Not Ashamed Of The One Who Died For Me (Sunday, March 29th, 2026)

My dear brothers and sisters, it is a joy to share the Word with you today. This message actually finds its roots in our fasting prayer meeting from last week. During that time, Sister Mercy shared a powerful truth that has stayed with me: God knows everything that is happening in our lives.

Let us turn our Bibles to 2 Timothy 1:12. In the New American Standard Bible 1995, it says:

"For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day."

Finding Strength in Suffering

When Paul wrote these words, he wasn't sitting in comfort. He was in prison, chained like a criminal, alone, old, and suffering. Yet, there isn't a single note of complaint; instead, he makes a bold declaration of faith. He was suffering because he was called as a preacher and an apostle to the Gentiles, and his dedication to the gospel resulted in intense persecution.

Naturally, as humans, we often feel ashamed when we go through problems, trials, or pain. We might want to hide, stop coming to church, or even stop taking care of our basic needs like showering or brushing our teeth. But Paul says something different: "I am not ashamed". He could say this because he trusted that Jesus would protect everything he had committed to Him—his life, his future, and his ministry—until the final judgment day.

God’s Sovereignty and Plan

Why should we praise God during our sufferings? Because everything happening in our life is only with the knowledge of God. There is a plan behind your pain, even if you cannot see it right now. We may not understand it today, but we will come to know it in His time. Until then, we must not grumble or question His generosity.

As the Scripture says:

• "For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion'" (Romans 9:15).

• "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?" (Romans 11:34).

His thoughts are beyond our comprehension. Look at Joseph; he had to leave his home and endure betrayal and prison. He surely had questions, but God had a plan to place him in the second position of command in Egypt. I experienced this in my own life when I suffered from severe back pain. I asked God, "Why me?". But His plan was my salvation; He used that time to save me and forgive my sins.

The Truth About Divine Permission

We must understand a vital spiritual truth: Nothing can enter your life without God's permission. In John 19:10-11, Pilate challenged Jesus, claiming he had the power to either release Him or crucify Him. Jesus answered:

"You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above..."

Even when 1,000 enemies come against you, they cannot touch you unless heaven gives permission. We see this in the life of Job. Satan couldn't touch Job until he went to God to get permission. And even then, God set boundaries for his protection, telling Satan not to lay a hand on Job himself. When Job's wife told him to curse God and die, Job remained faithful, asking if we should only receive good and not adversity. He refused to sin with his lips by grumbling against the Almighty.

Moving Beyond "Weather Report Faith"

Many people have what I call "weather report faith". When it’s a sunny day, they say "Praise God," but when it's a rainy day, they ask "Where is God?". Paul’s faith was "prison-proof faith". He didn't say, "I know what I believe" or "I know my situation will change"—he said, "I know WHOM I have believed".

If Jesus was not ashamed to die half-naked on a cross for us, how can we be ashamed to live for Him?. Do not be silent at your workplace or among your neighbors. Be convinced that He is able to guard what you have entrusted to Him. We trust banks with our money and don't lose sleep over it; we should trust Jesus even more than we trust a bank.

Conclusion: Four Powerful Truths

As we close, remember that you are not fighting your battles alone. Just as Jesus was in the boat with the disciples during the storm, He is in your boat today. I want to leave you with these four truths to live by:

1. Know whom you believe.

2. Do not be ashamed of Christ under any circumstances.

3. Submit everything—your life, future, and plans—to God.

4. Live with eternity in mind, focusing on "that day" when He returns.

No matter what you go through, our God is able, and our God is faithful. Amen

Stand STRONG ON His Faithfulness (Sunday, March 15th, 2026)

Brothers and sisters, it is so good to be with you again. I want to continue on the theme we began last week. For those who were here, you might remember we spoke about the importance of our own faithfulness—being faithful in the little things, in unrighteous mammon, and in what belongs to another. We saw that when we are faithful, the Lord expands what is in our lives.

But this morning, I want to pivot to the "why". Why does the Lord require this of us? The answer is simple yet profound: Because He is faithful.

In Matthew 5:48, Jesus gave us what is perhaps the most difficult requirement ever spoken to mankind:

"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

This isn't meant to scare us; it is a call to reflect His nature. Just as He is loving, merciful, and compassionate, He is faithful—and He wants us to be the same. In English, "faithful" has the word "faith" in it, just as in Malayalam, vishwasthada contains vishwasam. Essentially, faithfulness is trustability. We serve a God who is completely trustworthy.

As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:12:

"...for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day."

Four Ways God’s Faithfulness Strengthens Us

As I studied the New Testament, I found four specific areas where God’s faithfulness provides the strength we need.

1. Strength While Facing Evil

We live in a world where not everyone has faith, and we will encounter perverse and evil men. But we do not have to live in fear.

"But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

The Lord is actively guarding you. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, the Lord surrounds those who fear Him. The evil one has no power over you that you do not give him, because you are protected by the power of God.

2. Strength to Overcome Temptation

Some people think they can overcome temptation through sheer willpower, but self-belief often leads to a fall. Our strength comes from confessing that God is faithful.

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Often, that "way of escape" is simply moving yourself out of the situation. Don't tease yourself with the addictive power of media or compromising environments and expect to stand. When the Lord provides the exit, take it.

3. Strength in Fellowship

Because God is faithful, we can have genuine fellowship with Him and with one another. Hebrews 10:23-24 tells us:

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds..."

In any congregation, we will have different opinions and imperfections. We love one another not because we are perfect, but because Christ loved and forgave us in our unloveliness. We need the "superpower" of forgetfulness—forgetting grievances and hurts so we aren't nailing our feet to the ground while trying to follow the Lord.

4. Strength to Sanctify and Keep Us Blameless

Your salvation involves a single moment of redemption, but it is followed by a lifelong process of sanctification. While we may still stumble, a true walk with Christ means sinning less and less as the days go by.

"God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:9)

He is the one who will confirm you to the end, blameless. He is renewing your mind and spirit, even as we put the corrupt nature of our flesh to death daily. Every difficult relationship or ego-crushing moment is an opportunity to experience the death of Christ so that His life can be revealed through you.

Final Assurance

I want to leave you with this: this walk is not an impossible task. Why? Because:

"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

When you face challenges this week, don't say "I can do it." Say, "The Lord is faithful, and He will do it". It is Christ who lives in us, and we live this life by faith in the Son of God.

Grow In Faithfulness (Sunday, March 8th, 2026)

Audio Block

Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more

Beloved, I have a simple message to share today, something we are all familiar with. There is no new revelation here, but I feel the Lord is reminding us of something very clear and encouraging us to obey.

The Orderly Account of the Minas

Let’s look at the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19. Luke, being a physician, provided an orderly and researched account. In the context of this chapter, Jesus had just spoken to Zacchaeus in Jericho. Because the people supposed the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately, Jesus told them a parable about a nobleman going to a distant country to receive a kingdom.

"And he called ten of his slaves and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Do business with this ten minas until I come back.'" (Luke 19:13, NASB 1995)

While many think this is the same as the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, it is different. Here, ten servants are each given one mina—a pound of silver equal to about three months' wages. This represents a significant amount of capital given to each person to put to use.

The Essence of Faithfulness

When the nobleman returned, he called the slaves to see what business they had done. To the first, who grew his mina tenfold, he gave a beautiful commendation:

"Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities." (Luke 19:17, NASB 1995)

The most important quality of a servant is faithfulness. In Greek, the word for faith and faithfulness is the same: pistis. To be faithful is to be full of faith; it is a loyalty and commitment that stems from the word of God dwelling within you. You cannot be a faithful Christian without the Word, as faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

Three Divine Principles of Faithfulness

In Luke 16, Jesus laid out three principles that are the foundation of biblical faithfulness:

• Faithfulness in the Little Things: "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much" (Luke 16:10, NASB 1995). God tests us with small responsibilities—perhaps a single friend to talk to or a family member to serve. If you aren't faithful in these, you won't be faithful in large things.

• Faithfulness with Unrighteous Wealth: "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?" (Luke 16:11, NASB 1995) . Money is a topic Jesus spoke on frequently because of its power to deceive and corrupt. If you handle money faithfully, God will entrust you with "true riches"—heavenly possessions and spiritual authority.

• Faithfulness with What Belongs to Another: "And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?" (Luke 16:12, NASB 1995) . We are often called to steward what belongs to someone else, whether in a job or a ministry. If you are faithful there, the Lord will make you master over your own.

Overcoming Excuses and Fear

Some of us feel we cannot share the Gospel because we don't know enough. But you don't need to be a perfect theologian. The most successful evangelism often comes from those who just met the Lord and are excited to tell their neighbors.

I remember when I first saw a "316" sticker; I had no clue it meant John 3:16 because I hadn't seen a Bible until three months prior. I had no musical talent and no one in my family could sing, but I gave my joy to the Lord. He took that "little" and multiplied it, allowing me to sing and teach others to play music for His glory.

An Eternal Perspective

Our life here is short compared to eternity. We must be careful not to be short-sighted, blinded only by our immediate surroundings and comforts. We will all face a judgment—not to see if we believe, but to be judged by what we did with what we were given.

Don't be like the "worthless slave" who hid his mina in a handkerchief because he was afraid. God wants you to put your resources—your car, your house, your time, and your gifts—to use for His kingdom. There is no greater joy than knowing the Lord is pleased with what you do.