Shofar

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Shofar September 2015

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Shofar September 2015

Dear Wall Breakers

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ear Readers, Greetings in the Name of our dear Lord Jesus Christ! It has been a great joy to reach you with our second publication of “Shofar”. The editorial committee of Shofar has decided to publish, in this second issue, a collection of articles that present the attributes and attitudes of God. These articles are brought to you with utmost care and prayer that you know the Lord and be blessed by the knowledge of knowing Him. Man being created after the image of God, is a rational being and is endowed with the ability to know, learn and apply that was learnt for anything better.

“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10) – what a wonderful command it is for us to be still and rest assured. The context of this Psalm tells us that it is God who controls all the events of this world and so the times of unrest may be the time we rest and understand God’s awesome power to control things. Even the evil things that take place in our life can be used by God for our good. How can we be still and rest assured when we are informed that we have been inflicted with a deadly disease, or a loved one of ours is dead, or a natural calamity occurred causing great loss, etc. Certainly, we cannot be still and motionless, when such big things happen to us. Instead we need to actively pursue godly things avoiding anxiety and resting assured that our God is Sovereign, good, full of mercy and faithful enough to provide for us and protect us. Having better understanding of God’s attributes and attitudes would certainly help us to be strong and be still thanking God for everything so that our joy might be full.

We hope and pray that these articles would bring to you blessing beyond measure, as you get to know more about our Great God. Certainly, we encourage you to share these articles or the message of these articles with others for their spiritual benefit. We welcome your questions, comments and suggestions to improve the presentation of this magazine. May the Lord give us every grace needed to know Him more and more, so that our service unto Him be meaningful and an acceptable one.

To God be the glory!

With prayer Your Fellow Wall Breakers THIS MAGAZINE IS PRIMARILY MEANT FOR BIBLE BELIEVING CHRISTIANS. KINDLY PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AFTER YOU COMPLETE READING THIS OR ADD THEM TO OUR MAILING LIST BY MESSAGING THEIR ADDRESS TO US 3

Shofar September 2015

About us...

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all Breakers Union is a Charitable Christian Organisation whose purpose is to bring together Christians who have the passion to preach the biblical gospel and to reform the church by scriptural truths. We provide opportunities for Christians, who share our vision and who are willing to work with us, especially those who are occupied with their earthly vocations. Any Christian who has similar beliefs and goals can join us, provided they have a vocation to support themselves. We have doctors, engineers, teachers, artists, evangelists, pastors and students who are vying to break the walls of strongholds.

We have three wings

1) The Bereans: The aim of this wing is to aid and equip Christians with sound doctrines and teachings, so that the invisible Church in India would be preserved without blemish when Christ comes back and not be tossed back and forth with falsehood.

2) Fishers of Men: The aim of this wing is to preach the biblical gospel to individuals using innovative methods and individualised presentation. We also concentrate on helping other Christians to preach the gospel.

3) Good Samaritans: The aim of this wing is to be charitable in possible ways to destitute, widows and orphans, differently abled people, etc., who are within and outside the church.

We function with God as our Chief Wall Breaker. The act of wall breaking signifies breaking the spiritual walls and barriers that every believer faces, like being locked up in sin and going through trials the size of Jericho wall. Believers who break such walls by the power of the word of God are all ‘wall breakers’. This union is a mere association of all such wall breakers.

Our Mission statement: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10: 3,4) Our Motto: To destroy strongholds of Satan and to build the Spiritual kingdom of God. Our hope: "The breaker goes up before them; They break out, pass through the gate and go out by it. And the LORD at their head." (Micah 2:13) Contact us : The Wall Breakers Union, Vellore, India.

Our Statement Address : No.1, 2nd West Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Vellore - 632006 India. of faith is Phone : +919487676628 Whats app: +919487676628 available at E-mail : wallbreakersunion@gmail.com our Website Web : http://www.thewallbreakersunion.com Twitter : wbu_india Facebook : - www.facebook.com/wallbreakersunion Tamil - www.facebook.com/thewallbreakersunion 4 Shofar English September 2015

GOODNESS OF GOD

Sam Jenkins. S, Dept. of Anaesthesia, CMC Vellore

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he goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.”- Wayne Grudem Goodness of God in simple terms means, God is the final standard of goodness. Whatever God does, is good because “No one is good but God alone” (Luke 18:19). He is good to deal with mercy to those who love Him. He showers rain upon both good and evil people. Whatever God does is good. That’s why the psalmist says in Psa 145:17 “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works”. For example, even if God sends all the people of this world to hell for their sins, He is still good! Many atheists ask this question: “If there is a good God, why do bad things happen to good people?” But this question is meaningless because no man is good and we don’t deserve to live a single day.

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.”

“The venom of asps is under their lips.”

“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

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“Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.”

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Each and every breath we take is a gift of God. (Rom 3:10-18) We all are totally depraved. We all deserve hell. So, we need to thank God for His mercies and goodness which He showers upon us.

But as a Christian, we still have sufferings and trials in our lives. Why does God allow such trials to come in our lives? Like I said before, all that God does, is good, since God is good, so much so that, even such bad things are for our ultimate good. We can see that through many examples of heroes of faith in Scripture.

Joseph suffered a lot so that his family would be saved from the famine. Job suffered so that God can win the challenge raised by Satan on proving Job’s righteousness. Sometimes God allows suffering in our lives so that we would become more and more Holy and righteous.

Bible says sufferings produces character and endurance.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Rom 5:3-5) We can see that through the life of David.

Though he was anointed to be the king of Israel, he faced so many trials and persecutions in his life till he became the king. Probably those trials would have made him understand the value of the great responsibility and power, God was going to entrust him. To this day, his psalms are a great hope for us because we know that David also went through similar sufferings like us and experienced the goodness of God in those sufferings. Thus we should remember this passage always when we suffer: “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."

(Heb 12:6) We also know that Jesus Christ faced 6

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all kinds of sufferings possible in this world.

Since Christ is good, He can understand our sufferings better than anyone in this world and can give us the necessary grace and mercy during our sufferings.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Heb 4:15) What is the application of this passage?

First, this separates our God from other false gods. Second, God sets a standard for us, to follow and imitate Him in His holiness and

All that God does, is good, since God is god, so much so that, even such bad things are for our ultimate good.

goodness. We are called to be the salt and light of this world and our righteousness should shine upon this dark and evil world. So let us walk in the light enjoying the goodness of God. “He is my everything, He is my all He is my everything, Both great & small.

He gave his life for me, made everything new, He is my everything, Now how about you?? like Honey in the Rock, Sweet Honey in the Rock...

For he tastes like Honey in the Rock...

O, taste & see, that the Lord is Good...

For He(he) tastes like Honey in the Rock.”

HOLINESS OF GOD

Sam Jenkins. S, Dept. of Anaesthesia, CMC Vellore

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he world has many gods but none of them are called holy and righteous.

The Bible, however, speaks about a God who is altogether holy and righteous. The word ‘Holiness’ means ‘Set Apart’. A man of God once defined God’s holiness as: “separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor.”

There are various passages in Scripture which talk about the Holiness of God. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isa 6:3) In Hebrew language, repetition is the method to convey the emphasis of an object. Of all the attributes of God, only Holiness is repeated thrice in Scriptures.

This is just to show the importance of this attribute of God. God has shown His Holiness to man through His commands. That’s what the Psalmist says in Psalms 19:8“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes”. If the commandment is pure, the one who has given those should invariably be pure and holy.

God also shows His holiness through His actions. He rewards the upright and punishes the sinful men according to their own deeds. He showed this through the life of Jesus Christ. Though He was sinless, He died for the sake of our sins and faced the wrath of God so that Christ’s righteousness would be transferred to us so that we would be considered holy in front of God (2Cor 5:21). But this would not have been possible only by the death of Jesus Christ.

If Christ is not resurrected, then that means either our sins are not forgiven or Jesus is not righteous. But God raised Christ from the dead, thus proving that 7

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He has approved the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, proving the infinite holiness of Christ. This also proves that our sins are forgiven.

There are few other passages which talk about the Holiness of God are: Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy! (Psa 99:9) I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. (Psa 71:22) For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel. (Psa 89:18) Since God is Holy, we are also called to be holy and righteous.

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (2Co 7:1) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom 12:1) Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14) Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

of all the attributes of God, only Holiness is repeated thrice in Scripture.

This song was written by Bishop Heber.

Reginald Heber (1783-1826) was a Bishop in the Church of England. He wrote the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty in 1826 for Trinity Sunday* celebration. After Heber's unexpected death at age 43, his wife found the song amongst some of his writings, and passed it on to noted musician John B. Dykes (1823-1876), who composed and arranged the hymn for publication.

He was a bright youth, translating a Latin classic into English verse by the time he was seven, entering Oxford at 17, and winning two awards for his poetry during his time there. After his graduation he became rector of his father's church in the village of Hodnet near Shrewsbury in the west of England where he remained for 16 years. He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 and worked tirelessly for three years until the weather and travel took its toll on his health and he died of a stroke at Trichinopoly, India, April 3, 1826.

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FAITHFULNESS OF GOD R e v.J .Y.Pa u l r a j , Ka r u n alay a, Mini s t ry of Merc y

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ho can deny the fact that there is a great cry for faithfulness? Practices of unfaithfulness have been rampant amongst the people, irrespective of position, background and power. We might have heard people saying or we ourselves may have uttered at times, ‘no one is faithful and man cannot be trusted any more’. Meantime, we are not left helpless in the world full of unfaithfulness, for there are many faithful parents, husbands, wives and children who strive their very best to be faithful. Even many non Christians try to be faithful in their ways, the reason being that man is created in the image of the God who is faithful.

Faithfulness of God has been one of the great themes of the Holy Scriptures and it is vividly pictured in several events recorded in Scriptures. The God of Scriptures is a personal God and so he is loving, caring and worthy of our trust.

Faithfulness is one of the virtues of God and this virtue can be identified with His moral and ethical attributes found in Scriptures. The theological term for God’s faithfulness may be identified with ‘the immutability of God’. God does not change with His covenant relationship with His creation and especially His chosen ones, even when His chosen ones become dishonest and unfaithful, for He remains the same. He is an omniscient being, knowing the past, present and future. And His choice to love me is not dependent of my actions, rather He chose to love me first (1 John 4:19) so I can love Him. This attribute of the immutability of God in loving and caring for us, makes Him worthy of all our praise, hope and trust all our life. God is faithful.

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God’s amazing faithfulness may be best explained with God’s providential dealing with King Solomon. “Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him…” 2 Sam 12:24. Solomon was loved of God and here God’s love for Solomon was not because he did something good and meritorious. Rather, God’s love for Solomon is something that is shown to him even before he could begin to do any good on his part. The person who is loved of the Lord may choose to love him less or not love him for a time, and that was Solomon.“Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.” 1 Kings 3:3. This verse appreciates Solomon’s commitment to love God by walking according to the statutes of his father and at the same time, the word, ‘except’ does speak about Solomon’s slight deviation from his commitment to love God. Eventually, when Solomon failed to examine himself and get things right with God on time, he began to go far away from the Lord. In fact, faithful Christians falling and failing to love God does not happen overnight, rather it has several stages. Consequence of unchecked sin and unfaithfulness led Solomon to a great fall, “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

1 Kings 11:4. It should be noticed that God is faithful in presenting the history in its true sense without any cover ups. This advanced fallen state of Solomon was displeasing to God and so, “The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart turned away from the LORD, the God Israel, who had appeared to him twice.” 1 Kings 11:9. God who is holy and who cannot tolerate sin and injustice became angry with Solomon for his failure to be faithful to God. God who was once found to love Solomon (2 Sam 12:24), now exercises 10

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anger against Solomon. We might ask why God became angry with Solomon, while He, being omniscient, knew well in advance that Solomon would fall. Certainly, God knew that Solomon at one point of his life time, as Scripture denotes in his old age, would fall back from his God. God’s knowing of this did not make Him rigid and helpless. Rather, God, being personal, exercises His paternal love to correct His erring children. “For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."Heb 12:6.

Solomon’s fall was momentary, though

God does not tamper His covenant relationship with His creation especially His chosen ones, even when His chosen ones become disloyal

from the perspective of man it may be a longer period of time, yet it was not the end. God is faithful in correcting His erring children so that they might turn from their madness. Meantime, when God becomes angry and takes the measure of correction, He does it, not out of hatred, but with love and care. This is better explained in the following verses…

“Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will

tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."1 Kings 11:11-13.

God not only pronounced the upcoming judgment, as His corrective measure, to Solomon, but also raised enemies to carry out God’s judgment against Solomon, on God’s behalf. “Now the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom”, And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah.1 Kings 11:14, 23. The Scripture records God’s measure of correction. But there’s no record whether Solomon repented of his sin and failure to be faithful to God in the history books. This lead some to think that Solomon was lost forever.

But a careful study of the books, especially Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon, has enough to let us know that King Solomon had died in faith, having repented of his sin of double standard, and this may be proven with his call in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

God’s faithfulness in loving His chosen ones from eternity to eternity, may be better explained in 2 Sam 7:12-15, as prophet Nathan foretold things to come to King David.

"When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.” The word, ‘mercy’ here, in verse 15 is also identified with 11

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loving kindness, loyal love, gracious love and faithful love (ISV) in other versions. What a great God we have! He is faithful always, though we often turn out to be unfaithful. Such a state of God’s immutable faithfulness cannot be taken for granted and the children of God cannot choose to live a wayward life. Being called the children of a faithful God let us be encouraged to be faithful in all things, small or big. True children of God are the ones who persevere to be faithful in their thoughts and deeds. They may fall at times, but they would always have the contriteness of heart for the

Such state of God's immutable faithfullness cannot be taken for granted and the children of God should not choose to live a wayward life.

sins committed and run to God for help and reconciliation.

Being “ … confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6), let us thank God for His faithfulness and be eager to be faithful. Rom 8:29-30 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

To God be the glory!

MERCY OF GOD

Ebenezer Daniel, Dept. of Medicine, CMC, Vellore

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ercy is showing compassion or forgiveness towards someone whom, it is within one's power to punish or harm. The Bible says that God is rich in mercy, slow to anger and does not willingly punish. We understand this attribute of God only when we understand the magnitude of our sins. Sin is always in relation to someone. Let's say a common man slaps a beggar, he would hardly get noticed. But if he slaps a judge in the court, you can imagine the consequences. And much more if he even touches the prince of the land!

The Lord does not treat us as our sins deserve. If the Lord had marked our transgressions, who would stand? But he is abounding in mercy and has removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the west.

There are various examples in the Bible where God has showered mercy on his people. One of the very first example was in the life of Lot. The Lord had decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sins. He sent his angels to warn Lot. The angels asked Lot to leave the city. The Bible mentions that Lot "lingered". And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. The Lord being merciful to him, they brought him out and set him outside the city.

The Lord could've destroyed Lot along with the city because of his lack of obedience. But because of God's mercy, the angels dragged him out of the city.

It is very easy to not realise God’s mercy. In the heat of the moment, I wonder what was going on in the mind of Lot. But the author of Genesis clearly sees the 12

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mercy of God in saving the life of Lot. We too can miss out God's mercy in our lives. God withheld his wrath while we were still sinners.

God would be pronounced right if he poured down his wrath every time we sinned from the most menial sin to the heinous ones. There were times when we were lingering around not obeying God. But God in his mercy, had taken hold of our hand and dragged us out of danger.

Lam.3.19-24(NKJV) This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord ’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” Yes, it is because of his mercies that we are not consumed. Imagine, you had walked past a landmine hopping and running around not knowing if God had not directed your steps rightly, you would've been blown up! To really understand the depths of God's mercy, we need to sit and recall every morning and evening!

We also need to see the Old Testament to know the value of God's Mercy. Let's look into the passage where God commands Moses to build the ark of God. He is commanded to make a Mercy seat with a Cherub at each end, facing one another covering the mercy seat with its wings. The Lord promised that he will speak from above the Mercy seat. But no one can walk into the place where the ark is kept, not even the priest! Only the high Priest could walk in after a strict ceremonial procedure.

Lev.16.2 (NKJV) The Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

Such was the holiness of the place and there was a strict divide between God and man. The thought of entering the most holy place was unimaginable to the Jew. We 13

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would've heard stories of someone trying to hold the ark as it was going to fall and dropped down dead for touching it! So deep was the divide. But God in his mercy, broke down the middle wall of separation through the cross reconciling us with himself. He did this by sending his son to die for us. Through him, our great High Priest, we have access to God. We can approach the 'Throne of Grace' boldly that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jol.2.13 (NKJV) So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents

God withheld his wrath while we were still sinners from doing harm.

Yes, this should be our response. He is merciful and relents from doing harm. Come to him! And how do we obtain mercy? It is by prayer. Prayer is the forerunner of Mercy.

We see it in the prayers of David, Moses, Nehemiah and Isaiah. We see how God relents in answers to their prayers.

The other interesting thing about God is His delight in mercy than in sacrifices. There was a day when Jesus was having a meal with tax collectors and people who were known to be 'sinners'.

In those days, one would not associate with such people if he has to be accepted in the Jewish community. But here was Jesus having a meal with them. The religious rulers came

and accused Jesus through his disciples.

They asked his disciples why Jesus eats with the people considered 'sinners' and accepts them. If he was truly the Son of God, shouldn't he be condemning them? To this, Jesus gave the classic example of how only those who are sick, need a doctor. Those who are well, would be in no need of a doctor (so wouldn't someone who doesn't know he is sick). He then said go learn what this says: "I desire mercy not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6) NKJV What does that mean? He desires mercy not sacrifices. Sacrifice is a way of atoning for sins. The Jews used to sacrifice regularly for their sins as per the law. This, they thought if they followed regularly, would make them acceptable to God. But God says he desires mercy not sacrifice. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. By sacrificing a goat can we add to his riches? In no way! We can never in a true sense give to God! Because he owns the whole world. So God, rather desires to show mercy than receive sacrifices. He is more happy to accept a tax collector who dares not to look to heaven, beats his breasts and cries "Be merciful, I'm a sinner" than to a religious person who has offered the 'right sacrifices'.

Psa.51.16-17 (NKJV) For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

So let us come to him with a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Remembering our sins and trusting in his mercy.

There was a prisoner in an old cell. He was accused of many heinous crimes and was condemned to be put to death in the worst possible way. Many thoughts flooded his mind as he looked back into his life. Circumstances, wrong decisions, wrong company but still somewhere deep within he knew he was a beast. And in that dark cell with the rusted chains pressing his wrists, he gave up. He knew the death he would die the next day was right. The prison door creaked open. He saw another man beaten up and dragged into 14

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the prison. Isn't he the one who preaches?

He could barely recognise him. The soldiers came towards him and released his shackles.

They told him you are free to go! Free to go?

What do you mean? I've been proven guilty!

What would my accusers say? This man would die in your place! But, I know this guy, he had done nothing wrong! "Ha, ha, looks like he volunteered" jeered the guard. The prisoner looked into the eyes of the other man as he was being dragged out of the prison and he knew that it was true. He did volunteer! For He had done no wrong! And as he walked out of

I (God) desire mercy not sacrifice prison, he was a changed man. He knew he did not deserve to live yet he was walking free.

Many of you might know this man, Barabas.

In my opinion there is nothing which can describe mercy as wonderfully as this. We do not know how this man ended up and how he lived after this. But it is hard to imagine his life continuing the same way.

But more importantly this also depicts my life! I was Barabas! I deserved to die. But God in his mercy, sent Jesus to die for me. I have seen his love, I have obtained mercy! How else can I live but as a slave to the one who gave his life for me!

Psa.33.22 (NKJV) Let Your mercy, O Lord , be upon us, Just as we hope in You.

SOMALIA Leader Population Main Religion Government World Watch List Rank Source of Persecution

: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud : 11.1 million (Hundreds of Christians) : Islam : Federal republic : 2 : Islamic extremism/Tribal antagonism

The militant Islamist group al-Shabaab has publicly declared that it 'wants Somalia free of any Christians'. Those who are suspected of being Christians are frequently killed on the spot, meaning Christians must keep their faith completely secret. Believers are often isolated, and at most will meet in small groups. They cannot own Bibles, as this could put them in danger. Islam is enshrined as the state religion in the nation's constitution, making apostasy (converting to a new religion) illegal, and those who attack Christians do so with impunity.

PERSECUTION IN SOMALIA: "We are experiencing horrible things here every day. It appears that I live in hell on earth. I wish I could just stand inside a church and cry out in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

It seems a simple wish, to stand in a church. But this is completely impossible for this believer in Somalia, where even being suspected of being a Christian can lead to instant execution - a rushed beheading or a shot in the head would not be unusual. He cannot own a Bible because of the danger it would put him in, and any kind of Christian celebration is impossible - even meeting with other believers can prove difficult.

The government in Somalia is barely functional, meaning that the nation is largely governed by a tribal system. The formal government, for what it's worth, allows anti-Christian sentiment to exist within the tribal system, and Islam is identified in the constitution as the state religion, which also makes apostasy (converting from other religions) illegal.

Somalia has become a safe haven for Islamic radicalism, and al-Shabaab, the militant Islamist group, is active within Somalia - the group has publicly declared that 'it wants Somalia free of any Christians'. The group monitors suspected Christians, including spying on their mobile phone communications - the telephone companies are forced to pay a tax to al-Shabaab to prevent them from blowing up their masts.

It seems impossible for anyone to come to faith in Somalia - but nothing is impossible with God. A Somali Christian told a partner that he has regular contact with camel herders, and when he had to leave he gave them a radio, tuned to a Christian station. Later he received a report that the herders listen to the radio every night. "Those camel herders are illiterate... Nevertheless they are drinking from the spring of [life]."

PLEASE PRAY: For stability in Somalia, and that a strong government will be formed that will prioritise religious freedom. For protection for secret believers and for wisdom for them to know who to trust Praise God for the miracle that evangelism is still able to take place in Somalia. Ask Him to use radio broadcasts to reach those who long to know Him. Source: Open doors UK 15

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THE GOSPEL, THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION Deepu Prasad, Maersk Global Service Centre, Chennai

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hat is the gospel or in other words, good news? To understand this is vital as this is the clear testimony of the Bible. To miss its message and its implications is to miss what the Bible abundantly declares! Paul, the apostle gushed with praise as he declared it to be the power of God unto salvation for all who believe in it. He gives us a concise definition of it in his 1st letter to the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 we read:“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” The gospel is as simple as this: That Jesus Christ died on a roman cross and was resurrected for the sins of those who would believe in Him (as we see this passage is addressed to the believing church at Corinth). Yet, as we see this amazing plan unfold through the Bible, let us stand back and be amazed at its profound nature. From the first pointer God gave at the Garden of Eden when man had sinned, through the signs and images portrayed in the varied artefacts and jewish sacrifices of the worship of Jehovah, through the glorious life, death and resurrection of Christ and its implications revealed by the apostles to the grand finale: The worship of the Lamb in heaven, we can see a beautiful tapestry of the gospel.

Before we see how the gospel applies to us, we first need to see what necessitated the gospel. It can be summed up in a three letter word that is increasingly becoming taboo to speak about in our times – SIN. Sin is expressed as different terms in the bible – transgression, trespass, iniquities, 16

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unrighteousness etc. It can be defined as any thought, word or act that is not in accordance with God’s glory which is his divine holy nature.

In a sense, sin is to fall short of the bulls-eye of God’s standards of holiness which are clearly expressed in the Ten Commandments and its exposition in the Bible. Before we point the finger at corrupt governments or reckless youngsters whose acts are reported in newspapers and other media, let us take a look inwards and examine our hearts. Do we speak white lies, however harmless it may be without realizing the insult it brings to the God of truth? Do we take God’s name in vain when frustration causes our mouths to curse, saying “Oh my G-O-D!” that it is an act of ingratitude and insult to the One who gives us breath, life, food, shelter and all the goodness of life? Does lust in our hearts cause our eyes to gaze over inappropriate content in newspapers or the internet and that we have committed adultery in the process?

As offensive as it may seem to have our sins pointed out to us, let us not forget that Jesus Christ said that those who are poor in spirit, who see their sin for the dreadful, Godhating indwelling disease it is, to such belong the kingdom of God. As someone has rightly said, “Only the man or woman who is prepared to have his share in the guilt of the cross may claim his share in its grace.”

Now that we have seen what necessitated the cross, which is our sin, we can now move on to briefly look at two ways by which Christ’s death actually saves. Firstly we see that the death of Christ saves through imputation.

Imputation refers to the act of crediting things to people. In this context, we see a person’s sins imputed to Christ and his holy untainted righteousness imputed to that person. The Bible testifies of this in 2 Corinthians 5:21 where it says:“For our sake he (God) made him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” [Words in brackets added for clarity] We see this as necessary, because as revealed in the bible, without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Sin’s penalty had to be paid to satisfy God’s justice.

The cross then becomes the beauty of how 17

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God’s unrelenting justice and His abundant mercy meet!

Secondly, we see that Christ’s death saves through redemption. Redemption is the act of buying or purchasing and was a term used in reference to slave trading. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “..You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Anyone who practises sin is a slave to sin, but Jesus also said that whoever is set free by Him is free indeed. The glory of the gospel is not just that

Gospel, changes not only one's position with respect to sin but also one's inclination one’s sins can be forgiven. It also has in it the power to rescue a person from the clutches of sinful temptations and its lure and in term make that a person a slave to righteousness. It changes not only one’s position with respect to sin but also one’s inclination.

Finally, what should be our response to this beautiful good news of God’s salvation from sin and judgment? It should have two elements in it.

REPENT: - It is a change of attitude towards sin. It sees sin as God-dishonouring and what starts as an attitude-change then goes on to become a 180 degree change in one’s lifestyle – From seeking to fulfil and satisfy self to seeking to honour and please God. BELIEVE: - It is not merely an intellectual assent to gospel truths but a wholehearted leaning of one’s life on it. In other words, trusting wholly on Christ’s finished work on the cross to save and not on attempts to try and reform one’s character and outward habits.

MAHARASHTRA

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he yearly report titled, "Indian Christian Persecution – the CSF 2014 Report" published by Mumbai-based the Catholic Social Forum (CSF) duly signed by its chairman Justice Michael Saldanha, Ex-Justice of Bombay and Karnataka High Courts and Joseph Dias, founder of the CSF has mentioned the following as the top 2 persecutors of Christians in the year 2014.

1. Chhattisgarh 2. Maharashtra We read about Chattisgarh in the last booklet. Let us concentrate on Maharashtra. Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India and is the nation's and also the world's second-most populous sub-national entity. It has over 110 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million. Mumbai is also the financial and commercial capital of India and the headquarters of all major banks, financial institutions and insurance companies in the country. India's film industry of Bollywood and Marathi films and television industry are also located in this state. Nagpur serves as the second capital as well as winter capital of the state. Maharashtra's business opportunities along with its potential to offer a higher standard of living attracts migrants from all over India.

Maharashtra is one of the wealthiest and the most developed states in India, contributing 25% of the country's industrial output and 23.2% of its GDP (2010–11). As of 2011, the state had a per capita income of Rs 1.0035 lakh (US$1,600), more than the national average of Rs 0.73 lakh (US$1,100). Its GDP per capita crossed the Rs 1.20 lakh (US$1,900) threshold for the first time in 2013, making it one of the richest states in India. Agriculture and industries are the largest parts of the state's economy. Major industries include chemical products, electrical and non-electrical machinery, textiles, petroleum and allied products.

According to CSF 2014, Maharashtra is second in the list. The report wonders if "Maharashtra has become the Hindutva Capital of India?" The report highlighted that attacks and intimidation on Christians have increased and also the government has struck off Christians from reservation list while Muslims and Marathis are very much in it. The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) had recorded 26 counts of incidents last year.

The report stated that the CSF had received complaints throughout the year and had taken up the cases with the authorities in various districts, notably - Mumbai, Rural Thane, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Yavatmal, Pimpri, Pune, etc.

It also mentioned that nine girls from Odisha's riot-hit Khandamal district, who were forced into bonded labor in a Mumbai fish processing firm, were rescued with the help of voluntary agencies in Mumbai. In another instance, a community center, run by Christians was targeted. Many reports from the rural Nashik district of Christians being targeted, 25 Christians were beaten up, damaging houses, a shop and looting all the goods in the shop; and even the police who tried to intervene being attacked, the report stated.

The state government left out Christians from the reservations list, mentioning Muslims and Marathas, leading Christians from Aurangabad to file a public interest litigation demanding five percent reservation on the basis of recommendations made by the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission constituted by National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities.

(Source: Christianity today, Evangelical Fellowship of India) 18

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THE WISDOM OF GOD Oshea Davis, Author of the book 'The Divine Decrees'

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aving already described some foundational aspects of God’s mind and knowledge, we shall now diverge into what the mental attribute of God’s Wisdom means. God’s wisdom is seen firstly in His logic (i.e. the basic, superior motion of His mind); secondly, His loving of Himself infinitely above all others; and thirdly, in the order of the Divine Decrees.

FIRST. Logic. Logic is not only the foundation of knowledge, but also wisdom.

First, one cannot think without logic. Or better said, even if one has knowledge, one cannot know they have a propositional knowledge, for such requires the law of non-contradiction and identity. And so, for God logic is simply the natural, high-quality motion of God’s mind. When we say the law of non-contradiction it is not as though there is a standard logic law outside of God, to which God adheres to. Rather, the law of non-contradiction is simply one particular foundational, regular motion of God’s mind, and we give this motion a name.

Now, apart from such foundational motions of the mind, God’s wisdom is seen in how (1) His mind moves flawlessly in the basic motions, (2) how he uses more complex motions and (3) how He perfectly applies them for every situation.

Take for example #3. The Bible (Matthew 22:23-43) shows how the Jews (Sadducees) used against Jesus, the conditional statement form of denying the consequent (through, reductio ad absurdum), which is valid syllogism. In response Jesus exposes that one of their premises were wrong. Remember, with valid syllogism the premises must be true in order for the conclusion to be both valid and true. Jesus shows that men and women are not married 19

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after death, but are like angels; thus, showing one of their premises were wrong. Jesus then uses affirming the antecedent with a passages of Scripture (i.e. a premise) they accepted to show the right conclusion. That is (if p, then q; p is true, therefore p). Jesus augment looks like this. “p,” If there is a resurrection, then “q,” God must have resurrect people already dead and so they are still alive; “p,” is true, Jesus quotes Exodus showing that God four hundred years after Abraham’s death said He is presently the God of an existing Abraham, “q” therefore there is a resurrection.

SECOND. Valuing of Himself above all others. God shows off the superiority of His wisdom by valuing and loving Himself infinitely above all others. This is also a cross-over implication for understanding the nature of God’s moral beauty (i.e. Holiness). The quality of God’s disposition of moral beauty is seen in that He knows He is the greatest beauty and value; and by this, makes Himself the goal of all His desires and wise planning, infinitely over all others. This is seen in Ezekiel 36 verse 22 Lord GOD: "I do not [forgive your sins] for your sake--[because I love you], but for My Holy Name's sake, which you have profaned.”

That is, God’s promotion of Himself, who is the greatest beauty, is part of what makes His moral beauty so great and it shows Him as infinitely wise, for valuing that which is truly most valuable.

If one cannot value appropriately, then one does not have understanding and wisdom.

For, what if one valued and esteemed illogical thinking rather than logic thinking; yet, one cannot do this without thinking logically; and God would not be able to know that the Trinity is three. What if the God valued and esteemed Satan more than Himself and gave to Satan all his total authority?

This is important to grasp in understanding God’s wisdom because, (1) knowing what one’s goals are, (2) how they reach them and (3) if they reach them, then such will, display the glory of one’s wisdom. For God (1) He is His goal, (or within creation the displaying 20

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of His supremacy in Christ) above all; (2) the way He accomplishes this is by wisdom in the Decrees, and (3) God does accomplish His goals by the exact planning He devised.

THIRD. The Divine Decrees. The subject of God’s decrees is an easy one, for we all participate—to some degree—in planning, and then executing out our plans.

God’s decrees are from the perspective of purpose, or from Top to bottom, and that the history of the world is a mirrored execution of this—or from bottom to top.

Regarding this goal perspective, what God

The quality of God’s disposition of moral beauty is seen in that He knows He is the greatest beauty and value chose as His first goal, is last in execution and what God purposed last in his goals comes first in execution or history. I will explain this more.

Take for example a kid after thinking about his future life decides he wants to be a great baseball player. This is his first “purpose,” or original goal that is. His second choice to support the first is that he needs to be an All Star baseball player, so that he can be a great player. Thus, his third choice in purpose is to get great averages in hitting (etc.) so that he gets chosen to be an All Star. His next is purpose is to be drafted to play in the Major League. His next purpose is to start playing baseball at his local high school.

What he first intended—first goal—was

accomplished last in execution, while his last goal was executed first. Ecclesiastes 7:8, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning.”

WHY? Because the end was the originalcreative-great purpose: one’s chief desire.

Precisely because your principal desire, well, is your principal desire, is why a wise man makes it his original goal and designs from top to bottom to insure his goal of value is his to hold and enjoy. This analogy with the baseball player is in the perspective of “purpose” or “goals.” This is the proper meaning of God’s decrees. History is the mirrored execution of God’s intentions.

See, if the kid only became a great baseball player by reacting to events in his life in his life, then the highest form of intellectual wisdom cannot be claimed, although some degree might. If the kid wrote down his purpose at age 9, like the above example, but achieved his goal differently from how he planned, then he still could not claim the highest form of intellectual wisdom. Yet, if the kid wrote down his goal, with top down purpose, in a notebook at age 9, and was able to acquire his goal, but do so by executing his design from bottom up, then he could claim the highest form of wisdom and intellectual superiority. Here is the order of the decrees.

TOP DOWN, ORDER of PURPOSE (1.) Glory. (2.) Jesus Christ. (3.) Election.

(4.) The Fall. (5.) Creation.

BOTTOM UP, ORDER of EXECUTION - (6.) Creation. (7.) The Fall. (8.) Election/ calling. ( 9.) Jesus Christ. (10.) Glory.

This is God’s goal in the decrees: to show His intellectual fame and majesty. This is why the book of Romans ends with the discussion

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of the gospel in light of God’s decrees (ch.910) with doxology/worship to the glory of God’s wisdom and not love or mercy, (11:33-36, 16:27).

The Scripture puts emphasis on the superiority of God’s wisdom in that God had an original goal and then designed or purposed backwards (top to bottom) to insure this chief valuing is accomplished, and then executed in perfect accuracy. This is the Wisdom of Almighty God. Thus, Adam was never God's original design for mankind—he was in fact the last of

This is the proper meaning of God’s decrees. History is the mirrored execution of God’s intentions

God’s decrees, a first stepping stone; however, glorified Saints united to Christ’s divine body (by the Spirit in fellowship) was always God's original design—because it heightens Christ’s public supremacy, by having them in the best place to (1) become like Christ (2) understand Christ and (3) enjoy Him.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD Oshea Davis, Author of the book 'The Divine Decrees'

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have been asked to write some articles on the Mental Attributes of God regarding His knowledge and wisdom. To start with I suppose the phrase “mental attributes,” could be misleading in that regarding the essence of God’s nature itself, all His attributes are mental. That is, God is a simple invisible Spirit or Mind (John 4:24, 1 Timothy 1:17). And so, all His essential attributes are of the mind. This is one reason why the mind of man, is the chief aspect that makes man to be in the image of God. God does not have eyes, toes or ears to image; however, He does have a glorious mind to image.

In the Christian philosophy, God is Trinity. This is the only viable definition of God, and without which no definition of God is logically viable or defensible.

That is, if one wishes to prove otherwise they must prove their philosophy of the world is true, and thus, their philosophy’s definition of a monotheistic God is not trinity. At any case, God the Father being infinite, mental energy is, infinite energy. Also, He infinitely understands His own mind. This infinite energy and understanding of Himself is the Son, whom we call Jesus Christ. He is the perfect image of God; and in the public world He is the perfect exuberance of God in understanding/word/logic. Consequently, the Father’s Image is always before the Father in His thoughts, and so the Father therefore when He considers something (such as the creation of the world), does by seeing His understanding of Himself (the Son). And so, in this regard, the Father made the world for His Son. Jesus is thus, in Scripture is attributed as the Logos (John 1). That is, being the perfect understanding of God itself, Jesus is the Logos, or the perfect logical understanding and communication (Word) of God to the public creation. The Spirit of God is attributed as the Joy of God. The Spirit is the 22

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infinite energy of joy of the Father toward His Son, and the Son’s infinite energy of joy for the Father. That is, the Spirit is not an up and down emotion; rather, He is an eternal and immutable inclination of joy that Father has in the Son and the Son in the Father. By this we know the mind of God does not have emotions, but rather an immutable inclination of love of Himself.

Before we get into the aspect of knowledge itself one needs to understand the basics of the mind itself. Therefore, from what we learned about God as a Trinity we see a glimpse of what God’s mind is. We learn 3 basic aspects: Disposition, Motion and State.

Joy is not a separate action of the mind; rather, it is the quality of a mind regarding its state.

Likewise, moral beauty is not so much a separate function from the mind; rather, moral beauty (or the lack-of) refers to the quality of the mind in regards to its disposition. Lastly, logic or irrationality is not so much a separate function of the mind; rather, it is a reflection of a mind whose quality of movement is either superior or dysfunctional.

That is, being logical is about the quality of mind in regards to its movement. The Infinite Existence has a perfect quality of mind. His Mind is perfection in quality of (1)state of movement, and of (1)disposition. This excellence of mind will be imaged in the saints. God knows a thing in His Mind in the infinite quality of joy (state –The Spirit), holiness (disposition- The Father) and logic (movement–TheSon).Havingdeepunderstanding in perfect logic is a great glory to the quality of a mind; a glory that belongs to God and to Christ.

And a glory, which is to be imaged in His saints.

Now, regarding the particular point of knowledge we learn that from the beginning, as it is now, knowledge is propositional. By proposition we mean, a statement that is true or false. We know this for God is an invisible mind. God did not observe things to get knowledge for two reasons.

One, seeing that God does not have a body or their corresponding senses, the category of observation is not compatible with God; that is, it is a false category when applied to Him. Secondly, creation is, well, created. God existed by Himself in the infinite understanding and joy of the Trinity. In the beginning before He created, there was nothing for God to see or observe. There was only the Mind of God and His mental, infinite understanding of Himself (the Son). This, means that from 23

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the beginning knowledge was purely mentally based, as propositions in the mind of God. Power is not so much a separate attribute of God; rather, God’s mind and thinking itself being infinite is infinite power and energy itself. And so, when this is combined with the understanding that everything in spiritual and physical reality was thought up by God’s mind, it shows that God’s mind of knowledge is the power that shapes reality. In other words, God’s thoughts is the metaphysics(i.e. existence) and ontology(i.e. causality) of reality for the Christian philosophy. Now, because there is no other existence, causality or knowledge apart from God, it concludes that God’s knowledge is the only knowledge. It also means God’s knowledge is truth. God’s knowledge of Himself is true, and since His knowledge came from Him and created the all existence, His knowledge of all created realties are truth. It breaks no formal law of logic for God to be self-existing—including His knowledge; as compared to be self-created which is a contradiction.

Lastly, how does this relate to the creation?

This means for creatures their knowledge, if imaged after God, is proposition knowledge.

Also, that their first principle (i.e. epistemology) of knowledge is God revealing Himself to them. It also means, the existence of their knowledge and the causality of it is directly by God and not by anything in creation. That is, all knowledge (even opinion) is directly put into the mind by God—who is all causality and existence. Thus, the creature needs to discover if their propositions are identical to God’s propositions. And so, if man is to know if the propositions they have are true or false, or opinion there must be two things. God must reveal a portion of His mind to them, and then they must have a superior state, inclination and motion of thinking to be able to recognize God’s revealed thoughts. This is, if the motion (i.e. logic) of the mind is so degraded—seeing that logic is essential to thinking itself, then having a justifiable first principle will be of little use to such an inferior mind. At any rate, this portion of God’s mind given to man is called Scripture, and the high quality of mind is the Holy Spirit (a purchased gift by Jesus Christ) recreating the human mind from a defective and sinful mind to that of the “mind of Christ” which is of superior and higher quality.

THE SPIRITUALITY OF GOD Jerome G.T., Dept. of Community Medicine, Seth G.S.KEM,Mumbai

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” The Second Commandment; Exodus 5:20 (NASB) What should a Christian do when he thinks of God? Should he try to visualize God and form a mental picture of Him? What does he make of verses which declare that God has “eyes”, “arm”, and “heart” etcetera? Do they imply that God is corporeal i.e., consisting of a physical body or form?

A clear understanding of this attribute of God is essential to worship Him. The Lord Jesus answers this question decisively in His conversation with the Samaritan woman in the context of whether the worship of God is limited by physical structures and boundaries: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 Although this verse has been used by the early Church Fathers to defend the Divinity of the Holy Spirit against the Arian heretics, it would be not proper to stretch it for such a purpose; for Christ simply declares here that God has the essence of spirit, i.e., as the Westminster Confession of Faith declares God as “a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts”. This is called the Spirituality of God. “You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.” – John 5:37 “Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice.” – Deuteronomy 4:12 24

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What does this really mean?

Firstly, God is personal that is, self-conscious and self-determining, living and active.

Robert L Raymond explains: “The God of the Bible is anything but inert impersonalness: He is the living and active Creator and Architect of the universe, beneficent Provider of the creature’s needs, Advocate of the poor and the oppressed, Freedom-fighter, just Judge, empathetic Counselor, suffering Servant, and triumphant Deliverer.”

Secondly, God is not matter. It means that no property of matter may be ascribed to him. He has no extension in space, no weight, no mass, no bulk, no parts, no form, no taste, no smell. He is invisible and, being one in essence and without parts, is indivisible (this last term denotes what some theologians refer to as His “simplicity”) "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." – Luke 24:39 God is also not dependent upon matter. God is never dependent upon the material universe as his sensorium. He has no necessary connection with matter.

The doctrine of the spirituality of God is therefore the foundation of the Second Commandment of the Decalogue. God expressly forbids man to fashion any image of Him. Rather those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth.

This brings up the most important implication of this doctrine – how to worship God in spirit and in truth? Neil Postman, a non-Christian, aptly observes about the Second Commandment in Amusing Ourselves To Death: “I wondered then, as so many others have, as to why the God of these people would have included instructions on how they were to symbolize, or not symbolize, their experience…. The God of the Jews was to exist in the Word and through the Word, an unprecedented conception requiring the highest order of abstract thinking.” “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” – Romans 12:2 “But the one who joins himself to the Lord 25

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is one spirit with Him” – 1 Corinthians 6:17 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 2:5 The Scriptures exhort, rather command, the Christian to renew his mind (or spirit – heart, mind, soul and spirit are used interchangeably in the Bible to indicate the non-physical part of man) and thus be sanctified. Sanctification begins with a radical reconstruction of one’s thinking which is in turn effected in the Christian by the “Father of spirits” (Hebrews 12:9) who disciplines and gives life. This indeed is what is missing from presentday worship. True spiritual worship consisting of preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments in accordance with it, is replaced by all sorts of psychological techniques based on emotional manipulation, felt-need fulfillment and “end-justifies-the-means”. It is high time that “Christians” wake up and understand how God views false worship (Isaiah 1:12-15 and Romans 1:21-23). It is a great shame that a secular political commentator has more insight about Christian thought than most so-called “Christians”.

What then do we make of the verses mentioning God as having “eyes” or “arm” or “heart” etcetera? One must certainly understand such revelation of God to us as figures of speech (anthropomorphisms) in which God speaks of Himself in terms of human description in order that we might better conceive of Him. But this does not mean that it is permissible to form images of God! “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” – John 1:18 The greatest assurance of a Christian is his absolute confidence in the words of Lord Jesus Christ in John 14: 7-10 :-“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him….. He who has seen Me has seen the Father” This Christ, the Logos which was in the beginning, which was with God and which was God, has been revealed to the Christian in the Holy Scriptures.

QUIET TIME

Ebenezer Daniel, Dept. of Medicine, CMC Vellore

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ne of the unique relationships that is depicted in the scriptures when we become children of God is God being our Shepherd. Quiet time is an important way by which God shepherds us. Quiet time is the regular private practice of reading, meditating on scriptures and prayer.

He leads me beside still waters

The Shepherd makes his sheep lie down in green pastures and leads them beside still waters. When we spend time alone with God in prayer and reading his word, he meets our every need. The truth that “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” becomes a reality. By his providence, he gives us our daily bread and also nourishes us for the days to come.

He restores my soul

The shepherd has a special concern for the weak and wounded sheep. It is written of Joseph, “The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him and harassed him severely yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the stone of Israel).” (Gen 49:23,24). Though Joseph was severely attacked by difficult circumstances, evil people and betrayal, he was able to feel God’s presence in the most trying circumstances. The heavenly Shepherd dealt with him tenderly and restored his soul. He himself was able to testify that God made him forget all his hardship and affliction (Gen 41:51-52). In the same way, when we spend time with God, it becomes a wonderful time in which God heals our past, transforms 26

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our mind, changes our affections and restores our souls.

He leads me in the path of righteousness

Quiet time is also a time when God instructs us and leads us in the way we should go. It can be the time when we allow our lives to be searched in the light of Scriptures. The Spirit of God can bring to our minds the evil motives we had when we took a decision or the subtle anger towards a child unnoticed by anyone else or a good deed which we had the capacity to do but neglected.

The more time we spend alone with God, the wiser our decisions become. We see that even though Jesus was the son of God, before he chose his disciples, he spent time alone with God. How much more should we spend time with him when we make decisions?

Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death

One of the struggles a Christian faces is the ‘dark night of the soul’. Many of us struggle through those patches when God ‘seems far away’. Quiet time strengthens us during those times by reminding us God’s constant presence. It helps us not to depend on our feelings. When we spend time with God only when we ‘feel like it’, we may miss out on God’s comforting rod and staff. But when we spend time regularly, it helps us not to fear evil especially when circumstances become trying.

It also reminds us of God’s protection- “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I will give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my Hand”(John 10:27,28) Meditating Day and Night

Quiet time need not be quiet all the time.

It is of course essential to spend time early morning away from distractions like how our Lord often used to retreat to quiet places while it was still dark. But times before taking a cup of tea, walking down stairs, taking a stroll in the park or a bus journey can be times when we can meditate on the truths of God and converse with him in prayer. This is how we obey the commandment “pray without ceasing”. Having said this we need to go 27

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deeper in this relationship like the Psalmist. “when I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches” (Psalm 63:6) How to have quiet time?

Martin Luther was once asked by a barber named Peter Beskendorf how to pray and meditate. He wrote to him saying “ A good barber must have his thoughts, mind and eyes concentrated upon the razor and the beard and not forget where he is in his stroke and shave.

If he keeps talking or thinking of something else, he is likely to cut a man’s mouth or nose or even his throat!” He went on to say how he

Quiet time strengthens us during those times, by reminding us God’s constant presence. would take each sentence from scripture or the Lord’s Prayer or the creeds and think about it in four ways making it “a garland of four strands” A teaching A reason for thanksgiving A confession A prayer petition This is a model which we could use for meditation. For instance when he meditated on “thou shall not steal” he learnt that he should not take his neighbor’s property from him secretly or in open (teaching). He would give thanks for God’s steadfast goodness and his protection without which not even a crumb or a penny would be left (thanksgiving).

He would confess his sins and ingratitude in

instances where he had wronged anyone in his life (confession). At the end he would pray that robbery, injustice, usury and theft would cease (prayer petition).

Arise my Love, my beautiful one and come away

Let us consider a newly married couple.

Would it not be weird if the wife says “I will spend 15 minutes with my husband everyday?” Rather, the moment she wakes up, her husband would be the first one she would think about. Even if she is at work whenever she gets time, she would text him or call him. She would be longing when she would go back from work to meet her beloved.

Such is the passion we ought to have for our

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heavenly groom. He should be the first person we think about each morning, pray and read his word till we are satisfied and confident that we need nothing else from this world. And as we go about our daily activities, we ought to constantly find ‘quiet times’ when we can pray and remind ourselves of His word. And throughout the day we should long to come back to spend time alone with him. For, “Who have I in heaven beside thee, there is nothing on earth I desire beside thee” (Psalms 73:25) Oh! That we would be quenched by the cisterns of God that we would desire no other!

Support Us

all Breakers Union is made of a group of independent Doctors, Engineers, Artists, Evangelists, Teachers, Theologians and Students. Motivated by the over whelming need in Gospel and health care we work together. We work form different places, but are a part of one big family of God. Our aim is to provide spiritual care to the common man. And to that end we stand together, to break any walls that hinder the needs of the people. We are planning to translate good Biblical Christian literature into Indian vernaculars. Guiding the universal church to learn the biblical doctrines systematically is a long term goal. We would be glad if you could help us in any of the following ways. We need: • Translators in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Bengali.

• Proof readers in English, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Bengali.

• Cartoonists.

• Graphic Designers with expertise in designing

Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Bengali literature.

• Desktop Publishers • Doctors.

• Para Medical Staff.

• Volunteers with good management skills.

You can support us by working from wherever you are. One hour of your time every week is more than enough to make a difference in someone’s life. We are a self funded non-profit organization and we do not offer any jobs per se. All the members of The Wall Breakers Union participate in its activities as volunteers only. Go through our Statement of Faith and if it agrees with your personal faith, contact us! May God bless the work of our hands, to do the good deeds which he has prepared for us before hand!

Free will offerings are also welcome. We are a non-profit Christian organization; hence your monetary support means, more free tracts and free Christian aids.

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