Truth Alive::April 2015

Volume 5

Issue 4 April 2015

A TRUTH FOUNDATION PUBLICATION

40

T

he resurrection of Christ has always been seen as the central teaching of Christianity. To mention Jesus Christ and his life, death and resurrection is to get to the root of the Christian faith. Philip Rosenbaum writes, “no other sacred writing intersects human history the way the Bible does. For it is the historical fact of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection that separate God’s Word from all others” (How to Enjoy the Boring Parts of the Bible, page 116).

But the New Testament accounts have come under intense scrutiny and attack. The oldest argument advanced against Christ’s resurrection is the intriguing theory that Christ’s body was stolen away. This is a significant claim. The one crowning blow to disprove Christ’s resurrection would have been a public display of his body. A sensational display of the corpse would quickly end any “myth” that was allegedly developing about the resurrection of Jesus.

The Hope of Salvation “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

(1Peter 1:3)

Public exhuming has happened more than once in history; why didn’t the rulers of first-century Judea do that? There was a good reason: Christ had been bodily resurrected. The Gospel account gives an authentic narration of it.

The Bible mentions that the rulers of Jerusalem “gave the soldiers a large sum of money” to circulate the story that Jesus’ disciples stole his body (Matthew 28:13). Any explanation, to be credible, must fit all the facts. The theft story doesn’t. In the first place, if the guards were sleeping, how did they know who had stolen the body? Second, the Jerusalem hierarchy had outsmarted themselves — they had posted a guard to prevent this very sort of thing from happening. The existence of the New Testament church is evidence that something happened in Jerusalem, something no adversary could explain. There is no doubt that these defenses of the resurrection ring true. Learned scholars have laboured hard to nullify the claims advanced against Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

Yet Christianity is more than a series of arguments. It is more than a list of intellectual debating points that can be argued back and forth.

Christianity rests on faith, faith based on a living and ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ, a living Savior!

This is why the disciples came storming out of Jerusalem and so influenced the world with their message (Acts 17:6). The living Christ had changed their lives. He can do the same for you and me.

Sam Vadavana Chief Editor

EDITORIAL BOARD A V JOHN JOJI A MATHEWS DR C V VADAVANA DR ALEXANDER KURIAN DR THOMAS KULANJIYIL DR SUNNY EZHUMATTOOR CHIEF EDITOR SAM VADAVANA

The Significance of Christ Resurrection...4

PUBLISHED BY MARYKUTTY P J

Godly Wisdom.................................................7

MANAGING EDITOR LANITA CHARLES

Celebrating Easter......................................10

OPERATIONS MANAGER BINOY VARGHESE

Religion-Freedom Campaign....................19

PUBLIC RELATIONS ISSAC C VADAVANA

The UNIQUENESS of the BIBLE..............25

Wayne Jackson

John Stanek

Lanita Charles

Jamie Dean

Albert Daniel

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E

ach spring, millions of people around the world acknowledge, in some fashion or another, that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead some twenty centuries ago. Modern society calls it “Easter.”

The origin of this term is uncertain, though it is commonly thought to derive from Eastre, the name of a Teutonic spring goddess. The term

The significance of christ’s resurrection

By Wayne Jackson

“Easter,” in the King James Version of the Bible (Acts 12:4), is a mistranslation. The Greek word is pascha, correctly rendered “Passover” in later translations. In fact, though pascha is found twenty-nine times in the Greek New Testament, it is only rendered “Easter” once, even in the KJV. Christians are not authorized to celebrate Easter as a special annual event acknowledging the resurrection of Christ. Faithful children of God reflect upon the Savior’s resurrection every Sunday (the resurrection day – cf. John April 2015 20:1ff) as they gather to worship God in the 4

regular assembly of the church (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2).

We ought to be glad, however, that multitudes—usually caught up in pursuits wholly materialistic—will take at least some time for reflection upon the event of the Savior’s resurrection. It is entirely appropriate that Christians take advantage of this circumstance; we should be both willing and able to explain to our friends—at least those who have some reverence for Christianity—the significance of the Lord’s resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the foundation of the Christian faith (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:14ff). If there was no resurrection, Christianity is a hoax, and we are wasting our time. But the truth is, the event of Jesus’ resurrection is incontrovertible. Professor Thomas Arnold of Rugby, a world-renowned historian, once said that Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the “best-attested fact in human history” (1939, 2569). This being the case, just what is the significance of Jesus’ resurrection? Think about these matters.

First, the resurrection is one of the major evidences that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Paul affirmed that Christ is “declared to be the Son of God with power . . . by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4).

Second, Jesus’ resurrection represents an assurance that we can have forgiveness from our sins. Paul contended: “[I]f Christ hath not been raised, our faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). The reverse of the apostle’s affirmation would be this: if Jesus was raised, sins will be forgiven when we obey the gospel (Acts 2:38; 22:16). (continued on page 5...)

continued from page 4

Third, the resurrection tells the world that the kingdom of God is ruled by a living sovereign. Jesus Christ—sixty years after his death—appeared to John on the island of Patmos and said: “I am the first and the last, and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore” (Revelation 1:17-18).

Fourth, Jesus’ resurrection proves that physical death is not the termination of human existence. God, who is the giver of life (1 Timothy 6:13), has the power to reanimate the human body. Christ’s triumph over the grave is Heaven’s pledge to us that we too shall be raised.

This is why Jesus is referred to as the “first fruits of them that are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20,23).

Fifth, the Lord’s resurrection previewed the ultimate victory of Christianity over all its enemies. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is depicted as a lamb that had been slain, but was standing again (5:6). This same Lord was “the lion of the tribe of Judah” that had overcome his foes (5:5). Christians too will overcome as a result of the Lamb’s sacrifice and victory over death (cf. Revelation 12:11).

The resurrection of the Son of God should be a constant reminder to us of these wonderful biblical truths. We honor our Master’s victory over death—not once a year, but every week!

Don’ t Forget the Resurrection!

April 2015

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April 2015

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GODLY WISDOM

By John Stanek

W

hat is Godly wisdom? How does it differ from human wisdom?

Well, James 3:17, says that ‘Godly wisdom comes from above ‘….that is, it originates at a much higher plane than human reasoning’. Our Creator in heaven is so much wiser than we are, for He has created everything in our universe.

Then James adds that this wisdom …‘is first of all pure’… because it comes from a God who is perfectly holy. It is pure because it comes from Someone Who has no self interest and is not seeking to gain advantage over us….‘it is impartial and sincere’ … This wisdom is also humble ….‘it is considerate, submissive’…and since it is established by absolute Truth, it is therefore Fact indeed. But while it is comprised of facts it not as concerned with facts as much as it is with the well being of others …‘it is peace loving and considerate’ ….. That is its priority. It is not concerned with facts which are impersonal but with the personal, that is relationship. At its very core is love for peace and the meeting of minds. It is totally impartial, seeking only to reveal the truth of a matter and the best way to proceed. A man with this wisdom will not allow the sun to set on his anger and he will make it a priority to quickly make peace with those he has offended or who have offended him (Eph 4:26). He is wise to follow the mandate to …‘pursue peace’…. (I Peter 3:11) Christian wisdom then, is to know God and His word, understand God and His word as best as we can and then apply it properly to our lives.

Godly wisdom has to do with relationships with both God and man.

A wise Christian realizes that he must put God and others before his own desires if he is to live in peace and harmony with God and man, and experience joy unspeakable. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God are the only source of Godly wisdom for the Christian. They speak to your heart, purify your motives, clarify your purposes (priorities) and give you another way to view your circumstances and the circumstances of others. Godly wisdom demands that we take our eyes off ourselves, so that our judgments are not clouded by pride or favoritism. Only in this way can we judge, counsel and live righteously. The truly wise man is one who displays good character through his conduct; who is morally pure, who seeks to be righteous in all of his dealings and gives God the glory for any wisdom he displays, because he humbly realizes and acknowledges that any wisdom he has is from God. Since his wisdom comes from God, he is not conceited nor does he look down on those needing wisdom in their lives; he tries to bring people to a meeting of the minds (he is an ambassador); he is not divisive, but is reasonable and fair in all of his dealings, thinking and advice (he does not take advantage of people); he sees the wisdom of obedience to God and government and models it; he is quick to overlook people’s faults and realizes the wisdom of April 2015 forgiveness and the (continued on page 8...)

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resolving of issues quickly; he pursues peace with God and men and understands the wisdom of Christ’s words, “ It is better to give than receive, and to do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Therefore, in all things he seeks to be genuine and honest (‘the real thing’) and to be meek like Christ (controlled by the Spirit), humble and unassuming, not a crusher of spirits, and not demanding his rights, because he has no rights since he has been bought for a price by Christ. He realizes most importantly that the Holy Spirit will only reveal to him as much truth as he is willing to practice and no more (for the Spirit knows our thoughts and motives better than we do), so he seeks to surrender himself to the Spirit’s will.

The worldly man’s wisdom, on the other hand, is displayed in carnality and conceit; he loves evil and calls it good; April 2015 he glorifies worldly wisdom even though it 8

produces envy and strife; he is partial, critical and argumentative and has a blind eye to any truth that does not agree with his own version of the truth and since he creates his own truth it contradicts itself, because it is not based on the Truth (Jesus Christ) and therefore is counterfeit; he seeks his own way and is unforgiving of anyone who disagrees with him or offends him. This man displays bad character and is unrighteous in many of his dealings and gives man glory rather than God, denying that God even exists and therefore is disobedient to God’s word, which he sees as having no claim on his life; he is selfish, takes rather than gives, finds fault readily, continually makes excuses for his behavior by blaming others, is constantly resisting government and trying to seize it, believes might is right, and is not honest whenever honesty will thwart his purposes. He takes advantage of people, is prideful, haughty, jealous of others, depends on human reasoning rather than on God’s wisdom, refuses to understand truth, or right from wrong. He is in the final analysis a reprobate, and unprincipled in all his dealings.

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April 2015

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The resurrection of Jesus was celebrated in the spring for centuries in Christendom before the word “Easter” was adopted as a label for this festival in the English language.

Nonetheless, critics claim that the Word “Easter” is derived from the name of a Germanic goddess of spring, Eastre. The English monk, Venerable Bede, who lived in the eighth century, popularized this view. The King James translators certainly did not understand the word “Easter” in this way when they used it to translate the Greek pascha, or Passover . . .

Herod intended to bring him out for public trail after the Passover” ( Acts 12:4!)

Another explanation is that Easter derives from an Old German root, ostern, for dawn or east, which is the time and place of the rising sun.

This makes more sense as a reason why a day commemorating Jesus’ resurrection would have begun to be called “Easter.” Jesus is thought to have risen around dawn or sunrise on a Sunday . . .at dawn on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1, NIV). Since he is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2), it would be quite appropriate to call a day in honor of his resurrection, “Easter” – the dawn of the Rising Sun or Son, Jesus. (The Lord God of the Old Testament is called a “sun” in Psalm 84:11.)

In connection with the word “Easter,” the concept of an Easter sunrise service is also labeled as pagan. Ezekiel 8:16, portrays individuals with their faces toward the east, bowing down to the sun. This practice in Ezekiel is spoken of as idolatry and an abomination in God’s sight. Critics maintain Easter is a replica of this vain worship in ancient Israel.

April 2015

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However, in Ezekiel the individ-uals were forsaking

Celebrating Easter the worship

By Lanita Charles of the true God, as is evidenced by them turning their backs on the temple of the Lord (verse 16). They were purposely worshipping the sun. When Christians attend an Easter sunrise service they worship God and Christ, remembering and rehearsing the meaning of the resurrection. The dawn or rising of the sun has great symbolic value in that it reminds them that Jesus is the Dawn of our salvation, and that he had risen on a Sunday morning along with the sun.

Aside from the fact that Easter Sunday officially ended the long fast of Lent, one of the most distinctive food elements of the Easter celebration is the Easter egg. The egg, an ancient symbol of new life, has been associated with pagan festivals celebrating spring. From a Christian perspective, Easter eggs are said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection. Decorating eggs for Easter is a tradition that dates back to at least the 13th century, according to some sources. One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during the Lenten season, so people would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, and eat them on Easter as a celebration.

In the family and community of all the various Christian denominations, Easter Sunday has (continued on page 11...)

“How will they preach unless they are sent” This is Sathyam Ministries Tripura Mission Station. Many are there to here about Jesus. Pray and support. Contact: 9447126182 , Email: administrator@sathyam.org

“Better Be Risen Too” After 12 years as a church organist, I did the unforgivable: I overslept on Easter morning. The church service was scheduled for 6:30 a.m. At 6:31 the minister called to see if I was on my way, but I was still in bed. Happily, I live near the church, and in ten minutes I was seated at the organ.

The following Easter my phone rang at 5:45 a.m. When I answered, the minister told me gently, “Christ is risen, and you’d better, too.” continued from page 10

always been a day of joyous celebration. In the Middle Ages it was often chosen as the day to crown kings since Easter feasting was, and remains, quite elaborate, especially in the Orthodox tradition. Since the day marked the official end to forty days of the Lenten fast, many special foods were prepared to mark the occasion. Many games were played with Easter eggs prior to or following Easter dinner, such as egg picking, where the player forfeits his or her egg if it cracks during the picking, egg eating contests, and egg rolling contests. There is nothing inherently evil about eggs or rabbits.

When associated with Easter, neither are used in the way pagans may have used them. In fact, eggs are hardly thought of in a religious way at all in modern times. The egg-rolling festivity is merely a secular time of fun for children, and nothing more. We put chocolate bunny rabbits in Easter baskets, but they have no Christian religious association.

Since nature comes alive in the springtime, we shouldn’t be surprised that eggs may have been associated with festivities at this time. God created the egg, and since he is the giver of life, it would not be wrong to think of the egg as a symbol of the blessing of life that God gives to us. We don’t confuse the egg with life. As Christians, we know God created life and that it comes from Him. Even if there once was a pagan “Easter” festival, or if the word itself had some pagan significance, it doesn’t matter. No one takes the phrase “Easter sunrise service” to mean some old pagan rite or thinks that he or she is worshipping the sun. On Easter Sunday, Christians worship Christ. That’s what’s important. After all, Jesus’ resurrection should be a cause of great rejoicing and celebration. It is April 2015 our hope for eternal life.

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MEDITATION FOR THE LENTEN DAYS FROM ASH-WEDNESDAY TO GOOD FRIDAY rd 18th FEBRUARY TO 3 APRIL 2015 (St. John 19:5-6 & St. Luke 23:21) (There are many types of Capital punishments for the Prisoners/Thieves/Criminals and Law Breakers) 1. Gallows: Here the criminal won’t feel the pain and pinch of his death 2. Electricution: Here also the criminal is tied to the chair. Electric current passes through his body and he dies 3. Poisonous Injection: Criminal will be injected by poison and he dies.

4. Chopping: The head by sword in Muslim countries separating head and body.

5. Whipping: Criminal will be whipped by a bar till blood comes out. Martyrs in the Bible 6. Cain : Slew his brother Abel, because of jealousy (Genesis 4:8).

7. Uriah the Hittite murdered and killed in the battle for the lust of King David for Bathsheba.

(2 Samuel 11:3) 8. St. John the Baptist: Beheaded because of his boldness and truth. (St. Matthew14:1-12) 9. Stephen: Stoned to death for his witness for Jesus Christ (Acts 7:55-60) 10. Saul : Beheaded by the sword during the persecution under the Emperor Nero (Acts chapter 9) But What is Cross and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ was on the cross for three hours. The Roman method of executing slaves and foreigners is called CRUCIFIXION. The ‘Crown of thorns’ placed on the head of Jesus the ‘King of the Jews’ (St. Mark 15,17) was the wreath put there by the soldiers as an act of derision rather than cruelty. Torture and death is a demonstration of God’s love and forgiveness. Death was agonizingly slow. He was tortured to death. Cross became the symbol of Christian faith.

CROSS is the centre of Gospel and Easter is the centre of our faith.

11. The Roman soldiers nailed Him on the hands and legs.

12. And they spit upon Him and took the reed and smote Him on the head. (St. Matthew 27:30) 13. Jesus repeated the Scripture: ‘My God My God why hast thou forsaken me? (Psalm 22:1; St. Matthew 27:46) 14. They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall and when He had tasted thereof He would not drink (St. Matthew 27:34) 15. And the soldiers also mocked Him. (St. Luke 23:45) 16. And the servants did strike Him with palms of their hands (St. Mark 14:65) 17. And it was the third hour and they crucified Him. (St. Mark 15:25) 18. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side and came forth blood and water.

Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and me.

April 2015

Rev. Dr. J. Charles Devadas, Presbyter CSI/KCD (Retd) “Jayagnana Nilaya” Kuvempu Nagar, LIG, 45, Third Stage, Mysore – 570023.

Mob. 9900451085 (Advt)

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April 2015

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DYING TESTIMONIES The Child Martyr

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n Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians, a deacon from the church of Caesarea was called to bear cruel torture to force him to deny the Lord who bought him with His precious blood. While he was being tortured he still declared his faith, saying: “There is but one God and one mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus.” His body was almost torn in pieces. The cruel emperor, Galerius, seemed to enjoy looking upon him in his suffering. At length this martyr begged his tormentors to ask any Christian child whether it was better to worship one God, the maker of heaven and earth, and one Savior, who had died for us, and was able to bring us God, or to worship the gods many and the lords many whom the Romans served. There stood near by a Roman mother who had brought with her a little boy, nine years of age, that he might witness the sufferings of this martyr from Caesarea. The question was asked the child. He quickly replied, “God is one and Christ is one with the Father.”

The persecutor was filled with fresh rage and cried out, “O base and wicked Christian, that thou hast taught this child to answer thus.”

Then turning to the boy, he said more mildly, “Child, tell me who taught thee thus to speak?

Where did you learn this faith?”

The boy looked lovingly into his mother’s face and said, “It was God that taught it to my mother, and she taught me that Jesus Christ loved little children, and so I learned to love Him for his first love for me.”

“Let us see what the love of Christ can do for you,” cried the cruel judge, and at a sign from him the April 2015 officers who stood by with their rods, after the 14

fashion of the Romans, quickly seized the boy and made ready to torture him.

“What can the love of Christ do for him now?” asked the judge, as the blood streamed from the tender flesh of the child. “It helps him,” answered the mother, “to bear what his master endured for him when he died for us on the cross.”

Again they smote the child, and every blow seemed to torture the agonized mother as much as the child. As the blows, faster and heavier, were laid upon the bleeding boy, they asked, “What can the love of Christ do for him now?”

Tears fell from heathen eyes as that Roman mother replied, “It teaches him to forgive his tormentors.”

The boy watched his mother’s eye, and no doubt thought of the sufferings of his Lord and Savior, and when his tormentors asked if he would now serve the gods they served, he still answered, “I will not deny Christ. There is no other God but one, and Jesus Christ is the redeemer of the world. He loved me and died for me, and I love him with all my heart.”

The poor child at last fainted between the repeated strokes, and they cast the torn and bleeding body into the mother’s arms, saying, supposing that he was dead, “See what the love of Christ has done for your Christian boy now.”

As the mother pressed him to her heart she answered, “That love would take him from the wrath of man to the peace of heaven, where God shall wipe away all tears!”

But the boy had not yet passed over the river.

Opening his eyes, he said, “Mother, can I have a drop of water from our cool well upon my tongue?” (continued on page 15...)

BEWARE OF WOLFS IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

By Jacob Mathew

He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. --1 John 2:6 Why should Christian imitate Christ? They should do it for their own sake. If they desire to be in a healthy state of soul--- if they would escape the sickness of sin, and enjoy the vigour of growing grace, let Jesus be their model. For their own happiness’ sake if they would drink wine on the lees, well refined; if they would enjoy holy and happy communion with Jesus; if they would be lifted up above the cares and troubles of this world, let them walk even as He walked.

There is nothing which can so assist you to walk towards heaven with good speed, as wearing the images of Jesus on your heart to rule all its motions. It is when by the power of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk with Jesus in His very footsteps, that you are most happy most known to be the sons of God. Next, for religion’s sake, strive to be like Jesus. Ah poor religion, thou hast been sorely shot at by cruel foes, but thou hast not been wounded one-half so dangerously by thy foes as by thy friends. Who made those wounds in the fair hand of Godliness? The professor who used the dagger of hypocrisy. The man who with pretences, enters the fold, being naught but a wolf in sheep’s clothing, worries the flock more than the lion out side. There is no weapon half so deadly as a Judas’s kiss. Inconsistent professors injure the gospel more than the sneering critic or the infidel. But, especially for Christ’s own sake, imitate His example. Christian lovest thou neighbor as yourselves. Is His name precious to thee? Is His cause dear to thee? Wouldst thou see the kingdoms of the world becomes His? Is it thy desire that He should be glorified? Art thou longing that soul should be won to Him? If so, imitate Christ Jesus; be an “epistle of Christ, known and read of all men.”

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As he closed his eyes in death the mother said, “Already, dearest, thou hast tasted of the well that springeth up unto everlasting life. Farewell! thy Savior calls for thee. Happy, happy martyr! for His sake may He grant thy mother grace to follow in thy bright path.”

To the surprise of all, after they thought he had closed his eyes and had breathed his last, he finally raised his eyes and looked to where the elder martyr was, and said in almost a whisper, “There is but one God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.” And with these words upon his parched lips, he passed into God’s presence, “Where is fullness of Joy, and to His right hand, where are pleasures forevermore.”

Are you, my dear reader, a Christian? If not, you can become one now. That same Jesus who bled and died to save that little Roman boy, suffered on the cross for you, and He is ever ready to give you a new heart, so that you will love Him so much that you would be April 2015 willing to die a death of suffering rather than deny Him. 15

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Church in Al-Our village in Egypt. “They stopped in the entrance of the village. Even still they allowed the cars of the attackers to enter the village and attack us and the church without any intervention from them to protect us.”

s Snippet

Causing more Deaths NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Diseases spread through dirty water and poor sanitation are the fifth biggest killer of women worldwide, causing more d e a t h s t h a n A I D S, diabetes or breast cancer, researchers say.

Nearly 800,000 women die every year because they lack access to safe toilets and clean water, said the development organisation Water Aid, which analyzed data from the Seattle-based Institute of Health Metrics research centre.

“This completely unacceptable situation affects women and girls’ education, their health, their dignity and ultimately, in too many cases, results in an early and needless death,” Water Aid CEO Barbara Frost said in a statement. (Yahoo News) Muslim Brotherhood Militants Attack Egyptian Church over Plans to Honor Coptic Christian Martyrs Muslim Brotherhood members attacked a church after the church planned an honor for the 21 Coptic Christians killed by ISIS in Egypt.

“I called the police many times and asked them to come to guard us but they came late and after their arrival they didn’t guard the church,” said Fr. Makar Issa, the priest of the Virgin Mary

Six Christians were injured in the Friday incident, with three suffering severe injuries.

Said Al-Our resident Milad Nageh: “At 8 p.m., a group of armed Muslim young men in six or seven cars from nearby villages stormed our village. Many Muslim fanatic young men joined those who came from the other nearby villages and attacked the [Virgin Mary] church.

“They shot guns at the church and pelted the church with stones and blocks.”

The Christian Post reports the church is in the hometown of 13 of the Coptic Christians who were beheaded by ISIS in February. The church had plans to build a new church that honored the killed Coptic Christians.

“When you are good to others, you are best to yourself .”

- Ben Franklin

“A great man is he who has not lost the heart of a child.”

- Mencius

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Resurrection How divinely full of glory and pleasure shall that hour be when all the millions of mankind that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God shall meet together and stand around Him, with every tongue and every heart full of joy and praise! How astonishing will be the glory and the joy of that day when all the saints shall join together in one common song of gratitude and love, and of everlasting thankfulness to this Redeemer! With that unknown delight and inexpressible satisfaction, shall all that are saved from the ruins of sin and hell address the Lamp that was slain, and rejoice in His presence! - Watts And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. - Philippians 3:9, 10 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. - Daniel 12:2, 3 The resurrection state is the culmination of glorified humanity; is the change of the earthly for the heavenly; is the putting off of the flesh and blood, and the putting on of the spiritual body.

The body of the resurrection is the body with which the spirit is clothed for its celestial life. Foster Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. - I peter 1:3, 4 Happy are we if on the body of the resurrection we can bear the face with which victorious Christians leave the earth. - Duffield For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. - I Corinthians 15:22

Famous Tombs Versus Empty Tomb The pyramids of Egypt are famous because they contain the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian Kings. Westminster Abbey in London is renowned, because in it rest the bodies of English nobles and notables. Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C. is revered, for it is the honored resting place of many outstanding Americans.

There is, however, all the difference in the world between the tomb of Christ and these places which we have just mentioned. They are famous and draw visitors from afar January April 2015 2015 because of what they contain; while the Garden Tomb is famous because it is empty.

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Religion-Freedom Campaign

By Jamie Dean

F

irst Gao continued to offer legal advice in human-rights cases, and to publish a firsthand report on the persecution of Christians in Xianjiang province. He attempted to visit Chen Guangcheng, the blind humanrights activist who exposed forced abortions and endured brutal house arrest. Chen brought headline attention to those injustices when he escaped Chinese incarceration earlier this year and took refuge in the U.S. embassy. Chen and his family now reside in the United States.

Gao also wrote an open letter about the urgency to inform Christians around the world that “… our house church members are suffering persecution under the Chinese regime, and all on account of a willingness to love the Lord ‘with all our heart, mind, and strength’ instead of loving the Chinese Communist Party.”

Government surveillance of Gao grew as his campaigns became more public. Dozens of security agents trailed Gao, his wife, and his young daughter. His case drew so much international attention that members of Congress in 2006 passed a resolution calling on the Chinese government to cease harassing Gao and other activists.

Geng says her husband knew his work was dangerous: “He always said if you represent cases for human rights, you will become the next victim.”

Gao became the next victim on Aug. 15, 2006.

Authorities arrested the activist during a visit with his sister. Gao remained in custody four months. In December 2006, officials tried Gao

(contd...)

and sentenced him to three years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power.”

Officials suspended Gao’s sentence and imposed five years probation (perhaps because of international attention to his case), but the harassment grew worse. In September 2007, Gao disappeared again.

When he emerged 50 days later, he wrote a harrowing account of interrogation and mental torture by secret police, and said agents severely beat his naked body with electrified batons.

By early 2009, Gao believed his family should flee. Sympathetic contacts helped the activist initiate an escape plan. His wife and two children fled China via train rides across the mountainous border.

When they crossed the border, Bob Fu—a former dissident himself, fellow Christian, and founder of the U.S.-based group China Aid—met Geng and her children. In a final cell phone conversation with Gao, Fu says he asked the activist if he was willing to flee too.

“I could sense that he was torn,” said Fu in a recent phone interview. “But he said no. He felt his calling was to stay in China and continue the fight. … It was so hard to hear. But it was his choice.”

Geng and her children arrived in the United States in January 2009. A month later, Gao disappeared. Over the next year, Amnesty International repoApril 2015 rted that Chinese officials denied knowledge of 19

Gao’s detention. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention reported that the Chinese government didn’t respond to petitions regarding Gao’s treatment.

Gao reappeared briefly in March 2010 and granted an interview to The Associated Press.

The news agency reported he was “wearylooking” as he described ]14 months of mental and physical torture by Chinese authorities.

Two weeks later, Gao disappeared again.

Nearly 20 months passed with no word on his status. In December 2011, Chinese authorities announced they were holding Gao in the remote Shaya Prison. They said the attorney violated his parole. He would have to serve three more years.

Back in California, Gao’s wife dabs tears with the short belt of her blue dress as she talks about the ordeal. Geng is grateful for her home in America, but she agonizes over the separation from her husband. She’s slowly learning English, but speaks through a translator. Friends and aid groups have helped with some expenses, but money is tight, and Geng works part-time as a helper to an elderly Taiwanese woman.

Her children have adjusted well: Her daughter enrolled in college, and her son is enjoying elementary school. But Geng struggles with loneliness. She rarely talks with her family in China, since authorities likely listen to their phone calls. And she worries about Gao. It’s impossible to know about his physical and spiritual well-being, but she believes his Christian faith sustains him.

It helps sustain her too. Before arriving in the United States, Geng wasn’t a Christian, and says it troubled her husband: “He would say, ‘I hope you can have the same faith, and our whole family can go to heaven. We can’t leave you behind.’”

After her arrival, Geng read her husband’s articles and letters, April 2015 and began to embrace Christianity. She attends a 20

local church with her son, and finds spiritual unity has brought her closer to her husband, though geographically they remain far separated. During Sunday worship services, she says: “I feel like my whole family is standing before God. It’s the only moment we are all together.”

And though Geng battles fatigue and pressure, she remains determined to speak up for her husband: “They want people to forget about Gao, but I want people to remember him.”

Most Christians in China don’t suffer like Gao. Indeed, experiences vary widely for the country’s Christian population.

Though estimates also vary, OMF International (formerly China Inland Mission) estimates the number of Protestant Christians at 70 million.

That’s a small percentage in a country of 1.3 billion people, but Christianity has exploded over the last three decades. OMF reports Protestant Christians in China numbered around 1 million in 1949.

Most churches belong to a burgeoning housechurch movement: Leaders reject government requirements to register their churches, since oversight can extend to control of church leadership, teaching, and finances. Other churches belong to the government-monitored Three-Self Patriotic Movement.

For both groups, freedoms vary depending on location. Some report few problems, but all must be careful: Chinese law prohibits most evangelism, and regulates Christian publishing.

(Chinese law regulates religious practices of other groups as well, and persecution extends to other religious minorities.)

The Midland, Texas-based group China Aid reports Christian persecution in China worsened significantly over the last 18 months. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports that Chinese attempts to suppress house-church growth are “systematic and intense.” Suppression includes church raids, arrests, and arbitrary detentions. (to be contd...)

’s P n e m Wo

ctiv e p s r e

e

Empowered with the resurrection

A

s Jesus moved throughout the country, teaching and talking about God, he was accompanied by a group of women.

Mary Magdalene was the main woman in this group. She was with him during that fateful Passover week in Jerusalem, and stood by him during the blasphemy of the crucifixion. She was the first witness of the Resurrection, and first Apostle to spread news of that event to other disciples, including Peter and John.

Mary hailed from Magdala, a thriving center of the fishing industry, producing smoked fish in large quantities. It was also known as a manufacturing center for fine wool and woolen dyes. Many Greeks lived in Magdala, and the town had a worldly Hellenistic culture. Remains of the ancient town still exist, about two kilometers from the modern village of Migdel Nunya.

Mary’s Illness The Scripture records Mary as having a serious illness. At the time, people believed that some illnesses like schizophrenia or epilepsy were caused by evil spirits, which entered the body and controlled it. Mary is described in the gospels as having seven of these demons living inside her body, the number seven being an indication of the severity of her illness. At some point in her life Mary met an itinerant miracle worker called Jesus, and the power of his personality and teachings bowled her over. He cured her of her illness, and she became a whole-hearted supporter of this man and his mission. When the worst happened, Mary was there. She had been close to him during his life, and she would be close to him when he faced death. Mary stood as near to the cross as she could, watching every dreadful action.

When Jesus was finally silent and dead at last, they took him down from the cross. Then Mary faced the task of preparing the body for burial.

This entailed washing the body, wiping it with a mixture of spices and then wrapping it in linen strips. According to Jewish law, ointments and spices could not be bought or sold on the Sabbath. The women did not have the necessary burial spices. So they waited until the Sabbath was over, bought the spices, and went to the tomb at the earliest opportunity; but there was no one there. The soldiers were nowhere in sight, and the place seemed deserted. Jesus’ body was gone.

‘Mary!’ She recognised the voice. It was Jesus.

She made as if to touch him, Jesus said, “Don’t hold on to me. . . instead go to my brothers and tell them.” She ran back to the house where the men were hidden — He’s alive, she said. He’s alive.

At this moment Mary had a profound revelation where she ‘saw’ and ‘heard’ Jesus. She understood in a way that is not easily explained that Jesus April 2015 was no longer dead, but (continued on page 22...)

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Who Moved The Stone?

Some years ago, a lawyer by the name of Frank Morison wrote a book with the title Who Moved The Stone? He set out with the purpose of disproving the resurrection, of proving that Christ did not really rise from the grave. But the book turned out to be entirely different. It is a searching study of the scriptural story of Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection. He makes the unquestionable point that the resurrection is a historical fact. Lawyer-like, he disposes, one after another, of the dozens of theories invented to account for the removal of the body from the tomb.

For example, that the gardener took away Christ’s body so that Joseph of Arimathea did it, because he regretted giving his grave to an acknowledged criminal, that Jesus recovered from a death-like faint on the cross and pushed the stone away Himself.

Answers by a students who got 0% marks: Q 1. In which battle did Tipu Sultan died?

Ans: In his last battle.

Q 2. Where was the Declaration of Independence signes?

Ans: At the bottom of the page.

Q 3. What is the main reason for divorce?

Ans: Marriage.

Q 4. Ganga flows in which state?

Ans: Liquid state Q 5. When was Mahatma Gandhi born?

Ans: On his birthday.

Q 6. How will you distribute 8 mangoes among 6 people?

Ans: By preparing mango shake.

continued from page 21

alive. She experienced what the gospels call an ‘angel’, a message from God that gave her an unshakeable conviction that Jesus lived. Mary saw and heard Jesus. She was the first witness of the Resurrection. Mary excitedly rushes to inform all of what she experienced at the tomb.

In all four of the New Testament gospels, women are the first to experience the resurrected Jesus. Mary, mother of Jesus, knew at his birth that generations would call her blessed. She was present throughout his crucifixion. Mary Magdalene’s story from the Gospel of John is especially powerful: She talked with the risen Jesus as the rabbi who knew her personally.

The message of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is one that women can tell with all confidence and April 2015 joy because of Mary Magdalene and the other 22

women who were there with Jesus every step of the way. God included women from the very beginning when he made them in his image. He calls all people into loving, accountable relationship. Whether male or female, believers love God for loving humankind and creation unconditionally.

Jesus valued women in his ministry. Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus after he was resurrected. It was this point in the history of women, that they became teachers and leaders in the church. Women can experience the freedom, joy and relationship because of their identity in Jesus. Despite the struggles faced by women in the church throughout the centuries, we can rest assured that the risen Jesus extended grace and hope to women, first. We need to reach out the way Jesus did, to all marginalized people — to treat one another with dignity, respect and equality. (Compiled).

April 2015

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April 2015

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The UNIQUENESS of the BIBLE

By Albert Daniel

Ø The Bible is the Word of God Ø The Bible is Jesus in print Ø The Bible is the word of truth Ø Bible is the light to the path of the truth Ø Bible is the foundation of knowledge

2 Tim 3:15-17 Rev 19:13 John 17:17 Psalm 119:105 Psalm 119:160

1.The knowledge of creation 2. The knowledge of the Creator 3. The knowledge of the law 4. The knowledge of good conscience 5. The knowledge of spiritual world 6. The knowledge of eternal life Ø The oldest books of the Bible date to 2000 BC Ø The Bible is the best counsellor and guide for life Ø Bible reveals human history and the mystery of God to those who sincerely search for the truth Ø The Bible is God’s instruction book for mankind on how to understand God’s plan and purpose for His creation Ø The Bible is the only book of world history of past present and future Ø The Bible is the most read book Ø The Bible is book that is most argued about Ø The Bible is the most translated book in the world Ø The Bible is a ‘consistent’ book The Bible is the only book written over a span of 2000 years, by almost 40 authors who lived in different periods of time in different places but about the same God in a consistent manner Unfortunately, very few people, even Christian theologians, understand and believe the Bible fully Ø Bible’s spiritual mysteries are revealed to those who search true living John 14:17 Mark 4:11 God sincerely Ø Jesus used parable stories to interpret secret spiritual code of the Bible. Matt 13:13 This method of teaching was unique Ø God must guide a true believer through His Spirit (The Holy Spirit) John 16:13 Ø The Spiritual knowledge is hidden to natural man and carnal Christians 1 Cor 2:9-16 Ø Therefore, Bible interpretation of the philosopher without God will fail James 3:15-17 Matt 15:8-9 to understand the truth April 2015 Ø God interprets what the Bible means through His chosen servants 2 Peter 1:20 Ø His hidden mysteries are revealed to His saints Col 1:26 25

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