Born into a middleclass Roman Catholic family in India, I’d been to church every Sunday for Mass. At the age of 12, I was admitted into boarding school in Mumbai for the 7th Standard, and went on till I completed age 15 at 10th standard in the year 1995. During these four years I attended Mass daily, sometimes twice a day because I’d blow the horn in the band and was active in altar service and readings. I heard and read the Holy Bible but to me it was nothing more than a history book.
I was a normal boy — good in academics, ranking first in class, sometimes, good in both indoor and outdoor games. Life seemed easy, enjoyable and thrilling. The vacuum for knowledge and wisdom to survive in this world of competition, career and prosperity, was being fed on a daily basis. To support my education, I started working and studying at the age of 15 and by the age of 24 I worked as a mechanical engineer in the Middle East oil industry, all alone, a bachelor, earning, saving and investing, etc. One day, while walking in the desert sand outdoors, I called up my mom in India, and at the end of the call, she said, “Arthur, read the Holy Bible, kneel and pray everyday.”
So, being the usual obedient son, I returned from work the next day, finished with the routine stuff of tea, games and a shower. I got the Holy Bible out of my suitcase, and started reading a book a day, approximately, beginning from Genesis, then knelt and prayed. By the end of two and a half month’s, I reached the end of the book of Revelation.
During that time, I felt that my mind was being flashed with a deep meaning of what I was reading. I didn’t feel this when I read the Holy Bible as a kid during my school days (the maturity required didn’t kick-in back then). But whatever I read now was coming back to my mind during the day, at work, during lunch, while traveling. It was impacting my mind. I felt the Holy Spirit drawing me. He induced a thirst in me for knowledge, but not worldly knowledge, which I was full of. This was divine knowledge.
“Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
This was the turning point in my life. I got saved in a land far away from my home in India. In the midst of the desert, I found my Creator He saved me. There are many who are drawn away into the desert all alone like I was, and have been saved. For example, the meek man Moses. I had found the true purpose of my life on earth. Watch carefully, life is so short when compared to eternity, and there are many who are lost. My friends, our life on earth is very short, as short as vapor lasts.
“For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).
Every passing minute is very important. We can’t afford to waste it. We were created with only one purpose in mind, that is─to be obedient children of God.
The natural man can’t discern this purpose in a natural world. He wants to be a master of himself or/and others, and wants to do that which pleases himself, exalt himself, gain wealth, property, position, enjoy all possible pleasures and run after all that the world offers.
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
I don’t judge or condemn the natural man, he thinks naturally, driven by the sinful nature that he inherited. He is so engrossed with worldly things in this short life that he can’t see the true purpose of life on earth. Being a master of all or/and self is not the purpose of life. The true purpose of life is to be a humble and obedient child of God, to develop a servant’s heart, ever ready to love and serve God and our neighbors.
“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness” (Romans 6:22).
Our God, our Father, who is absolutely holy and righteous wants us to be His obedient children. Obviously, we need to be holy and righteous to please Him and partake in His eternal family. When I become a dad, I want my son to be holy and righteous like Jesus, the same way God our Father wants it, likewise. We need to give up our old selves and work out our holiness.
“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
I agree, we were created weak, my friends, that’s why we’re called “human beings.” But the only reason we were created weak, by God, is so that we will run to Him and our weakness will change to strength by His strength. My friends, today I see so many who don’t want to know God, it is the negative impact of weakness. Our weakness should make us run to God, not away from Him. He is our Father, not our enemy.
“My people are destroyed for lack of (spiritual) knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
Our heavenly Father has given us an example of who — we should be like character-wise, in heart, mind, soul and spirit. This example is His divine Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“And lo a voice [Father God] from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
I see that if I want to be like Jesus in character, I need to focus on Him with faith, I need to trust in Him.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
Peter could walk on water as long as he focused on Jesus, but the moment he shifted his sight to the waves, he was about to sink.
A few years back, I came across a book called, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis. I read it, and found it to be well written. I thought if I was not enlightened and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, imitating Christ would be an external thing. I’m not criticizing the priests who managed the boarding I lived in, but, if you understand what they go through to become a priest, you see that they study this very same book, and many imitate Jesus Christ, some inwardly by the Holy Spirit, while some outwardly without.
My friends, I was asked to become a Roman Catholic priest by the boarding principal at my school at the age of 15. But I said, “I can’t.” I couldn’t commit to something I was not convinced about. Today, my wife says, “Good, you refused.” My point is, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to us, so that we become like Him in character. Logically, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God the Father and God the Son Jesus. If this Holy Spirit, which is the third person in the Godhead, lives within us, we become like Jesus in character, and we will be controlled by Him (Holy Spirit), if we surrender our free will to Him (Holy Spirit).
“The Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17).
The human weakness that I spoke of earlier is common in everyone. Without God’s Holy Spirit all will give into temptations. It’s so simple. I’ll give you a quick insight. If any human being is tempted with alcohol, he will give into the pleasure of drunkenness that comes by it, but if I am being tempted by alcohol, it has no effect. I can’t get tempted because the Holy Spirit is controlling me. He has transformed my focus onto heavenly things from earthly vanities. A natural man or a drunkard won’t understand this explanation of mine, because his mind and heart have been shut by drunkenness. Only with an open mind and heart can this be understood. I’ve tried this, few others have, but many didn’t get the point.
“Even so we, when we were children (natural), were in bondage under the elements of the world” (Galatians 4:3).
My friends, since I was born-again of the Holy Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit guides me into all truth concerning myself and the times.
“When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13).
The Holy Spirit just flashes the truth onto my mind, and when I go ahead to verify, I shockingly find it to be true. This increases my faith.
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Many get confused by this statement — faith comes by hearing by the Word of God, not hearing the Word of God. We need to hear by the Word of God, that’s why Jesus repeats again and again, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Naturally, apart from the deaf, everyone who has fit ears can hear, but what Jesus is talking about is ears that are accustomed to (in tune with) the voice of God, ears which hear with reference to the Word of God.
After I understood the only true purpose of my life on earth, I sought to understand the many things of God, one of which is His fantastic management style. My friends, I understand that God is God, was God and will always be God. The whole creation is supposed to, and is designed to depend on Him and trust only in Him. That’s His position. His position doesn’t change, nor can anyone ever succeed in taking it from Him. We know what happened to Lucifer. It’s a great example for those who take that path, or even foolishly think of taking it. What we see around us, and what we can’t see, God controls everything.
Right now, I’m sure you all see and know that we’re in the end times, and the stage is set for the Antichrist to rule this world. Governments and businesses can hear and see in and outside houses and workplaces, mobiles are bugs for passive tapping of every sound, mobiles are connected to GPS satellites without users knowledge to reveal positions. The Rapture is imminent. Changes on the world stage are happening so fast, it’s like the “fast-forward” button has been activated. The one world everything group is rushing ahead with false eternal hope to control the world. God is allowing them to go ahead. They find no resistance or counter-strategy by God like confusing their languages during Nimrod’s time. He also wanted to rule the world.
I see this, “For where soever the corpse is, there will the vultures be gathered together” (Matthew 24:28).
The corpses are those who have rejected the offer of becoming children of God our Father. The vultures are the adversaries of God and his fallen angels, indwelling the one world everything group. The vultures are busy helping (revealing twisted thoughts of employees to business owners, invoking the minds of employees to plant dreams and thoughts specific to business owners gains, bonding employees to businesses) and getting the corpses together to control them by force, but before the Antichrist stands, we’ll be gone in the Rapture. Seven years down the line, they’ll be wiped out off the face of the earth, into hell, in the Armageddon by our Lord Jesus and His angels.
So you see my friends, if we don’t focus on the only true purpose of our life on earth, we’ll be dumped into hell. I don’t strive after non-Christians who by their pride reject Jesus. It’s a waste of our time because we’re to respect them and their freewill. All I say is that there is an eternal glorious future for all of us who accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and watch for Him 24/7.
Love you all,
Arthur Joachim Rodricks