CHAPTER:4 RELATIONSHIP BUILDING TOOLS

CHAPTER:4 RELATIONSHIP BUILDING TOOLS

(I) BE A LOVER OF GOD’S WORD:

A Humble man, whose desire for God’s word & wrote poems for God. Later

he was promoted as shepherd, musician for king, son-in-law of king, commander of an

army, king of Israel and eventually forefather of God Jesus. Hope you identified this man.

He is Mr. David. He was trained in prophetic schools of Samuel. His house became

highlighted in the Bethlehem town, after a visit of

national renowned prophet. God’s eyes are on

Him.

David’s habit (Fig.34) is to ask God’s

opinion on every assignment, he performs. After

his anointment from National Prophet, he got a

call from King Saul. One who rears sheep, was

elevated quickly as musician and ghost hunter.

Long story short, even in his challenges and

Figu re-34: Da vi d's P raise & Prayer

tribulation, he asked God’s opinion on Where to stay (not in strong holds). How to attack

Goliath? War strategy against Philistines, Synagogue construction design (From Nathan).

O be di en ce is n ot ju st 6 0 % o r 7 0%. It s fu l l obe dien ce ( 1 0 0 %) . God J esus le ar nt obe die n ce thr ou gh th e s uf f erin g o f Cr oss ( H e b re ws 5 : 8) . H e sur re nde re d a l l H is p er so na l wish an d fu l fil s a ll Go d’ s ( fa the r) wish .

His obedience to God increases his faithfulness towards God & God labelled him as “Man

after My own heart”. So, “Obedience to God’s word is better than worship and sacrifice”

[I Samuel 15:22].

(II) GOD JESUS: The Captain of salvation

God Jesus prefers a carpenter family, for His earthly character. He did not prefer

luxury homes. He born in rented place (Cow shed) among the mosquito bites and Herod’s

wrath. He learnt almost all scriptures in Egypt without scholars, by sitting in the feet of

God the father. He is called as “Word of God”. (i.e), He fulfills all the word or instructions

of God the father.

Obedience is not just 60% or 70%. Its full obedience (100%). God Jesus learnt

obedience through the suffering of Cross (Hebrews 5:8). [i.e.,] He surrendered all His

personal wish and fulfils all God’s (father) wish. Therefore “God (Father) have crowned

Him (Jesus) with glory, honor and set Him over the works of His (God the Father) hands

[Hebrews 2:7]”. Hence, God Jesus became a captain of salvation, perfect through sufferings

[Hebrews 2:10]. Moreover, God Jesus declared as “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am

well pleased [Mathew 3:17].” So, in both case studies, obedience to God’s word is a vital

parameter for Heaven’s citizenship. Let us follow the foot prints of God Jesus and fulfill

the will of God.

(III) ASSOCIATION WITH GOOD SHEPHERD (Mentor, Role Model)

Shepherd is the person, who walks before the

flock of sheep. Sheep are innocent (unquestionable)

disciples who follows the footprints of shepherd. First,

we will discuss on the functions of Shepherd.

Shepherds leads us towards the green (Psalms

23:2) pastures [nutritious food and faith building

testimony]. If the shepherd (Fig.35) leads us, then he

should also be familiar with the path. If the path is

known to Him (Shepherd), then He should have been

exploring the path before we started the journey.

Psalms 23:2b - He leads me besides the still

waters. As animals were afraid of wild noise, still waters are the pleasant area for animals.

The cold breeze with still waters, provides delightful environment for sheep. In the case of

Israelite, exodus from Egypt, people starved from thirst. God knows their needs and He

prepares two places, one is Marah (Bitter Lake) and the another is Elim (with 12 water

springs and 70 palm trees, to quench their thirst. God knows our needs even before we

start our journey.)

Psalms 23:3-God restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness, for

His name’s sake. After a tiresome journey in the hot sun, when we had a small break and

consumed chilled water, our senses will be enlightened rapidly. In our stressful life, our

Figu re-35: God Jes us, the good she pher d

heart will be burdened with anxiety, disappointments and on. But when we cast all our

desperations to the God, God will provide gentle yoke. [Mathew 11:28]. Moreover, in the

seamless journey we often have probability of missing the right path. But Almighty God,

on the right side says, “I am the way, the Truth and the Life. [John 14:6]”. God is our way

maker to heaven. God can make a way between the waters (Jordan river and Red seas) and

even could make above the waters (Dead sea- Peter walks along with our Jesus). Our

awesome God could make a way amidst the fire too [Shadrach and his Friends walk into it

and came out]. (i.e.) path of righteousness.

Psalms 23:4- Though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no

evil…For you are with me, your rod and staff comfort me”. The God led life would not be

familiar path to us always, sometimes it could be a strange path to us, but not to God. But

our mighty God is having tools and skills to leads us [Rod and staff]. When Israelites are

led by God, God did not order people to swim across the red sea (or) to make a boat (as

like Noah’s) to cross it. But He led them through strange path. Moreover, giant Goliath

was provoking Israelite people for 40 days, and God did not prepare another giant from

Israel. But He prepared 17-year-old (inexperienced) boy without having strength to hold

the sword. This boy has a unique skill (Catapult and stone) which others did not. So, it

become a history. Sometimes, challenges are the magnets to pull ourselves towards God.

That’s why the little boy David said, “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall

strengthen your heart, Wait I say on the Lord (Psalms 27:14)”

Ch al l eng es a re th e m ag nets to p ul l ou rsel ve s to wa rds Go d.

(a) Ideal Shepherd:

Shepherd are the companions of sheep. We will see an ideal shepherd, who will not

let us in the half way & He is the solution for all our life’s challenges. That’s why David

said, “The God (Jesus) is my shepherd; I shall not be in any want. [Psalms 23:1]” Our needs

and wants, never be a challenge (or) out of reach for God’s hand. The three unique qualities

of shepherd are discussed below:

(i) Personal Care:

In God’s flock, there were many sheep. But

God’s unique quality, is able to connect with every

sheep individually. “What Man of you, having a

hundred sheep, if He loses one of them, does not

leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after

the one which is lost until He finds it [Luke 15:4]”.

This verse says that, God’s personal care for each

sheep and his non-satisfactory desire of existing

count. God’s heart always longs for one lost sheep

(who backslides/ who disobeys). His desperate desire, extends His vision from one faithful

Abraham to one nation Israel and then eventually to whole world. Adding to that, God set

a benchmark for the good shepherd. “I am (Jesus) the good shepherd; The good shepherd

gives His life for the sheep [John 10:11]” Good shepherd bargain His own welfare (Fig.36)

for the health of sheep. Moreover, our shepherd (God Jesus) won’t complain on anything

and nor raise His voice in the streets as Bible quotes says, “He (Jesus) will bring forth justice

to the gentiles, He will not cry out, nor cause His voice to be heard in the streets. (Isaiah

42:2; Mathew 12:19)”

Figu re-36: God's Per sona l Ca r e

(b) Accomplisher of our Journey:

Heaven’s Journey is an adventurous journey which tests your emotions and

obedience level. When Israelites starts the journey, overflowing happiness and sing-song

services were there. But as the days passed, negative comments, murmurings, fighting’s and

on. But God fulfilled every petition of them. Even after they receive for 40 years, Israelites

can’t able to translate miracles as God’s love and in faith building process. Moreover, God

responded that, “Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness to

humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart whether you would keep His

commandments or not (Deuteronomy 8:2)”. God did not promise the comfortable life but

a safety life. Even in the verge of tribulations, He provides a safety exit. As Bible quotes,

“God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with

the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (I

Corinthians 10:13)”. God is permitting temptation for two main reasons. First one is to

identify what was in our heart and the second one is to identify the safety exit. So, we need

humility and patience to succeed the trials.

Moreover, St. Paul says this quote after

decades of experience with God Jesus that, “He

[God] who has begun a good work in you will

complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Fig.37)

(Philippians 1:6)”. What good work God has

started? He transforms our soul as like the

image of God mentioned in Genesis 1:26.

God’s characteristics is explained in Psalms

103:8; 145:8 “The God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He

will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.” These characteristics

are supposed to be reflected in us. [i.e., called as image of God]. For building this

characteristic into us, God needs time, environment settings [trials] for us. When we are

prepared, then flying to heaven will starts. These preparatory works are equivalent to the

diamond cutter (gem cutter) who transforms a stone into precious diamond with

specialized tools and numerous hours of work. As a human we have to yield to God’s call.

Moreover, our God is called by an adjective, “He (God) who calls you is faithful, who will

also do it-II Thessalonians 5:24”.

When God calls Abraham, He (God) promised three promises:

(i) I will make you a great nation (Genesis 12:2a)

(ii) I will bless you and make your name great (Genesis 12:2b)

(iii) I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those curses you (Genesis 12:3)

God fulfilled all these promises even after the Abraham’s life span on earth. The

first promise of Abraham’s popularity trend is on so high even today between Jewish, Islam

Figu re-37: Jour ney t o Heave n

O u r God J esu s i s the “A u tho r an d F in ish er o f o ur Fa ith- H eb re ws 1 2: 2”. A n a u thor of a boo k de ci d e s th e c ha ra cte r, en viro n me nta l set t in g, thr il l fa ctor a nd l if e s pa n o f ea c h c ha r ac ter. H en ce ou r God too .

and Christian community. In all three holy books, his name was specified. The second

promise of transforming Abraham into a nation is still active. Only community in this world

who survived even after 6000 years of earth’s life span is Israel. The third promise also

fulfilled, several times in bible and contemporary history. When Israelites were camped

near Moabites (Numbers 22-24), King Balaak recruited prophet Balaam to curse Israelites.

But God converted every curse into blessing. When Holocaust against Jewish people

happened in Germany in early 19th century, American country has invited many Jewish

people and offered citizenship. As a result, God blessed America as super power and

blessed many Jewish people as rich. (E.g. Google founder; Michael Dell; Steven Spielberg,

Director of Jurassic Park; Albert Einstein, inventor of Theory of relativity; and on).

Therefore, our God Jesus is the “Author and Finisher of our Faith-Hebrews 12:2”. An

author of a book decides the character, environmental setting, thrill factor and life span of

each character. Hence, God Jesus has all power to change the course of life. He is the alpha

(beginning) and Omega (end) of life.

(c) One-stop solution maker:

When Israelites made a maiden journey with

70 lakh people, they did not have a route map of

destination, numerous provisions for food, no excess

water for journey, no shade, no excess dresses and no

defending array for protecting themselves when they

move. But God’s wonderful miracles (with one man’s

call-Prophet Moses), motivated their belief and they

started their journey. As the journey progress (Fig.38),

they realize their need and cried to God. God

(Table-3) helped them as way maker (Red Sea); Miracle worker (affords food and water);

Provider of Dresses (grown, as the child grows); Chappals (grown along with them);

Moving shelter (hanging clouds); Defending army (Angels-Joshua 5:13-14), Route map

(Rhema to Prophet Moses). So, the God who helped Israelites for 40 long years could able

to afford all help even today. Let us discuss the God’s help in various situations.

Pow er hou se of God

Figu re-38 One-Stop S olution m ake r

TABLE-3 God’s Name for different Seasons

SNO NAME MEANING REFERENCES

1. Jehovah Shalom The God is peace Judges 6:24

2. Jehovah Jireh The God will provide Genesis 22:14

3. Jehovah Nissi The God is my refuge Exodus 7:13-16

4. Jehovah Hoseenu God our maker Psalms 95

5. Jehovah Shammah Jehovah is there Ezekiel 48:35

6. Jehovah Rapha God the Healer Jeremiah 30:17

7. Jehovah Mekadesh The God who sanctifies Hebrews 13:12; Leviticus 20:7,8 8. Jehovah Sabaoth The God of hosts/army Romans 9:29

9. Jehovah Raah The God is my shepherd Psalms 23

10. Jehovah Tsidkenu The God our righteousness Romans 5:8

(IV) FELLOWSHIPS:

As Bible quotes says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward

for their labor- Ecclesiastes 4:9”. Our God is a believer of team and family, more than

individual performances. He needs man to be a good manager of team (family) and He

(God) expects man to solve everyday issues with the help of Holy spirit without harming

others in the family. While creating Hosts of earth (Birds, animal’s fishes and eventually

human), He created in pairs [Genesis 1 & 2]. God creates Adam but He did not stop there.

He created eve and then He personally met them every day.

God will do tr ad e - offs wit h H is f ri e nd s: Yo u r sor rows in to Jo y [Jo h n 16 : 20b], b ea uty f or a shes, O il of J oy f o r mou rn in g, ga rme nts of p ra is e fo r t he spirit of h ea vine ss [Isaia h 6 1: 3].

(a) Friendly fellowship:

Our God Jesus called His disciples and believers as

friends (Fig.39), “I have called you friends, for all things

that I heard from my father, I have made known to you-

John 15:15”. Friends are the character shapers. Next to our

family and teachers, friends spend maximum time

together. Our God Jesus is a good friend of us. As

Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise man will be

wise”. In Bible, individuals who walks with God (Abraham, Enoch, David and Prop.

Samuel, Noah and on) eventually became righteous and entered into the God’s eternal

glory. If a Person-A became a friend of Person-B, then they love to share all good and bad

things together and they spend their quality time together. Friends counsel each other

during adverse times. Similarly, as a young man/girl, if you accept God Jesus as personal

savior, you have to spend quality time (atleast one hour in morning and one hour in

evening) and share all your doubts and pains to Him. He will do trade-offs with His friends:

Your sorrows into Joy [John 16:20b], beauty for ashes, Oil of Joy for mourning, garments

of praise for the spirit of heaviness [Isaiah 61:3]. Moreover, God Jesus can do exceedingly

abundantly above all that we ask or think according to (His will) the power that works in

us (Ephesians 3:23).

In addition to that God used the term “Let us make man in our image

(Genesis 1:26)”. The term “Let Us” shows that God and His team were involved in this

creation. God would have arrived to earth with His son Jesus, Holy spirit and with mighty

angels. Similar to this in another incident, when God met Abraham, before passing

judgement to Sodom and Gomorrah. He met Him with three persons (Genesis 18:2). Our

God respects His team’s feedback and God called Abraham as His friend (2-Chronicles

20:7).

Moreover, during His (Jesus) earthly life, God Jesus selects a team of twelve member

(Luke 6:12-16) to spread gospel. Adding to that, God Jesus trained 70-member team for

preaching Gospel and sent them as two by two (Luke 10:11). All these incidents repeatably

Figu re-39 Bible study f e llowship

remind us that God loves humans to work & worship as team. We will also follow God’s

principles as good team member.

(b) Family Fellowship:

God Jesus has instituted family

(Fig.40) based on a need namely: “It is not

good that man should be alone, I will make

him a helper comparable to him – Genesis

2:18”. God also given a command two times

as family protocols, “Man shall leave his

Father and Mother and he joined to his wife

and they shall become one flesh-Genesis

1:24”. And adding to that, “Your (Girl’s) desire shall be for your husband and He shall rule

over you- Genesis 3:26”. In the above verse, God specifies that Man needs a woman as

helper and He did not promote polygamy. Moreover, God specified that Girls primary

desire is for her husband alone and not to any secondary desire.

God Jesus’s disciples asked the validity of marriage after 4000 years since marriage

was instituted. God answered, “They are no longer two, but one flesh…. whoever divorces

his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another commits adultery and whoever

marries her who is divorced commits adultery-Mathew 19:6,9”. So, in this verse, God

commanded man to manage his family without breaking the covenant. If any fornication

prevails then he can split his family. So, God loves to live in families.

Figu re-40 Fa mil y F ellowship

(C) Significance of Fellowship:

(i) Avoiding bias & Polarized decision making.

In a God’s lovable family, the promised child was delayed and the mistress of family

made an alternate solution. The solution is to permit her slave as wife to her husband,

without God’s permission. Now the slave-turned wife was conceived. Once she gave birth

to a kid, slave girl mocked at her mistress. The friction turned into fight and slave girl was

chased away. But God interfered and sent her back to mistress. This incident repeated

again. God provided a suggestion to the family head (Mr. Abraham), not to resist her wife’s

wish but to allow the slave girl to move out of the camp. “Do not let it be displeasing in

your sight because of the lad…whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to your voice -

Genesis 21:12”. So, God suggested to consider woman’s petition, to have healthy family.

(ii) Turning Heart towards God:

A Young man who follows God’s

direction was popular among Israel crowd. He

was appointed as King designate. But the time for

crowning was delayed. God utilized the waiting

time, for transforming this shepherd boy into

warrior. In addition to that, this young man

manifested his kind heartedness towards (Nabal’s)

shepherds of the country side and protects from enemies (Philistines). One day, he sends

his team for collecting provisions from the shepherds to as a good will. But the land-lord

who owns sheep refuses to help the young man. So, the crowd along with the young man

(Mr. David) prepared to attack the land-lord (Nabal). But the wise lady, Mrs. Abigail

interrupted David’s plan and she offered provision and made peace agreement with Him

(I Samuel 25:20-30). So, David stopped his plan (Fig.41) and he accepted peace offer. Later

the wise lady became his wife. So, God stopped the blood shed by a wise lady. She turned

David’s heart towards God.

Figu re-41 Tur ni ng towar ds God

God u tilize d th e w a iting ti me ( o f Da v id) , fo r tra nsfo r min g th is sh ep h er d bo y int o war rior .. . God stop pe d th e b lo od sh ed by a wis e la dy .

POINTS TO PONDER

1. God’s word is a one stop solution for all problems of 21st century.

2. As tour guide, walks with the pilgrims to show the direction of path, God Jesus

also guides us all through the hills and valleys of life. He is the captain of

salvation.

3. God Jesus plays numerous roles to lead us and they are: Good administrator of

us, wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting father and The prince of

Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He is a reliable resource of all situations, irrespective of any

man-made fringes.

4. God’s word is not a theoretical or philosophical word. It is practical, proven,

tested and applicable word for every situation.

RESOURCES:

Video document of Richard wumbrand’s life history: