Is God Generic ?

8 SEP 2018

IS GOD GENERIC ?

John 1: 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Lets look at the flood situation in Aug 2018 and the current world situation , we are in a world of Media, politics, people , gurus,religions, selling, buying …We come across hundreds of brands, non branded items…we have more choices , options and decisions to make …We have hundreds of messages , videos on social media…again here too we have an option of choices.

A typical human mind tends to relax more when it is provided with different options or choices. We hear that some people get therapeutic when they have a shopping experience. Some people always like to be around shops , its like their meditation time, enjoying the atmosphere and serenity.

Generic brands of consumer products, are generally distinguished by the absence of a brand name or tag . It is often inaccurate to describe these products as "lacking a brand name", as they usually are branded, although with either the brand of the store where they are sold or a lesser-known brand name …..A generic drug is one that does not have a trademark and is known by a general name, rather than the manufacturer's name.

People sometimes use generic to refer to something that is exactly typical of the kind of thing mentioned, and that has no special or unusual characteristics. God is unfortunately categorized as Generic, who belongs to a particular class of people who are not remarkable and are totally purposeless and typical. It’s only meant for a certain group of people who don’t have any class or trademark. People tend to categorise them. This message was prompted by God , when an European lady reverted back to my message saying , henceforth pls do not share any more generic messages with me… Christ didn’t come to create a brand name, neither he came to set a new religion or a group. He came to give us eternal life. He came to reveal the Truth and Grace . John1: 17

Truth is the most valuable thing ,since truth is the reality of anything . “But truth unfortunately is always surrounded by a bodyguard of lies”..,Winston Churchill. Truth is not what we think is true, truth is something which comes from the mouth of God. Job 42: 7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.

God appears to be out of our equation of life , since we assume that we don’t need him . It happens mostly in a situation of adversity or any particular experience we have gone through . I personally had to go through a depression phase with lot of sickness back in 2011. Depression hits you ,when you feel that nothing in this world can bring you back …People sudden decide to become stiff , adamant and their mind starts to believe in a God who is powerless, insincere or deny such an entity. Its not an easy thing to recuperate such feelings. The world assumes that he doesn’t play any part or role in our life. How much is God influential in our life …We are in a generation assuming that , he is not imperative for our career and growth . All achievements are attributed to the greatness of the human mind. Yet there is more, that believe that He doesn’t exist, its just a myth. Challenges are thrown across us in every face of our life.. God blesses everyone according to his word , but he is not obligated to the measure of talents or value he has put in each one of us.

We ourselves are also responsible for it ,to an extent . How do we reveal the truth? We reveal it in a way that it is something which emerged from our beliefs and our tradition. We reveal it ,as something which emerged only from us .(Unlike what Paul says …2 Cor 3: 5-6 verse says “ 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”). The letter refers to law which always results in being judgemental ,it ends up by annihilating the personality ending up in death but the Spirit gives Life, where its not a statement or a stamp we put on others , but when we reveal the truth as ministers of the new covenant ,( as in 2 Cor 4: 6) , creating a newness of the heart . Its because ,in this ministry ,it is nothing to do with a human working , its by the Spirit .When we reveal it in a way that it is something which emerged from our beliefs and our tradition , truth or reality becomes a commodity (Product of a human mind) as we present it like a sales rep . Notice when we present it as a commodity, the hearers have a lot of choices and options to pick up from the basket of their mind . It again becomes like a shopping experience . But the fact of the matter is that ,truth is not a commodity . Commodities are something chosen out of personal preference, it is subjective. It appears to be, just another generic product.

To site an example, a guy from Australia came with his girlfriend to Dubai as a stopover on his way to some European destinations, who is very close to me... He met us and few of his close relatives here at Dubai . As a fact of the matter , with the culture they have been brought up , he has been with this young lady for quite a few years and is yet to tie the knots. His close aunty here in Dubai asked his beliefs and he gave a reply that he still persists in his beliefs.. in Christianity and in Jesus . The warning notice was sudden conveyed to him that , he should proceed with the marriage soon as possible and the awe struck girl friend was also made aware of her Catholic traditions… There is nothing wrong with this interaction, reproof and slap on the wrist … The aunt was trying to convey the Christian message and trying to evangelise Jesus… but not surprisingly , we saw a manifestation of a fuming rice pot which was whistling and fuming over these comments ,from our guy down under…. He said, “ lets call it a day and proceed further to the next program….” We cannot portray Jesus the way we want , it has to be guided by the Holy spirit and should be the ministry of the new covenant , where we show him the light and message of why he should get married at all…and who is Jesus. We need to show patience and persistence for this .We need to spent some time for this.. We use the law as a tool by default in our interaction with others, which becomes judgemental and is as good as annihilating the person to extinction… In his next European tour , I am sure his stop over would be at least a 1000 miles from the whole GCC area !!!!! What did we accomplish, we feel we did our christian duty and God is pleased with us .As if , we do not have a part in this blood and we have done our part of practicing the christian message . Yes I agree , it is because of our care & concern , but it was done through the works of the law and ministry of the old covenant , where the person ends up ,always condemned. The receiver always goes through the experience of death . The new covenant can be done only when we gather the wisdom from the Holy spirit of what to speak and utter in any given situation, Luke 12:12, Mathew 10: 20, John 14: 26 . We need to see beyond the boundary of our tradition, upbringing and our own wisdom to encounter any situation as Jesus would do … What did Jesus do in his encounter with the Samaritan women at the well who had five husbands, the light of eternal life was presented to her , which guided her conscience from a situation of darkness of her mind to light and Godly wisdom. It neither condemned her or rebuked her . Where was her next stop over ... She carried the light she received to all others in her visibility .This is how the new covenant ministry works…. Jesus cannot be seen by others without the Holy spirit , no matter whatever way we try, through the works of the law . Here, since our Guy was condemned, he would certainly search for other options and choices coming his way , truly speaking , we have misguided his path and made him more weaker….He did not see a Jesus in his interaction with us.. rather he saw a bunch of primitive eastern guys , who were trying to get smart and authoritative with him… Like legalistic people, we view the truth from outside and do not like to travel, abide or step into the truth..Just another case of God being displayed as a generic commodity…. This is not what we have been called for ..

There are several commodities and different brands in the market, which always takes us to the next level called comparison . Truth is not a commodity for comparison, truth is exclusive, it cannot be compared. It doesn’t need a fact to support it. Truth is something which is truthful ,which can stand on its own. But unfortunately we present God as a commodity , a generic product unknowingly or knowingly . People view God also as just another commodity. God is incomprehensible & cannot be compared or branded. Even the biggest of all saints, sent his disciples to check if this commodity is the same as the original brand specifications.

Luke 7: 19,”So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?” Are you the same commodity …? John the baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to check whether he was really the promised Messiah that God sent… How much more are we then ?…. What was the eventual reply when we read that passage further … He said we are all like Children sitting in a market place ,branding , assessing , evaluating a score ,according to our wisdom for each commodity .Luke 7 31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge (lament for the dead), and you did not cry.’

Our current generation and world in total is like this market place . Jesus meant that Truth and wisdom did not impact their minds . We like to make remarks ,hear and analyse the truth from outside as a viewer , but are not able to accept and make it ,a part of our life. We always like to keep ourselves outside the truth . We are into truth analysis . There is all sort of analysis and speeches about Truth nowadays. We enjoy being a spectator or an appreciator of it , a typical example is a Peter who was revolving around the cruxcification area , but was no way ready to step into the truth .If we observe our generation , media & culture , we too ,are all into analysis and survey , I wonder how & when these surveys are made. Surveys on any given subject is always readily available. All data readily available..

However we do not like to step into the truth . We do not like to abide in the truth, (in the wine) .How do we live in truth or embrace truth..? To answer that , lets ask our selves..When did the lost son live with his father ? The lost son did truly live with his father when his mind was in line with the father’s mind. As a child he was living in his father’s house but not with the father. Though he was in the same house, his father was not living with him… in his mind. His father was outside his mind . But when his mind started accepting the wisdom of his father , he could understand his sonship and he became a child to his father. He became a child to the wisdom of the father .Finally Luke 7: 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Wisdom becomes a father to a child. Prov 8: 32 . We can live in truth and embrace it only when we become a child to the wisdom of God, only when we approach and have relationship with the truth ; only when the truth becomes a person for relationship rather than a commodity. You can see who your wife is , who your children are , who your colleagues are…who your boss is …only if you have an actual truth about them, what they are in Christ. They are not what your best wisdom reveals or your opinion poll , they are what God has designed them to be. Or else its just like how we connect to a commodity ., by comparison and analysis. Its not getting into an analysis ,but getting into a relationship . Gandhiji wrote .. My experiments with the truth . We need to experience truth ,in our relationship with God. Is truth a valuable part of your mind … Your relationship with God depends on how much value you give for Truth

The bible says Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ . Jesus was the truth . He said , I am the truth, the way and the life .Ps 84:11 The Lord God is like a sun and shield; the Lord gives us kindness and honor. He does not hold back anything good from those whose lives are innocent.

GK. Chesterton says.., "God is like a sun, we cannot look at it directly, but without which we cannot see or look at anything else." All physical realities can be explained fully, only through the truth of God. When we go deeper & deeper to the origin of any physical object , always the reason for origin of that object is outside of it . Our origin is also explained by an exterior transcendant God .The bible says that, Truth is a Spirit .The world is not able to see him or know him . Truth is not just an aspect , it’s a personality .. to be precise it’s a Spirit . We can know him , when we have a relationship with this truth . John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

We can have truthful relationship with anyone ,only if we love that person. We cannot come to Jesus unless we have the Love of God within us. John 5: 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. Imagine during your younger days or even now , if someone would tell us that they love us , or plainly convey through others that they love us. Someone loving us even before we knew about it .. What is the emotion we go through, when we hear that ? It’s a soothing effect where you feel wanted and feel good about . It gives us a personality and a confidence . Oh come on… , it even pumps up our adrenalin level as well. God did the same thing with humanity , he already conveyed his Love affair with us, even before we loved Him. To have a truthful relationship with God, we need to have Love of God within us, for which the basic need for us to understand is that --- he loved us first 1 John 4: 10 & 19 . Or else it is difficult to define any situation or circumstance in our life with God’s truth . Tell God, you loved me first …everyday morning as you get up , tell your selves that God loved me first . The lost son understood the father when the love of father was bestowed upon him; when his father’ s Love was within him , not outside him. Love of God is something which flows from within us. It should evolve from the inward man’s spirit flowing outwards. The people of this world, have a love which is triggered from outside through our senses, this is called love of the world, pride of life & lust of the flesh. Love of God is wisdom about eternal life truth . Truth will become valuable to us, only when the truth is received by love. We can receive Jesus only if we have God’s love in us.

We cannot get eternal life from studying or searching the truth or scriptures. In a generation of gathering information and relentless searching …we can get it only when the love of God leads us into a hunger & relationship with the truth and ends up in Jesus Christ. You know the example of the Samaritan woman at the well…..

John 5: 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

We can come to Jesus with a repentful heart . If we do not have a repentful heart , we may end up only in book knowledge , but not the Lord Jesus Christ. The lost son came with a repentful heart towards his father. He thus received his father’s love.

In any given situation, Do we actually reveal the truth of God. We generally reveal something, which is meaningful, logically true or reasonable to us? We spill our truth for a logical justification or we assume that we are lawful and follow the law,and tend to become judgmental. This is what ,our heart yearns for… Why there is a need to experience God’s grace & truth ? We cannot experience God’s love without coming to know the truth & grace of God. How did the lost son get the confirmation about the father’s love ? He heard his father’s true graceful voice saying ,Luke 15: 24 “ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” His father’s voice revealed a truth ,as a result he could experience his Father’s Love. Truth was filled in his heart in the form of Love. Love can be always experienced only when truth is revealed. Loving others means , revealing the truth , the truth about God. Are we a source of love for everyone to reveal His truth, if so, then others can experience God’s love through you .

God’s not a generic commodity which is optional or one among many choices , He is a generous being, revealing truth , not an option , but mandatory . Why there is a need to come to Jesus to experience God’s grace & truth ? Do you remember what the Father told his lost son….Luke 15: 24… He heard his Father’s voice . What does the voice of Jesus or the Holy Spirit say…. A similar truth revealed

More clearly it is mentioned in John 5: 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

There is a need to hear the truth which is the Voice of Son of God… its a matter of passing from death to Life.. John 5: 24. And those who hear his voice of truth will not come into judgement .Notice , here we don’t have any options or choice to make when facing death . What do you think is happening in this generation , why have we become analysers or Surveyors or Voyeurs , Why are we sidelining the truth and the only truth ? To be more specific ,Why can’t we hear the voice of God & why can’t we carry the presence of God in us ? what do you think happened to us and our generation ? Are we viewing the truth or abiding in the truth ? In short the answer is, whatever truth we cling on to or relied on was for only one reason:- …we like to receive glory from one another . We seek glory from Men . This is the naked truth of our lives in a small or big way . What happens when we run after the glory from men…..? We are not able to believe….We do not seek the glory that comes only from God . John 5 :44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? The biggest hurdle to faith or denial of truth is when we seek glory from men. Our daily support system depends on the other’s view on us .Glory from men comes only from works of the law or the good works of men ….Faith doesn’t have a place there….We will not be able to hear the Voice of Son of God…. What happens if the dead don’t hear His voice. What would happen ? By dead… i mean the ones in the grave & the living dead . Three things can happen .Firstly ,we will hear, only then the Voice of Moses , Voice of the accuser….John 5: 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. The Law becomes your master and we face its consequences.

Secondly, we become a viewer, of the truth, we try to see the truth by what we see.and sense externally through our senses. Eg…, Num 13:28- Num 14:10….grumbling and negative talk from the israelites who were sent to spy on the land of Canan ….In any situation our words turn into bad speech although we feel that we viewed the truth from outside.

Thirdly , we become influenced by the Flaming darts of the evil one( Eph 6: 16)…when finally satan devours us… 1 pet 5: 8. He throws evil darts at our mind, if our mind is ready to provide a landing platform… it will consume us fully ,when lot of darts penetrate us eventually.

To summarise ….Ps 145: 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

What is truth ? Ps 119: 160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

Jesus said, “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.”John 17: 3 Out of that truth flows life, a life in abundance, a life for a lifetime and a life for eternity. Christ already died for us as a fulfillment of Law ,but his truth & grace has given us a life with Christ unveiling the lies we believed about us ., we start to see the glory of God in us and all others ,around us . 2 Cor 3 : 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.