May-Oct 2022

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

2 Cor. 5:17

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inspiring and beautiful Word of God.

As long as our mental faculties are sharp and active, we need to use them for God’s glory. “Used brains usually last longer”.

Faith Partners meeting in Chennai at St. Andrews Church (The Kirk), Punthamalle High Road, Egmore on 19th November 2022 at 10AM to 1PM followed by lunch. Please pray and participate in the fellowship meeting. Do confirm your attendance through SMS/ WhatsApp on 9492440070.

Consider four parallels that a fire has with words spoken by the tongue: It hurts, it spreads, it consumes, but it can have a good use under control.

It only takes one false or bitter word to hurt deeply. In fact, the hurt may be so deep that recovery is impossible.

Just as fire spreads, so do spoken words. Some people are always willing to listen to destructive words about others, and they spread the words further so the damage becomes even more extensive.

Just as fire consumes, so do words spoken by a tongue that is out of control. Fire will destroy anything combustible that lies within its path. Words, too, have been known to destroy careers and lives. This is especially seen in the news media when political viewpoints are at stake.

We who know Jesus Christ as Saviour need to think solemnly about this matter such that our tongues are not used to the disadvantage of others. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (NASB).

Think of it! The power of death and life reside in the tongue. And the last phrase of this verse especially applies to those who spread gossip: “Those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles (Prov. 21:23). CL

A Matter of Life and Death!

God’s people ought to be people who are grateful. Many Christians, it seems, take their blessings for granted, instead of responding with gratitude. A spirit of thankfulness should mark our lives. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Paul wrote in this verse. In meditating on this prayer of thanksgiving, we can discover several ways to increase our level of gratitude:

Never get used to your blessings. Since Paul never stopped being amazed that the Father gave his Son, the wonder the apostle felt produced a spirit of continual thanksgiving. Complaining is easy—we gripe about many things each day. It takes little effort or special talent to be a grumbler. But it does take spiritual character to give thanks!

At the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims, there seemed more to complain about than to give thanks for, ;Many of the people had died, the harvest was disappointing, and their community house had burned.; But they still set aside a day to celebrate God’s provision and goodness. Their spiritual insight let them discover blessings in the midst of their trials. .

Consider all that we enjoy each day—and how often we enjoy this bounty without appreciation. Let us count every blessing and be joyful.

Remember that all blessings come from God. “Thanks be to God,” says Paul. All we have comes as a gift from God. We received everything we possess through his grace. When we have learned to live under grace, we acknowledge God’s provision for us. Praying together over a meal is one simple way to cultivate the habit of giving thanks to God.

We tend to think of blessings as pleasurable—unexpected income, avoiding some difficult situation, having our prayers answered according to our expectations. But even life’s trials bring forth our gratitude if we accept them as from the heavenly Father, sent for our good. The phrase “sacrifice of thanksgiving” takes on a deeper meaning when we have been able to offer thanks to God from the valley, where he was faithful.

Remember that the best blessings are spiritual. We usually give thanks for the blessings we can see and

touch, but the spiritual realities are far richer. The “indescribable gift” Paul speaks of is the Lord Jesus, the Source of all the blessings we receive. Consider a few. Because of Jesus, we can call God our Father; we have the assurance of sins forgiven and the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. Jesus brings the hope of heaven, the privilege of prayer, the experience of God’s love. These are the blessings that make one truly wealthy. Avoid the mistake of measuring your fortune in terms of money. The best blessings are spiritual!

Remember to share your blessings. Paul’s thanks- giving concludes a passage where he has reminded the Corinthians of their blessings, which God had provided and Paul had shared. In response, the Corinthians were taking an offering to give to the saints in Jerusalem. It is a basic principle with God’s people that blessings are to be shared, not hoarded (w. 6-7).

We best express our gratitude when we give to someone else, when we maintain the emphasis on the “giving” part of “thanksgiving.” How do we share our blessings? Not only

in material ways, but with our words as we praise God and encourage others. “Thank you” should be a staple in our vocabulary. Everyday kindnesses also reveal our spirit of thanksgiving. “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” said Jesus. Giving our time or ability, serving where there are needs, offering hope and encouragement—these are the evidences of a grateful heart.

Be careful not to limit the giving of thanks to a particular day. It is a quality that must mark our lives always. Giving thanks and praise is something we must learn—a skill we acquire as the Holy Spirit focuses our attention on the Lord Jesus. And while we are concentrating on Christ, we will be growing in gratitude each day. CL

Phil Robertson

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (l John 5:13).

Probably one of the most important things a Christian should realize is that his assurance of salvation is not in himself but in Jesus Christ. This blessed confidence in Christ assures us that we are His-now and forever. In this fact, we completely rest in Christ.

When the world tries to make us fret and worry, we need only to go back to this blessed assurance that “Jesus is mine.”

When Satan tries to make us doubt, when faith almost seems presumptuous, when nothing good is in sight, then we must remember that this blessed assurance is in the Lord Jesus, not in ourselves.

When God seems far away, when heaven seems almost unbelievable, and when we most certainly do not feel like an heir of salvation or one who has been purchased of God, then— even then—we can praise the Saviour “all the day long.”

He encourages and strengthens; He my every problem shares. He assures me that He loves me; Oh, how tenderly He cares! CL

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1. I love to read the daily devotions every day. I feel very comfortable and encouraged and feel God’s presence when I read. From my childhood we were trained to read the BTTB books and literature. My father’s interest and love for BTTB has encouraged to read your books. Thank you.

— Rachel Vincent

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— Sudheer, Bangalore

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— Nalini Durairaj, Goa

5. The editorial ‘Designed for your need’ by Mr. Anil Kumar, is very much appealing and motivating me to read the magazine.

— V. S. Ananda Raju, Srisailam Project Colony

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To reprint Warren Wiersbe’s One-Year Daily devotional “A Time To Be Renewed” and Printing of Theodore Epp’s ‘Strength For the Journey’ in Telugu language.

(Total cost for printing the two books mentioned is rupees 2 lakhs).

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MAY – OCT | 2022 | CONFIDENT LIVING 10

Where can I go from Your Spirit ?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven. You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold. You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.

— Psalm 139:7-10

God is omnipresent. He is present in all places at once. He fills heaven and earth. In Jeremiah 23:23-24. we hear the Lord saying.

Am I a God near at hand.... And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?… Do I not fill heaven and earth?

Then there is this familiar verse: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name. I am there in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20)

These are but two of the Scriptures that teach us that God is everywhere at one and the same time. He is ubiquitous (pervasive) and He is inescapable.

However, the omnipresence of God is not the same as pantheism. The latter equates God with things,

with forces, and with laws. Pantheism (from pan. “all,” and theism, “God”) says that God is in the tree out in your yard; therefore, worship that tree. Another form of pantheism says that there are many gods, and they are all to be worshiped. Omnipresence applies only to the one true God. It says that He cannot be confined to any geographical location. He is everywhere, and people cannot hide from His presence.

An atheist once chalked on a wall. “God is nowhere.” A child came along and, by inserting a space, changed it to read. “God is now here.” John Arrowsmith told of a non-Christian philosopher who asked. “Where is God?” The Christian answered, “Let me first ask you, where is He not?”

Thomas Watson wrote, “God’s center is everywhere, His circumference nowhere.”’ And George Swinnock added. “God is neither shut up in nor shut out of any place.”’

Although God is present everywhere, He is not apparent everywhere. Sometimes His presence is more manifest than at other times. Sometimes, as the poet Robert Lowell put it, “Behind the dim unknown, standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.” But whether we discern Him or not, the fact remains; He is there.

When we remember that the Lord Jesus is God incarnate, we face the problem, was He omnipresent during His ministry on earth? Did He not limit Himself to one location at a time—whether Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, or Jerusalem? The answer is a paradox. At the same time He was in any of these places. He was omnipresent. He did not lay aside His omnipresence when He came into the world. Rather, He took to Himself the added feature of being bodily present in only one locale. Thus, He could be

in one place and heal a person in another (Mt. 8:13). He could be on earth and still be “in the bosom of the Father” (Jn. 1:18). He could assure the disciples that He was always with them (Mt. 28:20), even though He knew that they would be scattered to different places (Jn. 16:32).

Our minds obviously have trouble trying to reconcile these irreconcilables, but as the great French mathematician Pascal said. “The heart has its reasons which reason does not know.” And so does faith!

The doctrine of God’s omnipresence cannot help affecting our lives. For instance, we cannot hide from God. Jonah tried to hide by taking a ship to Tarshish, but the Lord was waiting for him in the belly of a great fish.

Rebelling against his Christian background, a young man left Ireland for the United States. He later testified that Christ was waiting at the pier when he landed in New York. He

was converted soon after. In his bestloved poem, the English poet Francis Thompson describes his futile effort to flee from the One he called “The Hound of Heaven”:

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him. down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.’

At least, he tried to hide from Him! But like so many others, he found it was impossible. God was there when Thompson became exhausted with his flight.

But there’s another side to the truth. Although the omnipresence of God serves as a warning to the world in general, it is also a wonderful comfort to His people. No matter what their circumstances may be.

He is with them. I have had people ask me, “Where was God when the concentration camps were going on?’ My answer was, “God was suffering with His people in the camps.” When they go through the fire and flood, He is with them. He never leaves those He loves. They are never alone.

The fact that God is omnipresent should motivate me to live in holiness. He is there in the darkness of night. He is there where no human eye can see. He is there when I am away from home and loved ones. Whatever I do, I should ask myself. How does it appear in His presence? That is the true test for all our conduct. Listen to the words of H. C. Fish on this subject:

How from Thy presence should I go, Or whither from Thy Spirit flee. Since all above, around, below, Exist in Thine immensity? If up to heaven I take my way, I meet Thee in eternal day. CL

“This really blows our minds. Our first boy just whipped through school, but this one! Honestly, we dread his report cards worse than he does.” Ever had a problem like this at your house? A lot of us have. How should parents handle such a situation?

When I quote those parents describing big brother Superbrain and kid-brother Lamebrain, a chorus of amens goes up from parents and kid brother or sister or cousin whose virtues were constantly poured into our ears by both parents and teachers? They obviously hoped we’d emulate him, but their tactics had the reverse effect. The fact is that every time they pointed with pride to this “shining example,” we became more determined.

Since no two children are alike, what should be the attitude of parents? Naturally, we’d like all our offspring to be talented and beautiful, reflecting glory on their parents. But it just doesn’t work that way.

First, let’s state what parents are not to do. Don’t spoil the genius by showing him off. Encourage him to use all his abilities, but treat him

exactly like the rest of the children. Don’t ever set him up as an example for the others. As for the slower child, never let him feel in any way inferior to his older brother, because he is definitely not inferior. We each have our individual abilities, and no one is an inferior person; we are only different people.

It’s impossible to over emphasize the necessity of treating each child as a unique personality. Even identical twins are different. One is physically stronger, one more intelligent. We should try, as far as possible, to treat children alike, but should not expect them to develop alike. Their inborn differences actually make even treating them exactly alike impossible and unwise.

The slower child needs assurance of his own special place in our hearts. Take note of his particular abilities, and help him to cultivate them. Have you ever noticed that some of those brilliant students you knew who sailed through school have never amounted to anything since? Meanwhile, some of the plodders who really sweated it out to make the grade have cut quite a swath in their chosen field.

Another thing: Does everybody have to be rich and famous to be happy? Of course not! Most of us have average incomes. We’ll remain ever unnoticed and unsung, but we’re as happy as if we had gold bathtub fixtures-maybe more so.

Partiality is always wrong and is grossly unfair to both children. The longer I live, the surer I am that it requires more than human wisdom to rear a family well. It takes divine guidance, which God is more than willing to supply. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He knows each one minutely yet loves us perfectly. God showed how much He loves us by sending His only Son into this wicked world to bring to us eternal life through His death (John 3:16). In this act we see what real love is. And this love includes you! CL

“Show respect even to people who don’t deserve it, not as a reflection of their character, but as a reflection of yours”

Pastors are essentially shepherds over God’s flock who are responsible to oversee the spiritual lives of the community of God. We see this clearly when Peter exhorts pastors (or shepherds) in 1 Peter 5:2. He says, “…shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly”.

The word ‘oversee’ means “to watch over and direct a group of workers in order to ensure a satisfactory outcome or performance.” The Biblical implications of that meaning are quite self-explanatory – shepherds are not only called to preach and teach the word of God, but also to help and encourage the church to grow in Christlikeness by watching over their spiritual lives. Sadly, many pastors are partially obedient in this

regard – while the preaching of the Word is important they neglect their responsibility to exercise oversight over the spiritual lives of the members of the church.

This neglect is further amplified because we live in a generation where the digital church movement is increasing its foothold on compromising pastors and ignorant churchgoers. This is not biblical. How pastors can oversee the lives of their flock from across the screen is beyond my understanding.

The reverse also comes into play – pastors too are part of the church and their lives ought to be transparent to other members. They are not separated from the church. To appear on a screen once a week to church members is a disgrace to the biblical mandate.

Out of the many important responsibilities that pastors have, there are three things that are critically essential for pastors to effectively serve the body of Christ.

Physical and emotional proximity to the members of the church is essential to the mandate of leadership.

1. Be Available

Pastors should always be available for church members. A shepherd and his flock are inseparable. You won’t find him anywhere near other flocks. His singular focus will be to stay as close as possible to his flock – to feed and keep them nourished as well as to protect them from wild animals.

Pastors are to do the same. Physical and emotional proximity to the members of the church is essential to the mandate of leadership. This was the pattern of the early church. But this isn’t what we see today in our country. We have created a culture of superstar leaders who are simply not available to interact and minister to church members throughout the week.

Many pastors seem to function with a ‘Sunday-only’ philosophy of pastoral ministry. Sundays are jampacked with preaching and teaching in their home church or at other churches and with interacting with other members. Similarly, there are also pastors who function with a ‘program/event-oriented’ philosophy where their ministry is restricted to officiating birthdays, marriages, and funerals. The level of interaction will only be limited to exchanging pleasantries and indulging in small talk that hardly edifies members.

With such poor levels of interaction, how will church members ever get the time and space to meet their pastor for spiritual nourishment?

How can it ever be accomplished through an online format?

I urge every pastor and pastoral intern to create an atmosphere in your church where the flock of God can easily come and share their struggles and weaknesses with you. The first step towards this is for pastors to tell members that their primary responsibility is to take care of them and their spiritual needs.

2. Be Approachable

Pastors living in an isolated bubble – this is another disease spreading across the pastoral landscape. While, on paper, they may seem to be available, they are simply not approachable because of the perceptions they consciously or subconsciously create.

Church members assume that their pastors are very busy people with a lot of work, and so, they conclude that they shouldn’t disturb them on weekdays. Pastors, on their part, do not bother to dispel or address these assumptions for the good of the church. Instead, they encourage a celebrity culture where church members have to use mediators to convey a message or a concern.

The Bible is clear, according to 1 Timothy 3:2, “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, soberminded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.”

Pastors should open up their homes and be hospitable. They ought to create an atmosphere for the purpose of spiritual edification where members can freely talk and share. Every effort should be made throughout the week to pray with those in need, encourage and correct members of the church.

Live as Children of Light

~Monica K. Glenn~

Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8, NIV).

This verse reminds me that God is my strength and the light of my life. As His child I have a responsibility to live as He would have me live.

This week was a difficult one in my Job. One of my friends shoplifted in the store I work in. It wasn’t easy to face that situation. I didn’t want to turn her in and lose her friendship, but that was what I had to do. She has a problem and needed some help. The best way I could help her was not to just let it go. Even though that situation wasn’t easy, I was reminded that I am the Lord’s and He is the light of my life.

Think About This: Are you in a difficult situation? Remember, God is your light and He is there for you. CL

7. Diversion of Funds

When an appeal is made by a Christian organisation in its periodical or in a meeting, the readers or the audience pray over it and possibly discuss the matter with their family members. God burdens them about this need and they decide to send an amount. The organisation has a moral obligation both before God and the donors to spend that amount exclusively for the stated purpose. The money cannot be diverted to other causes. If we divert the funds, how do we revere God who specifically guided the donor? Diversion of funds has become too common in missionary organisations and evangelistic ministries.This displeases God and grieves the Holy Spirit who inspires His people and directs their giving. This is lack of integrity and faithfulness in stewardship. God would stop honouring our further appeals to people.

God’s people give generously towards charity projects because

He as the God of the poor inspires and leads them so. Using the charity funds for other projects, however legitimate it may be, is an insult to the Father of Mercies. You may take money from general funds for charity purposes, but never vice versa. The apostles handled this matter with great sensitivity. They received a “lavish amount” as contributions from believers for the poor saints in famine (2 Cor 8:20). Look at the apostles’ testimony in this context: “We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men” (vv20,21). I would urge organisations to return the diverted charity funds to the designated purpose, with interest. Let’s bring back the smile on the face of the God of the poor!

If a charity project for which funds were solicited is oversubscribed, give that excess amount to a needy felloworganisation to spend for its ministry among the poor. Why not? This is a Biblical principle. For example, look at what Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians: “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard-pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality” (2 Cor 8:13,14).

To support this view, he quotes the example of gathering of manna in the Old Testament (v15; Ex 16:18).

I would call this the “networking” of missions. Otherwise it’s empty talk in Conferences.

Wherever and in whatever way possible, Christian ministries must share their material

blessings with each other. During my leadership in the Blessing Youth Mission I initiated a scheme by which the staff would pool a portion of what they would set aside as the Lord’s money from their salaries and send it to other organisations to bless their staff. The covering letter would have this line: “This is just to say that we are serving the same Lord as one Body!” Following my talk on missionary giving in any missionary convention, I would present a few Missions worthy of support. First I would mention FMPB, then IEM, and so on. Only after that I would mention BYM, the Mission I was leading!

8. Investment in Megastructures

The craze in Christendom for mega-structures is saddening. I wonder whether the Babel spirit is returning. Down through history God’s view on huge buildings has not been favourable. It was not God’s perfect will to have a Temple

built for Him (Acts 7:46-50). Jesus was not terribly impressed with the huge buildings the disciples showed Him (Mk 13:1,2). We have no Biblical record of the early Church, with its swelling membership and money, erecting huge structures to gather for worship or fellowship. Of course this does not mean we must not have Church buildings. But overinvestment in huge structures has landed many evangelistic agencies and missionary organisations in trouble. Building projects by popular evangelists have siphoned the money that should go to reach the unreached and church the unchurched. Christians are enticed to lavishly donate to preachers who “promise prayers” for them rather than contributing sacrificially to missions which “request prayers” for the lost and the least. This is unethical in the sight of the Good Shepherd who is more concerned about the one lost sheep than the ninety nine safe inside the fold (Lk 15:4-7). Many Christians, though sincere, have been duped by the God-told-me heresy of some preachers.

In times like these, and in a country like India, it’s advisable to have five halls which can accomodate 1000 persons each rather than to build a single one to seat 5000. Anti- Christian elements will find it more difficult to demolish five buildings than one. Secondly,four new localities can be covered to exert Gospel influence (Acts 2:46,47). The third advantage is even greater: Four new leaders would emerge! The shepherding care also will be better (Jn 10:14; Prov 27:23). Loss of one sheep from a fold of one hundred can be more easily identified than from a fold of thousands (Lk 15:4). When there are worship sheds in pioneer mission fields without a proper roof, it’s unforgivable to invest crores of rupees for building bell-towers for Church buildings. How did we become so insane? Our only prestige symbol should be the “cross

of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to us, and we to the world” (Gal 6:14). A Church historian writes that it’s bricks that killed us!

When preachers are not able to pay back the huge loans received from banks, they invariably resort to begging in their TV programmes. What a pathetic show before the non-Christian viewers! It is obnoxious to watch Christian TV programmes in which the bank details are flashed even before one Bible reference is indicated. Is it ministry or business?

9. Cheating the Government

In our Churches there’s so much of teaching on “tithes.” It’s good, but how about payment of “taxes” which is in no way less important? Some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, that is, religious zealots and political spokespersons, tried to corner Jesus with the tricky question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (Mk 12:13,14). Jesus immediately asked for a denarius which was the common Roman coin normally paid as wages for one day’s work. If Jesus had replied “no,” the political Herodians would charge it as treason. If He had answered “yes,” the religious Pharisees would call it disloyalty to the Jewish nation. The answer of Jesus was neither political nor religious but spiritual: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (v17). In all the three Gospels, the introductory words before questioning Jesus was, “Teacher, You are true and You teach the way of God in truth” (Mt 22:16; Mk 12:14; Lk20:21).

Yes, this is the right teaching to all of us: “There is no authority except from God ... Tax officials are God’s ministers” (Rom 13:1-7). In Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees and Herodians, Caesar comes first!

Which means, God is not pleased with any tithe-payer who is a tax-evader. Jesus was an honest tax-payer (Mt 17:24-27). Christian ministries must be truthful while submitting accounts to the Income Tax Department, and they should regularly teach this truth to their supporters. Bringing black money as offering must be discouraged, because black money is cursed. Only then can we expect God’s blessing on our funds. Preachers and ministries who target the business community for collecting huge contributions must not hide the Biblical truth. A little with His blessing is better than a lot without it. Auditors can cook up, tax officials can be bribed, but everything is naked before God’s eyes. Most of our tax and customs officials are upper caste Hindus. They know the hollowness in many a Christian organisation. Is this why our converts are mostly from backward tribal background? But the early Church, besides moving commoners, impacted also the creamy layer of the society: “Cultured and learned Greeks, leading women, prominent women and men ... NOT A FEW” (Acts 17:4,12). Jesus was friendly with tax officials in order to lead them to salvation (Lk 5:27; Mk 2:15-17; Lk 7:34; Mt 21:31; Lk 15:1; 18:13,14; 19:2,9).

Too many printers, broadcasters, telecasters and builders complain about the unpaid bills by Christian ministries. After performing a multiplication miracle for the widow of a prophet, Elisha instructed her to first clear her debts, and then live on the rest (2 Ki 4:7). Once the Director of Far East Broadcasting Association (FEBA) requested me to speak to a Tamil preacher who had many pending bills for the airtime he used. Whenever FEBA reminded him, he started writing in his magazine that FEBA was pressurising him! What else would FEBA do?

10. Defects in Leadership

God sends His blessings, spiritual or material, to a local Church or a ministerial organisation, primarily through the leadership. This truth is pictorially illustrated in Psalm 133. The flow of blessing starts with the “head” of Aaron and runs down to his “garments” (v2). Human leadership is never perfect but it must work towards perfection. It was after Peter went through the refining process he could minister to his brothers (Lk 22:31,32). I briefly explain here six common defects which must by rectified in the matter of leadership —

a) Politics

There’s dirty politics in many a Christian organisation in the choice of leaders. A desire to serve people is desirable, but lust for leadership is detestable. Lust for leadership is the first disqualification for leadership. Even when God called them to leadership, Moses and Jeremiah hesitated. Moses was the meekest man on earth, and Jeremiah was a man of brokenness. By playing manipulative politics we can bring someone to leadership, but see what God says about it: “They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, and I did not acknowledge them” (Hos 8:4). Those days it was Church politics; now it’s Mission politics. How sad it is.

b) Character Flaw

Character is primary, and charisma is secondary, for spiritual leadership. In 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-11, Apostle Paul lists out the qualifications for leadership. Both these lists start with “blamelessness.” He then stresses two things: “marital fidelity” and freedom from “covetousness.” One of the divine requirements in the Law for kings was also that they must not multiply “wives” and “wealth” (Dt 17:17). Leaders with moral failures and corrupt hands will lack fair judgment and lose spiritual discernment. God’s blessing in their ministries will be

blocked, and supporters will lose confidence. Such leaders must repent or else be removed. “One sinner destroys much good” (Eccl 9:18b; Jer 5:25). When sin is tolerated in Christian ministries, God will “cut off the supply of bread,” even if godly men like “Noah, Daniel and Job” are among their staff and supporters (Ezek 14:12-14).

c) Partiality

The Book of Deuteronomy is the explanation of the Law (Dt 1:5). The very first thing Moses spoke against was partiality of leaders (vv15-17). Prophet Samuel’s final testimony was that he was impartial throughout his career (1 Sam 12:3). The kingship of David was characterised by impartiality (2 Sam 8:15). Our God as the Leader of leaders has no partiality (Eph 6:9). Partiality is a serious “sin” in the sight of God like adultery or murder (Js 2:1,2-4,9-11). Paul the senior apostle admonished Timothy the young leader not to do anything with partiality (1 Tim 5:21,22). Too many of our leaders are guilty of favouritism, regionalism, casteism and nepotism. God will not endorse such leadership with His blessings.

It has become common for the leaders to give special attention to those who contribute in lakhs, and take for granted those who contribute just hundreds and thousands. Such partiality was there even in the early Church (Js 2:1-4). God looks at the proportion of our giving and how much we keep back. This is what Jesus pointed out comparing the offering of the rich and that of the poor widow (Mk 12:41-44). If Mission leaders go after the affluent and big donors, they are displeasing the God of the poor. In my 48 years of public ministry I have found that the poor are more reliable than the rich. No wonder Jesus by and large was hard on the rich. I have always told my associates that receiving Rs. 1000/- from each

of one hundred donors is to be preferred to receivng Rs. 1,00,000/from a single donor. Is it not better to have one hundred persons involved with their prayer in the work than a single person? Leaders must beware of the manipulative tendencies of big donors. Don’t earn God’s displeasure.

d) Authoritarianism

Leaders in Missions and other ministerial organisations should not boss over the workers. The employer-employee concept is not valid in Christian ministries. God is the Employer and we are all coworkers with Him (1 Cor 3:9). The disciples of Jesus had numerous defects and in no way were they comparable to Him. Yet He called them His “friends” (Jn 15:15). He said that He would NOT call them servants! Apostle Paul the leader of his missionary and ministerial team gave fatherly care to his associates. In turn they respected him as their father (Phil 2:22; 1 Thess 2:11). While giving Timothy serious instructions about appointing leaders, Paul suddenly prescribes a native medicine for his stomach ailment (1 Tim 5:23)! The leader is to be a “servant” to the workers under his care. That’s the example set by Jesus (Jn 13:13-15). Wherever there’s servant-leadership, God abundantly blesses those ministries. Once the leaders turn authoritative, they not only lose spiritual authority but also God’s favour.

e) Lack of sacrifice

The heartcry of fulltime workers of certain missions is, “ Fat-salaried non-fulltimers rule over us. How can they emphathize with our problems and pain?” What they say is legitimate because incarnational identification is indispensable here (Heb 2:17). C.T. Studd threw away his fortune and cricket bat to establish World Evangelisation Crusade (WEC) and give leadership to the workers. Dr. Billy Graham identified with his

associate Evangelists by drawing only a salary from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). Dr. Bill Bright the Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) raised his own monthly support from individual donors just like any other CCC staff worker. Being inspired and challenged by these noble examples, though postgraduated from a prestigious technological Institution (IIT), I resigned my job in 1975 to lead the fulltimers and volunteers of the Blessing Youth Mission (BYM), and lived on a meagre missionary salary till my retirement in 2003. My wife, a Paediatrician, similarly resigned her Government job in 1975 to work fulltime in BYM without any salary. Several others followed resigning their lucrative jobs, assumed a simple lifestyle and shared the leadership responsibilities in the mission. It is not enough that the top leaders “spare” money and time for the activities; they must “invest” their life in the ministry. This is how God met all the needs of Paul and his fellow missionaries. Paul writes that even an ordinary soldier in the Army cannot be a non-fulltimer (2 Tim 2:4). How can the Army Chief be a part-timer or a spare-timer? Experienced and mature elders can be advisors, but not authorities over fulltimers.

f) Neglect of the Church

I often remind myself of what the senior-most missionary statesman in India, Dr. Sam Kamalesan, told me years ago: “Stanley, all our endeavours must be ultimately tied to the Church for abiding fruitfulness.” Para-church organisations are only a supplement and not a substitute to the local Churches. The Church is the building; the para-church organisations are just scaffolding. In all our planning sessions we must ask how our decisions would benefit the Church rather than profit our organisation. Otherwise we would be building our own empires instead of the Kingdom of God. Paramedical staff don’t operate on the patient; they just assist the doctors for surgery. The missionary labours of Paul and his team were linked to Churches like those in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi and Galatia. Christ’s last letters were also addressed to the Churches, whether they were alive, lukewarm, dying or dead. It’s the responsibility of the leadership to maintain the understanding in the organisation that Churches don’t exist for missions, but missions exist for Churches. Christ loves the Church and returns to marry her. God is not obliged to meet our needs if we don’t align ourselves with His eternal purpose. There are

also organisations which outlive the purpose for which they were founded. They must be pulled down as we do with scaffolding once the building is complete.

Conclusion

When there arises a financial crisis in a Christian ministry, it’s natural that the leaders and keypersons plan to intensify their fund-mobilisation efforts. But I would not recommend this as the first remedial measure. This might give some temporary relief. But it will only be like “watering a vegetable garden by foot,” and not experiencing “rain from heaven” (Dt 11:10,11). On the other hand, if the leaders would collectively resort to a season of prayer to selfexamine before God to find out the reasons for blockage, they would come out hearing again “the sound of abundance of rain” (vv13-15). This article may be helpful for this exercise. CL

How we use our money is the clearest outside indicator of what we really believe…If someone is a true disciple of Jesus Christ, the evidence will be found in that person’s everyday life—including his or her use of money.

Larry Burkett

As you begin to understand your salvation, realize that the first app you want to access is called election. In this instance, imagine a voting booth. Those of us who are of age, and who take our duty as citizens with some degree of seriousness, have all been there. We walk behind a barrier or behind a curtain. On the desk in front of us is a piece of paper. On the paper is a list of all the candidates who are looking to represent us in government. We place a mark beside the candidate of our choice, take the paper and walk over to the election officer who will place our vote into a box. Later, our vote will be tabulated.

A great many of us think of our salvation along the very same lines. We have entered a voting booth. Before us stood a list of all the possible choices we could make with our lives. We could choose to live for pleasure. We could choose to live for some form of activism. We could choose the pathway of atheism, or we could choose to follow one of the many world religions. We pause to consider the choices we could make. However, in some wondrous fashion, we placed our mark beside Jesus.

In contrast, the biblical doctrine of election does not begin with a

human being entering the voting booth and deciding to vote for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, the image is reversed. It is not we who have entered the booth, instead it is God who has entered. He has come to elect. He has come to choose.

Ephesians 1:3–6 says,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace.

Let’s try to restate this in our own words. “Blessed be God the Father, for he chose those who are Christians by entering into a voting booth and elected us to be his own. He did this before the world’s foundations were laid. Furthermore—way back then, before we came to exist—God the Father already decided that we who now believe in him would be holy and blameless in his presence. He predestined us to be adopted into his family out of his great love for

us: we who had not yet come into being. And he accomplished this–in the fullness of time–through Jesus our Messiah. But the Father, before time began, had already decided to accomplish this purpose in us for the sake of his glory.”

How precious is this thought! Before you existed, the Father had already decided to both create you, and also to redeem you. This is God’s word for all who believe.

As we are absorbing this thought, let us go a few verses further in Ephesians 1, down to verse 11: In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

It is another mouthful and requires a great deal of reflection. The same God who chose us before the foundation of the world has also determined that we should receive an eternal inheritance. This also was according to his eternal purpose. Furthermore, he has predestined this matter in accordance with his eternal wisdom.

Did you know, it is not only the book of Ephesians that speaks this

way? In the book of Acts, Luke is recording how it is that the gospel is progressing, reaching ever more people. Acts 13:48 says, And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

How many believed? According to Luke, it was all those who were appointed to eternal life. The group that chose to believe were those who had been chosen before the foundations of the world.

1 Thessalonians 1:4 says, For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you. 1 Thessalonians reminds us of the similar language that Jesus used in addressing his disciples as recorded in John 15:16, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.

Jesus repeats something similar in John 15:19. He says, If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Why aren’t you who now believe in Christ, a part of this world? What is the explanation as to why you turned

your back on the culture of selfgratification and instead chose to walk the way of the cross? Jesus says it is because he selected you, he elected you, he chose you. And, just in case we are tempted to say, “Well now, this has only to do with the choosing of the 12 disciples”, understand that this same language is applied to “all believers.” In 1 Thessalonians 1:4, Paul deliberately uses the language that Jesus applied to the 12, and applies it to all the people of God when he says, for we know, brothers, who are loved by God, he has chosen you.

We might want to consider Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:9, where Paul speaks of the God who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. Again, we harken back to God’s grace being given to his own before the world came to be.

We could go to 1 Peter 1:1, where Peter calls God’s people, “God’s elect.” That is to say, we were elected by God.

Or, for that matter, go to the last book in the Bible, Revelation 13:8. This verse is a description of the power of the Antichrist, there called ‘the beast’. Verse 8 says of the beast, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

It is an amazing statement! The only ones who will not worship the Antichrist are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life! But, as to when their names are written there, surprisingly, we find that the names of those written in that book, were not written at the point they asked Jesus to be their saviour and Lord. Nor are their names written when they refuse to worship the beast. Instead, we are told that their names were written before they

were born. Indeed, their names were written before the world was born.

We could go on. We could spend time in Romans 9, in which we are told that our salvation does not depend upon our desire or effort, but on God who has mercy. We might remember that, before they were born, God chose Jacob, and rejected Esau (Romans 9:11-12). We might also remember that God raised up Pharaoh (Romans 9:17). This means, God brought Pharaoh into being, so that God would display his greatness in crushing Pharaoh’s rebellion.

We know that all these passages raise issues in many of our minds. ‘How can God be just?’, we ask. In truth, God is just. In truth, God does not manipulate people like chess pieces on his board. In truth, human beings really do have the power of free choice. The Bible insists that we hold two truths in tension. We are to choose freely. However, God has chosen his elect. Both of these statements are equally true.

This short book is not designed to answer the wider questions of God’s sovereignty and our free will. Rather, this book is designed so that all believers might revel in God’s sovereign choice for them.

However, we must also acknowledge that the teaching of election is deeply imbedded in the pages of the Bible. To deny it can only be accomplished by ignoring a great many precious truths found in a great many Bible passages.

And so, the image of the voting booth remains.

Let’s stop for a moment and ask some questions. Is this just a philosophical and theological truth? Does it matter personally? Is this truth of election something I should access? What practical benefit would I receive from knowing this to be true? How does knowing of election ‘make the most’ of my salvation? CL

There are three lines of truth unfolded in the Book of Ephesians. Each is an outgrowth of the other. First, there is the teaching of the believer’s exalted position in Jesus Christ, as set forth in the first three chapters of Ephesians. Everyone who has received Christ as Saviour has this perfect position. The teaching concerning this position reveals what Christ has done for the believer.

Second, the Book of Ephesians concerns the believer’s spiritual walk on this earth, based on his exalted position in Christ. This subject is emphasized in the last three chapters of Ephesians through verse nine of chapter six. This passage tells of what Christ wants to accomplish in the believer’s “walk,” or life.

Third, the Book of Ephesians concludes with teaching about the believer’s spiritual conflict. Here Christ is seen working through the believer.

Some ask, Why the conflict? Why end the epistle on a battlefield?

Perhaps it seems strange that after the book reveals the lofty position each believer has in Christ and the noble walk that every believer is to have, it then dwells on warfare. Throughout Ephesians we have noted that Christ has won the victory for the believer. Chapter 4 tells us that “he led captivity captive” (v. 8); that is, He led captive those who held us captive. So if we are victorious in Him, why the conflict?

It is a characteristic of believers to want to remain “on the mountaintop.” This was true of Peter when he, along with James and John, witnessed the Transfiguration of the Lord on the mountaintop. They not only saw Christ in all of His glory, but they also saw Moses and Elijah talking with Him. It was such a thrilling experience that Peter said to the Lord, “It is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us

make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias [Elijah] ” (Matt. 17:4). But this was not to be done; they had to return to the valley. One cannot stay on the mountaintop; he must return to the duties of life to serve Jesus Christ in these activities also.

Reasons for Spiritual Conflict

There are three reasons why a believer can expect—and must be prepared for—a spiritual conflict as he lives for the Lord. First, believers must be prepared for spiritual warfare because there is a traitor in the camp. This traitor is the “flesh,” which is the old nature. The old nature is not eradicated when a person receives Christ as Saviour, so there is a spiritual struggle between the old nature and the new nature in the life of each believer.

Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary to one another: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Here we see the flesh opposing the liberty we have in Christ. The flesh always seeks to bring us into bondage to its desires. Satan entices us through the flesh. Jesus had to rebuke Peter one time and say, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:31,32).

Satan is the enemy of our souls; he is envious of our salvation in Christ and especially seeks to destroy our allegiance to Christ. Satan trails believers and tries to take advantage of them. The Bible tells us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in faith because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is underdoing the

same suffering.” (I Pet. 5:8,9).

A second reason there is spiritual conflict is that the believer is a member of the Body of Christ. From the time that God pronounced the curse on Satan in the Garden of Eden, Satan has sought to destroy Christ. Therefore, anyone associated with Christ—especially a part of His Body—is subject to Satan’s attack. There are many instances recorded throughout the Scriptures when Satan sought to destroy Christ. When Christ took upon Himself a body to be born among men to die for their sin, Satan sought to destroy Him as a baby. Herod served Satan’s purpose when he decreed that all the children in Bethlehem and surrounding areas, two years old and under, should be killed (Matt. 2:16). However, as God is wiser than Satan, Jesus escaped death because Mary and Joseph had been instructed to take Him out of the country.

Later, when Satan tried to entice Jesus to sin, he challenged Christ to throw Himself down from a pinnacle of the temple, but Christ responded, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (4:7). When Jesus was on the cross, Satan no doubt thought he was victorious in having Christ put to death, but Christ rose from the dead and thereby proved that He had conquered Satan. Christ then ascended to the Father, beyond the realm of Satan.

Inasmuch as Satan can no longer attack Christ Himself, Satan attacks the Body of Christ which is the Church. The mystical Body of Christ, made up of all believers, is within the reach of Satan even though Christ Himself is not. However, the Body of Christ will ultimately be victorious, for Christ said, “I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (16:18).

A third reason there is spiritual conflict for believers is that God’s plans and purposes include the fact that Christ will someday rule the world in righteousness. Because this refers to a future time, this might be referred to as a “dispensational” reason for spiritual conflict. As the Apostle John told of a vision he had of Christ’s return to earth, he said, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war” (Rev. 19:11).

Acts 17:31 prophesies, “Because he [God] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” This verse reveals that the Father has delegated all judgment to the Son. This means—and Satan knows this— that there will be a final reckoning with the powers of evil, which will result in their—and Satan’s—ultimate destruction. In Revelation 1:18 Christ says, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 20:10 tells of the final doom of Satan: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Inasmuch as believers are to share with Christ in His reigning and judging, we are laid open to the attacks of Satan at the present time. Satan and his messengers claim this world as their own; thus, those of us who will eventually sit in judgment over them are laid open to conflict. Satan is well aware that God’s program is closing in on him and for this reason he directs much of his attention to harassing the Church.

Even though Satan is at work, the Holy Spirit is at present restraining evil. Second Thessalonians 2:7 says, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way” (NASB). This restraining work of the Holy Spirit, through believers, has been going on ever since the Day of Pentecost when the Church came into existence. But it is evident we are being brought ever nearer to the final conflict.

Therefore, as Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, his final remarks concerning the believer’s warfare were necessary and right on target. Believers ought not to be controlled by fear because of this warfare. Rather, we should remember the words of Matthew 16:18: “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”; of John 16:33: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”; and of I John 4:4: “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

The Christian does not need to live in constant fear of Satan and his emissaries. Romans 8:31 assures us, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Paul was writing to believers and the word “if” has the meaning of “since.” That is, those of us who have received Jesus Christ as Saviour know that God is for us because Paul has told us this in the preceding passages.

Therefore, since God is for us no one is able to stand against us. Paul further explained, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (v. 32). This is where we stand! This is our position in Christ. Thus Paul said, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,

who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (V. 33 and 34).

The Devil cannot effectively charge us with something now because, having believed in Jesus Christ as Saviour, we have been justified— declared righteous. Though the Devil may bring accusations, Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. The Lord Jesus Christ has paid the full penalty for our sins so the Devil—or anyone else—is not able to bring any condemnation on us.

Provision for Victory

With these truths in mind concerning our position in Christ, let us now focus our attention on Ephesians 6:10-20. This passage refers to the spiritual warfare in which every believer is involved. It reveals the source of the strength and the equipment we have that enable us to be victorious. We must understand clearly the principles by which this Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 2 Tim 4:2

3. Be Ready to Address Issues

Apostle Paul wrote these words to pastor Timothy, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4:2).

This verse brings John Calvin’s words to mind, “The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for driving away wolves.” Sadly, pastors today are quite prone to neglecting the latter voice. In essence, they fail to

warfare is to be waged. There are certain conditions that must be met if we are to personally experience the victory that Christ has already accomplished for us. It is important to recognize that victory is assumed. Christ has defeated Satan and has won the victory for us. Therefore, our responsibility is to live according to our victorious position and not to suffer defeat at the hands of the enemy, who has already been defeated. We are to take our stand against any onslaught of the enemy because he has no chance to defeat us as long as we recognize our position in Christ.

Victory for the believer is the valid promise on which everything else is based. This is seen from Romans 8:35-39. In this passage Paul asked the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (v. 35). After mentioning some things that could be considered possibilities, Paul gave this resounding answer: “Nay, in all these things we are more than correct false beliefs and practices of the members in the church which can encourage falsehood to flourish.

Here’s an example – caste-based prejudices are so blatantly rampant in churches across the country, especially in the Southern states. When it comes to marriages, pastors who are supposed to discourage this social evil, are seen to encourage and help members find a spouse from the same caste.

In another instance, I remember a pastor mentioning to me that he avoids talking to married couples in the church if they have marital issues. Instead, he limits himself to just praying for them. Now, this may appear to be a safe and comfortable

conquerors through him that loved us” (v. 37). How can we be more than conquerors? This will be revealed as we examine Ephesians 6:10-20. How wonderful it is to know that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39).

Paul also reminded the Corinthians of the victory we have in Christ: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 15:57). “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ” (II Cor. 2:14). Ephesians 6:10-20 reveals God’s allsufficient provision for such total victory. CL

REMEMBER: YOU ARE NOT FIGHTING FOR VICTORY, BUT FROM VICTORY, FOR JESUS CHRIST HAS ALREADY DEFEATED SATAN! Warren Wiersbe

approach. However, it is contrary to the biblical mandate to correct and rebuke the flock when a sheep is living contrary to the Word of God.

Can this ever be accomplished if a pastor preaches to people in satellite churches who only view him from a screen? How will he ever know what is happening in the lives of church members? Can they be addressed online?

Shepherds, you are called to teach, help, correct, and encourage people in your local church to grow in their relationship with God. So, be available, approachable and address issues. This is your God-given mandate. CL

cont’d from page 15 — Biblical Leadership

D. L. Moody, during his New Haven campaign of 1878, addressed that statement to a Yale Divinity School senior who had asked him about winning souls to Christ. That student was Reuben Archer Torrey and, to Torrey’s credit, he stayed around long enough to learn how to win the lost to Christ. Moody gave the students some verses to use in soul-winning and then said, “Now, gentlemen, go at it!”

At the meetings, Torrey saw a young lady he had met at a dance prior to his own conversion and decided to try out his evangelistic skill on her. It took two hours of answering questions and referring to Scripture, but she finally yielded to the Lord and became the first convert of the man who would eventually win thousands to Christ in his worldwide ministry.

R. A. Torrey was born the son on January 28,1856 in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was the son of a well to do banker. The family was associated with the Congregational Church, but only his mother was a true believer. It was through her prayers that her son would become a minister of the gospel, but Reuben decided he wanted to be a lawyer. However, deep within, he had the haunting feeling that God had indeed called him to be a preacher—yet he was not even a professed Christian.

One night he had a vivid dream that his mother was dead. Suddenly, she appeared in his room in the form of an angel and begged him to give himself to the ministry. In the dream he promised her that he would do so, but in his waking hours, the prospects of going to Yale University excited him so much that the impact of the dream faded from his mind.

He entered Yale in 1871 and soon found himself caught up in what his mother would have called worldly living: gambling at cards, drinking, dancing, and smoking. Chapel was compulsory but not very exciting spiritually, and even though Reuben attended church faithfully on Sundays, read his Bible daily, and kept up the image of being a Christian, he knew he was far from the kingdom.

At the end of his sophomore year he faced the crisis. His worldly life did not satisfy him, he was not really “making it” on campus (his choice fraternity did not elect him), and he was still haunted by the feeling that God had called him to preach. One night he became so despondent and desperate that he decided to commit suicide. He reached for his razor, but God arrested him, and, instead, Torrey fell to his knees and prayed: “God, if you will take away this awful burden, I will preach!” God lifted the burden, God’s peace filled his heart and he went into sound sleep and woke up the next morning knowing that he was in God’s hands.

What brought about the change? Torrey explained: “My mother, 427 miles away, was praying and praying that I would become a minister of the gospel. And though I had gotten over sermons and arguments and churches and everything else, I could not get over my mother’s prayers.”

He entered Yale Divinity School in 1875. In 1877, both of his parents died within three weeks of each other. Unfortunately, the Torrey estate had all but disappeared during the panic of 73, so Reuben was not made a wealthy man by his father’s death. “I’m glad I did not inherit a fortune,” he said later. “It would have ruined me.”

While he was at Divinity School, Torrey first met D. L. Moody and

Young man, you had better get to work for the Lord!”

learned from him how to win souls. Torrey graduated in 1878, and on November 9 of that year became pastor of the Congregational Church in Garrettsville, Ohio, population 969. He was still rather ignorant of the Bible, but he devoted his morning hours to concentrated study. Gifted by the Lord with a brilliant mind, Torrey learned rapidly and tried to practice and share what he learned. The church prospered, and he even found himself a bride and was married on October 22,1879.

Torrey might have remained in pastoral ministry were it not for Howard Bell, a wealthy Yale classmate, who urged him to study in Germany and even offered to pay the expenses. Torrey refused his generous gift but did accept a loan, and in the fall of 1882 he sailed for Europe with his wife and little daughter. He divided his time between the universities in Leipzig and Erlangen, studying under such famous scholars as Franz Delitzsch and Theodore Zahn. That year of concentrated study further convinced him that the “old faith” was true and that the message of the gospel was the only hope for a lost world.

When he returned to the United States, he had two invitations for ministry: a wealthy church in Brooklyn, and a small group of believers in Minneapolis who wanted to begin a new ministry. Torrey decided for Minneapolis. There he threw himself into personal evangelism, preaching, and teaching. He organized the Peoples Church (Congregational) and rejoiced in the blessings God gave.

In 1906, Torrey led a sixteen-yearold lad to Christ, and that lad. Oswald J. Smith, would one day organize the People’s Church in Toronto.

During his years of ministry and study in Minneapolis, Torrey reached

some definite conclusions about doctrinal matters, Trained as a lawyer, he knew that all the evidence he needed was in the Bible, and he was willing to accept all that the Bible taught. For one thing, he became a convinced premillennialist, and all his life he preached the blessed hope of the Lord’s return. He also became an immersionist, but he never made baptism a test of fellowship. His study of Scriptures also convinced him of the doctrine of eternal punishment.

Two doctrinal matters that, in later years, gave him some trouble with other conservative believers. They were divine healing and the baptism of the Spirit. While Torrey did not believe in healers, with all of their religious promotion, he did believe in “the prayer of faith” (James 5:14—15) and personally experienced healing from God. He often prayed for others, and they were healed.

In all his ministry, Torrey emphasized the importance of the power of the Holy Spirit. At one point he determined not to preach again until he had been “endued with power from on high” (see Luke 24:49), so he shut himself up for a week and prayed. God answered his prayer, and others could tell that God’s hand was powerfully upon him. Like Moody. Torrey did not quibble over terminology, something that he probably would change if he were on the scene today. He seemed to equate “the baptism of the Spirit” with “the fullness of the Spirit.”

When a friend told D. L. Moody about Torrey’s ministry in Minneapolis, the evangelist said, “You make my mouth water for him!- Moody usually got what he wanted; so on September 26,1889, R. A. Torrey began his ministry as superintendent of the Chicago Evangelization Society, later to be known as the Moody Bible Institute. Torrey developed

the curriculum and made sure it emphasized consecration, zeal for souls, a knowledge of the Bible, and a willingness to sacrifice. In a very real sense, Torrey was the architect who made the design for every Bible institute that has been founded since his time.

From 1894 to 1906, Torrey also served as pastor of the Chicago Avenue Church, which later became the Moody Memorial Church. The building seated 2,200 people, and it was usually packed at each service, with people having to sit in overflow rooms. More than two thousand members were received into the church during Torrey’s ministry, and multitudes were converted. So effective was his ministry that invitations came to him from across the nation and even from other countries.

During a revival prayer meeting at the church, Torrey was strangely led to pray that God would send him around the world and give him thousands of souls in response to the preaching of the gospel. Shortly after this, two Christians from Australia invited him to hold a campaign in Melbourne. As God provided adequate leadership for both the church and the school, Torrey felt led to accept the invitation.

On December 23,1901, he left on the world tour, ministering in Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Great Britain. The wellknown evangelistic singer Charles Alexander joined him in Australia. And Torrey and Alexander were to become as famous a team as Moody and Sankey. The records indicate that more than one hundred thousand persons made decisions for Christ during this worldwide campaign, from 1902 to 1905. R. A. Torrey, like D. L. Moody before him, returned to the United States to find himself a famous man.

In 1906, Torrey resigned the pastorate of the church, and two years later resigned from the school. On February 8,1908, he helped found the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) and served as its dean from 1912 to 1924. On September 3.1915, he became founding pastor of the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles, starting with eighty-six charter members. He also assisted in establishing the Testimony Publishing Company, funded by the Stewart brothers of Union Oil fame. This new company published The Fundamentals, a series of inexpensive books that defended the faith.

Those were busy years for Torrey as he was writing, preaching, directing a school, and pastoring a church, while preaching at key conferences across the nation. In 1908 he organized the Montrose Bible Conference in Montrose, Pennsylvania, and this soon became a meeting place for hungry Christians eager to study the Bible. By 1924 he felt that he needed to slow down, so he resigned from all his ministries and “retired” to Asheville, North Carolina. He then teamed up with Homer Hammontree and went out on the evangelistic circuit again.

He held his last campaign at the First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida, from November 28 to December 11,1927. He began to experience throat trouble and had to cancel all his meetings. He spent the summer at his beloved Montrose, unable to participate in any personal ministry. At the close of the season, he returned to Asheville, and there he died on October 26,1928. The funeral was at Montrose, and he was buried on beautiful Sunset Knoll.

Some years ago I heard an eloquent preacher tell several thousand Christians that they had to make the choice between serving God as “deep Bible teachers” or as

soul-winners. If Reuben Archer Torrey had been in that meeting, he would have protested. He himself was a man with a keen mind, a profound ability to teach the Word, and a sincere burden for the lost. His studies in Germany gave him the weapons to fight German higher criticism and theological liberalism. He had wrestled with theological problems and found the answers in the infallible Word of God.

Torrey was a balanced man; in fact, he was a man who seemed to have everything. He was a powerful evangelist and also a concerned pastor. He was an educator and yet a stirring teacher. His books are still being published and are exerting a lasting influence in the lives of new generations of Christians. His most recent biographer, Roger Martin, calls R. A. Torrey “the apostle of certainty.” He stood like a giant at the time when winds of doctrine were blowing against the church and causing people to stumble and fall. In Reuben Archer Torrey, God proved once again that education and evangelism, depth and soul-winning, need not destroy one another. If a man submits to the Word and is filled with the Spirit, he can have an enlightened mind and a burning heart—and he can reach people for Christ.

How to Work for Christ and What the Bible Teaches are perhaps Torrey’s most treasured books, and they are still available. You will also want to read his books on prayer and the Holy Spirit. How To Succeed in the Christian Life is excellent for new believers. R. A. Torrey: Apostle of Certainty, by Roger Martin, is published by Sword of the Lord Publishers and is worth reading.

During his British campaign, Torrey said to a vast audience; I would rather win souls than be the greatest king or emperor on earth; I would

rather win souls than be the greatest general that ever commanded an army.... My one ambition in life is to win as many as possible. Oh, it is the only thing worth doing, to save souls; and men and women, we can all do it.!

D. L. Moody started it all when he said. “Young man, you had better get to work for the Lord!”

Perhaps the Lord is saying the same thing to you. CL

I

n my sober judgment the relation of the Spirit to the believer is the most vital question the church faces today.

Satan has opposed the doctrine of the Spirit- filled life about as bitterly as any other doctrine there is. He has confused it, opposed it, surrounded it with false notions and fears. He has blocked every effort of the Church of Christ to receive from the Father her divine and blood-bought patrimony. The Church has tragically neglected this great liberating truth—that there is now for the child of God a full and wonderful and completely satisfying anointing with the Holy Ghost.

The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part

and parcel of the total plan of God for His people. There is nothing about the Holy Spirit queer or strange or eerie.

Unless you are convinced that it isn’t an added, unusual, extra, deluxe something that you have to go to God and beg and beat your fists on the chair to get, I recommend that you don’t do anything about it yet except to meditate upon the Scriptures bearing on this truth. You don’t have to persuade God at all. Dr. Simpson used to say, “Being filled with the Spirit is as easy as breathing; you can simply breathe out and breathe in.”

Before you can be filled with the Spirit you must have a desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Are you sure that you want to be possessed

by a Spirit other than your own? That Spirit, if He ever possesses you, will be the Lord of your Life! Do you want to hand the keys of your soul over to the Holy Spirit?

Again, are you sure that you need to be filled? Can’t you get along the way you are? But maybe you feel in your heart that you just can’t go on as you are. If you feel that there are levels of spirituality, mystic deeps and heights of spiritual communion, purity and power that you have never known, that there is fruit which you know you should bear and do not. victory which you know you should have and have not—I would say. “Come on,” because God has something for you.

Here is how to receive. First, present your body to Him (Rom. 12:1-2). God can’t fill what He can’t have. Now I ask you: Are you ready to present your body with all of its functions and all that it contains— your mind, your personality, your spirit, your love, your ambitions, your all? The second thing is to ask (Luke 11:9-11), and I set aside all theological objections to this text. He chooses to have us ask; so why not ask? Acts 5:32 tells us the third thing. God gives His Holy Spirit to them that obey Him. Simply live by the Scriptures as you understand them. Simple, but revolutionary. The next thing is, have faith. (Gal.3:2) We receive Him by faith as we receive the Lord in salvation by faith. He comes as a gift of God to us in power. First He comes in some degree and measure when we are converted, otherwise we couldn’t be converted. But I am talking about something different now, an advance over that. I am talking about His coming and possessing the full body and mind and life and heart, taking the whole personality over, gently but directly and bluntly, making it His, so that we may become a habitation of God through the Spirit.

When the Spirit presents Christ to our inner vision it has an exhilarating effect on the soul much as wine has on the body. The Spirit-filled man may literally dwell in a state of spiritual fervor amounting to a mild and pure inebriation. God dwells in a state of perpetual enthusiasm. He pursues His labors always in a fulness of holy zeal.

The Holy Spirit came to carry the evidence of Christianity from the books of apologetics into the human heart The Spirit of the living God brought an evidence that needed no logic; it went straight to the soul like a flash of silver light.

One blessed treasure we have missed is the right to possess the gifts of the Spirit as set forth in such fullness and clarity in the New Testament.

In their attitude toward the gifts of the Spirit Christians over the last few years they have tended to magnify the gifts of the Spirit until they can see little else—those who deny that the gifts of the Spirit are intended for the Church in this period of her history—those who appear to be thoroughly bored with the whole thing and do not care to discuss it.

More recently we have become aware of another group—those who want to know the truth about the Spirit’s gifts and to experience whatever God has for them within the context of sound New Testament faith.

It is usually said that there are nine gifts of the Spirit. (I suppose because Paul lists nine in 1 Cor.12.) Actually Paul mentions no less than seventeen (1 Cor. 12:4-11.27-31; Rom. 12:3-8; Eph. 4:7-11). And these are not natural talents merely, but gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit to fit the believer for his place in the body of Christ. They are spiritual gifts.

For a generation certain evangelical teachers have told us that the gifts of the Spirit ceased at the death of the apostles or at the completion of the New Testament. This, of course, is a doctrine without a syllable of Biblical authority back of it. The result of this erroneous teaching is that spiritually gifted persons are ominously few among us. This frightening hour calls aloud for men with the gift of prophetic insight. Instead we have men who conduct surveys, polls and panel discussions. We need men with the gift of knowledge. In their place we have men with scholarship—nothing more. Thus, we may be preparing ourselves for the tragic hour when God may set us aside as so-called evangelicals and raise up another movement to keep New Testament Christianity alive in the earth.

The truth of the matter is that the Scriptures plainly imply the imperative of possessing the gifts of the Spirit. But I must also add a word of caution. The various spiritual gifts are not equally valuable, as Paul so carefully explains. Certain brethren have magnified one gift out of seventeen out of all proportion. Among these brethren there have been and are many godly souls, but the general moral results of this teaching have nevertheless not been good. In practice it has resulted in much shameless exhibitionism, a tendency to depend upon experiences instead of upon Christ and often a lack of ability to distinguish the works of the flesh from the operations of the Spirit. Those who deny that the gifts are for us today and those who insist upon making a hobby of one gift are both wrong, and we are all suffering the consequences of their folly.

The primary work of the Holy Spirit is to restore the lost soul to intimate fellowship with God through the washing of regeneration. Gifts and

power for service the Spirit surely desires to impart, but holiness and spiritual worship come first.

One obstacle to the reception of power is a widespread fear of our emotions wherever they touch the religious life. Feeling and faith are opposed to each other in modem teaching. This anti-emotionalism is nevertheless an unwarranted inference, not a Scriptural doctrine. Where in the Bible are feeling and faith said to be at odds? The fact is that faith engenders feeling as certainly as life engenders motion. Faith as a cold, unemotional light is wholly unknown in the Scriptures. The Book of Acts is almost hilarious with joy.

Another hindrance is fear of fanaticism. Instinctive revulsion from fleshly excesses and foolish undisciplined conduct on the part of some who profess lofty spiritual attainments has closed the door to a life of power for many of God’s true children. They have made the mistake of putting all teaching concerning the Holy Spirit in the same category. Such victims must be taught that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus, and is as gracious and beautiful as the Saviour Himself. The Holy Spirit is the cure for fanaticism, not the cause of it.

The doctrine of the Spirit as it relates to the believer has over the last half-century been shrouded in a mist such as lies upon a mountain in stormy weather. A world of confusion has surrounded this truth. This confusion has not come by accident. An enemy has done this. Satan knows that Spiritless evangelicalism is as deadly as Modernism or heresy, and he has done everything in his power to prevent us from enjoying our true Christian heritage. CL

LIFE AFTER SIXTY

Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life”, says Billy Graham in his book ‘Nearing Home’. Life can begin at 60; it is all in your hands. Everyone becomes old differently and lifestyle plays a major role in one’s life. We experience many changes in our physical and mental health. Many people become unhappy and grouchy due to their decreased levels of health and security. They also start feeling unwanted owing to the diminishing importance given to them and their opinions. However, all aging people must understand the basic principles of life and accept them gladly. Some of us want to look young always. It is fine, but there is a problem if you want to ‘remain’ young always. We should not go against the natural laws of God’s creation. We need to remind ourselves about God’s goodness for keeping us alive. We need to be filled with His peace.

Retirement is a mixed bundle. Finally, you can just relax from the daily rush of life. However, it brings with it many fears. They could be

fear of loss of mobility, the fear of increasing disabilities with a sense of uselessness, the fear of reduced income and the fear of loss of social status. Many often feel that the experience and expertise they gained through years of work will be wasted. We need to accept that retirement is a divine gift as it provides opportunities for newer adventures and achievements.

ADVANTAGES OF RETIREMENT:

• As you don’t have to report to work, you will have a lot of time for spiritual pursuits. You can spend more time in the presence of God with His Word. You can also study the Word of God in a systematic way.

• You can spend more time in prayer. Let us see how David prayed. “Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation. Your power to everyone who is to come” Psalms 71:18.

• You can read or re-read all the

books you always wanted to. This sort of leisure time you cannot find while you are employed with an organization. Reading is a rich and rewarding experience as it provides deeper insight.

• You can set new goals. You may write a book to encourage the younger generation. You may contribute articles for various magazines.

• You may spend more time with young believers or leaders to help them to stand firm for the Lord.

Titus 3:2-5

• As long as our mental faculties are sharp and active, we need to use them for God’s glory. “Used brains usually last longer”.

• You can create a network of friends and like-minded people who share similar concerns, values and interests.

• You can enjoy taking up challenges. At the age of 85, Caleb reminded Joshua that he was as strong as when he was 40 years old. He wanted to fight the giant Anakites and settle down in Hebron. He says, “As yet I am as

strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me… Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day.” Joshua 14: 11,12.

• You can be connected with people through technology like Internet, WhatsApp etc. Learning a new skill keeps your brain working and may protect you against dementia.

• You may also hone your talents and pursue hobbies like photography, painting, developing computer skills, music and culinary arts.

SOME CHANGES WE OBSERVE AS WE GROW

OLD:

Skin: Your skin becomes more fragile and you may have increasing number of age spots. Your skin will sag under the jaw. Excess skin develops around your neck.

Blood vessels: You may develop dilated superficial blood vessels (called telangiectasia) on the cheeks, nose, chin and legs but don’t worry.

Joints: Your joints may sound like snapping twigs, but those creaking and popping noises are usually not serious, unless accompanied by pain and swelling. Aging and inactivity leads to achy joints because of the tearing down of cartilage, loss of lubricating joint fluid and weaker muscles.

Metabolism: Metabolism slows down up to 5%, and to avoid weight gain, you need to cut calories. You may secrete less hydrochloric acid, which decreases the availability of Vitamin B12. The body cannot make insulin properly and it results in diabetes. It can be controlled by healthy diet, exercise, regular blood sugar monitoring and medicines.

Constipation: Your stomach empties more slowly, which can

increase the risk of reflux. Slowing down of the digested material through the large intestine can trigger constipation. Adding fibre and water to your diet help in protecting against colon polyps.

Heart: High fat levels, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, diabetes, stressful lives are some reasons for heart problems. The incidence of heart disease rises with age. A skipped beat or a racing heart increases the risk of stroke, so inform these to your doctor. The good news is the death rate has declined due to advances in treatment of these conditions.

Senses: Age-related hearing loss becomes more common, primarily as a result of degenerative changes in the ear canal, ear drum and other structures of the ear. By 70, smell and taste have likely declined, reducing the ability to enjoy subtle flavours. Taste buds decrease in number and sensitivity and nerve endings in the nose may not work well. You may find it harder to see well in dim light. In general 60-year olds need three times as much light to read as 20-year olds. The risk of macular degenerate increases. Fish oil and a diet rich in antioxidants can prevent this condition.

Immunity: Your immune system becomes less sensitive. You are susceptible to sickness. Chronic inflammation, which is linked to heart diseases, diabetes and arthritis, makes it even harder for the body to mount an effective immune response. So, it is important to shed extra pounds, eat a good diet and exercise.

Health care:

• Maintain personal hygiene.

• Take care of your teeth. Brush your, teeth twice a day.

• Wash your hands before eating with simple soap and water.

• Drink two glasses of warm water on empty stomach.

• Prefer green tea. Reduce salt intake. Avoid pickles. Have a balanced meal with fewer carbohydrates and more proteins.

• Eat more fruits and avoid unhealthy fats.

• Pulses and oats help to maintain blood glucose levels and cholesterol levels.

• Eat eggs, corn and carrots to improve your eye sight.

• Prefer whole grain cereals, whole meal bread, brown rice etc. to maintain a healthy gut.

• Have some fruit between breakfast and lunch. Cut down on sugary foods and sweets. Eliminate soft drinks.

• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly in water before you eat or cook.

• Have fresh, green leafy vegetables frequently.

• Do not sleep immediately after lunch.

• Have tea and snacks between 4pm and 5pm.

• Eat dinner before 8pm. Take tablets half an hour after food.

• Avoid self medication even if it is a headache or an acidity problem. Visit your doctor and take advice.

• Avoid road-side dhabas, unsafe water and exposed food,

• Lose weight by making small changes you can stick to.

• Keep your pets clean and well trimmed. Vaccinate them. Keep them free of fleas and diseases.

Water: Drink plenty of water. Your brain consists of 75% of water. It carries nutrients and oxygen to your cells. It moistens oxygen for breathing. It helps in conversion of food to energy. It helps your body to absorb nutrients. Water makes up 75% of your muscles and 80% of your blood. It cushions your joints. It removes waste and it regulates your body temperature.

Vaccinations: Immunizations are not just for children. Protection from some childhood vaccines can wear off overtime. Flu, pneumonia and shingles are some of the complications that can lead to long term illness, hospitalization and even death. If you have an ongoing health condition like diabetes or heart disease, getting vaccines can protect you from serious diseases so you can stay healthy as you age. Talk with your doctor to make sure you get the vaccines that are right for you.

Walking and Exercise: Regular physical activity has lots of benefits. It can help you sleep better, stimulate your appetite and reduces the risk of heart disease, dementia and falls. It also helps improve and maintain your fitness, strength and balance. It reduces your dependability on others. Visit your doctor for a checkup before starting a new physical exercise routine. Always stop and get medical advice if you get chest pain, or out of breath or feel dizzy when exercising. Exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous. You should wear correct shoes for walking. Walking with a friend or a loved one makes it more fun. It is safer. Walking helps you to make new friends. It is harder to cancel a walk when you know you have a friend waiting for you. Walk at a steady pace. There is no need of a brisk walk. Half an hour walk and 15 minutes of exercise for five days in a week is ideal. If you use a cane or a walker, don’t let that stop you from walking. This will improve your balance.

Sleep: Long after we have gone to bed, our bodies work tirelessly to heal and repair cells from oxidation and stress-related damages. Solid and uninterrupted sleep is crucial for longevity, repair and recovery. Sleep deprivation has very frightening and serious long-term consequences. It not only affects your mood, but

also impacts your blood sugar levels, slows down metabolism and predisposes you to a plethora of problems like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, says Dr. Manvir Bhatia, Director of Sleep Medicine at Neurology & Sleep Centre. Delhi. Sleep deprivation can cause people to become angry, irritable, depressed, with a tendency of frequent infections, due to lowered immunity.

Ways to promote sleep: Here are some suggestions by Dr. Sandeep Sindhu (Sleep specialist). Stop watching TV before one hour of your sleep. Establish a cut-off time for electronic devices. The blue light these devices emit blocks the production of melatonin. Avoid going to bed either hungry or on a full tummy. Cut out caffeine afternoon. Keep protein-rich foods to earlier in the day as they take time to digest. If your mattress is sagging, consider buying a new one. Always use cotton covers; they are healthier for the skin. Resolve your conflicts before you head to bed. Spend considerable time in personal prayer apart from family prayer.

Sleeping postures: Improper sleeping posture causes chronic neck pain and back pain. Lying on the left side is the best position for the spine. It is best for the heart to pump blood through the body because the main artery bends to the left. When you are on your left side, stomach acids can’t flow into the oesophagus because they come out of the right side of the stomach. This helps in digestion and prevents acid reflux. The lymphatic system can remove waste material more easily because it is transported along the left side of the body. Don’t sleep on your abdomen or sleep on your arm. Don’t crunch but slide your knee and leg down and roll yourself while getting up.

Attending Camps and Conferences: These are important occasions to grow spiritually and to associate socially. You can get introduced lo many new people who are like minded. You will have a safe and supportive environment. Dress yourself well when you are attending a function. Wear whatever makes you feel most confident in the setting you will be in. Do not neglect your appearance saying that you are an old person. “....And the splendour of old men is their grey head” Proverbs 20:29. Be accessible to people to talk to you. Do not think that people do not understand you and that they are judgmental. Seek out others who are all alone and take initiative to meet them. Introduce yourself. They are just as eager to meet you as you are to meet them. Be honest in your conversations. Have answers for their questions. You can influence future generations by your wise words. “Wisdom is with aged men and with length of days, understanding” Job 12:12. Meet the speakers after the sessions and give your appreciation and response to them. Enjoy seeing many role models.

Importance of family gatherings: It is interesting to hear from someone saying, “Family is like branches on a tree; we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one”. Conducting family gatherings will help all the members of the family to bond with one another. Every one finds it easy to get along together when they meet frequently. Understanding between the members will increase as it is a relaxing and refreshing time. You can initiate family reunions to bring together the families that live far enough. Use family gatherings as an opportunity to practice good manners and to use good communication skills. You can suggest activities and listen to others’ opinions too. When people gather in a respectful, safe and joyful

way, the time together can make a huge difference in creating deeper connections, developing stronger relationships and having lasting memories that warm our hearts throughout our lives. “Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom” Job 32:7.

SOME SUGGESTIONS:

1. Never say I am aged: We do not have control over our age. But we can take care of our health with good diet, a cheerful attitude and optimistic thinking. Being young at heart makes all the difference. “They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” Psalms 92:14.15

2. Learn to enjoy: Enjoy the freedom and blessings God has given you. When you are living with your children, know your limitations. Don’t look to them for every small thing. Be a help to them in the household work and in handling their kids. It is better to be positive and understand that God is in control of everything.

3. Time is precious: Imagine that every day you are born again. Yesterday is a cancelled cheque. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is ready cash. Use it profitably, Live the moment. Love the people you are associating with. “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” James 4:14

4. Health is wealth: If you really love your family, taking care of your health should be your priority. Thus, you will not be a burden to them. Have an annual health

checkup and take the prescribed medicines regularly. Meet your doctor periodically as advised. Do take health insurance cover.

5. Money is important: Money is essential for meeting the basic necessities of life. If your children are grateful and they take care of you, you are blessed. God gave us instructions in the Bible to take care of our old parents. Proverb 23:22. But never take it for granted. Do not spend beyond your means. Never entertain loans.

6 Have contentment: Be happy as you get older. You know that bad times are going to pass. Stay away from stressful situations. Children can handle their issues. Everything God allows in your life has a purpose. Take life as it comes. King David in his old age confidently says that God will not forsake the righteous Psalms 37: 25.

7 Change is expected: The growth of new brain cells called neurogenesis continues. Capacity to learn new things stays strong. But part of your brain circuitry starts to burn out and you may find yourself slow to access memories. Mild forgetfulness happens because the transmission of nerve impulses between cells slows down. Plenty of interaction with family and friends will yield good results.

8 Relaxation and recreation: A healthy religious attitude, good sleep, music, laughter and memorizing Scriptures will keep you fit mentally and help you to relax physically. Increase in your faith life. Travel to new places and see the funny side of life.

9. Forget and forgive: Don’t be bothered too much about the situations and people around

you. Forget all those who caused irritation in your life. For the sake of your own health and happiness, forget them.

10. Overcome the fear of death: We all know that one day we have to leave this world. Yet we are afraid of death. We think that our children and our spouse will be unable to understand our loss. But the truth is that no one is going to die for you. They may be depressed for some time. Time heals everything and they will carry on.” The days of our lives are seventy years, and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” Psalms 90:12.

Conclusion:

Even to your old age, I am He, and even to grey hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you” Isaiah 46:4. Billy Graham notes. “ While the Bible does not gloss over the problems we face as we grow older, neither does it paint old age as a note to be despised or a burden to be endured with gritted teeth. With growing limitations, fears and struggles, we can still grow stronger”. We don’t know how many years we live on this earth or what we might face as we age. But one thing is certain; God will care for us throughout our life. Finally, don’t be afraid to grow old; God goes with you!

“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” 2 Corinthians 4:16. CL

When Jesus was verbally scourging the scribes and Pharisees of His day for their hypocrisy, He told them, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you. ... Ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt. 23:27-33).

Though the meaning of Jesus’ words here would likely be obvious to any Bible reader, a specific knowledge of graves and sepulchers of that land and day should serve to make His indictment more vivid and potent.

Even when a body was buried in an ordinary grave in the ground, a fairly prominent tomb of mortar was promptly erected over the site. Some, of course, were more elaborate than others, depending on the prominence of the person buried and on the affluence of the surviving family.

But rich or poor, all the tombs were invariably kept white by frequent reapplications or freshly slaked lime whitewash.

The tombs were thus constantly kept snow white and spotless. The careful rewhitewashing of all the graves in the burial grounds was a routine activity prior to special civic or religious holidays or feasts. This is still the practice in the countries of the Far East and Middle East, The process may be repeated several times annually.

Actually, these cemeteries, particularly from a little distance, give the appearance of great beauty and attractiveness. The burial grounds are often whiter and cleaner looking than the homes of the people.

The outward whiteness of the tombs Jesus was referring to, giving the impression of purity and cleanness, was utterly in contrast to the contents of the grave itself, where there was only stench, putrefaction and corruption. Perhaps there is nothing more revolting to a human being than to look into an open tomb containing a partially decayed human body. The sight and the stench are nauseating. And this was particularly true for the people of Jesus’ day, because for them even to touch or come into contact with a dead body or anything that pertained to it meant to be ceremonially defiled.

No matter how frequently the tombs were whitewashed on the outside, they still contained only corruption on the inside—decayed or decaying bodies and bones. Though the tombs had been made to appear attractive on the outside, the whitewash had made no difference on the inside.

Jesus’ figure of speech must have conveyed a very strong message to the people to whom He spoke. Perhaps no symbol of hypocrisy could have been stronger than that of graves outwardly whitewashed and spotlessly clean but full of corruption within. This was exactly the way Jesus looked upon the scribes and Pharisees, and, therefore, this was the way he described them. He insisted that man’s religion was not to be merely an outward declaration for special occasions, such as religious feasts, but it was to be a life principle of inward purity and outward testimony.

Let us remember that God still looks at hypocrisy in exactly the same way, no matter where He sees it—even in our own lives. Our inward state must correspond to our outward show. God hates and decries man’s hypocrisy. CL

What is missing?

My friend, are you dead or alive? Do you ever feel that there is something important missing from your life? A vital part of your existence that isn’t there, and has never been there? An empty void and longing, deep within the depths of your soul, crying out to be filled?

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ on a personal basis, that is the problem. God, the giver and sustainer of life, is missing from your life. The Bible says that without Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, you are “dead in trespasses and sins.”

(Ephesians 2:1b)

How did it happen?

In the Garden of Eden, before man’s fall, Adam and Eve were alive, that is, they were “spiritually” alive. They walked in perfection, and oneness with God. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

On that day, when they disobeyed God and ate of the fruit, they died a “spiritual” death. Sin entered in, and they were separated from God. Since

then, every one of us has been born into sin. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12) “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5) “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” (Romans 3:10) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,”(Romans 3:23)

The results of sin are a spiritual death, a physical death, and if you die without Jesus Christ, an eternal death. This is eternal separation from God in hell fire.

What has been done about it?

Jesus Christ, the God-man, was not a partaker of man’s sinful bloodline. He was perfect, sinless, righteous, holy, born of a virgin, and God in the flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He offered Himself the perfect, sinless sacrifice unto God, to redeem man from the sin which separates him from God. He came to give life back unto men. “...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” (John 5:24-25)

Now it is up to you.

My friend, do you hear His voice calling you through these Scriptures? He wants to breathe life into you. This receiving of new life from Jesus Christ is what He called being born again. We see this in the Bible when Jesus tells Nicodemus, “...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:3,6)

My friend, repent! Turn to God from your sin, and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and be born of God. God promised in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” When you turn to God, the missing link will be found, and the empty void will be filled. You will be one with God. He will be your Father, and you will be His son. You can rejoice with us in this great truth forever. Amen. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (I John 5:12) CL

Creative Bible Learning

Revelation

We are happy to introduce this Creative Bible Learning method of studying your Bible book by book. Send the correct answers with your Name & address to receive a Special Gift from ‘Back to the Bible’. Study One book at a time.

9-13 – Kindly Answer the Quiz with Bible References (NIV)

1. When the fifth angel sounded: John saw fall from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the

2. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces resembled the faces of .

3. After the first woe passed; more woes were yet to come.

4. What was the man child brought forth to do?

5. Who fought against the dragon that sought to devour the man child?

6. Who was the Dragon?

7. The beast that rose out of the sea had heads and horns

8. During those days people will seek but will not find it.

9. A great sign appeared in heaven: a clothed with the sun, with the moon under , and a crown of twelve stars on ?

10. It was commanded, or or , should not be hurt.

11. In chapter 10 what was the angel clothed with .

12. What was John told to do with the book?

13. An angel told John, you must do this again before many people?

14. What was John told to measure?

15. The angel said, the Gentiles will trample on the holy city for months.

16. How did the brothers and sisters triumph over the accuser?

17. What did the brothers and sisters did not love?

18. The whole world was filled with the beast after its wound was healed.

19. The beast was given a mouth to utter and to exercise its authority for months.

20. The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become

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The next quiz will be from Revelation 14-18 (NIV)

Quiz Answers: Revelation 5-8

(1) Lamb; 5:5 (2) Lamb; 5:12 (3) living creatures, elders; 5:6,8 (4) pair of scales; 6:5 (5) death; 6:7 (6) Salvation; 7:10 (7) great tribulation; 7:13,14 (8) seventh, 8:1 (9) prayers; 8:4 (10) mighty angel; 5:2 (11) horns, eyes, spirits; 5:6 (12) blood, 5:9 (13) bow, 6:2 (14) earthquake, black, blood red; 6:12 (15) four winds, wind from blowing: 7:1 (16) 144,000; 7:4 (17) Lamb, springs of living water; 7:17 (18) God, 7:17 (19) hail, fire mixed with blood; 8:7 (20) An eagle that was flying in mid-air; 8:13 (21) Wormwood; 8:10

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A lifetime of intensive Bible study, research and meditation on the truths of the Word of God has produced this encouraging book of daily devotional thoughts.

As you read and ponder these selections compiled from Dr. Epp’s numerous Bible book and character studies...

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