Connecting with Christ
p.2
Intelligent Faith
p.6
Stillness Counts!
p.7
Hear Him Speak!
p.12
Worth, the Wait!
p.15
Proposed Mission Project : Chattisgarh & Manipur
p.19
Endowment for CTS Publication 2016-2017 p.20
Vol.13/Issue 4 M ay-June 2016
Please note change of Address inside wrapper back page
CONNECTING WITH CHRIST
I
N the world of digital.com we easily get connected with so many things. Be it our bank, work place, home, spouse on the other shore, children in their schools and many more. The greatest man-made achievement 21st century has seen is our accessibility to almost everything around us. On line shopping is very much in vogue. Just google in and type out either your or my name. You will find some information– through social or professional networking. The space shuttle can be tracked in its orbit. Its speed verified. The ascend or descent determined by a remote tracking control system. We are all accustomed to the use of G.P.S fitted at most in our taxis where by its location can be traced at a click. Terrorists and culprits cannot escape too. Their mobile phones locate their hide-outs! We are well-connected either through digital or electronic medium. But this again has given us a false sense of security. Man thinks he is safe and secure in a world of information and technology. The whole gamut of day-to-day work or labour related applications are being handled easily by soft-ware solutions. Amidst all of these technological advancement, how well are we connected to
God? Well, one might even argue that man is no longer in need of God. We see its expressions in our world today. Man is selfsufficient. “Why should we bother about God?” is the shout of disapproval resonating everywhere around us. God Dethroned: With the revival of intellectualism, materialism and cultural revolution, man beg an searching for his own identity. He thought he alone is the master of his destiny. A niche is carved to glorify humankind above everything else. “Glory to man in the highest. For man is the Master of things,” wrote a poet by name Charles Swinburne. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had built on this premise further. The following were his words about God and according to him God was no more. “Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the marketplace, and cried incessantly: "I am looking for God! I am looking for God!" As many of those who did not believe in God were standing together there. Have you lost him, then? said one. Did he lose his way like a child? said another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage or emigrated? Thus they shouted and VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
laughed. The madman sprang into their midst and pierced them with his glances”. Read carefully further his own statements: “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us - for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto." In a moral and religious scenario such as this, the very fact of ourselves pleading passionately men and women to connect to God becomes apparently meaningless! Gradually, yet systematically – the devil captures the gullible minds of those who follow his bidding. Truth Distorted: Let us bear in mind that the very essence of God is nothing but truth. The opposite of this is true of the devil. The devil has a trickery of mixing truth with falsehood and good with evil. Tempting Eve, the devil said: “You will be like gods and will know good and evil” (Gen.3:5). When God presented VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
the created world order to Adam and Eve, it was all perfect and good. God never intended evil for them. It was because of the devil that evil crept in to the world and men are depraved in their minds to know the truth about God. For this reason Paul pleads for those who were entrapped by the devil in this way: “….in the hope that God may grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” ( 2 Tim. 2:25,26). This is a state of mind with the majority, who fall a prey to the devil. The devil through his lying and falsehood, promises to elevate man to the highest order of power and authority. This was his very first sin in the heaven. He equated himself to God. Therefore, he was expelled from his glorious position. Today, having been pushed out of heaven, he wants to field candidates of his own to counter the very tenets of Gods truth . When the truth of God is willfully rejected by men, they invent their own gods. How true this is when idolatry is closely followed by immorality of all sorts. Paul explains what happens to those who suppress the truth of God: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men
who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom.1:18). Man’s Finite Knowledge: However knowledgeable and wise we may appear to be in the eyes of the world, we are still ignorant and unwise in all our thought and conduct before God. All along life’s voyage God had provided spiritual light-houses for safe haven. His plan for our lives are found in such revelations. Working our lives without God’s revelation is akin to steering our vessel amidst ice-bergs. Without a compass or road-map, man has limited knowledge in terms of knowing God. Therefore God says: “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.… (Isa.55:8,9)”. No wonder, it appears to be hard for the contemporary man to connect easily with God. In spite of possessing latest instruments of telecommunication or capturing images of higher resolution far into the space – man is somehow at a loss to get a clearer signal of getting connected to God. 4
Man resorts to two ways when it comes to dealing with God. 1) He may reject God based on his knowledge and experience, 2) He may try to reach out to God through his finite knowledge. On both accounts he fails. Either way he blames God. He would say there is no God, or he may say that God is unknowable. All along, the devil keeps people at bay, not per mitting t h e m s e l ve s connected to God. The Scripture explains how: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God ( 2 Cor.4:3,4).” G. K. Chesterton said: “When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.” How Does God Connect? God connects with us through many ways. The written word explains it clearly thus: 1) Through natural world order and, 2) Through Man’s Conscience (Ps.19:1; Rom.1:19-21). This is referred to as the general revelation. The other one being a more precise and particular revelation which is the incarnation of God through Jesus Christ. In spite of this special VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
revelation, we have problem connecting to the one true God – who had revealed Himself through His Son – our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus made a claim of Himself and said: “I am the Way…”, He was referring to the great “I AM” who was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He boldly claimed: “I and my Father are one.” The road map to getting connected to God is through His inspired, written Word. Here, God reveals the plan of salvation and how sinful humanity which was lost and fallen could be restored back to Him. A Personal God: God is not a programme to be connected with. He is not just a philosophy of life, or a principle to be adhered to mechanically. God is a person, down-to-earth who connects to us in a perfect human fashion. God had placed within our hearts a deep longing to seek after Him. While we seek Him earnestly, He reaches down to us. We may never be able to find God out of mere human efforts or piety. Our prayers even do not work that way! Sadhus and Gurus in India and mystical religious god-men of the east tell us that we can realize God through Yoga or transcendental meditation. The devil is good at impersonation. He is called as the angel of light. VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
Therefore, he provides spiritual experiences of man finding God through certain means. But they are counterfeit manipulations of the devil. Any spiritual experience is not to be taken as coming from God. True encounter with God will enable a believer to fall down on his knees and worship the living God . It is because God is holy and mighty and worthy of our praise. Those who work on their own to know God may not find God through religious rites. Even fasting and praying can be turned into a ritual. Jesus said: “Unless you are born again, you will not enter the Kingdom of God.” Jesus meant that a person must undergo a process of spiritual re-birth. This means an inward transformation - a change of heart. Such a person will be able to commune with the invisible God who becomes visible to us in our hearts. Get Connected Soon: It is sad that the lives of so many Christians are in total disarray and in complete disconnect with God. A man or a woman of God can easily detect the absence of active spiritual network signal. They may be those who preach or even engage in some ministry activities. A lot many of them are religious men who are actively involved in their Churches, engaged in almsgiving and doing many other
good works. Some may even be theological scholars who produce volumes of theological treatise on matters of knowing about God than knowing God personally. I often wonder if our theological institutions are actively engaged in “making Him known” to the students and help them connect to Christ. It is possible that one can be an expert in systematic theology, yet may have poor connectivity with Christ. A Bultmann or Barth, a Calvin or Cranmer may provide some theological insights. Some of them may be purely humanistic and liberal while
others may be evangelical or dogmatic. With all their theological genius they may not be able to ‘connect’ us to God. Jesus said: “I came that you may have life and have to the full.” The abundance of life can be found no where except in Christ Jesus. God calls us to connect with him. “…You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord” (Jer.28:11). Connectivity instantly available!
Intelligent Faith This does not mean that our faith on God depends on our intelligence. Instead, it is faith that leads to the renewal of mind which works intelligently towards God and man. Intelligent faith is more or less same as that of faith that works – instead of ‘work’ that end in frusration and futility. Stretching this thought a bit further, any act of faith which works ourwardly our salvation must also be intelligent. In a sentence, the use of renewed mind in the life of the believer is vital to every other act of faith. Some time ago, I went into a house of a preacher. The preacher’s wife and her friend were engrossed togther in prayer. I did not want to interrupt their prayer. So I waited quite long. Their prayer never seemed Continued on p.14 VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
STILLNESS COUNTS! Be still and know that I am God (Ps.46:10)
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OD has laid certain spiritual prerequisites for us to get connected with him. Whether we like it or not, we are all part of the frenzied crowd that rushes in and out every day. The whole world is trapped under the burden of toiling and laboring with no rest from within or without. We have become part of the rat-race that never seem to stop. How can anyone with such herd mentality find God? In order for a man or woman to be connected to Christ, he or she must remain still. This is a biblical dictum that not many of us adhere to. Strange as it may sound, here lies one of the vital secrets of knowing God. There are not many of us who are good at being quiet and still. The world appreciates outward activity. In work places, ‘proactive’ people are the ones who are generally admired. Silent people may be dubbed as dull and inactive. The fact remains that for any concrete activity to follow, silent introspection is necessary. In this article, I am trying to emphasize and project a biblical truth concerning men and women who had been passively active for God. “How can anyone be active by being silent?” we might naturally ask. The Bible provides answer as to how it can possible. VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
Those who find themselves in “hyper-mode” following their own pursuit and inclination of heart tend to be suffering from a kind of ‘Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.’ “ I need to compete with this! “ “I have an urgent agenda to complete”. “I need to make urgent travel plans” are some phrases we are familiar with. On the other hand, there may not be many who would be able to say: “I want to slow down and be silent for a while.” To my knowledge, those who yield to compulsory slowing down are those who have crossed their seventies. Due to aging or health issue, one may not be as active as a young man of thirty. It is also not uncommon to find those in their seventies trying to be active like younger men. Something in them does not tell them to stop or slow down. “ If you are doing nothing and remain silent, then you are useless”, says the world. Such comments may haunt the older people. Therefore, they invent ways and means to be “productive” which often results counter-productive. How can a follower of Jesus Christ, be it young or old, be productive and useful to God in spite of being passive, quiet and still? Working Faith: Among the ‘elect,’ or, we might say the believing Christian community,
there appears to be an attitudinal lethargy when it comes to matters of faith in action. Faith cannot stand alone. James in his epistle says that Faith either works, or else it is dead . How many believers are living with ‘dead-faith’ today? The devil is not afraid of such believers. It is easy for the devil to draw them in his camp sooner or later. How can anyone have faith in God and go on to live and act contrary to His will? Believing in Christ for our salvation alone is not what the Bible teaches. Faith has such ears to listen to God speaking to us. Often God tells his children of His purpose and will to be carried out in and through their lives. But when we switch over to the ‘mute’ button, we shut our ears to God’s voice. Often we complain that God had never spoken to us. The problem is that we do not want to hear Him. In other words, we do not like God intervening in our lives. Faith in God calls for both passive and active obedience. Passive Obedience: Doing the will of God through our lives involve situations that may appear contrary to our expectation. It may look foolish, risky and unwise. We find in the life of Marythe mother of our Lord, such perfect obedience carried out in simple passivity. There was nothing she was asked to do. It involved waiting patiently for
God to work in and through her. This kind of passive obedience is more painful than venturing out and accomplishing the impossible for God more actively When the angel of the Lord appeared to Mary and announced the news of the birth of the Saviour through her womb, she was dumbfounded. She asked: “I am a virgin and how can this be possible?” When explained by the angel that the virgin birth would be an outcome of the Holy Spirit’s work, she simply yielded and said: “I am the Lord’s servant. Be it so according to His will.” From then on, she could do nothing. God chooses some in that order – and we must possess such spiritual maturity to accept it. We tend to provide directions to the Creator – and hence fail miserably. Imagine, Mary to be a 21st century young lass. She may have quickly consulted her friends through all the available electronic media. “What should I do now?” - Mary of the contemporary world may have asked. Instantly replies would have poured in. “Terminate your pregnancy”- many of her friends would have advised her. Mary did none of these. The Bible says that Mary kept everything in her heart and pondered. Why aren’t characters such as Mary developed in our modern world? Having caught up with a wrong understanding VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
of freedom and independence many women have been trapped into the snare of the devil. God cannot use them because of their pride, arrogance, audacity and self-will. This has become a way of life even to those who have been raised in godly homes. It is a pity that most modern women are found to be wanting in the sight of God and therefore He cannot use them for His glory. In the case of Mary, she stood the risk of stoning to death for possible infidelity. She stood her ground trusting in the sovereignty of God. Her “faith-testing’ process lasted for ten months initially and continued through out her life time. Simeon prophesied about her: “A sword will pierce your soul.” (Luke 2:35). She had to witness, later in life, her own son brutally tortured and crucified to death. Stillness is not weakness, but deeper strength found within one’s soul and spirit. How then, could anyone sing like Mary, saying: “My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46). She was ‘passively active’ and expressed herself in her praise and rejoicing in God. As with God, He knew quite well why He chose Mary to be a vessel of honour in order to bear the Lord of heaven and earth in her womb. Like Mary, when circumstances are bleak and threatening, all that VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
one can do is to be active in the sense that he or she can praise and rejoice in God. Mary took God’s word at its face value. There was no doubt or fear thereafter. If we are to be chosen the way God chose Mary, we must be able to say, “I am the Lord’s servant. May the Lord’s will be done through my life.” Being passively obedient to God in the most unfavourable situations calls for being still in faith and to be able know that God is in control. Stillness In The Life of Joseph: Christians, in general would like to be adventurous in their faith. It is a kind of heroic faith about which we read in Hebrews chapter 11. Active faith apprears outwardly more obvious to others. It receives commendation, invokes excitement and brings inward satisfaction. Imagine, if you are a person with innumerable talents, gifts and resources. It may be that God had provided you with multi-faceted abilities and strengths. Perhaps, there is in you a growing desire to be a ‘management guru’ in or for the Kingdom of God. Unlike your expectations, what if God had lodged you in a dungeon as that of Joseph? He was just passively waiting – against all hope – day after day. Please see how Psalm 105:18 describes him: “They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to
pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.” Delay, waiting, disappointment – the thoughts of such words do not bring cheer to us. But that is what Joseph had to go through. In dark dungeon, for weeks, months and years, he had to languish facing the prison walls. What God promised did not appear to come through. There are not many of us who would have experienced this kind of affliction. Having rejected by his own brothers - with hatred and jealousy, he was sold as a slave. When there was loss of parental love in an alien land, any young lad would have yielded to “youthful lust” or reciprocating to a wrong kind of love. “How can I sin against my God?” was his reply to the tempting woman. He paid heavily for being faithful to God and to His Master. Some of us may be going through such an experience simply because We obeyed God and remained still in Him. Take heart. It is never the end, but a beginning of a victorious Christian living. Painful and hard as it may appear, it will bring its reward in its due course. Stillness As David Understood: In one of the smallest chapters with just three verses, Psalm 131 is impregnated with depths of spiritual meaning. Here, David is confessing to God that he stands as a humble person before Him.(v.1). Further, he states that he simply does not want to
‘entertain great thoughts about him.’ (v.2). Thirdly, he says that he wants to be ‘still’ and quiet before God. (v.3). In the contemporary use of our language, contrary to the psalmist, the following things may be said about us: 1) Chewing more than one can swallow. 2) Trying to be somebody. 3) Getting involved in wasteful issues that are not directly connected to us. 4) Forgetting to be quiet before God. God knows precisely who we are and what our intentions are. However godly or prayerful we may appear to be, He knows the deep intents of our hearts. The parables explain how one can pray boastfully. One can present himself or herself to be selfrighteous while coming before God (Luke 18:9; 10:29). Our motives are important to God. Hypocrisy in spiritual matters will bring our quick down fall. Being pretentious of what we do not possess inwardly is a serious sin. David was simple, straight and did a plain speaking to God. God commended him. He earned commendation from God with a covetous title: “A man after my own heart.” Who among us in these days will covet to have such a commendation from God? At most, we try our best to get people’s attention and applause. Jesus said: “Woe unto you, if people speak well of you.” VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
One of the phrases that David often uses in many of his psalms is: “wait patiently for the Lord.” This was his longing and desire to be still and know God. We need to clearly distinguish the facts between ‘knowing about God’ and ‘knowing God.’ The former is one that is factual and informational while the latter has to do with illumination that is personal and experiential . The experience of illumination comes when a person learns to be still before God. Job In His Stillness: We may not fully agree to the fact that Job remained silent all through his suffering. He kept speaking and even arguing with God in his utmost pain and suffering. But when God confronted Job, he says something similar to what David said in Psalm 131. “I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (Job.42:3). Furthermore, Job answered God: “I am unworthy – how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer – twice, but I will say no more.” (Job 40:4,5). In other words, after much suffering a n d s o r r ow, Jo b learned the secret of being still before God. God chooses some of His precious jewels out of the furnace of affliction. VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
? For Mary, a sword pierced her soul. ? For Joseph an iron pierced his soul. ? For Job, there was nothing left at all to be pierced. He was just ebbing away. With his fragile frame just enough to live for a day, he learnt the secret of being quiet and still before God. How can we be still and silent when things turn against us? When tidal waves roar over us, is it alright be silent? Why does the Bible constantly remind us to be still when painful situations threaten us and everything around us suddenly turn dark and gloomy? We can be passively active. And that is to be still before our God. “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” (Ex.14:14). Stillness is not spiritual dullness. It is wakefulness and watchfulness. It is being alert and being active in our hearts and minds– being in the centre o f G o d ’s will observing the working of God in our lives, our surroundings, our Churches, our society and our nations. God wants to connect in our stillness. Are we being connected to Him in the way the heroes of faith did? J.D
HEAR HIM SPEAK! Speak Lord, for your servant is listening ( I Sam. 3:1-10) If we are honest, not many of us have the grace to let the other person speak to us. We intervene and do most of the talking. Such talks often end in a monologue. Dialogue is when two people mutually enjoy uninterrupted conversation. We have heard people say to us: “I do not hear God speaking to me.” “I have prayed enough and read my Bible sincerely.” “There is no clearcut direction or indication to know that God is speaking to me.” For a mature Christian, the most essential thing he would constantly seek for his spiritual well-being is letting God speak to him almost every moment. If the spiritual communication system remains in-tact either way, then one is connected to Christ in the right sense. If I were to ask you this question: “When did God speak to you lately?” you might struggle to give an answer immediately. But the fact is that God is speaking almost every day, each moment. Even now, if you listen, you will hear him speak! Charles Wesley, the hymn writer knew well what it meant when God spoke, wrote the following verses: He speaks, and listening to His voice, New Life the dead receive, The mournful, broken hearts rejoice, The humble poor believe.
Hear Him, ye deaf, His praise, ye dumb, Your loosened tongues employ; Ye blind, behold your Saviour come, And leap, ye lame for joy!
When God spoke, little Samuel could not recognize God’s voice. In a sense, we seek for ‘material evidence’ whenever God speaks to us. We require tangible proof to ascertain if it is God who really speaks to us. When God spoke to Elijah at mount Horeb, His voice could not be heard through the earthquake or fire. When rocks were shattered by powerful wind, his voice could not be found. No material evidence! Christians have become too naive to believe in ‘sound and fury’ and associate it with the voice of God. More often than not, God works contrary to human thought and calculation. To Job, God spoke out of the storm (Job 38:1) The Bible says that God spoke to Elijah the prophet through a gentle whisper (1 Kgs.19:12). At mount Carmel, God answered Elijah’s prayer through fire. (1 kgs 18). God is omnipotent and He alone has the prerogative to respond the way He determines. At times, it may come through fire or thunder. On the day of Pentecost, it was tongues of fire. When the missionaries were to VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
be designated and sent, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts.13:2). We do not quite know for sure how the Holy Spirit spoke to them. It happened in the context of worship, prayer and fasting. We safely conclude that God can speak to us through times of waiting on him through such spiritual activities. To Paul, God spoke on the road to Damascus with a striking light that made him blind for three days (Acts.9). Moses met God from a burning bush during the heat of th e n o o n d ay (E x. 3 : 1 f ). Thereon, it was series of conversations that Moses had with God. One thing is clear. Take any character, for example, beginning from the Old Te s t a m e n t t o t h e N e w Testament. The God you and I worship is a God who speaks. He communicates to us 24x7. It may be that we stay out of ‘coverage’ and signals from God do not get us connected to Him. The message of the apostles were authentic because of their first hand experience with their Master. “….That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched….” (1 John 1:1). VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
Christian life does not operate on abstract, logical and intellectual frame-work alone. There is, definitely a place for this – wherein our thought and minds do play a vital role. We call this objective approach. That is just one wing. Christians need one more wing for them to soar above. This is when objective tr uth becomes subjective experience in the life of a believer. For most of us, it is the ‘Word’ we emphasize, whenever we refer to God speaking to us. To some others, it the ‘touch of the Lord,’ which may involve an emotional, warm spiritual experience that they speak of God connecting with them. Either way, we need to see it is striking a balance. There is a danger of Christians becoming “all too light” with no heat and “more heat” with no light. The intellectual substance and emotional substance must find a balance. The scriptures are full of such examples. God, while dealing with men and women employs various ways to connect and communicate. This is how the author to the Hebrews tells the way God speaks to us nowadays: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb.1:1).
In other words, the Spirit which proceeds from the Father and the Son, is both indwelling and speaking to us in Jesus’ name. This is mystery, yet very true! Ask any believer who walks in obedience to Christ’s command. He will speak boldly and clearly about the way the Holy Spirit instr ucts, inspires and illuminates. Mostly, the way God speaks is through the inspired Word which is infallible and
sufficient to our faith and conduct in this life. The question is this: Where do we seek God? To our delight and surprise, we would meet Him through the pages of the Holy word. When did you have an encounter with Christ? Or, When was the last time you heard Him speaking to you? J.D
Continued from p.6 to end.
I rang the bell. But they would not hear. But I saw them kneeling down five feet a w a y from me as the door was opened. I waited outside. I pressed the bell second time. To my disamay, after the first person finished praying, the second lady went on to pray. Since I had to deliver an envelope, I had to press the bell again. Then came the preacher’s wife with a frown on her face as if asking: “Why did you disturb our prayer?” Even though I waited outside, I could hear them praying. Their prayer did not attract me. They were made up of phrases and repetitions – mostly utterances that were unintelligent. I remembered what Jesus said in Matthew 6:7: “Do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” I know of some ladies who were thus praying when one of their husbands called up for help from the next room as he suffered a massive heart attack. This man had a history of heart ailment. Not one of them had the intelligent faith to check on him from time to time. Upon finishing their long-lasting prayer, the wife of the man went into see her husband who was dead on his cot. Most of us need to get it right – the lesson about prayer which Jesus taught us!
J.D
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WORTH, THE WAIT! They that wait on the Lord will renew their strength. (sa.40:31)
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E are a generation stricken with a disorder called restlessness. Man had paid a costly price for exchanging his peace for material pursuits. Therefore, he neither finds peace with himself or others. Peace with God is an after thought which is alien to him . His life is filled with frustration of all sorts. He is lonely and lost. There a gnawing pain and a deep sense of guilt that haunt him. He wonders where things have gone wrong. In all of his struggles, God is far removed. The fact that God is approachable and accessible is simply overlooked. The mind is so preoccupied that he can seldom think about God and what He could mean to him. We must not forget the fact that God picks and chooses people. Many of those men and women were those who thought they could run away from God. Throughout the history of the Bible, we find God confronting people who thought they were at a safe distance from God. They were restless and lost from God. But God brought them to a place where their own strength failed. Their self-will failed them. They came to the end of their own resources. That is when men and women learned to meet with God. VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
End of A Beginning: Some things need to be lost before we find God. Self-adequacy is a stumbling block in finding God. We do not wait for a lightning to strike. Beginning with God is not a matter of getting engaged in religious activities. It takes a new relationship to begin with God. Waiting on the Lord is a command found through the Old Testament. In the New Testament waiting on the Lord refers mostly to our expectation of the coming of Christ. Fundamentally, waiting on God relates to our trusting in His goodness and character. David cries: “I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.� (Ps.69:3). We might experience delay to our prayers and when God seems reluctant to answer us, it is our trust in God that makes us wait on God. It is an experience, a new beginning when we turn our attention from us to that of God. We begin to realize that God in unchangeable and can be trusted at all times. This new experience enables us to depend on God and allow ourselves to accept His plan for our lives. It develops our character which is an outcome of our waiting on the Lord. It also produces the virtue of patience.
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry” (Ps.40:1). R e s t f u l n e s s : We a r e touching once again the thought on being still before God. Psalm 23 is self-explanatory. “He makes me lie down” means “He causes me to rest.” Resting in God involves ceasing ourselves from following our own agenda. It requires inner strength to say: “Not my will, but Thine be done.” However fierce and tumultuous our circumstances may be, the moment we surrender our wills to God, we will find rest in Him. We will stop trusting in our strength and self-will. While this a vital truth of the scripture to be followed, many of us fail miserably in the area. W hen there is delay or uncertainty, we quickly move and resort to our own plan. Many of us have missed out the best for our lives just because we have impetuously decided to do our own instead of what God had intended for us. Abraham, unable to bear the pressure yielded to Sarah’s advice. We know of its consequence. Hagar remains a bone of contention until today. Over the centuries, even great and godly men and women have stumbled and failed in crucial matters of obeying God and fulfilling His purposes. Such things happen when inner restfulness is taken over by
external impulse. Waiting patiently on the Lord means translating our weakness into strength (2 Cor.12:9). Our sufferings produce character and hope. The world might view our suffering as punitive. God intends to make it productive. It is possible to recognize easily how grace works in the life of a child of God in the midst of pain or sorrow. Regardless of the perplexities we face in this life, God never leaves us in darkness. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble (Ps.46:1).” “I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.” (Ps.91:15). God’s presence does not provide immunity from s u f f e r i n g . We n e e d t o understand that God has His own way of delivering us in and through our troubles. From Glory To Glory: God commanded Moses to meet with Him at Mount Sinai. Exodus chapter 24, describes how God instructed Moses. 1) Isrealites to remain at the foot of the mountain 2) Aaron, His Sons and 70 Elders to ascend half of the way 3) Moses alone is to approach the Lord. The Lord said to Moses: “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here”(v.12). When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. The glory of t h e L o r d l o o ke d l i ke a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Moses stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I have heard many men and women sought to go for prayer on some mountain. Perhaps, they were reminded about Moses’ experience. Once when I was travelling through the mountains in Manipur (N.E India), I saw a board reading: “Prayer Mountain.” Our Lord was found to be spending time with His Father in Mount Olives. Those of us who live in concrete jungles lose out on this privilege and spiritual luxury. I grew up in a hill town – situated at an altitude of over 7500 feet MSL. In my formative years as a young Christian, I have climbed hillocks and mountains enjoying the nature and quietly communing with the Creator of such beautiful landscapes. Now, I live in one of the hottest towns of Tamil Nadu. Initially, my work involved travelling around mountains and valleys. No wonder, Christian missionaries established retreat centres and even Christian Ashrams on the hills. Mountains and hills denote an entirely different topography and landscape elevated from the plains. If not a mountain elsewhere, each believer must find a VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
mountain at his home – to be apart, to be silent and to wait before the Lord. In a busy city such as Chennai, I was shown by the Manager of a Christian book shop a quiet place- rather a secret dungeon at the basement where tonnes of loads of books are stacked. It was made into a small room with basic facilities. The man said to me: “Whenever I find time, and there are burdens to be unloaded, I carry them downstairs. After spending time with the Lord, I come up refreshed and my burdens lifted.” This is the secret of a Christian waiting before the Lord. We are torn apart by schedules to be kept. There are interruptions of many kinds – mobile or telephone calls, unexpected visitors, change of events, new assignments, unfinished tasks and so on. Where does one find time to wait on God? Though it may appear difficult, this spiritual discipline can be cultivated through determination and practice. The Bible says when Moses came down from the mountain, he was not aware that his face was radiant. When Israelites saw him, they were afraid to come near him.(Ex.34:29). He had to veil his face while speaking to his people (v.33). The apostle Paul referring to
this also reminds that believers will reflect the Lord’s glory, unlike Moses with unveiled faces and will experience transformation into Christ’s likeness – with ever increasing glory (2 Cor.3:18). Let us ask ourselves: How much of quality time do we spend alone with God per day/ week? Unlike Moses, we do not have to drive people away. It is a sad thing when we hear of people who spend hours fasting and praying do not relate to common man. Some of them drive people disappointed and disillusioned. Are we those who attract others not to us but to point to Christ? Jesus drew men and women to Himself. The result of waiting on God must enable us to draw people in the sense that they will be enriched through Christ. G l o r y Ve i l e d : I t i s discouraging that God’s glory is not reaching many of us. In many places we find community based prayer-cells that are cold and exclusively available to certain members. Most Bible study programmes are manmade dogma taught by carnal men. Instead of lifting up spirits it merely informs them. The glory of Christ is not to be found among such groups.
Men and women who began with Christ few decades ago have now grown cold spiritually. An idol called power or position is what they guard with utmost care now. Instead of treasuring love for Christ, they have accumulated many idols during their professional career. True fervor, warmth, passion and genuine commitment they had once possessed are not to be found among such men and wo m e n . D u e t o e a r t h l y considerations, they had to protect some of their worldly interests at the cost of their commitment to Christ. Unfortunately, I see such men and women walking into the Church in their late sixties proclaiming to give their ‘best’ to Christ in their twilight years! They once again b e g i n e xe r c i s i n g c e r t a i n authority and power offered in their committees. Those who neglected worship on the Lord’s day during their robust and youthful days may become ‘worship committee’ leaders now. Those who had never testified for Christ will be leaders of Mission and Evangelism committee. To them, my question is: Where were they in their twenties or thirties? While Christ may not reject our service now, what is offered to Him is only the VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
second best. We have offered the very best to our own, our families and to the world. It is up to us to determine the place we have allotted to Christ in our lives. The thief found favour and salvation with Christ at the last minute. It is never too late with Christ. Even if you have never offered your best to Christ in the years past, begin doing it right now. There is always another chance to life with Christ.
Draw near to Him. Watch and wait. Worship and wonder at His majesty. Wait on to meet with the Lord through Study, meditation and prayer. Wait to gaze at His glory. You will never be put to shame. Waiting on God will make your face radiant! J.D
PROPOSED MISSION PROJECT : CHATTISGARH & MANIPUR
We h a v e r e q u e s t s from Chattisgarh and Manipur once again for conducting training programmes for pastors and evangelists between August and November 2016. Both the states are politically sensitive due to unrest and violence. We have conducted programmes in Chattisgarh thrice before. Four years ago, we provided a sizable amount of money for Augraha Prarthana Bhawan church building in Kanker (Chattisgarh). The terrain is a dangerous one – with Naxals/Maoist terrorist groups holed up in the region. Newspaper reports show us that every now and then CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) are killed in dozens through land-mines planted by Naxals here. Manipur again is a sensitive area with troubles often coming from insurgents. We conducted a programme last November here. Our local contact reports of recent earth quake which killed few people not far from the church we conducted our programme. 1) Manipur: Air ticket cost VOL. 13 ISSUE 4
(single)to and fro Imphal (Manipur) is Rs.20,000/- Sharing of local church’s expenses Rs.10,000/2) Chattisgarh: Minimum Train/Bus Fare/ for 2 persons – Rs10,000/- Local churches’ expenses Rs.10,000/Roughly 30 -50 pastors gather for three days. Boarding for all and lodging for some are taken care of by the local church. We work among very needy Church groups and pastors. It becomes a necessity to share in the local church’s expenses. If God provides required resources, we shall prayerfully plan dates and work on with preparation of teaching materials. If our readers/partners are prompted to be part of this mission, please contact and ask for further details. If you would like to donate for this mission, please send your contributions to:
Disciples For Christ, State Bank Of India, Kellys Branch, Chennai 10. Savings Bank A/c No. 32694836912 IFSC: Sbinoo11736/ Branch Code 11736. Mobile: 980709875/joshbalu@yahoo.com
ENDOWMENT FOR CTS PUBLICATION 2016-2017
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OR over 13 years, we have labored through literature publication. Production of booklets on discipleship, pastors' training manuals, DVDs and gospel tracts have been brought out purely through God's providence. It appears to us as in the case of the prophet Elijah the brook dried up. More than once, this had been our experience . While pastoral concerns and field work contingencies consume much time, producing literature of this sort involves tremendous pressure – allotting time, mental and spiritual exertion. The results are worth the effort as thousands are being blessed each time. Estimated nationwide of CTS readership is above 5000 and world wide readership through digital media is 36,000. It makes us wonder if we have excelled in survival tactics with minimum resources and kept the work going! Each issue of Christian Thought Publication costs us around Rs.15,000/- which includes designing, printing, postage, packing and forwarding. We intend to make an endowment for all six issues beginning from July-August 2016 to July - August 2017, This will enable us to publish each issue of Christian Thought Series without interruption. To realize this, we thought it best to inform our readers to share this burden. For each publication of CTS, Rs.15,000/- may be sponsored either by few individuals or one person. I feel it will not be difficult to find 6 individuals (preferably long time readers of CTS), who will contribute each Rs.15,000/- which will cover one years' publishing cost. If God had blessed you financially, invest your resources for the extension of His Kingdom. This is just a pattern we have evolved. God has the prerogative to change our pattern and provide the way He determines! Kindly pray. We just need to have funds each time! Roughly Rs.90,000/- per year. Rs.15,000/- per issue. We value your prompt response and support to this cause.
Disciples For Christ State Bank Of India, Kellys Branch, Chennai 10. Savings Bank A/c No.32694836912 IFSC sbinoo11736, Branch code 11736. VOL. 13 ISSUE 4