Truth Alive:: May 2015

Volume 5

Issue 5

May 2015

40

A TRUTH FOUNDATION PUBLICATION

Nepal Earthquake: Death toll exceeds 7000

People carry the body of a victim from a damaged house after the earthquake, Nepal

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s the world grieves over the many people who have lost their lives and many hopes shattered seeing the humanitarian crisis and the tolls of deceased rising by the day, our heartfelt prayers goes out to Nepal and all the other affected regions.

None would have expected what awaited them , when suddenly they felt the shaking and the breaking of things around them which increased to a magnitude that people rushed out of their homes to open spaces and they have been their ever since the fateful day the earthquake hit Nepal th on the 25 April 2015. A day many will not forget.

Shattered Dreams in Nepal “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

(Revelation 21:4)

In this time of great distress and many unanswered questions in the hearts of people from Nepal, all that we can say is, there is still hope for the hope deferred , there is joy for the ones who mourn , there is a way and life ahead of those many who have to pick up pieces of their lives and build everything new again. It is through prayers, prayers that help will reach all those who needs, prayers for the ones waiting to be rescued and prayers for families to find their loved ones lost in the rubble. Prayer is the only answer.

The 2001 earthquake which shook Gujarat was so devastating, that we at Sathyam went to Gujarat with relief aids, giving out packages of food and medical supplies to the affected people. After this Sathyam took up the challenge of setting up a mission school in Gujarat , and today the school with many children is functioning efficiently with the help of our dedicated team of people. Sometimes a natural disaster brings people together regardless of race or colour or ethnicity or creed, but only because we are human, and that is what is important.

The number of crisis around the globe is increasing by the minute and specially for Christians.We hear the news of Christians persecuted all over the world , such as in Libya. This is the time where we Christians should be in vigil at all times as the Bible says” Pray without ceasing”. It is time to acknowledge that the days at hand very much looks like the time persecution will increase and we need to take our stand at the watch tower, and not to let our guards down at any cost.

A day will soon come when we as a body of Christ will live together and see that every word spoken from the Bible will come to pass.” Heaven and Earth will pass away but His words will not pass away”.

Dr. C.V. Vadavana

BOARD OF TRUSTEES A.V. JOHN JOJI A. MATHEWS SAM C. VADAVANA DR C.V. VADAVANA EDITORIAL BOARD DR THOMAS KULANJIYIL DR SUNNY EZHUMATTOOR CHIEF EDITOR SAM VADAVANA PUBLISHED BY MARYKUTTY P J MANAGING EDITOR ISSAC C VADAVANA

“God Says ‘No’ to Prayer to Protect His Children”.........................................................4 Dr. Billy Graham The Mind of Christ.........................................5 John Stanek

Behind Natural Disasters!!!.........................8 Annie George

Bible Translators Develop Indian Languages......................................................11

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Dr. Babu K. Verghese

Religion-Freedom Campaign....................19 Jamie Dean

ATTRIBUTES of GOD................................25 Albert Daniel

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n one of his recently syndicated "My Answer" question-and-answer columns, world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham was asked why God sometimes says "no" to certain prayer requests.

The 96-year-old Graham, the founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, compared God and His denial of certain prayer requests to a parent who says 'no' when their

“ god says ‘no’ to prayer to protect his children ” Dr. Billy Graham

kids ask if they are allowed to do something that is unsafe.

Graham further explained that God is much like a protective mother or father and wants to keep His children away from harm. Although a person might not see the consequences of His desires while praying, God is all-knowing when it comes to what is best for His children, Graham stated.

"In a much greater way, God loves us and knows what is best for us — far more than we do. And because He wants to keep us from harm, He sometimes says 'no,'" Graham asserted. "As I look back over my life, I know God sometimes said 'no' to things I asked him to do, and to be honest, I often was disappointed. … But later I realized God knew what He was doing, and by saying 'no,' He had kept me from harm."

"But sometimes God answers our prayer with a definite no, and when that's the case we shouldn't keep begging him or demanding He give us a yes," Graham stated. "How can you know if God has said no to your prayer? Begin by asking yourself why you've prayed this prayer. Are you honestly seeking God's will in this situation, or are you only concerned about yourself and what will please you?"

“He has promised only to answer those that are in line with His will. The Bible says, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us' (1 John 5:14)."

"Let me assure you that God does love us, and precisely because He loves us, He sometimes says 'no' to what we request in our prayers," Graham wrote. "Let me explain it this way.

Elsewhere in your letter, you mention that you and your husband have two children. Do you give them everything they ask for? Or if they want to do something you know is dangerous, do you let them do it anyway?"

Graham also wrote that prayer is "one of our greatest privileges," but that doesn't mean that it opens the door for God to fulfill everyone's earthly requests.

"No, of course not, and the reason is because you love them and don't want anything bad to happen to them," Graham continued. "Part of your responsibility as a parent is to protect your children from May 2015 harm even if it sometimes means saying 'no.'"

"Prayer is one of our greatest privileges, and it's possible because Jesus Christ has opened heaven's door for us through His death and resurrection. But prayer isn't just asking God to do anything we want," Graham argued. "Begin by committing your life to Christ. Then make it your goal to seek His will in your prayers.”

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THE MIND OF CHRIST

By John Stanek

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he Apostle Paul always points us to Jesus and encourages us to be like Him (Romans 8:29). Why?

Because Jesus in the worst experience of His life here on earth, went to the cross with joy (Hebrews 12:2). How was he able to do that?

Well, if you remember, that when He was in the garden of Gethsemane he did not want to go to the cross. In fact, He was so anxious about it that He sweat large drops of blood in anguish over it. But then after much prayer He was ready to go, because He finally came to that point of total surrender to the Father’s will and said, “ …never the less let not my, but your will be done.” He was now at peace with the Father and now did not only have the courage to go to the cross, but went with joy, knowing that His sacrifice for you and me would pay the price for our sins. He took His eyes off His own pressing problems and placed where they should be, on God the Father and that brought Him a peace that surpasses all human understanding. So, this is why Paul encourages us to think like the Son so, we can be at peace with all our circumstances and with God and men. And Paul accomplished what he preached.

We are all born very self centered and this causes us much unhappiness, because everyone else is born the same way and are struggling to get their own way and therefore there is a lot of stress all around us that affects us and unless we begin to think like Jesus that stress and unhappiness will rule our thoughts. Paul learned early on in his Christian walk to have the attitude that Jesus had and if you read his letters to the church you will see he is thankful in every situation he finds himself in, because he believed that God is fully in control of all things and therefore if anything befell him, he realized

that it was for his good or the good of others and not for his evil. He, like Jesus, surrendered his will and his wants totally to God and became joyful because of it. He never felt deprived of anything. On the contrary, he felt blessed by all that happened to him, (like beatings, imprisonments, etc.)

Now, it is very understandable when children pout over things that stand against what they want, because they are immature, but if we are adults, then we should be ashamed to act like that, especially after all the blessings God has poured on us over the years and especially after what Jesus did for us on the cross.

So, how can we get to that place in our hearts where we have peace with God and joyful living too? Well, Colossians 3:1 says, “ set your mind on things above and not on the things of earth.”

So, Paul is telling us here to think about the eternal significance of things, not on these short term problems here on earth. In Philippians 4:6 he says, “ Do not be anxious in anything, but with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”. We see here that we must not be anxious because, how can we really pray to God effectively if our minds are being plagued with anxious thoughts? And if we pray with thanksgiving we are naturally inclined to be positive and believe God will answer our prayers and that will increase our hope too. In I Thessalonians 5:18 Paul says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. While you may not think the May 2015 circumstance you are in is (continued on page 6...)

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a good one, if you believe that God is sovereign, then the circumstance is a good one for you and only you can make it bad for you. O, the problems and the grief men have poured out on themselves, because they did not trust God in their situations!

Did you realize that when you complain about your circumstances, you are complaining against God and basically saying that He is either incompetent, uncaring or evil for allowing that circumstance to happen to you?

This is a gross sin against God. It is either rebellion against God or a total misunderstanding of God’s love. God’s love is not such that He would allow you to have your way in all things to your detriment, but is similar to a parent’s love for his or her child that will not allow the child to eat all the candy they want instead of a good healthy meal, or play around the street unattended, etc.

Isaiah the prophet says in Ch. 26:3 “You (God), will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is focused on you, because he trusts in You.” Whenever your mind is focused on the things of God, you do not tend to sin nor worry, and therefore you are at peace with Him and man. If you do not have peace, perhaps it is because you have violated this principle. Perhaps your mind is on all the things of this world instead or eternal things. So, don’t blame God for your problems, the root May 2015 of your problems lies at your own door step.

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If you think Paul is radical in his beliefs, just listen to the Apostle James in Ch. 1:2, “Count it all joy my brethren, when you fall into different temptations or trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, and let patience have its perfect work in you, that you may be perfect (mature) lacking nothing.”

The good news about these trials is that we do not have to go through them alone. There are friends who will come to comfort you, but best of all Jesus is always there for you, because regardless of what you may think, he cares for you. He died for you. Doesn’t that prove it? So, don’t let the devil steal your joy or your peace of mind. Be aware of him, because he is always at work to undermine your faith in God. Learn to thank God in every circumstance you find yourself and trust Him and His Word instead of your feelings, the opinions of others or human reasoning, because they cloud your thinking and are not reliable sources of truth.

Since many times they are emotionally charged they deceive you and keep you from receiving God’s peace, joy and blessings.

God really loves it when you come to Him humbly with your requests and pray believing that He is a good and loving God. He will answer your prayers quickly if you surrender to and trust His will for your life. The choice is yours. You can live a miserable life following your own selfish desires or you can live an abundant and joyful life following Him.

JOIN US IN BRINGING HOPE TO PEOPLE IN NEED IN NEPAL! It was shocking to hear about the powerful 7.8 earthquake which happened in Nepal last day. The nation's worst quake in 80 years! More than 7000 people have been reported dead and is still counting and tens and thousands hurt due to the quake. Churches, hospitals and many of our believers were reported dead or missing. Reports say death toll will go above 10,000.

It is one of our core missions of our organisation to extend our support and help to those places where it is needed, especially where disasters take place. We also have our partner churches and pastors in Katmandu, Nepal who are affected and is in need of great help. We were one of the first relief groups to reach the place of massive quake in Gujarat in 2001 and later in different places in and near India.

We, from Sathyam Ministries, are preparing our urgent relief team under the leadership of Issac Vadavana to go to Nepal with relief. We have already formed the relief work team in partnership with the Beth-Shalom Church, Putalisadak in Katmandu. If you could be of any help or support, please do get in touch with us. It could be a great blessing to the thousands of people suffering after the massive earthquake. Please do remember us in your prayers!

Funding will first help provide to Wheelchairs, food packets, medicines, tents, clothing and other urgent necessities. Later, money will be used to support longer-term recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas. Contact: 9447126182, Email: administrator@sathyam.org Yours for those in Nepal, (Dr. C.V. Vadavana, Chairman)

CALL MIRACLE BIBLE TOWER MOB:09845602481, 9480024040 Address.

J. Vincent Johnson miracle bible tower. chigarapura village, Kammasandra Post.

K.G.F 563121. e.mail:miraculousvictory1@gmail.com website: miraclebibletower.org

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Is the world turning

Behind Natural Disasters!!!

to an end? Is God pouring out his anger upon sinners? Does the Bible give a solution to why the world in such a trouble if God is really in control? How could a God of love let masses of people die from killer earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, hurricanes and diseases? These are the questions I am wondering like most people.

I believe, God is not in the business of causing natural disasters and calamities. On the contrary, He is the giver of life. Many people do not believe in a real devil, but the Bible is very clear on this point. Satan exists, and he is the destroyer. Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” The Old Testament story of Job is a classic example of how God sometimes allows Satan to bring calamities. Job lost his cattle, his crops, and his family to vicious attacks, a killer hurricane, and firestorm.

God has given His Ten Commandments as eternal rules for living, for determining what is right and wrong. He offers to write these laws in our hearts and minds. Many, however, choose to neglect His offer of a new life and choose to live outside God’s will. By doing so, they support Satan’s claim against God. The Bible says that this situation will only get worse as time goes on. As men and women remove themselves from God’s protection, they are subject to Satan’s destroying hatred.

Speaking of those who choose to follow Satan, God says, “I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured.

And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ “(Deuteronomy 31:17, NKJV).

This is the message that we may learn from calamities and natural May 2015 disasters. They can lead us to seek the Lord.

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Annie George When disasters happen, the real point is that they could happen to any of us at any time. It is only because God is love that one heartbeat follows another.

He gives life and love to all.

Every day, billions of people wake up to fresh air, warm sunshine, delicious food, and comfortable homes - because God is love, and He showers His blessings on the earth. We have no individual claim on life.. We must acknowledge that we live in a world that is subject to death from a variety of sources. We need to remember, as Jesus said, that unless we repent we shall all likewise perish. Calamities serve to remind us of the fact that apart from the salvation that Jesus offers, there is no hope for the human race. We can expect more and more destruction as we come closer to the time of His return to earth.

“Now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11, NKJV).

The calamities and catastrophes that engulf our world serve as reminders that this world of sin, pain, hate, fear, and tragedy will not last forever.

Jesus has promised that He will return to Earth to save us from our world that is shattering. God has promised to make a complete renewal and that sin will never rise up again (ref Nahum 1:9).

God will live with His people, and there will be an end to death, crying, and pain.

Winner Versus Loser 1. A winner says, “Let’s find out;” a loser says, “Nobody knows.”

2. When a winner makes a mistake, he says, “I was wrong.” When a loser makes a mistake, he says, “It wasn’t my fault.”

3. A winner goes through a problem; a loser goes around it, and never gets past it.

4. A winner makes makes commitments; a loser makes promises.

5. A winner says, “I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be.” A loser says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people are.”

6. A winner tries to learn from those who are superior to him. A loser tries to tear down those who are superior to him.

7. A winner says, “There ought to be a better way to do it.” A loser says, “That’s the way it’s always been done here.”

-Mile-Hi Evangelist

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May 2015

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Bible Translators Develop Indian Languages

By Dr. Babu K. Verghese

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anguage is made up of words. And King Solomon, the wisest man the world has ever seen, says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold served in plates of silver.”

Indeed, language, communication, and human needs are closely connected. We communicate with one another to fulfill our human needs – social, economic, political, cultural and spiritual.

Thus language is a barometer of the socioeconomic planning of a country, and so vital to the holistic development of the nation.

No Common Language India never had a common language which was intelligible to the masses everywhere in the country. For many years, Sanskrit remained a common medium, but it was the language of the learned classes, and not of the masses. The Mughal rulers imposed Persian as the official language, and English became a sort of lingua franca when the British came. At Independence, the Constituent Assembly could not arrive at a consensus in the choice of a national language.

Therefore, the question was put to vote, and Hindi won a single vote, the casting vote of the President.

However, in a nation having 1652 languages, the concept of one national language itself is a matter of political expediency rather than of practical viability. As Dr. D.P Pattanayak, former Director of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), says, “Language use in education which creates inequity, by restricting or denying the right of minority language groups even to exist, language use in administration that restricts or denies access to other language groups to effectively participate

in the socio-economic developments, and language use in mass communication which bestows the right to control and manipulate information and knowledge by the controlling elite threaten to destroy the very basis of multilingual, multiethnic, and multicultural countries.”

Caring for Mother-Tongue Therefore, every language in the country needs to be respected equally, and viable ones should be developed, because mother tongue matters.

This was the concept promoted by the Bible translators and Christian missionaries. They propagated the idea that no language is superior, and no language is inferior. And also that no language has a caste or religious tag attached to it. Thus, when they came to India, they endeavoured to develop the vernacular languages of the country, so that they can translate the Bible into these languages. Christians believe ‘Bible as the Word of God, and therefore should be made available in all the languages of the world’. Thus they came to India also, which fortunately resulted in the development of Indian vernaculars, including many of them getting reduced to writing for the fist time.

Global Outlook Christianity originated in the land of Palestine in the Middle East. It is based on the life and message of Jesus Christ. The life and works of Jesus is mostly to be found in the Bible. For a time, Jesus’ teaching brought him great popularity. And this caused opposition from Jewish and May 2015 Roman officials. The Romans charged Jesus 11

of treason for calling himself king of the Jews, and they crucified him as a criminal, in about A.D 30.

But the disciples of Jesus did not accept his death as his end. They believed he resurrected, and the Bible records of his appearance to his disciples, and his ultimate ascension to heaven.

His followers began to believe that ‘Jesus was the Son of God. The followers of Jesus also came to believe that, they too, could receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven, because of the death of Christ on the cross, and his subsequent resurrection on the third day after his burial’. Jesus had told his disciples to go over to all the world and proclaim about him That is how Christianity spread throughout the world including India.

Most Translated Book Christianity is unique among the world religions in being born with a Bible in its cradle, and the Bible is the most widely read book in history. More copies have been distributed of the Bible than of any other book. It has also been translated more times into more languages than any other book. As by November 2012, the full Bible or portions of it were translated into over 2500 languages out of the 6912 languages in the world.

Developing Translation Principles Over the years, great strides have been made in the theory of linguistics. They have tremendously affected the practice of translations. As scholars became interested in the application of linguistic theories to the translation process, a whole new field developed – a field which is just now being taken seriously in college and university programmes. And historically, the Bible translators had developed a host of translation principles and linguistic tools, which they practically proved successful in field applications. Translation is not only a formal linguistic matter, but May 2015 also is intimately related to everyday life and culture, 12

and the total world view of the people who speak the source and target languages.

National Impact In my research I have attempted to trace the historic impact of Bible translation on Indian languages, literatures, printing, education, journalism and culture. Twenty one major languages were studied in these aspects: Assamese, Bengali, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Maithili, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Additionally, brief notes on 52 tribal languages of India had also been carried out, totaling 73 languages.

In these 73 Indian languages, I have traced that Christian missionaries between 150 and 200 years ago produced 116 grammar books, 86 dictionaries and 45 newspapers which formed the basis for the modernization of Indian languages and the society at large. Currently, Indian Bible translators are developing 100 more tribal languages of the country which will create a socio-economic renaissance in these downtrodden communities.

Foundation for Literature The foundation of literature is language. There is a symbiotic relationship between the two, that without language, there is no literature. But, without literature, we can still have language.

However, historically, it was when the Bible translators began establishing a foundation by reducing many of these languages to writing, and standardising it, literature of the country began to be burgeoned.

At present 228 Indian languages have script.

These are mostly developed by Christian missionaries and Bible translators. Currently translation of the Bible into 100 more tribal languages is under way which means all these languages will have modern scripts, dictionaries. grammar books, newspapers, literature, films, schools, printing units etc, (to be contd...)

May 2015

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The plea said the government has failed to prevent such attacks.

s Snippet

Should not be any attack on religious places: Delhi HC New Delhi: The Delhi High Court, hearing a plea on the security of churches, said on Friday there "should not be any attacks on any kind of religious places" in the country.

In the wake of attacks on churches, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the high court that also sought protection of religious rights of Christians and a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.

The centre told the court that the plea was "communal petition", adding: "Why should this (petition) be concerned with churches only, all the places of worship should be protected irrespective of the religion.�

Hearing the plea, Justice Siddharth Mridul said: "Whether it's church, temple, gurdwara, mosque, we have to make sure all the religious places are equally saved.�

Senior advocate Adish C. Aggarwala appearing for the petitioner, told the court that since December, five churches in Delhi have been vandalised, but no arrests have been made till date except in one May 2015 and the cases have not been solved.

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Bible Not Available in 57% of World Languages; Most Americans Believe the Bible Is Available in Every Language The American Bible Society's recently released State of the Bible sur vey found that a strong majority of Americans think the Bible is available in all of the world's languages, despite the fact that 57 percent of world languages are still in need of completed Bible translations.

Bob Creson, the president of Wycliffe Bible Translators, one of the world's largest Bible translation agencies, told The Christian Post that although 57 percent of the world's languages still don't have completed translations, the Bible is being translated into more languages and at a faster rate than ever before.

With Wycliffe holding a vision of having the Bible translation process started in each of the world's languages by the year 2025, Creson is optimistic that the remaining 1,859 langua-ges with no translations yet start-ed will begin to be tackled within the next 10 years.

YouVersion Now Offers More Than 1,000 Bible Versions in Over 700 Languages The hugely popular You Version Bible App recently hit the 1,000 mark in terms of number of Bible translations, with over 700 languages available, and creator Bobby Gruenewald said he hopes (continued on page 15...)

continued from page 14

the milestone will help draw attention to the amount of dedication and effort it takes to translate the Bible into native languages.

"One of the things I'm excited about in celebrating this milestone of 1,000 versions is that for a lot of people it's going to bring an awareness to the translation effort that's underway by a number of partners, including Wycliffe and the Bible Society, and various other translation groups that are making Bible text available to the Bible App," Gruenewald, the Innovation Pastor of LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma, told The Christian Post.

Gruenewald said it was unprecedented in history to have so many Bible versions "in the palm of your hand" and something "never imagined was possible even a few years ago.�

Downloaded on over 150 million devices, the Bible App now reaches 87 percent of Christians worldwide who have Internet access, offering more written languages than any other app on the planet. The app offers Bible translations

embraced by Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Russian Orthodox, and even Messianic Jews along with countless other denominations.

We've come a long way since the first handwritten English-translation of the Bible was published in 1380. "Technology in recent years has dramatically reduced the time it takes to produce a first-language translation from decades to a few years. Within two weeks of completion, in the villages we serve people can access the text on their cell phones. What a blessing!" said Lois Gourley of SIL International, a Christian nonprofit dedicated to studying, developing, and documenting languages, especially lesser- known ones.

Despite the impressive milestone of more than 1,000 versions in over 700 languages, YouVersion and its partners say they have plenty of work ahead. With 6,901 distinct languages in the world, thousands are still waiting for tranMay 2015 slation to begin or to be completed.

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DYING TESTIMONIES St. Laurence the Martyr

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aurentius, usually called St. Laurence, was archdeacon under Sextus, and when that bishop was led out to execution, Laurence accompanied and comforted him. As they parted from each other for the last time, Sextus warned his faithful follower that his martyrdom would soon come after his own: that this prophecy was true is indicated by the tradition that has been handed down to us telling of his subsequent seizure and cruel death.

The Christian church of Rome, even at this early period, had in its treasury considerable riches-both in money, and in gold and silver vessels used at the services of the church. All these treasures were under the watchful eye of Laurence, the archdeacon. Besides maintaining its clergy, the church supported many poor widows and orphans: nearly fifteen hundred of these poor people, whose names Laurence kept upon his list, lived upon the charity of the church. Sums of money were also constantly needed to help struggling churches which had been newly established in distant parts of the world.

Macrianus, governor of Rome under the emperor Valerian, had heard of these riches, and longed to seize them; he therefore sent soldiers to arrest Laurence, who was soon taken and dragged before the governor. As soon as Macrianus’ pitiless eyes rested upon the prisoner, he said harshly: “I hear that you who call yourselves Christians possess treasures of gold and silver, and that your priests use golden vessels at your services.

Is this true?”

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Laurence answered: “The church, indeed, has great treasures.”

“Then bring those treasures forth,” said Macrianus. “Do not your sacred books tell you to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s? The emperor has need of those riches for the defence of the empire; therefore you must render them up.”

After reflecting deeply for a few moments, Laurence replied: “In three days I will bring before you the greatest treasures of the church.”

This answer satisfied the governor; so Laurence was set free, and Macrianus impatiently awaited the time when the expected stores of gold and silver should be placed before him.

On the appointed day Macrianus, attended by his officers, came to the place where the christians usually assembled. They were calmly received by Laurence at the entrance and invited to pass into an inner room.

“Are the treasures collected?” was the first question of Macrianus.

“They are, my lord,” replied Laurence; “will you enter and view them?”

With these words he opened a door and displayed to the astounded gaze of the governor, the poor pensioners of the church, a chosen number - a row of the lame, a row of the blind, orphans and windows, the helpless and the weak. Astonished by the sight, the governor turned fiercely upon Laurence, saying: “What mean you by this mockery? Where are the treasures of gold and silver you promised to deliver up?” (continued on page 18...)

YOUTH Y o u t h

Encounter

wHAT DOES YOUR SELFIE Say about you?

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ove 'em or hate 'em, but don't bother trying to avoid 'em: selfies are popping up everywhere you look. Millions of them are taken every day, from carefullyfiltered Instagram photos to goofy Snapchats. You've probably taken more than a few yourself. But there's more meaning to be found in this phenomenon than meets your social media feed—it reveals a lot about our most basic human desires.

My Selfie, My Self ?

As technology has evolved, phones with frontfacing cameras have made self-portraiture as easy as a single click. Taking a selfie takes so little effort that we do it without thinking about why.

Everyone else is doing it. And so are you.

Self-image is important to us. We care what other people think. We feel self-conscious when we think people perceive us differently than how we want to be seen.

If an Instagram post doesn't receive any likes within a few minutes, we start to get worried.

Too much more time passes, and we delete it.

Why? Because the number of likes and comments we get plays into how we feel about ourselves. It also demonstrates how we naturally seek affirmation from others. We want people to notice us, to appreciate us, and to

think our input is meaningful. It feels good when people recognize us by commenting on our post or sending back a snap on Snapchat.

When we don't get a response, we assume something must be wrong with the post—which means something is “wrong” with us. So we selectively choose what we post in order to maintain our selfimage while also receiving the maximum amount of affirmation.

What would the world be like if it was based only on our social media posts? Everyone would always be smiling, and would always be doing something you wish you could be doing, too.

Social media is all about sharing ourselves with our followers. The problem is that our social media accounts can never contain the full picture of who we are What we send is carefully selected and edited to shape our image and receive the affirmation we desire. We edit ourselves in our offline lives as well, but social media makes it easier to do so and presents a particular image to many people at once.

Don't let what you post on social media be what defines you. Don't worry about the number of likes and comments you receive. It's okay to want to share your life, but share it knowing who you are in Christ May 2015 -there's no competition or missing out with God. 17

I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE

By Jacob Mathew

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” ---Hebrews 13:5 No promise is of private interpretation. Whatever God has said to any one saint, He has said to all. When He opens a well for one, it is that all may drink. When He openeth a granarydoor to give out food, there may be some one starving who is the occasion of its being opened, but all hungry saints may come and feed too. Whether He gave the word to Abraham or to Moses, matters not, O believer; He has given it to thee as one of the covenanted seed. There is not a high blessing too lofty for thee, nor a wide mercy too extensive for thee. Lift up now thine eyes to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west, for all this is thine. Climb to Pisgah’s top, and view the utmost limit of the divine promise, for the land is all thine own. There is not a brook of living water of which thou mayest not drink. If the land floweth with milk and honey, eat the honey and drink the milk, for both are thine. Be thou bold to believe, for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ In this promise, God gives to His people everything. “I will never leave thee.’ Then no attribute of God can cease to be engaged for us. Is He mighty? He will show Himself strong on the behalf of them that trust Him. Is He love? Then with lovingkindness will He have mercy upon us. Whatever attributes may compose the character of Deity, every one of them to its fullest extent shall be engaged on our side. To put everything in one, there is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrectionmorning, nothing in heaven which is not contained in this text--” I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’

Dying Testimonies continued from page 16

“These that you see before you,” replied the undaunted Laurence, “are the true treasures of the church. In the widows and orphans you behold her gold and silver, her pearls and precious stones. These are her real riches. Make use of them by asking for their prayers; they will prove your best weapon against your foes.”

Enraged and disappointed at not securing the hoped-for gold (which had been carried to a place of safety during the three days that had elapsed), the governor furiously commanded his guards to seize Laurence and take him to a dungeon. There, terrible to relate, a great fire was built upon the stone floor, and a huge gridiron placed January May 20152015 upon it; then the martyr was stripped of his 18

clothing and thrown upon this fiery bed, to slowly perish in the scorching heat.

The cruel tyrant gazed down upon this dreadful sight to gratify his hatred and revenge; but the martyr had strength and spirit to triumph over him even to the last. Not a murmur escaped him, but with his dying breath he prayed for the Christian church and for the conversion of the entire empire to God; and so, lifting up his eyes to heaven, he gave up the ghost.

A Roman soldier, named Romanus, who looked on at the sufferings of St. Laurence, was so much affected by the martyr’s courage and faith that he became a convert to Christianity. As soon as this was known the soldier was severely scourged, and afterward beheaded. - Book of Martyrs.

Religion-Freedom Campaign

By Jamie Dean

M

(contd...)

embers of Shouwang Church-the largest house church in Beijing began meeting outdoors in April 2011, after authorities blocked access to their meeting space. Officials have detained and released scores of church members, and the pastor and elders remain under house arrest.

Still, church members continue attempting to meet outside each Sunday.

By 1998, he had co-founded a local branch of the China Democracy Party, and established a branch of China Human Rights Watch. He advocated for greater liberties, including religious freedom. A year later, Chinese authorities convicted Liu of subversion of state power, and sentenced the activist to 13 years in prison.

House-church leaders report increasing pressure to register their congregations, as the Chinese government increases its attempts to shape church life and thought. The country’s State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) reports its aim is to “guide religions to fit into socialist society.”

Officials released Liu after nine years, and the activist immediately returned to his advocacy: Liu was one of the first signers of Charter 08, a document by Chinese activists calling for sweeping democratic reforms. The charter includes a call for freedom of religious practice, and abolishing laws that require churches to register with the government.

According to the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, SARA’s 2012 goals include plans to “guide the Christian community,” “deepen the construction of theological thought,” and “use theological thought propaganda teams.”

SARA director Wang Zuo’an wrote in a December 2011 People’s Daily article: “We cannot snuff out religious culture, but instead must guide it.” Another government official, Du Qinglin, wrote in April: “We must dig deeply into the essence of religious culture and remove the chaff.”

For Chinese officials, Liu Xianbin is part of the chaff.

The jailed Christian dissident began his political activism in 1989 during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations. Liu’s participation in the democracy movement led to a two-year prison sentence in 1992.

Liu continued to write articles for international media criticizing the Chinese government and human-rights abuses. In May 2010, he spoke with Radio Free Asia about a government raid on a house church in Sichuan province: Authorities had detained eight church members, including a 3-year-old child.

A month later, authorities detained Liu. By February 2011, Chinese officials convicted Liu of subverting state power, and they levied a crushing sentence: Another 10 years in prison.

Bridgette Chen remembers the day police took her father. The 15-year-old high-school student recounted Liu’s capture during an interview near San Francisco this summer.

Chen came to the United States in September 2011 after a local pastor and his family May 2015 offered to provide a home 19

and education. It was difficult to leave her mother, but Chen says her parents wanted her to escape the pressures and harassment her family had endured for most of her life.

The harassment culminated when Chen was 13 years old. Police summoned her from her school classroom and interrogated her about her father. What did he do in his free time? What did he write on the computer? What did they talk about?

After a bevy of questions, police fingerprinted the girl and sent her back to class. By the time she returned home, they had sent her father to prison. She hasn’t seen Liu, 44, since.

Chen is sorry for her father’s plight, but admits she doesn’t know him well: The pair spent 20 months together after his release from prison in 2008. But she fights tears when she speaks about her mother. “I realized they really loved each other. And now they have to wait another 10 years,” she says. “I feel really sorry for them … I want them to be together. Not just for me, but for them.”

For now, Chen is adjusting quickly to life in America. She speaks good English with a touch of American slang, and posts pictures on Facebook. She relishes school after overcoming a difficult first semester that included low grades as she learned English. “It took me two or three times as long to do my homework at first,” she says. “But this year, whoa, every subject was A’s or B’s.”

When I ask about the best part of the past year, she doesn’t hesitate: “I became a Christian.”

Indeed, that morning Chen played the flute in a worship service at a local Chinese-speaking church. The pastor, John Zhang, is head of the U.S. family hosting Chen. After learning about the gospel, Chen embraced her father’s faith, and found relief: “I was raised to be independent, but after I May 2015 became a Christian, I realized it’s all dependent 20

on God.” On Nov. 18, Pastor Zhang baptized Chen.

Chen hopes her mother will be able to join her, but Chinese authorities haven’t approved her mother’s visa. In the meantime, pastor Zhang says his family is committed to caring for Chen.

After participating in the Tiananmen Square demonstrations, the pastor sees it as part of his own legacy.

Zhang converted to Christianity 10 years after his harrowing experience at Tiananmen, and became a house-church pastor. After years of harassment by local authorities, he came to the United States to study theology. He tries to help dissidents and their families: “This is God’s calling for me. To bring a Chinese child—especially the second generation after Tiananmen Square—to America.” (Chen says she never knew the details about the Tiananmen massacre until she came to the United States.)

Zhang hopes a good education and Christian discipleship will prepare children like Chen to return to China someday: “I will see when these students graduate from college how God will call them back to China to help their country.”

He believes the growing house-church movement will help spur changes in the country: “This is what I hope. That just like in East Berlin the wall will come down.”

Until then, Chen is thankful for opportunities to bring attention to her father’s case, and she brims with hope: “I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I know God has the plan. I have confidence for my future life.”

Nearly 400 miles south, Li Jing wonders about her future. The wife of imprisoned Christian dissident Guo Quan, 44, sits at the kitchen table in a friend’s house outside Los Angeles scrolling through pictures on a laptop of her husband in China.

Li arrived here in January with their 12-year-old son, five years after her husband began speaking out for greater freedoms in China. (to be contd...)

May 2015

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May 2015

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en’s m o W

tive c e p s Pe r

how to find purpose in your suffering “Lord, why do You lead me through such painful experiences to learn a certain spiritual truth? Do You have to let me taste such difficulty and so much hurt just to understand You? Couldn't You have done it an easier way?”

Very lovingly, the Lord explained His reason that afternoon.

The Holy Spirit chooses the same practical approach for us as well. He knows our human frame, our forgetfulness, our distant, insensitive heart toward the spiritual world, our darkened understanding and our inability to convert spiritual truth into practical, everyday life.

There are, of course, many different teaching methods. Yet the most lasting, but painful, way of learning is by experience. A child will remember for the rest of his life that fire is hot after he has touched a flame only once. The more difficult an experience, the greater the permanent impact it makes on our lives.

Jesus selected this type of teaching for His disciples: They spent three years walking with Him, observing His life and learning from each daily situation. Jesus did not hand out preprinted lectures to them. Instead, He used normal events, circumstances and difficulties to teach them spiritual truth by experience, which resulted in completely changed hearts.

The Holy Spirit chooses the practical approach of Jesus in teaching. As He knows everything about us.

When the Holy Spirit accepted His job as our Teacher, He looked very carefully at each of us, and then He designed an individual curriculum for every born-again, redeemed person.

When the Lord saved us, He gave us His joy, peace, assurance of salvation and eternal life.

But somehow in our minds, we often expect God to remove all the difficulties and hardships of our life from now on, so as believers we can enjoy an easier, more comfortable life than the rest of mankind. But Jesus did not make such a promise. He only promised to be with us always.

In fact, He told us in advance that we would suffer persecution and trials—as He did—if we are to become His disciples.

This actually means that aside from the difficulties a “natural” (unsaved) person faces, we will be in a continuous spiritual battle, one that is not against flesh and blood.

But why should the Holy Spirit go through all this trouble to try to change us so entirely?

The Bible declares that soon a day will be coming, after we have finished our life on earth, when Jesus wants to present us before His Father.

On that day, He will take our hands in His and lead us before the throne of God. Jesus will then testify before the Father and all the angels of heaven that we are bought by His blood and that we are His workmanship, completed, lacking nothing, truly a part of Him—His body.

That day I will stand before the throne of God, not only washed by the blood of the Lamb but also clothed with Christ's righteousness and His very nature, which makes us totally acceptable to the Father. We will realize the greatness of His love to go through painful teaching so we can share the May 2015 glory of His nature for all eternity.

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Responsibility Nothing keeps alive the sense of the unworthiness of a life going to waste like the thought of God’s watchful eye. Nor is there anything to tone up the honesty of men like the remembrance of personal accountability. - Monday Club Sermons Responsibility is measured, not by the amount of injury resulting from wrong action, but by the distinctness with which conscience has the opportunity of distinguishing between the right and the wrong. - Robertson So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. - Romans 14:12, 13 The assurance that this is state of probation, should give vigor to virtue and solemnity to truth.

Every hour assumes a fearful responsibility when we view it as the culturer of an immortal harvest. - Sigourney Every human being has a work to carry on within, duties to perform abroad, influences to exert, which are peculiarly his, and which no conscience but his own can teach. - Channing Much misconstruction and bitterness are spared to him who thinks naturally upon what he owes to others rather than what he ought to expect from them. - Guizot Sin with the multitude, and your responsibility and guilt are as great and as truly personal, as if you alone had done the wrong. - Edwards The most important thought I ever had was that of my individual responsibility to God. - Webster Responsibility walks hand in hand with capacity and power. - Holland

Words of St. Augustine If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it

is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home. We need not despair of any man, so long as he lives. For God deemed it

better to bring good out of evil than not to permit evil at all.

May 2015

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God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.

ATTRIBUTES of GOD

By Albert Daniel

1. The LORD our GOD is ONE Ø “… The LORD our God, the LORD is one!”

2. GOD is SPIRIT Ø “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

3. GOD is LIGHT Ø “I am the light of the world…”

4. GOD is LOVE Ø “…God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.”

5. GOD is OMNIPOTENT (All-powerful and Almighty) Ø “…Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”

6. GOD is OMNIPRESENT (Present everywhere and not limited by space) Ø “Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?”

7. GOD is OMNISCIENT (All-knowing – knows the past, present, future, and every secret) Ø “For the word of God is living and powerful…and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

8. GOD is INVISIBLE Ø “No one has seen God at any time…”

9. GOD is INFINITE Ø “His understanding is infinite” Ø “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD 10. GOD is ETERNAL (Not limited to time) Ø “…since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…”

11. GOD is IMMORTAL Ø “…who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light,… to whom be honor and everlasting power” 12. GOD is IMMUTABLE (Unchangeable) Ø For I am the LORD, I do not change…”

13. GOD is the CREATOR and SUSTAINER Ø “…All things were created through Him and for Him.” 14. GOD is SOVEREIGN (Supreme ruler, in control of everything) Ø “…For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning…” Isa 46:9-10

Deut 6:4 John 4:24

John 8:12 1 John 4:16 Rev 19:6 Jer 23:24

Heb 4:12

1 John 4:1 Psalm 147:5 Jer 23:24 Rom 1:20

1 Tim 6:16

Mal 3:6 Col 1:16

May 2015

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May 2015

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