The Christian Messenger Aug 2017 English

14th YEAR OF PUBLISHING

Evangelism Through Journalism

THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER

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INDIA’S EVANGELICAL NEWS MAGAZINE

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Vol. 14, No. 4

Page 20

AUGUST, 2017

The purpose of the news magazine is to report newsworthy religious events and activities within the local community, nationwide and around the world, to increase the awareness and activism of believers regarding the moral issues of today, to provide thought-provoking commentary, and to provide an effective advertising vehicle for Christian ministries and organizations, events and businesses that want to reach the Christian community. - Editor

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05 4 Lies Christian Women May Believe 09 10 12 16 18 COVER FEATURE >>

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‘African Americans Most Bible-Engaged Group’

COOKE’S BROTH How to Become A Game Changer

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THE MESSAGE 3 Experiences of Being With God

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GOSPEL MELA

15 Prayer Points For A 30-Minute Intercession

MINISTRY MENTOR

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COVER FEATURE

4 Lies Christian Women May Believe

“Well, will you let him save you from this?”

“From what?”

“From relational idolatry.”

When the counsellor used the term idolatry, Christy was shocked because she knew idolatry was a sin. It became clear to Christy that she was worshiping people over God. The approval and security of others had become more important to her than God’s approval and security.

That was the beginning of Christy being set free—for then she was willing to do the hard work of counselling, of immersing herself in the truth and trusting God to be what her friends could never be.

Today Christy is free, enjoying a stronger relationship with God and healthy friendships.

I Can Have a Perfect Family Hope had a picture in her head of the perfect home, perfect meals and perfect children: “well behaved, obedient and saved!” She also pictured a happy husband who was home each night enjoying it all.

“The problem,” Hope told me, “was that whenever anything threatened to disrupt this perfect mental picture, I’d become resentful and angry. I was living in a constant state of striving, complaining, disappointment, depression and exhaustion. I was driving myself, my husband and my children crazy. I was robbing our home of joy.”

Hope’s negative emotions were her red flags that a heart idol was operating. When she recognized her idol of control—control over how her husband and

AT THE root of every destructive BY ROBIN SAM behaviour is a deception. We may think that our identity is in Christ, but in reality it may be in the success of our marriage, mothering or ministry. We may think that God is our refuge, but in reality, we may find refuge in friendship, food or Facebook.

Seeing the lie is half the battle in being set free.

These are deceptions that are common among Christian women, though they certainly can snare men as well.

My Friends Can Be My Security Women are the relational gender and, generally speaking, their friendships are more intimate, more enduring and more satisfying than the friendships of men.

But the dark side is that women can begin to expect their friends to be what only God can be.

When Christy's best friend, Brooke, began to be less available because of a new boyfriend, Christy felt avoided as if she had the flu. A wise friend gave her the name of a good Christian counsellor, and Christy finally decided to go. She remembers the opening conversation verbatim: “Christy, you became a Christian at a young age, correct?”

“Yes—at vacation Bible school when I was 8.”

“Christy—do you need a Saviour?”

“Of course I do.”

“And what is it you need to be saved from?”

“I need to be saved from sin so that I can spend eternity in Heaven with him.”

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COVER FEATURE children acted, how her home looked, how others saw her—she responded to the Spirit of God and laid down on His altar her desires for particular outcomes. With wonder she told me, “If I lay down at the altar every time my children disobey me, every time my husband is late getting home or has yet another business trip…if I give all those circumstances back to God for him to be in control of, then I find life. My heart rests.”

God has not called us to have perfect children, homes or ministries. God has called us to be faithful, and to leave the results to him. He does not promise us perfection or freedom from pain, but a peace that passes understanding. That's what Hope has now.

Food Can Relieve My Stress Idols don’t need to be negative things like drugs or illicit sex—idolatry occurs anytime we turn a good thing into an ultimate thing, expecting it to do what only God can do for us.

Rebecca is the mother of four boys, two on the autism spectrum. Each night, after she finally got all four boys in bed, she’d get a glass of milk and a big piece of pie and settle down in front of the news. As she said, “It brought quick relief—but it didn’t last, so I needed another piece of pie.”

Rebecca came to see that her heart idol was comfort, and instead of allowing God to meet that need, she was running to food—and it was destroying her. Her weight ballooned along with depression.

“Seeing the idol was half the battle—but then I was afraid. If I didn’t eat, would God just let me sit in my pain?”

As Rebecca began to study passages about God’s unfailing love, she took a step of faith. She turned off the news and stopped running to food. She began to read books about intimacy with God, like A. W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. Rebecca has lost the weight, overcome her depression and is experiencing the presence of God in a way she has not in a long time. “It wasn’t a quick fix” she says—but God came to me. Intimacy with God is like a stream—and I hate it when the rocks get in the way.”

Fantasy Can Help Me Through Life Susan is married to an unbeliever who often belittles her. As an escape, she dreamt up the perfect husband and fantasized about him. Then she began to fantasize about a real man, the husband of a friend, who was all she wished her husband would be.

“Fortunately,” she said in retrospect, “that couple disappeared from my life. But then, after our third child was born, I had a breakdown and panic attacks.

I cried out to God, ‘Why can’t I just be happy like I was before?’

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Gently, he asked me: “What were you so happy about?”

I realized what I had done. I had forsaken the lover of my soul for a fantasy. My husband may never be what I wish he would be—but I do have a God who cherishes me, who will never leave me or forsake me, who sees my tears and who is real—not a fantasy.

I Am Not an Idolater We are naive if we think of idolatry in terms of statues. If we are honest, every single one of us has times when we run for refuge to things other than God, find our identity in things other than God, or when we trust in things other than God. Heart idols are invisible—all that can be seen is the bad fruit that emanates from them. Our body language is key—we are tense, jittery or downcast.

There is strife in our relationships.

Rachael was in constant strife with one of her children. When she began to study idols of the heart, she began to realize that she w a s a n idolater—not of visible things, but of invisible.

What Rachael wanted was the approval of others, so she wanted her children to be model children.

S h e w a s convicted by a book by Paul Tripp that said when that happens, our children can become our enemies, keeping us from what we really want.

“I was broken—repentant,” Rachael said. “I asked God to help me really love my children and trust Him for my approval. It’s made all the difference in our home and in our lives.”

Idols are not our friends—they only pretend to be—but then they turn on us and cut us to pieces.

Why would we run to them when we have a God like our God? Instead of cutting us to pieces, He was cut to pieces for us.

He is the God of all comfort, the peace that passes understanding, the friend who is closer than a brother and the lover of our souls.

(Excerpted from ‘Idol Lies’- Facing the truth about our deepest desires by Dee Brestin) 6

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OPPORTUNITIES

CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (CIM), an indigenous national level Christian Organisation, imparting Management Education, Training and Organisational Development / Consultancy services to NGOs, Missions and Churches in India for the past 19 years requires for its Registered Office in Chennai

MANAGEMENT CO-ORDINATOR (COMMUNICATION) Young graduate/Post-graduate preferably girls, with excellent communication (both written and verbal), organizational and planning skills, vibrant, multitasking, knowledge and understanding of current trends in digital media/social media and passion for Missions. Relevant experience will be an advantage.

Apply with resume to The Executive Director, Christian Institute of Management, No.1405, Fourth Street, Golden Colony, Anna Nagar West Extn, Chennai - 600 050 or email to operations@cimindia.in within 15 days.

PARTNERS REQUIRED In order to support, build and encourage Christian values according to Bible, we are keen to encourage Christian Youth by coaching them to take Civil Service Exam.

Should you be interested in joining the project, willing to share your expertise with us please e-mail us your mind sharing in what way you could partner with the concept.

email: president@churchplanterscouncil.org Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in

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Throne of Grace THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY & MINISTRIES INC

(INTERNATIONAL) Affiliated to: AEGA ministries, Evangel Christian University, LA, USA Recognised by: Christian Institutions Federation of India President Mission Board Membership of MCEWE (USA) & ICCC (Sweden)

Offers the following courses through correspondence: Bachelor of Ministry Bachelor of Divinity Bachelor of Theology Master of Ministry Master of Divinity Master of Biblical Studies Master of Missiology Master of Arts (Biblical Studies) Master of Theology

Master of Arts (Biblical Counseling) Doctor of Theology Doctor of Ministry Doctor of Divinity Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Sacred Theology Doctor of Music Doctor of Missiology Doctor of Literature

‘Sevarathna’ Title Awards

Graduation Group Photo

Note: Contact immediately for further details & information like ‘Ordination to Pastors’, ‘Honorary Doctorates’ for the deserving candidates & ‘Seva Rathna’ & ‘Visishta Seva Rathna’ Title Awards for Prominent & Significant, Specific Personalities.

Some of the prominent / significant TV speakers who received Doctorate / Awardees from TGTSM Late Rev. Dr. R.R.K. Murthy Late Bishop Dr. Shanthavardhan Bishop Dr.Johnnaiah Rev.Dr. P. Satish Kumar Rev.Dr. Rajkumar Patta Bro. Judson Abraham Rev. Dr. T.D. Prasanna Kumar Rev. Dr. Paulson Raj

Rev. Dr. Joy Cherian Rev. Dr. Amsumathi Mary Rev. Dr. Preetha Judson Rev. Dr. Teresa Paul Rev. Dr. Lilly Daniel Dr. Jesintha Rani Rev. Dr. Karuna Sree Rev. Dr. G. Ludiyamma Rev. Dr. Sharon Sachar

Rev. Dr. K.V. Paul Rev. Dr. A.D.V. Prasad Rev. Dr. Newton Bob Rev. Dr. Sudheer Rev. Dr. Abraham Rev. Dr. Edward Rouse Rev. Dr. Vijaya Raju Rev. Dr. Yesurathnam Rev. Dr. Satyanandam & many more

You can serve in your free time as Promotional Co-ordinator of the ‘Throne of Grace Theological Seminary’ upon approval.

All the MOs., Cheques and DDs must be drawn in favor of 'Throne of Grace T S & M. Inc' only.“Let us come boldly unto the 'Throne of Grace' (Heb. 4:16).

For Prospectus & Application, please send Rs.100/- by MO to

Bishop Dr. Ch. David John Director/President B 22/F3, Sanjeevareddy Nagar, Hyderabad 500038, AP, India.

Tel/Fax: 040-23715367 (Off); Cell: 0-9866009280, 9063772499.

Bishop Dr. Chintha David John MA (Litt)., M.Ed., BD., DD., D.Min., Ph.D. THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER w AUGUST 2017

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TRENDS

‘African-Americans Most Bible-Engaged Group’ They Lead in Time Spent Reading Scripture, says Survey AFRICAN-AMERICANS are more engaged with the Bible than any other group, according to the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible survey, which found that this group overwhelmingly cites positive beliefs and hope found in the Scriptures.

The study showed that 71 percent of AfricanAmericans are Bible engaged or Bible friendly, compared to 58 percent of all Americans. Only 6 percent of African-Americans have hostile feelings toward the Bible and just 4 percent are skeptical while 19 percent are neutral, the research found.

“AfricanAmericans are much more inclined to recognize the value of reading the Bible,” Roy P e t e r s o n , president of American Bible Society, said in a statement.

“Anyone who devotes time to the Word of God can discover its unique ability to help make sense of life.”

For the purpose of the annual study, the researchers defined ‘Bible-engagement’ as having the belief that the Bible is the actual Word of God or inspired word with no errors, coupled with the practise of reading the Bible at least four times each week. Even those who believe that the Bible is ‘inspired word’ with some possible factual errors but read it daily were also considered Bible-engaged.

And ‘Bible-friendly’ are those who believe that the Bible is the actual Word of God or inspired word with no errors but do not read Bible at least four times a week.

The study revealed that when African-Americans sit down to read the Bible, 29 percent read it for an hour or more, which was the leading timeframe for this category. Fifty-one percent cited feeling encouraged and 53 percent said they felt hopeful as a result of reading the Bible.

African-Americans ranked higher than all Americans in six other things. At least 95 percent Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in

own at least one Bible in their homes, 74 percent wish they read the Bible more, 46 percent downloaded or used a Bible app on a smart phone, 33 percent increased Bible reading in the last year, 40 percent listened to audio versions of the Bible, and 27 percent read or listened to the Bible or prayed every day.

Twenty percent of the American population is Bible engaged, and 38 percent are Bible friendly, the study found.

“More often than not, Bible engaged adults are married females from the Baby Boomer generation, are 53 years of age on average, have not been to college, are weekly church attenders, attend Protestant churches, and reside in the South or Midwest,” the report said.

“Three-quarters of Bible Engaged adults read the Bible every day. More African-Americans can be found in this category than the four other Bible engagement segments.”

Recently, Barna Group explored the faith profile of 131 cities to identify the top 10 most Bibleminded cities as well as the least Bible-minded cities in 2017.

Barna's annual Bible-Minded Cities report, in partnership with American Bible Society, found that Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the most Bible-minded city in the U.S. for the second year in a row. The study found that 50 percent of the population of Chattanooga is Bible-minded.

Birmingham, Anniston and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, took the second spot, with 49 percent of the population being Bible-minded.

Albany, Schenectady and Troy, New York, with only about 10 percent of their populations being Bible-minded, were at the top of the least Bibleminded list for the second year in a row. The New England area took the second and third positions, with Boston, Massachusetts, and Manchester, New Hampshire, at 11 percent. Christian Post 9

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COOKE’S BROTH

How to become a Game Changer

BY PHIL COOKE WHEN I think of ‘Game Changers’ I always think of Michael Jordan. It comes from two things: First, when there was time for only one shot that had to be made, his teammates knew to get the ball to Michael.

And second, in that same situation, Michael WANTED the ball. He had the confidence to make the shot. Michael was unique because even in the middle of a game, he could shift the momentum simply by his attitude, his skill, and his leadership.

The question is: Who’s the game changer in your organization?

I love the quote: “For things to change, somebody somewhere has to start acting differently.”

‘Acting differently’ starts with action. Stepping out and taking a risk. I’ve recently re-focused my life with a bias toward ‘action.’ It’s fine to discuss new ideas – and I love doing that – but the difference between a bureaucrat and an entrepreneur is that one is eventually willing to think differently and take a risk. Here are some thoughts on how to become a game changer in your organization:

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1. Understand what DOESN’T change. Until you know what doesn’t change, you’ll never be confident of what SHOULD change.

Your principles, values, Truth – in other words, what matters. Figure that out first.

2. Do creative work first – and reactive work second! Most people fritter away their days doing ‘reactive’ work – answering emails, letting people interrupt your day, responding to phone calls. But if you’re spending your day doing reactive work, you’re spending your day working on other people’s priorities.

3. Lose the distractions. Some research indicates that when you’re interrupted, it takes 30 or more minutes to get back to that same level of focus.

How many of those can you stand before your day is shot? Shut the door and get to work.

4.

Keep growing – even when it’s uncomfortable. Never stop learning, because change only happens with new information. Be a game changer. In a world of unrelenting change, it’s the only place to be. © PhilCooke.com

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GOSPEL MELA 2017 24-Hour Chain Prayer

15 Specific Prayer Points For a 30-Minute Intercession And, I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none (Ezekiel 22:30).

Praying with one accord for 2,234 people groups spread across 1.2 billion people in 29 states and 7 UTs in one nation.

Every nation, every tribe, every people and every tongue shall say: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10).

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Redemption of our souls is possible only through Jesus, there’s no other way. Gospel is nothing but proclaiming that Jesus is the only way to be saved from our sins, to be delivered out of the bondage of our curses and to come out of darkness into His magnificent light.

We are doing this in a concerted manner by targeting one State in the country every month for the next 12 months. We are reaching out to 1,00,000 people in each state with the Gospel message through tracts, other booklets and personal evangelism wherever possible. We are not working on this in isolation but have involved several local churches and missions

organizations in each state. We have christened this effort as ‘Gospel Mela’.

We need your prayerful support to make this a success. We lean on to the One who said: ‘…for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). God expects us to intensify our prayers and give freely to the Lord’s work so hundreds of thousands of Indians will come to know that Jesus is the only way to salvation in the next one year.

Besides using these prayer points to pray for 30 minutes during the 24-hour chain prayer time, will you also set apart five minutes a day or an hour on any day of the week to join us in prayer?

If you do, God will do wonders in this nation.

Amen. Glory to God.

1. WHAT IS THE first work of missions?

Undoubtedly, prayer! The vast majority of India's one billion population is unreached. One-third of the unreached people groups of the world is in India.

That's a lot of unreached people. Can we take the Gospel to them in our generation? Yes, if we pray.

The Lord of harvest will help us reach them.

2. Out of the 261 people groups that live in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 231 are unreached. Although, the Christian population accounts for 19.5% of the 4,09,000 people living there, a lot needs to be done. Pray for the Brahmin, Bagidi, Jarawa, Kaibartta, Kayastha, Shaikh and Yadav people groups found in large numbers in the islands.

3. Pray for the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Christian population is 30% of the state's population.

Statistics say 140 out of 243 people groups living here are unreached. Pray for the indigenous people groups such as Adi Gallong, Ahom, Bangni, Bodo, Burmese, Chakma, Dafla, Galong, Idu Kachin and

Kampti.

4. Pray for the Monpa people group. Out of the 57,000 people only 1.75% is Christian. They speak Monga, Tawang. Buddhism is the largest religion they adhere to. The Monpas are of the Mongoloid descent. They worship spirits and sacrifice animals; polygamy and cross-cousin marriages are encouraged.

5. With 250 people groups out of 336 remaining unreached and Christians constituting only 3.3% of the 3.2 crore state population, much work needs to be alone in Assam. Hinduism (62.8%) and Islam (33.3%) are the largest religions. Ahom, Assamese, Bania, Bhangi, Barman, Bhumij, Bodo, Chhetri and Dhobi are some of the largest unreached people groups of the state. Pray for each of these people groups.

6. Manipur's total population is 28 lakh.

Christians account for 37.1% percent. Out of the 171 people groups, 110 remain unreached. Bishnupriya, Chin, Gangte, Hajang, Hmar, Maring, Kom, Meitei,

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Naga, Rongmei, Shaikh and Tangkhul are some of the largest people groups who are yet to come to the Christ.

7. Pray for the Meitei people group. Their population in India is a little over 14 lakh. Only 0.21% is Christian. Meitei people follow Hinduism and although they speak one common language (Meitei), there are two distinct groups among them.

While the majority follow Hinduism, a minority adhere to Islam. They are resistant to change and Gospel is not very well received. Not a single church exists among the Meitei people.

8. In Meghalaya although Christians constitute 71% of the population, 126 out of the 176 people groups are unreached. The Arleng, Chin, Garo, Hajang, Khasi, Magar, Mahishya, Rabha, Pnar and Shaikh form some of the largest unreached people groups.

9. As many as 85.7% of Mizoram’s total population are professing Christians. Out of the 127 people groups, 87 remain unreached. Chakma, Hmar, Chin, Mizo, Pawi, Poi and Tipera are some of the largest people groups that remain unreached.

Pray for a revival among the Christians in Mizoram and Meghalaya.

10. The Khasi people group is predominantly Christian (80%). They are a hill people and have a number of subclans such as Lyngdoh, Diengdoh, Lapang and Songkali. Generally short in stature, they speak Khasi. Pray for the Khasi Christians to reach out to the Khasi Muslims and Hindus in their areas.

11. Nagaland's population is a little over 20 lakh.

Out of it, 87.9% is Christian. However, a large number (106) of the total people groups (168) remain unreached by the Gospel. The Angami, Ao, Bodo, Chakhesang, Kahha, Phom and Konyak need our prayers. Pray that Lotha, Pochury, Rengma, Sangtam and Sema people know and come in to the love of Jesus Christ.

12. One of the least reached states in the north east of India is Sikkim. Out of the 6.3 lakh population, only 9.9% is identified as Christian. Pray for mission agencies and Gospel workers to focus their time and resources on this tiny state. Pray for Tharu, Tamang, Rai, Newah, Magar, Lepcha, Khambn, Khas Bhotia and Brahmin people groups to be saved by the blood of Lord Jesus Christ.

13. Tripura is yet another least reached state in the north east of our county. Only 4.7% of the population are professing Christians. The following people groups: Tipera, Teli, Tanti, Sunri, Shaikh, Pod, Namassei, Mali and Kayastha need our prayers.

14. A huge amount of money is required to buy Bibles, New Testaments and Gospel Tracts in Hindi, Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in

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We prayed, we will prevail!

In the Gospel Mela prayer points published in July one of the prayer points talked about the anticow slaughter law brought in through the backdoor by the Central Govt. We said it should be defeated through democratic means.

God heard our prayers. Hallelujah!

On July 11, the Supreme Court stayed the Centre’s notification dated May 26. Praise be to the Lord who hears our prayers.

OUR PRAYER POINT

THE NEWS REPORT

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GOSPEL MELA Marathi, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Odiya among other languages month after month. Pray that these needs are met by God through Christians who come forward to store treasures for themselves in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

15. What will be your contribution to the evangelisation work that is on in India? How can you expedite the evangelisation of the nation? Will you commit yourself to praying for 15 minutes every day for the various people groups in India? Will you set apart one day a week and allot one or two hours on that day to pray for the Gospel Mela project? Will you sacrificially offer your time, talent and resources to the project? If God asks you to be part of this movement and asks you to take up some responsibilities connected with the project, write to us at missions@christianmessenger.in The next 24-hour chain prayer will be from midnight of Aug 29, 2017 to midnight of Aug 30, 2017. You will receive a new set of prayer points for the same. For assistance, call 044-65145334 email:contact@christianmessenger.in May God bless you as you earnestly pray over these prayer points.

Jesus: ‘Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark 11:24).

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SUPPORT OUR MINISTRY

Will you sponsor a missionary kid’s education?

But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.”

And He went in to stay with them (Luke 24:29).

I GREET YOU in the Name of the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, who goes in to stay with those who constrain Him saying, ‘Abide with us.’

We bless all children who are entering a new academic year with new resolutions. May God bestow special grace upon those who have joined new schools, colleges and universities for higher studies! We pray God will bless you all in a new and wonderful way that you have not experienced so far.

I invite you to come forward to support our missionaries' children with their education. June, obviously, is a challenging month for the parents.

We have 12 children among our missionaries' families that are in the school-going age group. We would like to support them by offering Rs.1,000/every month per child towards their education. That works out to Rs.1,44,000/- per annum. Will you pray with me that God will raise people who will come forward to sponsor the education of our

missionaries' children?

If God speaks to you will you come forward to meet this need partially at least? Please send your generous contributions to us at the earliest. Your prayerful support is needed for the continuance of the ministry. You may send your contributions as cheque/DD in favour of Messenger Missions and send it to our address.

Please remember to specify that your contribution is towards the Missionaries’ Children’s Education. May God bless you. Amen.

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Messenger Missions has mission fields in the north and central regions of India. It builds the Kingdom of God through evangelism, church planting, Bible Study groups, medical camps, community development projects and other ministries.

Messenger Communications publishes The Christian Messenger in English and Tamil. Its mission is to sow the Word of God and faith in as many lives as possible and proclaim the Gospel through niche media products and get a generation ready for the Lord’s imminent return.

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: Messenger Missions : 913020055473409 : Current : Axis Bank : Mogappair, Chennai. : 345 : UTIB0000345 : AXISINBB016

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AUGUST 2017 w THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER

MINISTRY MENTOR

Pastor, take notice of these things in your sermon

BY MARTY DUREN THE WEEKLY sermon—whether delivered on Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night or watched later online—is the singular time each week the pastor has to address the most people at once. One important reason for the gathering is to hear the message. Does God have anything to say? What does He have to say?

In the second decade of the 21st century, those of us tasked with preaching and teaching God’s word on a regular basis face challenges different from those who preceded us. We preach to congregations who are less and less biblically literate. We preach to congregations who are influenced as much by what they read during the week as by what they hear on Sunday. We preach to guests who were not raised with a Christian worldview. We preach to people who are close to being “done” with church once and for all.

As such, it is important to never assume a baseline of biblical knowledge when preaching, even if you are preaching to your church for the 532nd time. It is better, in fact, to assume exactly the opposite: expect there to be people seated before you who know little of Christianity, little of the Bible and nothing accurate about God. Many of the jokes we make as pastors (“an epistle is the wife of an apostle,” “it's in Hezekiah or Second Opinions,”) are not only lost on people of this age, but could make them feel even more like outsiders than they already do.

To address the reality of the unreached and those lacking knowledge among us, here are six things pastors should say in every sermon.

Explain where to find the text: “Now, you can find THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER w AUGUST 2017

the book of Galatians…”

Don’t just say Psalms 119:5. Explain where to find it in the Bible. Mention that it starts with a “p” not an “s.” Do not assume everyone under the sound of your voice knows anything about Psalms. Start from scratch every week. Also, if your church uses “pew Bibles” use the page number each week. Add it to the title slide if you use Power Point or other presentation software for notes.

Explain the two testaments: “You may not know, but the Bible is divided into two parts called ‘testaments’.”

Every time I introduce a sermon I explain there is an Old Testament and a New Testament. The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible and the New Testament is the second part of the Bible. It's a brief but instructive way to get that distinction into the minds of those who lack biblical knowledge.

Encourage use of the index: “If you need to use the index, please do so.”

If you have new believers or non-believers attending they may feel awkward about trying to find a book of the Bible. Genesis, Psalms, Matthew and Revelation are pretty easy; after that some might get bogged down, embarrassingly flipping pages long after everyone else has stopped. Sometimes if I'm preaching from a minor prophet, I get everyone to turn to the index and lead them to the correct book.

Mention Bible apps positively: “Open your app to Micah 1.”

I tend to be a purist when it comes to scripture, taking a leather-bound copy with me whether preaching or listening. I love the feel, underlining and note taking—the whole nine yards.

But, pastors need to be realistic. The Bible—the

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same inspired Word of God—exists on apps, too. I'd rather have a person following along on a digital version of God's Word than no copy at all. When you say something like, “Turn in your Bibles to Mark 3, or find it in your app…” you let app users know you understand and approve of their particular tool.

“We welcome those of you who have lost faith, are seeking, are new to church, or wondering about God or Christianity.”

If you have been in pastoral ministry longer than a few minutes you have run across those people who think “the church building will fall down” if they attend. It is not true, of course, but there are those who are deeply uncertain about what will happen if they attend your church. I recommend affirming them.

You might think, “Every week I know almost everyone by first and last name. Why should I mention people who are not there?” Because your congregation needs to hear that you expect unbelievers to be in attendance. If you express each week that expectation they have a new tool in their tool kit when inviting unbelievers: “Our pastor loves it when people who don't know anything about church come to our church.”

“If you still have questions, please see me after the service, or email me.”

I still give a come-forward invitation (‘altar call’)

nearly every time I preach. However, I recognize many, many people who are seeking or are uncertain aren’t going to participate in a process that isn’t remotely familiar to them. They likely aren’t going to volunteer to isolate themselves before a crowd of people they do not even know. It is awesome when they do, but we need to provide other options.

Giving the option to contact you later may be the opening they need to take the next step.

When I’m preaching, the introduction usually goes something like this: “I’d like to invite your attention to the book of Acts, chapter 5. It’s spelled A-C-T-S, not A-X or AX-E. Acts is in the New Testament, which is the second part of your Bible. The first part is called the Old Testament. That makes sense, right?

If you have a Bible with red words, Acts is the book right after those—the fifth book in the New Testament. Now, if you are here today and are checking out Christianity, or maybe returning to the faith of your childhood, or maybe you’re not even sure there is a God, I’m glad you are here. You are welcome with your doubt, uncertainty or questions and we pray God will reveal the truth about Himself to you. Now, let’s look at the text together.”

That took 42 seconds from a 30-40 minute sermon. It is well worth it to make a connection.

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AUGUST 2017 w THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER

THE MESSAGE

The 3 experiences of being alone with God

BY ROBIN SAM And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida (Luke 9:10).

THE WORLD will tell you being lonely is a forlorn wilderness experience. The Bible, however, teaches us just the opposite. The Word of God tells us that being alone with God is a wonderful and spiritually uplifting experience. The difference between being alone and being lonely is the difference between your choice and your response to the choice. Being alone with God is a choice you and I have to make. Try being alone with God and you will never feel lonely even among strange people.

In the New Testament, there are three experiences of being alone with God. All three can be found in the life of Jesus Christ.

Being alone with God is a time of revelation Read Mark 4:10, 34 and Matthew 24:3 you will see The disciples of the Lord gained much that the disciples of the Lord gained much when they when they asked him questions when asked him questions when they were alone with Him. In the private moments with the Saviour, the disciples they were alone with Him. In the private learned much. What was not plain to the people was moments with the Saviour, the disciples made plain to them in their private moments with Jesus. learned much. What was not plain to the Times of revelation and learning come when you and I people was made plain to them in their decide to spend time fellowshipping with the Lord private moments with Jesus. rather than in the company of men. Revelations don't come just about to anyone. It comes to those who choose to separate themselves from the world; it comes His busy schedule to be with His Father. He was in the to those who shut their eyes and ears to the world and form of God. He is the express image of God. Yet, He open them to the wondrous things in the Word of God. always found time to be in His Father's presence. He prayed all night before He chose His apostles (Luke 6:12). When the news about Jesus spread and great Being alone with God is a time of rest Tucked away in the labyrinth of details of the story crowds came to Him, He frequently withdrew to the of Jesus Christ feeding the 5,000 is a cute, little incident wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16). He prayed all alone that shows who He is. Before He fed the multitude with three times in the Garden of Gethsemane the night five bread and two fish, Jesus took care to call His before the crucifixion (Matthew 26:44). He was alone disciples aside for a time of rest. Mark 6:31 says, ‘And in prayer communing with His Father, yet in John 8:29 He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a Jesus said: “He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.” coming and going, and they did not even have time to Being alone with God will never make you feel lonely. eat.' When the going gets tough, the Lord decides to It's never a futile experience, but a highly rewarding give His disciples a break. He knows when to call you and rich experience. The key to remaining in His aside for some rest. When life's challenges threaten to presence always is to remain in His love. In John 15:10, blow away your peace, dare to be alone with the Lord. Jesus told His disciples: “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I His presence will ensure your peace remains intact. have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love.” It's my prayer that this month we will have a Being alone with God is a time of rejoicing Jesus, the Son of the Living God, took time off from foretaste of all the three experiences. May God bless you and keep you. Amen.

Owned and published by Elsy Robin from 329/4, Poonga Apartments, HIG Flats, II Avenue, Anna Nagar, Chennai 600 040. Printed by L Cyril Sagayaraj at VS Printograph Pvt Ltd., No. 15, Natesan Colony, Sri Ram Avenue, 1st Street, Kottivakkam, Chennai 600 041. Editor: Elsy Robin THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER w AUGUST 2017

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