SBS in Taiwan - 7th month update!!!

If you had asked me seven months ago what was my most dreaded book in the Bible, I would have said “Isaiah”! It’s not because of the difficulties in interpreting the book, but more so because of the tiring faces of SBS students I have seen in the past while they charted the book. But I am so glad that I made it through by the grace of God!

So after enjoying a much relaxed and fruitful break after the 2^nd quarter, I was all ready to jump into the wisdom literature and the prophets. The 7^th month of my SBS opened my mind to the riches of the wisdom literature which left me hungry for more of God’s Wisdom as I was studying the book of Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. God opened my eyes to see wisdom, inseparable from the fear and knowledge of God, crying out loud from the streets for all who pass by. But I also see the apathy of our generation that we walk away from her pursuing the temporal pleasures of the world. And then we got on with the ‘Introduction to Prophets’ seminar and started off with Amos and Hosea, followed by the Isaiah - the beast, as we would call it…lol…

It was truly humbling to see the heart of God at display as He addresses the religious, moral and social corruption of Israel. The God who redeemed Israel, His ‘firstborn son’, out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt, now calls the nation ‘a whore’ because of her idolatrous and immoral living. The God who laid down the ordinances of their appointed feasts no longer desires in their worship because their very celebration is mockery displayed by their oppression of the poor and needy. The wrath of God against all ungodliness is unveiled but then He follows it up with His merciful call to His people to return back to Him in repentance and obedience and thereby promises restoration. One of the convicting questions posed before me during the entire SBS was this last week as I was doing my assignments for Isaiah. 

“Why do I follow Jesus? 

Do I follow him because of what I can get from him (expectations)? 

or Do I follow Him because of HIS worth?” 

I know that I am not there yet, but I want to grow up to that state where all that I desires is JESUS and being satisfied in Him may my heart echo that ‘GOD is ENOUGH for me’!

Once again I request your prayers that I would grow up into all that God wants me to be and that I would be humble as He teaches me His word. 

Blessings,

SBS in Taiwan - 6th month update

So here I am in Taiwan enjoying my 2nd quarter break. Over the last couple of days I went for a hike, watched the Lord of the Rings Trilogy with some of my friends and I am enjoying devotion times with God processing through with what I’ve been learning over the last months and praying for clear directions for what holds ahead of SBS. I am also getting some time to read some books. And so I am enjoying my break and I love the rest I’m getting. All of what I said above won’t make any sense if you have no idea of what I have been going through the last month. So here’s the update...

The last month started off on a great note with a great party we, as students, put forth for our SBS staffs. But then I had no clue of what was to hit me next. I spent 165 hours studying 800 years of the history of Israel beginning with the rise of Judges till the exile of Judah into Babylon. The amount of ink spent as my hands perspired while doing my assignments was nothing compared to the pain I went through of disciplining my mind, body and soul to focus on my study. But then as I turned in my last assignment on the book of Chronicles, I felt a sense of achievement + excitement anticipating the rest, but also seemed like a big wave of the realization of God’s Sovereignty rushing all over me that I could hardly contain or comprehend. All through the books of Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, I was encountered by a God who is Sovereign, not presented as an impersonal, fatalistic force, but as a personal being who responds in grace and mercy to the needs of the people, as a righteous God who punishes His children who rebel against Him and are disobedient yet forgives them when they repent from their sins. All through the pages of these books I could sense God’s heart for His people to walk in His ways and a godly leadership to lead His people into the same. I walked out from these books being highly impacted by the lives of ordinary people like Gideon, Samson, Ruth, Samuel, David, Solomon and Josiah yet their radical obedience, faith and strength in God helped them achieve the extraordinary.

As always I am thankful to God for bringing people like you into my life that makes me genuinely know that there is someone that is keen to know what is happening in my life and willing to pray and strengthen me in this journey. I would really appreciate your prayers for the last phase of my study here in Taiwan as we get into the wisdom literature and the minor and major prophets. Also I am trusting God for 50000 NT=1700 USD=80000 INR (approx.) that would help me pay off my remaining fees and cover my living and food expenses for the 3rd quarter. So please continue to pray for me that I would continue to trust God not just for my finances but also for strength to finish well. Keep me updated with whats happening in your life as well as I am praying for you too. 

Finally I wanna conclude with this thought that has been stirring me as I was reading one of the books this week,

“‘The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire’. – Field Marshall Ferdinand Foch.

May God Bless You in all your ways as you yearn to be set on fire by Him.

AMEN!!!

SBS in Taiwan - 5th month update

“I AM WHO I AM.”

- Exodus 3:14

“ ISRAEL IS MY FIRSTBORN SON.”

- Exodus 4:22

I guess my entire journey through the books that I did study the last month could be summarized in the best possible way in the above verses.  So we went through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua. God reveals Himself to Israel as “I AM” - the Almighty, self-existent, Sovereign God and breaks into their history and redeems them from slavery and makes a covenant with them. All through the wilderness, He continues to reveal Himself as Holy even as He establishes the ordinances for worship and framework for social living. He judges them for their disobedience yet as a Father continues to be Faithful to them. And finally leads them into the promise land and through Israel brings judgment on the nations that were wicked in His eyes. There is no possible explanation as to why God chose Israel, but the only pointers we have is that He calls them His ‘firstborn son’ and says that He loves them. Case closed!!

As I went through the books, there were 3 things that spoke volumes of truth and conviction in my life. The first one is that God is Holy and he desires His people to be holy. As I look into my life, time and again, I am convicted of the little compromises I make which leads to bigger gaps in my life. It was a huge challenge to be humble knowing that as you consciously walk in the revelation of God’s holiness, the more filthy and wretched you see you are. The second truth was that of God’s faithfulness. I look into my life and this is unbelievable that I am studying the Bible in one of the best SBS around the globe, in the best academic settings, surrounded by committed staffs and passionate students and God has constantly met all my needs so far in my journey and I’ve had no lack. This is awesome and I have for sure seen His faithfulness and it has been a wakeup call for me to continue trusting in His faithfulness not only during SBS but for the rest of my life. The third conviction that I had was from Moses’ life and leadership as a servant of God who loved God and loved the people of Israel despite their rebellion. It was convicting because I have given up on people so many times assuming that they are never gonna change, while I fail to recognize that it is not I who change them but GOD. Thus I walked away from these books challenged to love God and walk in the conscious realization of His presence and seek to serve the people that I am called to work with wholeheartedly.

SBS in Taiwan - 4th month update

It was my birthday on the 24th of July!!! J

And I woke up that morning with this thought that it has been 27 years of enjoying the unmerited favor of God. I look into my life and there is nothing I can boast of except Jesus and His love for me. I try my best to wrap up my mind around His love and understand but my finite mind just cannot fathom. I guess the best I can do is to just experience it and humbly know Him as He reveals Himself.

The last month has been so far the most difficult one for me. We began the 2^nd quarter with the Gospel of John, continued with the 3 epistles of John and then finished the New Testament with the book of Revelation. And then we kick-started the study of the Old Testament with Genesis. So we started with the gospel narrative, went on to epistles, then to apocalyptic literature and then came back to historical narrative. So I guess it has been hard just trying to discipline my mind to deal with each literature style differently. But I have seen the grace of God and His power just beyond measure in my weaknesses. And I did enjoy each of the book and the immense freedom it brought into my life. I still remember the conviction that God brought as I was charting the writings of apostle John. “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.” I had to question myself whether I was really comfortable with LOVE, because I was convicted that, “if I am not comfortable with LOVE, then I am not really comfortable with GOD and if I am not comfortable with GOD, then I am not really comfortable with LOVE”. Then as I finished up with Revelation I realized that I have more questions than answers. But what a freedom I had while charting. I always grew up with this dread about the book of Revelation and I honestly don’t remember studying it prior to this. But then the book taught that it was intended for comfort and encouragement to the original readers and so should it be to me. Any purpose of studying the book that is contrary to that of God’s or the author’s should be discerned. And then finally came Genesis – a book that I was always waiting to study and just with the 1^st book in Old Testament, I have seen the Sovereignty, grace and holiness of God like never before. So I am excited about the Old Testament and the joy of spending the rest of the 5 months studying it.

I do want to thank you for praying for me in this journey of mine with the Lord and with His word. Keep praying for more of His grace and strength as I get into the big books of the Old Testament and that I would be humble enough to hear Him as He speaks to me.

SBS in Taiwan - 3rd month=1st quarter update

Well I have finished my 1^st quarter (3 months) of SBS by the grace of God and thanks to your prayers. As I sit down to write this update on what God has been teaching me throughout the last month, I am reminded of the song “Shun Hypocrisy” that my band “24x7” had come up with.

“God please break into our lives and save us!

Shun hypocrisy! Shun hypocrisy!

May we not live our lives like the Pharisee!

Shun hypocrisy! Shun hypocrisy!”

And then the song fades with this cry for believers to return to the truth of God,

“Why have we exchanged truth for lies?

Why did we ever have to compromise?

Why did we let go of our inheritance?

For all the pleasures temporal instead.”

Last month we did study 1 & 2 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter, Jude and James. I am amazed to see how God desires that we stand firm in His truth and walk in it despite all costs. And this theme of living out the truth of God in holiness and love and enduring suffering because of it came up over and over again all through these books. I am humbled to see the unconditional love of God in the writings of Paul that pursued the Corinthian church in all of their wickedness and sins so that they would repent and return to the truth and reflect the holiness of God. The author of Hebrews exalts the Supremacy of Jesus over all things to challenge the readers to stand firm in what they’ve believed and to endure suffering because Jesus is the ultimate truth. Peter, Jude and James all emphasized the same thing and challenged their readers to pursue God in truth and persevere in it. All because they knew that God is Holy and there is absolutely no shadow of deceit or corruption in Him. And Paul in his final words to Timothy challenges him with the same truth as he writes,

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:3-5)

As I look into my life and in the church today, this is voice of God crying over us and urging us to return to Him and to pursue and persevere in His truth because He is the TRUTH. And how can we who have tasted this truth not be changed by it and reflect the same in our lives? I pray that we would ponder on this and desire to live it out.

Well I also want to thank God for His faithfulness towards me in providing all my needs beyond all my expectation and I am choked when I see Him move. By the grace of God I got my resident visa, which means I can now stay in Taiwan till the end of SBS. Hurray!!! And so I want to thank you for all your prayers and support in this journey of mine. I am right now enjoying my 1^st break getting some rest and reading Francis Schaeffer. Keep me in your prayers that God would pour out His grace and strength for me to know Him better and I head into the 2^nd quarter finishing the New Testament and entering in to the big Old Testament books.

Blessings,