will help you some other win,' sang one man of God. Our great trials are intended to greatly strengthen our faith and make us great in the sight of God. Trials are sent, not to pull us down, but to raise us up to a higher pedestal for the glory of God.

Dear reader, let us overcome the lion-like person, problem or situation in our life through the anointing of the Holy Spirit that is in us. Let us not forget that the Lord is with us.

- TPM Morning Manna

PEACE THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS...:

"Made peace through the blood of His cross" (Col 1:20).

Note the words, "made peace" - not "gave peace." There is a vast difference between making peace and giving peace. You may be able to give someone an expensive electronic watch - it may cost you a couple of hundred dollars. But let's suppose you made the watch and then gave it to him. You could have spent a fortune studying electronic engineering; a good part of your time might have also been used in those studies. Besides, since you are the one who made the watch, you can repair it if anything goes wrong with it. "Having MADE PEACE through the blood" means Jesus is the author of peace, the Prince of peace. The blood of Jesus Christ is so unique. As we have been washed in the blood of Christ, we can always enjoy the peace of God. "Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means" (II Thess 3:16).

Millions do not yet know the SECRET OF PERFECT PEACE. Many think riches, name, fame, friends etc. will give them peace; finally they are frustrated and fail to find the SECRET OF PEACE.

Dear reader, if we have been fully washed in the blood of the Lamb, we can always have perfect undisturbed peace of mind. No matter what happens outside, it matters what happens inside!

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in "Morning Manna"

SPECIAL YOUTH MEETING...:

"As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth" Ps.127:4

THE PENTECOSTAL MISSION

invites you to

SPECIAL YOUTH MEETING

on 30 & 31 August 2008 (Saturday and Sunday)

at The Railway Institute Play Ground

Opp. Madras Christian College

East Tambaram, Chennai

at 2.30 pm

Details of the Programme:

Special Songs - Living Testimonies - Quiz Program - Spiritual Messages - Interesting Group Activities

Admission Free / No Collections

How to come there:

Bus Stop: Madras Christian College Bus Stop

Enquiries at:

The Pentecostal Mission, 14, Rajaji Road,
West Tambaram, Chennai - 45

Ph:22266560 / 93838 88627

BLESSEDNESS IN FORGIVING..:

"Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in His ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee" (Psa 128:1,2).

Fear and forgiveness go together - "there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared" (Psa 130:4).

"That walketh in His ways" When we cannot forgive others we lose the fear of God - instead of walking in His ways we begin to walk in our own ways. The very fact that you cannot forgive or refuse to forgive someone, shows that your mind is already set in your own ways. "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways" (Prov 14:14). You may have many reasons and excuses for not forgiving; however, know that "there is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov 14:12).

"Thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands." This is a blessing found in forgiving others. If you refuse to forgive, others will eat the labour of your hands. "Happy shalt thou be." Yes, forgiving people are always happy people. It has been rightly stated by someone - "A happy marriage is a union of two forgiving persons." Unforgiving people will always be unhappy. "It shall be well with thee." Doctors say that if a person cannot forgive others, high blood pressure, nerve tension, heart problem, cancer and many other ailments can afflict him.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Forgiving others too, is the beginning of wisdom.

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in "Morning Manna"

NEED FOR A PURE HEART...!

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently" ( I Pet 1:22).

We need to purify our hearts because that helps us to obey the truths of God. The more our hearts are purified, the more we will be able to obey the truths. In the same way, if our hearts are not purified, even if deep truths from the Word of God are taught to us, we will not have the grace to obey them. If we pour delicious honey into a cup that is not clean, the honey will get defiled. Only a purified soul can be receptive to the deep truths of the Word of God. That's why Peter says, "Laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word" (I Pet 2:1,2).

Dear reader, do you want to receive deeper truths from the Word of God? Then purify your heart in a deeper way.

When your heart is not pure, your love too is not pure - "See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently." This shows that, to love fervently or with Calvary's love, we need pure hearts. St.Paul speaks of "charity out of a pure heart" (I Tim 1:5). If a person does not have a pure heart his love will not be pure; it will be but a false love.

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in 'Morning Manna'

A GOOD REPORT...:

"For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good report" (Heb 11:2).

Faith is the unfailing witness - it speaks to our heart that God's Word is true. Just as unbelief is a (wrong) spirit, faith is a (right) spirit. The spirit of faith makes us see what God has planned for us - which eye hath not seen nor ear heard (I Cor 2:9,10). The spirit of unbelief, however, drives a person to see what the devil plans for us (misery, confusion, sickness, pain, etc.).

If God is to give us a good report at the end, our life and ministry should be based only and always on faith in the promises of God. Faith always gives a good report, as we see in the case of Joshua and Caleb. Some are always 'negative' and speak 'negative' - all because they don't believe the Word of God. They magnify their problems - like the unbelieving spied did when saying that the cities of the Amorites were "walled up to heaven" (Deut 1:28). But Paul says, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment" (II Cor 4:17).

Dear child of God, do you want to obtain a good report from God before the angels and others at the end of your life, after your life's work on earth is ended? Then you must trust the Word of God and act on it so that by faith you may obtain a good report.

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in 'Morning Manna'

BEAUTIFUL AND FRAGRANT LIFE...:

"I am the rose of Sharon" (S.S. 2:1).

The rose is the queen of flowers. Some flowers are fragrant but not beautiful, and some flowers are beautiful but have no fragrance. The rose is both beautiful and fragrant. As the Bride of Christ, our life must be one of unique beauty, fragrance and sweetness. "Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee... There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, My undefiled is but one," says the Bridegroom of the Bride (S.S. 4:7; 6:8,9)

Everywhere around the rose there are thorns. When the wind blows the soft petals of the rose are pricked by the thorns. What does the rose give in return? It gives sweet fragrance. We live in the midst of a crooked and perverse people, people who prick and hurt, people who cannot love; we need to perfume their lives with the aroma of forgiving love and kindness.

The oak tree lives for a thousand years but it has no beauty or fragrance. The rose lives for only a short period but it is beautiful and it gives good fragrance. It matters not how many days we live. All our days must be filled with beauty and fragrance.

The Christian life is truly a beautiful and fragrant life, for it is the life of revealing Christ, of revealing Christlikeness to the world. "Now thanks be unto God which maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place" So child of God, let Christ fill your life. Without Him you have no holiness, no beauty. Let Him shine out of you.

The rose never has to go to the butterfly and bee. They come to it even if it is in a corner. If we are like the rose, souls will flock to us to taste of God's love, to taste Christlikeness.

Dear reader, today you may be a thorn in the garden of God, the Church. However, our gracious Lord can transform you into a beautiful rose, filled with fragrance and honey - if ony you will repent and return to Him.

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in "Morning Manna"