EGM TIMES VO L U M E 9 I S S U E 3
M AY - J U N E 2 0 2 1
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IF YOLO RULES, THEN DO I NEED GOD TO BE HAPPY? PAGE - 10
A HURRY FREE LIFE
PAGE - 15
PURPOSE IN THE PAIN PAGE - 19
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CONTENTS
09 10 13 15 19 22
DID YOU KNOW? IF YOLO RULES, THEN DO I NEED GOD TO BE HAPPY? - Jacob Varghese
#OPINION
- George Vilgi Oomen
A HURRY FREE LIFE - Carolyn Arends
PURPOSE IN THE PAIN
All Bible references are from New International Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, King James Version. EGM Times is published by Elohim Gospel Ministries, USA & India. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. EGM Times has no subscription price and is supported through contributions worldwide. Because all EGM Times editions are preplanned, we are unable to accept unsolicited manuscripts. For more information or to subscribe, visit: elohimgospelministries.com President: Evg. Jacob Vilgi Oommen Chief Editor: George Vilgi Oommen Associate Editor: Gideon Pingkihan À¿Å¶¿Å ö²ÅÀÃʃ Ȳ¶ ´¹²¸À Designer: John Ian Udang
- Pastor Joseph Kham
LIFE IN BETWEEN
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- Daya Raja
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MEET OUR WRITERS
Jacob Varghese, India Jacob completed his undergrad in economics and has been involved with church ministry, youth ministry (ICPF UAE) and campus ministry (India Campus Crusade for Christ). In addition to his role at SAFT Apologetics, he also volunteers as Reasonable Faith Chapter Director. He enjoys co-hosting SAFT Podcast and has spoken at numerous settings covering various theological and philosophical topics. He is also impassioned with the vision to make available apologetics resources across languages in India and helps translate Reasonable Faith’s animated videos into Malayalam, a regional language in India.
Carolyn Arends, Canada As a songwriter and author, Carolyn is known for messages, songs, and books that stir the soul and a warm, engaging style that leaves her audiences feeling like they’ve found a new best friend. She has written and released 14 albums and is the author of 3 critically acclaimed books. In addition to her busy touring and speaking schedule, Carolyn has been a regular columnist for Christianity Today and is an adjunct professor at ¶¾º¿²ÃÊʁ ²´ºȱ´ º·¶ Bible College, and Columbia Bible College. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband, Mark, and their children Benjamin and Bethany.
Pr. Joseph Kham, Malaysia Joseph serves as a Youth Pastor at one of Zomi Christian Fellowships in Malaysia. He is a former Professor at Biblical Theological College in Bangalore, India and a former Professor at Full Life Bible College in Yangon, Myanmar. Being a passionate follower of Jesus Christ, he has a heart for serving the people in any situation of their lives. He also believes that every believer is an ambassador for Christ and every sinner can be saved through Jesus only.
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EDITO RIA L
Friends, While preparing for this edition, I read the articles for this edition multiple times. It was both inspiring and timely. Living in a world where the idea of YOLO (You Only Live Once, so do what makes you happy and enjoy the maximum) is gaining traction, Jacob is reminding us that life is of no meaning without God. The last few weeks have been hectic as I was hurried to do many things with a newborn baby in the house. And here come the words of wisdom by Carolyn - about hurrying in life. Then we have Pr. Joseph reminding us to use Covid season as an opportunity to share and care for each other. It is a great time to spread the love of Christ through our words and actions. I hope and believe that this edition of EGM Times will inspire and encourage you as it did to me. As always, we love to hear from you. Our team can be reached at egmtimes@elohimgospelministries.com God bless you. George Vilgi Oommen Chief Editor
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“As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so the denial of God is the height of foolishness.”
Ȇ Ǥ Ǥ
Saft Apologetics envisions to break the language and accessibility barrier and make apologetics resources within easy reach for all communities in India and beyond. Our goal is captured in our title - 'Seeking Answers Finding Truth'. We seek to stir conversations about the most important questions of mankind. These conversations and discussions lead us to the truth. For the fulfillment of the above, we have been working on online and offline platforms. We release podcasts on an alternative week basis and podcast highlights throughout the week. God has helped us to host some of the greatest minds of the apologetics arena like Dr. William Lane Craig, Dr. Frank Turek, etc. You can watch our podcast on YouTube and listen to us on all podcast platforms. We have even spoken at different programs, seminars and been a part of discussion panels. Starting off in one corner of the library in our university, today we have listeners from 6 continents of the world. God and his faithfulness has been constant, as we crossed each milestone of our ministry.
Heaven will be the most diverse place. Apostle John saw this in a vision recorded in Revelation 7:9, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
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If YOLO rules,
then do I need God to be happy? - Jacob Varghese
“Cultural apologetics- An apologetics approach that explores the disastrous consequences for human existence, society, and culture if Christianity should be false.”
Y
ou Only Live Once. Catchy. Yet sticks because the idea seems obvious. This philosophy promotes the notion that life should be ‘enjoyed’ to the fullest extent because once existence is lost, it never returns. Therefore, the advice is, if there’s neither a return nor a second chance, then life should be lived to the hilt. Be happy because you deserve to be happy. Discover the ‘real’ you and be true to yourself. For some, this means exploring their sexuality and gender identity. To others, this means indulging and seeking new pleasures and adventures. However, if YOLO is the philosoÁ¹Ê À· ½º·¶ʁ Ź¶¿ Ź¶ ²·Å¶Ã½º·¶ ºÄ ÀȮ Ź¶ Ų³½¶ ²¿µ ÄÀ is God who is inextricably intertwined with the concept of an afterlife. It then lays bare what philosopher Albert Camus so poignantly stated in The Myth of Sisyphus “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.”
So, what’s the connection between YOLO, God, and Camus? YOLO lays no ground rules. There are no demarcated lines of morality or even societal norms. The only thing that is to be concerned with is YOU- just what YOU feel/think YOU want to do. YOLO didn’t bring about this ´À¿´½ÆĺÀ¿ ²Ä ² öÄƽŠÀ· ¾Æĺ¿¸ ÆÁÀ¿ Ź¶ ò¾ºȱcations highlighted by cultural apologetics. Au contraire, the hip YOLO philosophy of life ends up ignorantly dressing up what Francis Schaeffer, Dostoyevsky, and others addressed- the human predicament. Cultural apologetics- An apologetics approach that explores the disastrous consequences for human existence, society, and culture if Christianity should be false.
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The human predicament is simply this. Of what ĺ¸¿ºȱ´²¿´¶ ºÄ ¹Æ¾²¿ ½º·¶ º· Ź¶Ã¶ ºÄ ¿À Àµʎ ¹ºÄ question has been rephrased by William Lane Craig as the absurdity of life without God. For if God (and by extension, afterlife) doesn’t exist, then there cannot exist meaning, value, and purpose. There is ¿À ĺ¸¿ºȱ´²¿´¶ ÅÀ ÀÆà ½ºÇ¶Äʁ ¿À ú¸¹Å ²¿µ ÈÃÀ¿¸ ²¿µ no end goal to live towards. We exist now and later, we cease to exist.
ÆÅ º· µ¶´ºµ¶ ÅÀ µ¶ÃºÇ¶ ¾¶²¿º¿¸ ·Àà ¾Ê ȷ¶¶Åº¿¸ʉ¾ÀÃŲ½ ½º·¶ ³Ê ¾¶Ã¶½Ê IJǺ¿¸ ²¿ÀŹ¶Ã ȷ¶¶Åing-mortal life from imminent death, but not from the existential annihilation that awaits all, what ĺ¸¿ºȱ´²¿´¶ ºÄ Ź¶Ã¶ º¿ ¾¶Ã¶½Ê µ¶½²Êº¿¸ ²¿¿º¹º½²ÅºÀ¿ that awaits the child? The child, too, like me, µÀ¶Ä¿ʓÅ ¹²Ç¶ ²¿Ê º¿Åú¿Äº´ ĺ¸¿ºȱ´²¿´¶ ÅÀ ¹¶Ã ½º·¶ʇ No act or contribution of mine can give my life meaning because nothing within the universe is here to stay and hence nothing has an intrinsic ĺ¸¿ºȱ´²¿´¶ Ź²Å ´²¿ ³¶ º¾Á²ÃŶµ ÅÀ ¾¶ʋ ½½ ¾¶²¿ing I seem to ascribe is my creation. Hence, the illusion of meaning begins and ends with me. Once we remove God from the picture, any hope of having meaning in this mortal life is completely lost because now there is no eternal transcendent source from which we can derive meaning.
¶Å ¾¶ Æ¿Á²´¼ Ź¶Ä¶ Źö¶ ³Ãº¶ȷÊʇ · ȶ ²Ã¶ doomed towards inexistence just like the animals ²¿µ Ź¶ Æ¿ºÇ¶ÃĶʁ ȹ²Å ĺ¸¿ºȱ´²¿´¶ ºÄ Ź¶Ã¶ ÅÀ ÆÄ ¶ÉºÄź¿¸ ³Ãº¶ȷÊ ¿ÀÈʎ ¹Ê µÀ¶Ä ºÅ ¾²ÅŶà º· ÊÀÆ µ¶´ºµ¶µ ÅÀ ö´¼½¶ÄÄ½Ê ¶¿»ÀÊ ½º·¶ ²Ä ÊÀÆ Ä¶¶¾¶µ ȱÅ and then gulped down poison? You wouldn’t even be around to retrospect your suicidal act! This philosophical problem of suicide troubled Camus. One may object that we can have meaning through our Once meaning is lost, all is lost. If our lives have no ²´ÅÄ À· Ķ½ȷ¶ÄÄ¿¶ÄÄʁ ½ÀǶʁ ¶Å´ʇ ¶¿´¶ º· IJǶ ² ´¹º½µ ĺ¸¿ºȱ´²¿´¶ ²¿µ ²¿¿º¹º½²ÅºÀ¿ ²È²ºÅÄ ÆÄʁ È¹Ê ³ÀŹ¶Ã ·ÃÀ¾ ² ȱöʁ Ź²Å Ķ½ȷ¶ÄÄ ²´Å ¸ºÇ¶Ä ¾Ê ½º·¶ ¾¶²¿º¿¸ʇ deciding what to do/not do? Both Hitler and Mandela end up the same.
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“Many think they can revolutionize life and usher in a new era of happiness by removing God and focusing on merely what the self wants. YOLO is one such outcry.” À È¹Ê ¿ÀÅ ²´Å ÊÀÆà ¶¿ÅºÃ¶ ½º·¶ Ķ½ȱĹ½Ê ²¿µ Áƽ½ the trigger like Hitler did, escaping all judgement? Since our acts have no meaning, they can’t be good/bad. If God too doesn’t exist, then who’s to say what is right and wrong? Eventually, we lose all values. The loss of purpose is now inevitable. Nothing to strive towards except inexistence and no one to guide our life apart from us. What are we living for then? We are, but accidents of nature and this universe is an accident too! There’s no reason that we are here. So, what’s the point after all? Upon closely examining YOLO, we unravel the ugly face of despair masquerading under the façade of individual freedom of self-expression. Realizing the weight of our predicament, ´¹²¶Ȯ¶Ã IJºµʁ ʖ · Àµ ºÄ µ¶²µʁ Ź¶¿ ¾²¿ ºÄ dead, too.” Revealing his melancholy, Jean-Paul Sartre said, “Well, let’s get on with it.” Camus thought he could escape the absurdity of life by weighing our actions and life on the scale of moral values. But alas!
Many think they can revolutionize life and usher in a new era of happiness by removing God and focusing on merely what the self wants. YOLO is one such outcry. But not all ponder upon what it ¾¶²¿Ä ·Àà ÆÄ ÅÀ ¼º½½ Àµʇ ¶²½ºËº¿¸ Ź¶ ò¾ºȱ´²tion of a Godless life, Nietzsche asks, “Are we not plunging continually? .... How shall we, the murderers of all murderers, comfort ourselves?” If God doesn’t exist, then life is hopeless and full of despair, no matter what we say otherwise. May the Holy Spirit guide you to share this beacon of hope: God is not dead. He’s alive and ÊÀÆʓ½½ ȱ¿µ ½²Äź¿¸ ¾¶²¿º¿¸ʁ Dz½Æ¶ʁ ÁÆÃÁÀĶʁ ²¿µ happiness in Him. EGM T IM E S | E LO HIM GOS P E LM IN IST RI E S .C O M
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#OPINION
r u o y s i How JERUSALEM? - George Vilgi Oommen
R
ecently, I saw many of my friends ´¹²¿¸¶ Ź¶ºÃ ²´¶³ÀÀ¼ ÁÃÀȱ½¶ Á¹ÀÅÀÄ to show solidarity with Israel and Jerusalem because of the tense situation. The hashtag #istandwithisrael became popular. Going through all the buzz in my newsfeed reminded me of the questions, what is your Jerusalem? How are you going to reach your Jerusalem? No, I am not talking about Jerusalem, the physical location in Israel (although it has some connection to it).
I happened to be in a decision-making team for a church Pastor last year. As part of the process, we consulted with a regional leader to help us navigate the steps to ȱ¿µ ² ¿¶È ²ÄÅÀÃʇ ÈÀ À· Ź¶ ÂƶÄźÀ¿Ä ¹¶ ²Ä¼¶µ ÄŲʶµ in my heart – What is your Jerusalem? How are you going to reach your Jerusalem? Simply put, he was ²Ä¼º¿¸ ȹ²Å ºÄ Ź¶ Áú¾²ÃÊ ¾ºÄĺÀ¿ ȱ¶½µ À· ÊÀÆà ´¹Æô¹ (he also gave the answer – the immediate surrounding area of the church is it’s Jerusalem)? He explained the concept from the word of God in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." We all are excited to talk and work on reaching the ends of the earth. But we should be equally or more excited about reaching our immediate surroundings with the love of God. How is our relationship with our fellow brothers and sisters in the church? How are we treating our neighbors? The disciples of Jesus started their journey from Jerusalem. Soon they were spread across the world. The covid season taught us that the division between people based on wealth is a real thing. Poverty is rampant across the world. If the children of God focus À¿ ÀÆà ¶ÃÆIJ½¶¾ ȱÃÄÅʁ ȶ ´²¿ ¾²¼¶ ² µºȮ¶Ã¶¿´¶ʇ ¶ÅʓÄ look around and see who is in need in our neighborhood. Let’s look around and help the people who are closer to ÊÀÆʇ ¶Äʁ Ų¼º¿¸ ´²Ã¶ À· ÀÆà ¶ÃÆIJ½¶¾ ¾²¼¶Ä ² ³º¸ µºȮ¶Ã¶¿´¶ ʉ ²¿ ¶Å¶Ã¿²½ µºȮ¶Ã¶¿´¶ʇ
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"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, ’ declares the LORD" ~ Jeremiah 30:17
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A hurry
FREE LIFE - Carolyn Arends
O
“Working fast means operating at the upper limits of your capabilities and capacities”.
ne of the things I enjoy about working with the spiritual formation organization Renovaré is that every member of ÀÆà ľ²½½ ÄŲȮ ²µÀÃ¶Ä ½ºÅ¶Ã²ÅÆö ²¿µ ½²¿¸Æ²¸¶ʇ Å ¾²¼¶Ä our meetings long but entertaining. Our writing process is labored but rewarding. And where other teams might pass around Ä¿²´¼Ä Àà ÀȲ´¶ ÄÆÁÁ½º¶Äʁ ȶ Åòµ¶ ÂÆÀŶÄʇ I love the quotes. Truly. Except for two that get bandied about with relentless frequency. ¹¶ ȱÃÄÅ À¿¶ ºÄ ·ÃÀ¾ ʇ ʇ ¶ÈºÄʇ µÀ¿ʓÅ ³¶½º¶Ç¶ ¸ÀÀµ ÈÀü ºÄ ¶Ç¶Ã done in a hurry. The second quote is from Dallas Willard. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. For a long time, whenever I would hear those anti-hurry quotes, I would feel the muscles in my stomach tighten. “I bet neither Lewis nor Willard found themselves routinely tasked with delivering a truculent toddler to preschool,” I would mutter to ¾ÊĶ½·ʇ Ê ÀȮÄÁú¿¸ ²Ã¶ ÊÀÆ¿¸ ²µÆ½ÅÄʁ ³ÆÅ ´²¿ ǺǺµ½Ê ö¾¶¾³¶Ã the years of scattered cheerios and harried quests to get out the door and into the minivan.
¹²µ ÀŹ¶Ã ¾¶¿Å²½ ö³ÆÅŲ½Ä ÅÀÀʇ ʖ ¹²Å ²³ÀÆÅ ȱöȱ¸¹Å¶ÃÄʎʗ ÈÀƽµ demand of no one in particular. “And do you want an emergency room physician who refuses to hurry?”
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“I’m pretty sure if you asked Lewis, Willard or Wooden for a shining example of an unhurried life, they would point to their mutual friend Jesus.”
ÈÀƽµ ¹²Ç¶ öÄŶµ IJźÄȱ¶µ ȺŹ Ź¶Ä¶ ÁÃÀʉ¹ÆÃÃÊ arguments were it not for something else we are always saying at Renovaré – Pay attention to your resistances. In other words, if something is always getting your goat, your pasture might need tending.
You can probably deduce that the reason I bristle at those anti-hurry quotes is because I tend to be in a rush. I chronically overcommit and tragically underestimate the time a project will take. And a stubborn streak of perfectionism means a deadline must be looming — or perhaps already past due (just ask my ¶µºÅÀÃʰ ʨ ·Àà ¾¶ ÅÀ ·Àô¶ ¾ÊĶ½· ÅÀ ¸¶Å ² ÁÃÀ»¶´Å ÀǶà Ź¶ ȱ¿ºÄ¹ line. These tendencies often leave me saying (or texting), Sorry. Can’t talk now. In a hurry.
ȱ¿²½½Ê ²Ãź´Æ½²Å¶µ ¾Ê ºÃúŲźÀ¿ ȺŹ Ź¶ ²¿Åºʉ¹ÆÃÃÊ ÂÆÀÅ¶Ä º¿ ² ÄŲȮ ¾¶¶Åº¿¸ʇ ʖ À ÊÀÆ ¸ÆÊÄ Ã¶²½½Ê Źº¿¼ ¿À ¸ÀÀµ ÈÀü ¸¶ÅÄ µÀ¿¶ º¿ ² ¹ÆÃÃÊʎʗ ¹ÆȮ¶µʇ ʖ ¾¶²¿ʁ ºÄ Ź¶Ã¶ ²¿ÊŹº¿¸ º¿¹¶Ã¶¿Å½Ê ¶Çº½ about working fast?” Our president Chris grinned. “I’m all for working fast,” he said. “But here’s another quote—Be quick, but don’t hurry. The great basketball coach John Wooden used to tell his athletes that.” And then, in a long, unhurried conversation, my colleagues helped me see that working swiftly and being hurried are not the same thing. Working fast means going as quickly as you can without cutting ´Àÿ¶ÃÄ Àà IJ´Ãºȱ´º¿¸ ¶ºÅ¹¶Ã Ź¶ ÂƲ½ºÅÊ À· Ź¶ ÁÃÀ»¶´Å Àà Ź¶ well-being of the people involved. ÆÃÃʺ¿¸ ¾¶²¿Ä Ź¶ ÀÁÁÀĺŶ ʨ ÃÆĹº¿¸ Ź¶ ÁÃÀ´¶ÄÄʁ IJ´Ãºȱ´º¿¸ quality, and often using people like tools or commodities. Working fast means operating at the upper limits of your capabilities and capacities.
Hurrying is an attempt to exceed those limits or sustain the illusion they don’t exist. It is a ·¶²ÃʉµÃºÇ¶¿ʁ ·Æź½¶ ¶ȮÀÃÅ ÅÀ ÀÆÅÃÆ¿ Ź¶ ¿Àþ²½ passage of time — and it leaves the hurrier unable to attend to the present. Wooden knew that if his basketball players hurried, they’d make stupid plays. I concede that º¿ ¾Ê ÀÈ¿ ½º·¶ʁ ²Ä ¹ÆÃÃÊ º¿Å¶¿Äºȱ¶Äʁ ¾ºÄŲ¼¶Ä increase. Not to mention tension headaches. Àʁ À¿ ·ÆÃŹ¶Ã öȷ¶´ÅºÀ¿ʁ ¸Æ¶ÄÄ ʓµ òŹ¶Ã ¿ÀÅ ¹²Ç¶ ² ¹ÆÃú¶µ ȱöȱ¸¹Å¶Ã Àà Á¹Êĺ´º²¿ʇ ¿µ don’t want to be the sort of parent, spouse, friend or colleague who is in too much of a rush to be available and truly present. My patterns of over commitment and overwhelm are deeply entrenched, so if I’m ever going to learn how to eliminate hurry, I’m going to need some help. I’m pretty sure if you asked Lewis, Willard or Wooden for a shining example of an unhurried life, they would point to their mutual friend Jesus. They might even quote Him: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will ȱ¿µ öÄÅ ·Àà ÊÀÆà ÄÀÆ½Ä ʯ ²ÅŹ¶È ϿϿʃЀІ ʦ ЀЇʰʇ
Seven Other Spirits
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Purpose
in the pain - Pastor Joseph Kham
“The pandemic lockdown, while unexpected, served as a break for many from a constantly busy life and reminded us that we were meant to live a restful life as we enjoy fellowship with Christ.”
“Today, we are able to give lovingly because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”.
D
ºȲ´Æ½Å Ķ²ÄÀ¿Ä À·Å¶¿ ÁöĶ¿Å ÆÄ ÈºÅ¹ º¾ÁÀÃŲ¿Å ½º·¶ ½¶ÄÄÀ¿Äʁ ²¿µ ÁÆÃÁÀĶ ºÄ often born out of great pain. For example, think of Joseph in the Bible and how painful it must have been to be rejected and sold by his brothers and later sent to prison on a false accusation. He later emerges as a deliverer for his family.
¿ ö´¶¿Å ź¾¶Äʁ ȹ¶¿ Ź¶ ÈÀýµ ºÄ Äź½½ ¸Ã²ÁÁ½º¿¸ ȺŹ Ź¶ ¶Ȯ¶´ÅÄ À· Ź¶ pandemic, such as a looming economic crisis and thousands of lives lost, many societies have been left in despair. Fear has become widespread, and doctors and scientists are equally shocked by the happenings. As we get into the second half of the year amidst the pandemic, when everything else seems to have failed, our focus remains on Christ, who is not limited by current circumstances. Our eyes remain ȱɶµ º¿ Ź¶ Àõʁ ȹÀ ºÄ Ź¶ ÄÀÆô¶ À· ÀÆà ¹ÀÁ¶ ²¿µ ÄÅö¿¸Å¹ʇ ¹¶ ·À½½ÀȺ¿¸ ²Ã¶ some lessons from the pandemic:
1-Purpose of creation:
Scripture points out that all things are created for God's glory (Isaiah 43:7), and man was made to live in continuous fellowship with God. Over time, however, the purpose of mankind seemingly was reduced to merely paying bills, and many people became materialistic and consumed by worldly pursuits as a result. It is, therefore, no surprise that many today are stressed out. Before the fall of man, Adam lived in constant communion with God, and thanks be to God, Christ restored us to this position. As believers, when we fellowship with God through spending time in His word, worshipping, or praying, we receive a constant refreshing for our souls. The pandemic lockdown, while unexpected, served as a break for many from a constantly busy life and reminded us that we were meant to live a restful life as we enjoy fellowship with Christ.
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2-Life has a purpose:
During the pandemic, many people lost their lives and a lot of us came face to face with the reality of the fragility of life. However, as believers, we are also reminded that God is our sustainer, our healer and the source of our life. We are also reminded that Christ paid the price for us to enjoy good health, a long life, and even renewal of youth. Hallelu»²¹ʋ ʯ IJº²¹ ЃЁʁ IJ½¾Ä ϿϾЁʂ ϿʉЃʁ IJ½¾Ä ЇϿʁ Ͽ ¶Å¶Ã Ѐʃ ЀϿʉЀЃʰ
3-Maintaining family ties:
The Bible says, “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for ² ½ºÅŽ¶ ¾À¾¶¿Åʁ ƿź½ Ź¶ º¿µº¸¿²ÅºÀ¿ ¹²Ä ºÄ Á²ÄÅʇʗ ʯ IJº²¹ ЀЄʃЀϾʇ öǺÀÆĽÊʁ ¾²¿Ê À· ÆÄ È¶Ã¶ ÄÀ ´²Æ¸¹Å ÆÁ º¿ Ź¶ ¹ÆÄŽ¶ and bustle of life that we hardly made time for our families. The pandemic lockdown, however, gave us the opportunity to slow down, spend more time with our loved ones at home and strengthen our family ties.
4-Coping with life’s tests:
During this challenging time, we are reminded to be patient, and to put our hope in Christ, as we await his second coming. The Scripture says “Be patient therefore, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming…be patient, and stand ȱþʁ ³¶´²ÆĶ Ź¶ ÀõʓÄ ´À¾º¿¸ ºÄ ¿¶²Ãʇʗ ²¿Ê ¶Ç¶¿ÅÄ Å¹²Å ȶ Ķ¶ º¿ Ź¶ ÈÀýµ ÅÀµ²Ê ȶö ÁÃÀÁ¹¶Äº¶µ º¿ Ź¶ º³½¶ ²Ä signs of drawing closer to Christ’s second coming. Scripture records that in the end times, the world will experience great earthquakes, famines, and pandemics (such as COVID). However, scripture also assures us of protection during such times because of God’s unending love for us. We are also reminded that while we are in this world, we are not À· ŹºÄ ÈÀýµ ²¿µ ¸Ã¶²Å¶Ã ºÄ ¹¶ ȹÀ ºÄ º¿Äºµ¶ À· ÆÄ Å¹²¿ ȹÀ ºÄ º¿ Ź¶ ÈÀýµ ʯϿ À¹¿ ЂʃЂʰʇ ¹º½¶ ϿЇ ½ÀÀ¼Ä ½º¼¶ ºÅ ºÄ ³¶ÊÀ¿µ ´À¿ÅÃÀ½ʁ ȶ ÄŲ¿µ ºÄ ÀµʓÄ ÁÃÀ¾ºÄ¶ ʯ IJ½¾Ä ЇϿʰ Ź²Å ȶ ²Ã¶ ¹ºµµ¶¿ ·ÃÀ¾ ²¿Ê µºÄ²ÄŶà Ź²Å ÄÅú¼¶Ä ÀÆà ¿¶º¸¹borhood. Certainly, this too shall pass, and we shall live to testify of God’s goodness.
5-Giving at times of adversity
¹ÃºÄź²¿ºÅÊ ºÄ ² ½º·¶ À· ¸ºÇº¿¸ ²¿µ Ĺ²Ãº¿¸ ʯ ´ÅÄЀʃЂЂʰ ¿ Ź¶ ³ÀÀ¼ À· ´ÅÄʁ ȶ Ķ¶ ³¶½º¶Ç¶ÃÄ º¿ Ź¶ ¶²Ã½Ê ´¹Æô¹ ´À¾º¿¸ together and sharing their possessions with whoever was in need. Today, God has blessed us in such a manner that we can become a blessing to others. Scripture says that when we give, we lend to God, and we shall receive a reward ·ÃÀ¾ Ź¶ Àõʇ ʯ ÃÀÇ¶Ã³Ä ϿЇʃϿЅʰ ÀöÀǶÃʁ Ź¶ º³½¶ ²½ÄÀ ö´ÀÃµÄ Å¹²Å Ź¶ ö½º¸ºÀ¿ Ź²Å ÀÆà Àõ ²´´¶ÁÅÄ ²Ä ÁÆö ºÄ ½ÀÀ¼º¿¸ ²·Å¶Ã ȺµÀÈÄ ²¿µ ÀÃÁ¹²¿Ä ʯ ²¾¶Ä Ͽʃ ЀЅʰʇ öĶ¿Å½Êʁ ȶ ²Ã¶ ¶¿´ÀÆò¸¶µ ÅÀ Ĺ²Ã¶ ȺŹ Ź¶ ½¶ÄÄ ÁúǺ½¶¸¶µʁ ¾Àö ÄÀ ÅÀ ŹÀĶ ²µÇ¶ÃĶ½Ê ²Ȯ¶´Å¶µ ³Ê Ź¶ ¸½À³²½ Á²¿µ¶¾º´ʇ ¹¶ ¸ÀÀµ ¿¶ÈÄ ºÄ ʦ Ź²Å ÊÀÆ µÀ ¿ÀÅ ¿¶¶µ ÅÀ ¹²Ç¶ ² ½ÀÅ ÅÀ ³¶ ² ³½¶ÄÄing to others. Each one of us has something to give. You can give the gift of a smile to a stranger or simply showing kindness and extending grace to those we come across. You can also donate to food banks, give to charity, volunteer your time in a homeless shelter, donate money or check up on neighbors. Today, we are able to give lovingly because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans ЃʃЃʰʇ ¶ ²Ã¶ ²½ÄÀ ö¾º¿µ¶µ À· ÀµʓÄ ¸Ã¶²Å ½ÀǶ ·Àà ÆÄ Å¹²Å ¹¶ ¸²Ç¶ ¹ºÄ ÄÀ¿ ·Àà ÆÄ ÀÆà öµ¶¾ÁźÀ¿ ʯ À¹¿ ЁʃϿЄʰʇ ÅƵº¶Ä ¹²Ç¶ ²½ÄÀ ĹÀÈ¿ Ź²Å ¸ºÇº¿¸ ÁÃÀµÆ´¶Ä ¸Ã¶²Å¶Ã ¹²ÁÁº¿¶ÄÄ ·Àà Ź¶ ¸ºÇ¶Ãʁ ²¿µ ĴúÁÅÆö ´À¿ȱÃ¾Ä Å¹ºÄ ³Ê ö´Àõº¿¸ Ź²Å ºÅ ºÄ ¾Àö ³½¶ÄĶµ ÅÀ ¸ºÇ¶ Ź²¿ ÅÀ ö´¶ºÇ¶ ʯ ´ÅÄ ЀϾʃЁЃʰʇ ²Ê ÊÀÆ ³¶ ³½¶ÄĶµ ²Ä ÊÀÆ ³¶´À¾¶ ² ³½¶Äĺ¿¸ ÅÀ ÀŹ¶ÃÄ º¿ ŹºÄ season.
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How Can we Pray for You ? Request Prayer
LIFE IN BETWEEN
Head to Heart
- Daya Raja
“After feeling stressed for months straight and after losing sleep on countless nights, I have realised that
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I
f you were to tell me what the rhythm of your life is, what would you say? May be look back at the past two weeks and see what you had going on. ? I am not talking about the things that are beyond your control that change the rhythm of our physical life- like a sick family member or children screaming around the house. But am getting at your heart- what was it like?
Does it look like thunder and ruckus or like a pool of still water? Do you experience impatience, pointless wanderings, anger, sleepless nights often? Often times even after following Christ for years, peace is ¿¶Ç¶Ã ² ½ºÇ¶µ ¶ÉÁ¶Ãº¶¿´¶ ·Àà ¾²¿Êʇ IJº²¹ ЀЄʃЁ IJÊÄʁ ‘Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginaźÀ¿Ä ²Ã¶ ´À¿Äƾ¶µ ȺŹ ÊÀÆʂ Ź¶Ê ´À¿ȱµ¶¿Å½Ê ÅÃÆÄÅ º¿ you.’ (TPT) We are promised perfect, absolute, complete peace regardless of the circumstance. Peace that is beyond rationale and that surpasses natural world. This peace is not dependent on anything material you have or could have. It is funny and makes no sense to the human mind but it is the truth and the promise for every Christfollower. After feeling stressed for months straight and after losing sleep on countless nights, I have realised that I ¹²Ç¶ ²³ÄÀ½ÆŶ½Ê ¿À ´À¿ÅÃÀ½ ÀǶà Źº¿¸Ä ´²¿¿ÀÅ º¿ȷƶ¿´¶ʇ I cannot change things, not even a bit by meditating upon it. Unfortunately, that is the condition of all of us. We can’t change things by worrying. We just cannot. But frankly speaking, it is not a bad thing at all. In fact it is a good thing because we know someone who is in control, who is powerful and who is always on the throne. There is no limit to His power and nothing can stop Him when He decides to do something. And the best part is, we get to call Him ‘Father!’ He indeed is our father and He has the best intentions for us. He loves us more than we love ourselves and even our hair falls with His permission. He knows us intimately, completely and loves us with zero conditions.
The problem is with a lot of us, this stays as head knowledge. We know all of this but we end up taking unwanted stress. You know why? Because, we do not trust. It is just too hard to give it over into anyone’s hands, let alone someone we can’t physically see. But that is the only thing that works. Before even we get to trusting, we have to get to the point where we believe in the core of our being that our God, Jesus is real. And He is everything He says He is. He is good, kind, faithful, and full of mercy and grace. He does not lie. He does not make mistakes. He is quick to forgive. And he has the best intentions and plans for us. .
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But as humans we struggle with this. If you are wrestling with trust, like I was for a long time, one way to begin addressing it is by talking to God. Tell him everything. Ask him to show up for you. Ask Him to be a friend. Ask him for his opinion on what you are telling him. Do this constantly and continuously. When you are not able ÅÀ Ų½¼ʁ Àà ȹ¶¿ ÊÀÆ ´²¿ʓÅ ȱ¿µ ÈÀõÄʁ stay silent, but intentionally spend time with Him. And begin reading Bible without any conditions or set ideas on what it could mean. Ask Him to interpret it for you. Read it aloud. Speak it over yourself. Once you do this daily, you will begin noticing how your heart shifts. You Ⱥ½½ Ķ¶ ¹ÀÈ Á¶²´¶ ȱ½½Ä ÊÀÆà ¹¶²ÃÅ irrespective of how your day goes. You will see how your heart becomes ordered and still. You will then begin living by the assurance and conviction that God is always on the throne, He meant every word He said and He is capable of doing everything He said. And He is willing to do everything He said.
Daya Raja, Bangalore Daya thinks it’s absolutely cool to be known by Jesus. She deeply appreciates nature, art and silence. Currently she is pursuing Masters in Development in India. Her dream is to fall in love with Jesus and humanity every day. Daya can be reached at dayaraja95@gmail.com
FINAL WORD Dear friend, Thank you for making it to the end of this edition of EGM Times. We believe that you are challenged and inspired by the words of wisdom and encouragement by our friends in this edition. If you are reading this and have not experienced the love and power of God, we encourage you to embrace ºÄ ½ÀǶ ʦ ÀȮ¶Ã¶µ ²Ä IJ½Ç²ÅºÀ¿ ŹÃÀƸ¹ ¶ÄÆÄ ¹ÃºÄÅʇ · ÊÀÆ ¹²Ç¶ ¶ÉÁ¶Ãº¶¿´¶µ ŹºÄ ½ÀǶ ³¶·Àö ²¿µ ¹²Ç¶ ¸À¿¶ back from it, we urge you to return to His love. There is nothing impossible for God to work in your life. We encourage you to experience this savior in your life. We at EGM Times team would like to hear from you at egmtimes@elohimgospelministries.com. See you in the next edition. God bless you!!! Team EGM Times
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