Go and make disciples of all nations...

Who is this man?

•  A person who is mentioned only twice in the Bible (II Timothy (1:16 and 4:19)
• A believer likely to be from Ephesus who was converted by Paul during his third missionary journey (II Tim. 1:18; Acts 19:10)
• Onesiphorus means “bringing profit” and it is believed he lived up to it
• A true friend of Paul when many turned away during his imprisonment in Rome

He was also a rich man in Ephesus, had a family, servants, and a large estate.

The traits worthy to be mentioned in the life of Onesiphorus 

A man with a REFRESHING life

Onesiphorus visited Paul in the Roman prison which refreshed Paul and it was not just once or twice but many times. He was doing this with a great risk to his life without thinking about the danger of the persecution by King Nero against the Christians. Prisons in Paul’s days never provided the basic needs and usually outsiders supplied food and water to prisoned people.

A man with a REVIVING soul

The refreshment brought by Onesiphorus was powerful and revived the Paul’s spirits. Paul needed it as he was practically alone at that time. He stuck by Paul’s side when others wouldn’t. This friendship made Paul wish Onesiphorus mercy and peace to his surviving family.

A man with a REFLECTING mind

Onesiphorus was unashamed of the gospel that was reflected in his ministry at Ephesus where Paul had faithfully preached. So, he was unashamed of Paul’s chain, for it was that very same powerful gospel that had led to Paul’s chain.

Most of us live in safe countries where there are open doors to share the Gospel. But we should remember that these times are dwindling. We have only heard of the pain Christian families underwent in the first century where their loved ones had been taken away in brutal ways in the blink of an eye. Soon, we all will experience the same persecution. Like Onesiphorus, we need to stand strong in our faith even if it means death. 

“He who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13).

Onesiphorus was not a fair-weather friend, but a friend in deed. We have a friend even greater than Onesiphorus, JESUS.

Let us be an Onesiphorus to others!

The name Jabez means “He causes pain.”

Tagline: ‘Pain and the Priceless Prayer’

The background 

As pregnancy and childbirth were very painful for Jabez’s mother, she passed on the pain to her child. So, poor old Jabez was tattooed with a bad name “pain” from his birth. Though the identity of Jabez was little more than a blink on the Bible screen, there’s a big learning. 

The Prayer

The prayer of Jabez is very short yet a powerful prayer. 

(1 Chronicles 4:10)

“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

Jabez asks God to undo his past in some manner by saying this prayer. He forsook the terrible meaning of his own name. 

What is his prayer?

· Bless me

· Enlarge my territory

· Let your hand be with me

· Keep me from harm

God granted what he asked.

The takeaways

· Accept and recognise God in your life

· Allow God to come into your heart

· Ask God what you want

We must take care not to pass on our pain to others. Just because we were hurt, it doesn’t give us the right to hurt others. If you have a feeling that your name brings pain, we can take that to God. He wants to hear from us, and He wants to help us. We serve a God who enjoys blessing His children.

Never forget: God loves you.

I am PETER and the meaning of my name is Rock. Basically, I was a fisherman but later became a fisher of men. My brother Andrew introduced me to Jesus and I had the opportunity to live with Jesus when He came to the earth and saw him face to face. The years I spent with Jesus transformed me from an uneducated man into a courageous and faithful apostle and I established early churches.

I could be given many taglines – “Prompt Peter”, “Versatile Volunteer”, “Action King”, “Ready Responder” and so on. 

My deeds include swiping off Malchus’s ear (John 18:10); my eagerness to walk to the Lord on the water (Matthew 14:28); swift to answer the Lord’s question – “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:16); when Jesus exposed that He was going to be taken and killed and raised up, I jumped in to rebuke Him (Matthew 16:22); I burst out on the Mount of transfiguration about making three tabernacles (Matthew 17:4); and the last and firm one: declared so strongly that I would not deny my Lord (Matthew 26:33-35).

Though I did some blunders, I had great faith. I would be always excited to do things and known to be Outspoken, Headstrong, “all-or-nothing,” and had miraculous gifts. I felt sad that I fell asleep in the garden when Jesus asked us to pray and denied Jesus three times.

Takeaways from my life:

1. Put God first

2. Be excited to be the child of Jesus

3. Be committed 

4. Be persevered till the end of your life

5. Think before speaking

6. Do not be hasty and inconsistent 

7. Have a blazing heart to do God’s work 

God taught me a lesson through a big storm, a big fish, a vine, a worm and scorching wind.

I had tough choices like “Should I do this or not”, but I did make a couple of wrong choices.

God told me to go to Nineveh to warn the Assyrians, the evil people and one of Israel’s greatest enemies. But I freaked out and ran away from God as well as from the assignment He gave me. Then headed by another boat to Tarshish.

I was transparent to the sailors by asking them to throw me overboard so that the storm would stop whereas I could have lied and gone for a nap of few more hours below the deck.

Though I prophesied to Nineveh, I wasn’t happy about it and reluctantly fulfilled God’s mission. But one thing I was convinced in a powerful way was that all salvation comes from the Lord (Jonah 2:9).

The sailors tried their level best to spare my life though they were not believers even after knowing very well that I was the cause of the storm.

Moreover, I was a complainer. I didn’t respect God and routinely questioned God, disagreed with Him, and the worst vented my anger against God.

Takeaways from the life of Jonah

1. Our God is a God of second chances. It’s always better to admit our mistakes when we mess up and avoid the temptation to blame others.

2. God’s great love and abundant mercy prove that He doesn’t want anyone to miss out.

3. A touchstone for our lives would be aligning our desires with God’s. God wanted not just Jonah’s actions but his heart as well though he was wanting revenge and holding bitterness.

4. Don’t try to run away from God. He can use weak or flawed people to fulfil His mission.

5. Above all these happenings, a relief for Jonah was that he was one of the four prophets Jesus mentioned by name during His earthly ministry. Matthew 12:40 (The others were Isaiah, Daniel, and Zechariah).

 OBEDIENCE TO GOD IS NOT AN OPTION, BUT AN OBLIGATION 

WORK CRISIS - Challenges in the work place 

 Daniel gets on a promising career while remaining publicly devoted to God.  When King Darius appointed rulers, he placed three leaders above them . One of the leaders was Daniel.  As he did a better job than the other two and was a good and able man, the King decided to put Daniel in charge of the whole kingdom. When someone is chosen to be above others,  those not chosen may feel resentment.  The administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. The unbelieving world doesn't want a believer in charge even if they are gifted and efficient.  Though God’s power overcame human deceit and royal dictate, Daniel did experience what most of us would call suffering in work place.

PRAYER CRISIS - Challenges in prayer life 

For Daniel, prayer was a matter of life and death.  Daniel's enemies convinced the king to make a decree that any one who prays to any God or man other than the king during the next 30 days shall be thrown into the lions’ den. The decree captivated Daniel, but he continued to pray to God. So, Daniel was thrown in the lions’ den overnight and the Lord’s angels performed what the king could not perform. Daniel prayed three times a day and acknowledged God in every tough issue he faced. 

FAITH CRISIS  - Challenges in being faithful 

God didn't keep Daniel out of the Den but He protected him in the den.  The king conceded to Daniel, “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!” (Dan. 6:16)  Daniel is a great example of staying true to convictions and faith in the most difficult situations. Psalm 37: 1-15 should have been Daniel's meditation.  Believers in Christ are always facing the same pressure like Daniel. 

Am I going to choose what God wants me to be, or what the world wants me to be?

If we want to be like Daniel, then we need to be committed to not giving in to the small compromises of life. 

Hey, I am Noah!

About me

• My grand dad, Methuselah, the oldest person in the Bible was 969 years old
• My dad was Lamech
• I was  the 10th-generation descendant of Adam and a farmer 
• I built the historic ARK but people made fun of me but I did as told by God
• The ark was as per God’s plan and measured close to 1.5 million cubic feet  but survived the huge floods. When humans built the Titanic that was three times bigger than the Ark, it sunk in its first voyage
• I was able to save my family and animals from extreme weather conditions that made the world to make a fresh start from the mess made by the humans in  the first creation

My certificate from GOD

“This is to certify that Mr. Noah, a just and a blameless man in his generations”

Think about a time someone made fun of you when you were trying to do the right things ! Were you able to stand strong?

For this reason, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to take a stand whenever evil comes. And when you have done everything you could, you will be able to stand firm.  Ephesians 6: 13