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Vol. 14, No. 9
Page 20
JANUARY, 2018
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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THE MESSAGE
STEP UP! Biblical Principles To Possess Your Inheritance Haran must have been like Ur, the land they left. It must have brought back memories of their native land to Terah. Either he named the place after his dead son or it was so named already when the entourage reached there. Either way, Haran was familiar and ideal for a stopover Terah is representative of those who start out in right earnest but lose heart midway. They choose to linger on at stopovers for too long. Jacob served Laban for 20 years – 14 years for his daughters and six years for his flock. For 20 years, he laboured on but he had yet to settle down in life. In 20 years, Laban changed Jacob’s wages 10 times. In effect, every two years he was promised a hike but when it was appraisal time Laban would tell him Jacob’s performance was no good. Jacob tarried in Padan Aram for too long yet he could not make a name for himself. Terah’s long stopover at Haran and Jacob’s extended stay at Padan Aram tell us this scriptural truth we must understand: If you stay in the familiar for too long, you will see your strength failing in the familiar. ‘So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)’ (Gen 35:19). Rachel set out to Bethel in good spirits, but she could not step into Bethlehem. Why? Rachel had everything going her way. She was awaiting the birth of her second baby. Her husband had a new beginning. And, finally she was ready to get away from the humdrum of Padan Aram. Yet, tragically she died on the way to Bethlehem. She had grown up seeing the idols at her father’s house. Perhaps, she had worshiped them too like her father did. The familiarity of the idols must have rubbed on her. Like a magic charm she did not want give up on, she stole Laban’s idols perhaps thinking she needed the comfort of the familiar idols to ensure good fortune. Rachel, it is good you are going to Bethlehem (the house of bread), but what are you hiding in the
BY ROBIN SAM ‘Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you’ (Gen. 13:17). IN Genesis chapter 11 we see four people coming out of Ur, the Chaldean town known for its moon god (named Sin) and idolatry. The four persons, Terah, Abram, Sara and Lot, were called to go to the land of Canaan. Since Abram and Sara were a couple and they were no longer two but one flesh, let us say there were only three people who stepped out of Ur to go to Canaan. Terah, Abram and Lot were not only three individuals, they were representatives of three generations. Three people from three generations had a calling on their life – but only one, Abram, made it.
What happened to Terah, Abram’s father? Why didn’t he make it to Canaan? Gen 11:32 says: ‘So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.’ The journey from Ur to Canaan, Bible scholars say, had to be done over 1,000 miles. The distance from Ur to Haran was about 600 miles. Another 400 miles and Terah would have been in Canaan but it was not to be. Why did Terah stop halfway in Haran? The Bible does not tell us why, so we can at best only speculate. Perhaps Terah took ill or he chose to rest. Whatever the reason was, Terah did not make it to Canaan but died midway. The name of the stopover place was called Haran, the same as his deceased son’s name. Terah knew his destiny was tied to his son Abram’s life and calling. Haran, Lot’s father, was dead and the other son Nahor chose to stay in Mesopotamia. He had hope only in Abram, the man called out by God. Terah was ready to live with him and set out in hope. But, he got distracted when he reached Haran. THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER w JANUARY 2018
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sin, unwise decisions also have deadly consequences. Pitching his tent toward Sodom was an unwise decision. As a consequence Lot lost his wife, his daughters and begat Moab and Ammon who were cursed up to the 10th generation (Deut. 23:3). For Lot to step into Canaan, he must have first stepped out of Sodom. Dear brother / sister, what's your Sodom? What is that one thing that is holding you back from choosing the good portion? Are they the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of wealth or the desires of other things? (Mark 4:19). Lot, no doubt, was a just and righteous person (2 Peter 2:8), but he lost his family and squandered away his legacy. All because of one unwise decision. So, how did Abram make it to Canaan? 1. Abram simply stepped out in faith. Hebrews 11:8 says, ‘By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.’ There was another thing about Abram. 2. He refused to settle down. Gen. 13:18 says, ‘Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.’ While Lot was happy pitching his tent toward Sodom, Abram moved his tent and dwelt by Mamre – in other words he moved away from Sodom. He was happy to move his tent if he knew the inhabitants of the land did not live a life pleasing in the sight of the Lord. 3. He stepped up. Gen 13:17 says, ‘Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.’ God was telling Abram to walk and possess the land. He would get as much as he walked. In other words, it was left to Abram to determine his boundaries and the extent of the nation that he would inherit. Stepping up is an important spiritual exercise to possess our inheritance. God expects us to step up our faith in four areas of life.
camel's saddle? What are you sitting on? Your father's household idols? God will take us out of the land of idolatry but we have to ensure that we remove the idols hidden in us. Rachel’s life has an important message for us. You may have come out of the land of idolatry, out of bondages and strongholds, but remind yourself you have not reached the Promised Land yet. Tell yourself Canaan is your destination not Haran or Padan Aram. Don’t let the familiar fool you of your final destination. To step into your Canaan, you need to step out of your Haran and Padan Aram the land of familiar. Stepping into Canaan is like stepping into the unknown. But step out is the only way to reach your destiny.
What happened to Lot, Abram’s nephew? Why didn’t he make it to Canaan? Gen 13:12 says, ‘Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.’ KJV says, (Lot) ‘pitched his tend toward Sodom.’ Before God destroyed Sodom it was ‘wellwatered everywhere’, it was ‘even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.’ Fertile, it abounded with goodness everywhere. Sadly, the same could not be said of the people of the land. Verse 13 says ‘the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.’ Lot thought he had found a pot of gold. That he had made the greatest decision of his life in settling down in Sodom. After all, the land was fertile, there was a river nearby and the value of the land could only appreciate over the years. But Lot forgot that it’s not the walls that make the city, but the people who live within. There were three sins that were in Sodom that are in the world even today – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Men of Sodom did not realize that ‘the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.’ Romans 13:14 asks us to ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.’ Sodom and Gomorrah were known for sexual immorality. By pitching his tent toward Sodom, Lot was actually playing with fire. Solomon asks us a pertinent question in Proverbs 6:27-28, ‘Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared?’ The consequences of sin are disastrous. Just like Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in
STEP UP YOUR WALK OF FAITH Your capacity to possess the land depends on your capacity to walk on the land believing the promise. It was as if God was telling him this: ‘Abram, to be a possessor you need to be an assessor!’ ‘Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.’ Are you curtailing the work of God in your life by your disbelief? Are you contented to remain where you are and do what you are doing? Remember, the 5
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THE MESSAGE familiar may fail you some day. Step up your walk of 2 Kings 13:19, ‘And the man of God was angry faith. Go that extra mile to please God and while you with him, and said, “You should have struck five or do that expect your miracle. six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only STEP UP YOUR EXTENSION three times.’ Your capacity to increase depends on your King Joash was already assured of victory over capacity to extend. Do not be contented with the the Syrians, but Elisha, the prophet, wanted to see extent of your tent. If God asks you to extend it, you how well he would embellish his success. What must take every step to do so. The Bible uses tent to would be the quantum of the victory over the enemy refer to both human habitation and the temple of nation? Would Joash scrape through in the battle or God. would he inflict a deathly blow upon the Syrians? Isaiah 54:2-3 tell us to: “Enlarge the place of your Strange as it may sound, it would depend on how tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your many times Joash struck the arrows on the ground. dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, and Joash stopped with three times while Elisha strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the expected him to strike five or six times. And because right and to the left, and your descendants will he did only a perfunctory ritual of striking the inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities arrows, he would also get only a semblance of inhabited.’ victory. The heroes of faith who achieved anything Is there room for improvement in your life, for their family, tribe and nation have always stepped ministry and business? Has God been impressing up their walk of faith, stepped up their extension, upon you to extend the place of your tent and stretch stepped up their consumption and stepped up their out the curtains of your dwellings? If so, do not desire to succeed. They were never happy to be on spare. Do it. the side lines. They were ready to jump into the middle of the action. STEP UP YOUR CONSUMPTION But before God blessed Abram, He tested him in OF THE WORD two areas. It is important to remember the way Your capacity to be filled depends on your Abram handled these two tests. capacity to consume. Dear brother / sister, has God SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM LOT been speaking to you every day? If your answer is ‘No’, perhaps you have a poor appetite for the Word Genesis 13:14 is a significant verse pregnant of God. Do you know He can and will speak to you with a great spiritual truth. It says: ‘And the Lord every day, if you care to listen? Are you wondering said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him.’ how you can make communing with God an The God who had not spoken to Abram for a everyday event? How about increasing your intake while, spoke to him again after Lot had separated of the Word of God? Is God telling you what to do from him. May the import of the verse weigh in on next? Is He guiding you with His eye (Ps. 32:8)? If us. Separate from the Lot that is a hindrance in your not, check if your ears are dulled by the noises of the way to Canaan. When there was a strife between the world. Psalm 81:10 says, ‘I am the Lord your God, shepherds of Abram and Lot, Abram took a call – a who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your wise decision to separate from Lot. The nephew mouth wide, and I will fill it.’ remained a brother. When Lot gots into trouble, God touched the mouth of a young Jeremiah and Abram helped him (Gen. 14:15-17). But, then the told him: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your one who is called to be blessed must separate himself mouth’ (Jer. 1:9). from Lot who has an eye on the world and its glory.
STEP UP YOUR DESIRE TO SUCCEED
TRUST GOD WITH THE LEFTOVERS Abram asked Lot to choose his land first. If Lot went to the left, he would go to the right. If Lot went to the right, he would go to the left. Perhaps, Abram allowed Lot to have the right to choose first knowing fully well he would get only the leftover land. Are you like Abram ready to trust God with the second best or the leftovers? Those who separated themselves from the world and its lusts and allowed God to choose their inheritance have never been put to shame. Hallelujah!
The level of your success depends on the intensity of your will to succeed. Your attitude will determine your altitude. How fast you run will determine how long you will jump. How well you sprint will ensure how high you jump. How badly do you want to succeed in life? How badly do you want to realize that dream? It’s not the longevity of the dream but your passion to fulfil it that matters. THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER w JANUARY 2018
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“Bible Women”
Reader Response
--: By Esther Samuel John :--
Ida Singh, Selayur, Chennai.
Invaluable studies on the Women of the Bible: 1. Bible Women, Volume 1: Studies on 45 Old Testament women, from Eve to Wives for the Benjamites (228 pgs.). *****March 2014 revised edition. 2. Bible Women, Volume 2: Studies on 34 Old Testament women, from Naomi to Great Woman of Shunem (165 pgs.). 3. Bible Women, Volume 3: Studies on 42 Old Testament women, from Jabez’s Mother to A Virtuous Woman (177 pgs.). 4. Bible Women, Volume 4: Studies on 28 women from the Gospels, from Elizabeth to the Wife of Pilate (159 pgs.). 5. Bible Women, Volume 5: Studies from the First Women of the Church to the Bride of the Lamb, and more (180 pgs.).
Dear brother, The Christian Messenger is a very useful magazine which gives a message, news about your ministry, testimonies, suvisesha mela and synopsis of a book. The prayer time under suvisesha mela is very useful and gives much involvement.
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GOSPEL MELA 2018 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). 1. Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you, says Job 22:21. Eliphaz's advice to Job holds good even today - for a man or a nation. Pray that the people of the nation agree with Jesus, be at peace with Him, and thereby possess the good from Him. Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3). Pray claiming the verse. 2. Pray for world peace. With both North Korea and the US threatening to destroy each other, world peace is at stake. Pray for sanity to prevail among world leaders. Pray that they cut down on rhetoric and give importance to diplomacy to work in tough circumstances. The world leaders need fear of God in their hearts to guide them to take the right decisions in extremely volatile situations. 3. DIPLOMACY: Pray that the diplomatic relations and people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan and India and China improve. To make the nation powerful, India needs safe borders, peaceful co-existence with neighbours and a strifefree domestic environment. Pray that God raises national leaders and bureaucrats with foresight and concern for the welfare of the people. Only such leaders can resolve India's border issues with neighbours and find a lasting solution to the problem with Pakistan. 4. There are 22 countries in the Middle East. As many as 60 languages and dialects are spoken in this region. Diverse people groups such as Arabs, Persians, Turks and Kurds live there. Pray for the safety of the Christian communities in the Middle East. Lord, we pray you will bring a revival in these Muslim-majority countries. We pray You will reveal Yourself to Muslims and that they will come into the knowledge of Christ. 'For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly' (Romans 5:6). Amen. 5. Let us pray for the Telugu-speaking Madiga people. They are Muslims and live in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana. They also speak Urdu, and Kannada. Pray that the Gospel work gains THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER w JANUARY 2018
traction among them. Pray that God raises evangelists and pastors from among the Madiga people. Let us pray that the ones that God raises involve themselves in evangelism efforts with sound wisdom, anointing and a thorough knowledge of the Bible. 6. BAD DEBTS: As many as 17 corporate firms in India have not repaid bank loans to the tune of 30 thousand crore rupees. There are also allegations that the Central Government has refused to release the names of the defaulting corporate firms. In 201516, bad debts accumulated by the corporate firms in India was 5 lakh crore rupees. In December 2016, it grew to 6.06 lakh crore. If the Government takes punitive measures against these defaulting corporates, it can implement several welfare measures through the amount thus recovered. Pray that the Government takes steps to recover these bad debts. 7. FCRA licences of as many as 1,822 NGOs in Tamil Nadu have been cancelled. Several Christian and Catholic organisations in the state have also been hit because of this. Scores of organizations that were involved in people welfare and God's ministry are now unable to make both ends meet. Several of their projects have been hit. It is estimated that 11,000 NGOs across India have lost their FCRA licences revoked. Pray that the situation changes for the better and the Lord's work is not hindered. 8. Alcoholism ranks among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death throughout the world. Alcoholism affects the drinker both physically and mentally. It can cause cancer in many parts of the body mainly in kidney, liver and stomach etc. Alcoholism affects one's personal life and his relationship with friends and family. Pray for alcoholics to be delivered by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray young people say no to alcohol in the first instance and stay away from it forever. Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler, whoever is led astray by them is not wise (Pro. 20:1).
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9. The youth of today are considered the backbone of the world tomorrow. Pray for more ministries to reach out to the youth of the nation. Pray for the deliverance of the youth who get caught in the vainglorious ways and pleasures of the world. Pray that parents receive wisdom from above to guide their children in prayer and with the light of the Word of God. We need to pray that churches and ministries will do more to bring the youth to the fold. 'How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word' (Ps. 119:9). 10. Among the 573 people groups in Tamil Nadu, 89 percent has not yet been reached by the Gospel. Pray that people belonging to Ambattan, Agamudyar, Ambalavasi, Arunthathiyar, Bania, Banjara, Devdasi, Devendrakulathor, Vanniar, Vellalar and Yadavas enter God's Kingdom through the grace of Jesus Christ. 11. OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE: Praise God for helping the children in our prayer groups and mission fields achieve good marks in their 10th and 12th board examinations. God proved in action that victory indeed belongs to the Lord. Let us continue to pray that the children get admitted into the courses of their choice. Pray earnestly that the future of the children in our homes, prayer groups and mission fields are bright and secure in the hands of the Lord. Let us pray that these children are a blessing to many and the streets and neighbourhoods that they live in are blessed through them. 12. Pray that the spirit of darkness that spreads religious intolerance in the country is bound in the Name of Jesus Christ. Let us pray that all the divisive
forces that instigate one people group against another and pits one community against another lose their power and their nefarious plans are defeated. Let us pray that law and order is maintained in all our states so the church and the general public may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 13. Pray for a mighty revival in the mission fields administered by Messenger Missions and other mission organizations. If God's work has to progress on war footing, Gospel outreach efforts have to be accompanied by signs and wonders on ground. Remember our mission fields in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. 14. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:10 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.' Let us be ready. Pray that God gives us a sense of immediacy to do the works of His Kingdom. Amen. 15. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is targeting honest and responsible workers of God. Pray for the workers of God you know. Name them and pray that they will receive the grace to remain firm in the faith and resist the devil. Pray that God will seal them and their families for the day of redemption. Pray also that the blood of the Passover Lamb Jesus Christ will be upon them, their homes and their ministries (Exodus 12:13).
Help! My husband turned 50, now worries about future COUNSELING Q: My husband just turned 50, and it’s really hit him hard. Suddenly he thinks he’s over the hill, and now he’s always worrying about his health and his future. How can I help him? I wasn’t expecting this. A: My wife, Ruth, grew up in China (where her parents were medical missionaries) – and one thing she always admired was the great respect the Chinese had for older people. The Bible says, ‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly’ (Leviticus 19:32). Unfortunately, we seem to have the opposite view today; we value youth, and we tend to be afraid of growing older. Think of the billions we spend on cosmetics and medicines that claim they’ll make us younger! I suspect your husband has fallen into this way of thinking – but it’s wrong. Some of our best years can be ahead of us as we grow older. Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in
The most important thing you can do is to encourage your husband to see himself the way God sees him. Perhaps he’s never thought much about God – but God made him, and God loves him and knows all about him. God also knows the future, and as we grow older we can trust our lives and our futures into His hands. Furthermore, we are just as valuable in God’s eyes today as we were when we were born. If you and your husband have never invited Jesus Christ to come into your lives, I urge you to do so today. Then commit each day into His hands, and take delight in the good things He gives you. Let God – not the world around us – shape your lives and your attitudes. God’s promise is for you: ‘I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken’ (Psalm 37:25). BGEA (From the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s articles’ archives.)
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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.
To contribute your offerings for our missions, please use the details below: A/C Name A/C No Account Type Bank Name Branch Branch IFS code Swift code
To send your subscriptions and offerings for the media ministry, please see below:
: Messenger Missions : 913020055473409 : Current : Axis Bank : Mogappair, Chennai. : 345 : UTIB0000345 : AXISINBB016
A/C Name A/C No Account Type Bank Branch Branch code IFS code
: Messenger Communications : 030501389547195001 : Current : Catholic Syrian Bank : Padi, Chennai : 305 : CSBK0000305
Please let us know details of your offerings and subscriptions after you make the payment at 044-65145334 or 0-7299063345. It will help us send a receipt to you immediately. Our address: Messenger Missions, No. 20/20, Bharathiar Street, Srinivasa Nagar, Padi, Chennai 600 050. Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in
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IN SHORTS
Pakistan church attacked by suicide bombers TWO suicide bombers attacked a church in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing nine people and wounding more than 50 others on Dec 17. Sarfaraz Bugti, home minister for the southwestern Baluchistan province, said hundreds of worshippers were attending services at the church ahead of Christmas. He said the attackers clashed with security forces, with one assailant killed at the entrance while the other made it inside. Baluchistan police chief Moazzam Ansari praised the response of security forces guarding the church, saying the attacker who made it inside was wounded and unable to reach the main building. “Otherwise the loss of lives could have been much higher,” he told reporters. Quetta police chief Abdur Razzaq Cheema said a search is under way for two suspected accomplices who escaped. Till the time of going to press no one claimed the attack. Muslim extremists have targeted Pakistan’s small Christian minority in the past.
Christian girls in Egypt targeted for forced conversion CHRISTIAN girls in Egypt are being targeted for kidnapping, forced marriage and conversion, says Release International, which supports persecuted Christians around the world. Release describes an epidemic of grooming, forced conversion and kidnapping, believed to be funded by religious leaders with cash from Saudi Arabia. And the latest target is young Christian boys. Release believes this a deliberate strategy of persecution and is urging Egypt to protect its vulnerable Christian minority. Hundreds of Coptic Christian girls in Egypt have been kidnapped, forced to convert and marry their captors, according to both Egyptian and western sources. Many abductions take place in Upper Egypt, a poor, rural area many miles from Cairo where attitudes are ultra conservative and the persecution of Christians is most severe. Militants set fire to many churches here during the Islamic revolution. Release International is hearing that local men are being offered money to target Christian women.
Author, pastor R C Sproul passes away at 78 DR. R.C. Sproul, apologist and significant Reformed author and pastor, passed away on Dec 14 around 3 p.m. in a hospital room in Altamonte Springs, Florida, US. He was 78. “He died peacefully after being hospitalized 12 days ago due to severe respiratory difficulties exacerbated by the flu and complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” reported Chris Larson, president and CEO of Ligonier Ministries, a longtime National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) member. Sproul was the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education ministry near Orlando, Florida. “This popular teacher is now with the One who loves him most, and we both rejoice for Dr. Sproul and mourn for all who will miss him,” said NRB president and CEO Dr. Jerry A. Johnson. “For more than five THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER w JANUARY 2018
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Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in
decades, the Lord has used Dr. Sproul to spread the life-changing truths of biblical Christianity and to expose people to the grace and the knowledge of the Lord. From the inquiring skeptic to the growing Christian, Dr. Sproul has impacted countless lives. And so, today, we give thanks to God for his life and for his ministry.”
Israeli man jailed for attack on Galilee church AN Israeli man has been jailed for four years after being found guilty of an arson attack on the church where it is thought Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000. Yin Reuveni, 23, was described as a Jewish extremist and had earlier been found guilty of ‘aggravated arson’ and two counts of criminal conspiracy for the attack on the Church of Multiplication of Loaves and Fish in Galilee in June 2015. As well as four years in prison Reuveni, who lives in a Jewish settled in occupied Palestine, was fined 50,000 shekels ($14,000). The attack left two rooms of the Catholic church complex badly damaged but the church itself escaped unharmed. As well as the fire damage Hebrew graffiti reading ‘Idols will be cast out’ from a common Jewish prayer was found at the site. It cost around $1million to repair the famous church in Tabgha on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, with the Israeli government paying around $400,000.
No Christmas in Nazareth this time THE hometown of Jesus Christ is officially stopping all planned public Christmas festivities and a big Christmas market that was in the works. Because of the number of tourists who typically visit the city during the Christmas season, the decision could have a significant economic impact on the area. The city's mayor Ali Salam explained to The Times of Israel, that the move is a response to Pres. Donald Trump's recent announcement that the United States will officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy there. The decision has been controversial throughout parts of the region, where Jerusalem is among the areas that is contested by Jewish and Arab communities. Salem told the paper, “Our identity and faith aren’t up for debate. The decision [by Donald Trump about Jerusalem] has taken away the joy of the holiday, and we will thus cancel the festivities this year.”
More violence awaits Rohingyas in Myanmar INTERNATIONAL charities including Christian organisations have joined forces to condemn a forced return of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar. Around 626,000 Rohinghas have been driven out of Myanmar's Rakhine State since August 2017 by a campaign against them from the military involving murder and rape, described by the international community as ethnic cleansing. Facilities in Banglash have been overwhelmed and they are living in squalid and dangerous conditions. Many arrive injured and traumatised, having seen family members murdered. However, the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar announced on November 23 last year that repatriation would begin within two months. Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in
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SIGNING OFF
A perspective and a prayer BY ROBIN SAM AS the year draws to a close, as 2017 walks into the sunset, I'm looking back on my life. God had been faithful. He kept His Word. He kept me and mine from the hands of the wicked and delivered me from chains and bondages I didn't know even existed. He promised by His mouth and He did it by His hand. He fed me when I was hungry, nourished me when I was needy and washed me when I was unclean all over. Oh, He was faithful through and through - even when I was not! He was kind when I doubted His goodness. Gracious when I rebelled. Generous when I was miserly. Now, will you say a word of prayer for me? For deliverance, for a fresh new approach to life, for a life of joy in surrender and service. For the sweet communion with the Lord to become an everyday event. For healing in Jesus' Name. For me to move from brokenness to blessing, from rottenness to liberation. From crippling circumstances to
Rehoboth. In Jesus’ Name, pray that I will be a blessing to others, a prophet to the nations, a priest at home, and a preacher at large. By faith, I will run into troops and scale over walls. By faith, I will remain a man of God, tested and found to be true to the Lord in the sight of God Almighty. To be counted worthy to stand at His right hand and be commended for a life well lived, a fight fought well, a race run well. To be crowned with the crown of righteousness by Jesus Himself. Amen.
Losing Your Life For Christ “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it’.” Mark 8:34-35 In 1961, Dr. Paul Carlson arrived in Congo and began working as a medical missionary for six months in Ubangi Province. In December 1961 he returned to Redondo Beach, California but continued to talk of returning to the Congo because of its great needs. In July 1963, along with his wife and children, he did return and ministered at an eighty-bed hospital and leper colony in Wasolo. In August 1964, rebels captured Stanleyville and the Carlson family crossed the Ubangi River to seek refuge in the Central African Republic. Dr. Carlson, however, remained committed to his hospital and work in Wasolo, and he returned. Soon after his return, the communist-inspired Congolese rebels of the Simba Rebellion captured him. The rebels accused Dr. Carlson of being an American spy and took him as a hostage to
Stanleyville. He was held there and was mentally and physically tortured. In November 1964, the rebels announced Dr. Carlson would be executed. The U.S. began negotiating a release, but when talks broke down, the U.S. sent in a rescue team. On November 24, 1964, some Simbas soldiers panicked when they learned of the rescue. They opened fire into a crowd, and Dr. Carlson and several others ran to a wall in hopes of escaping. Before he scaled the wall, Dr. Carlson urged a clergyman to go first, and as he was climbing the wall after the clergyman, he was shot and killed by rebel gunfire. Dr. Carlson is remembered as the “Congo Martyr.” On his tombstone in the Congo, bears the inscription 'Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends' (John 15:13). The Lord asks us to follow Him, no matter where the road may lead. Today in prayer, thank Jesus that He is Lord for your life. Seek to follow Him always. Peter Kennedy
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 JANUARY 2018
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Website: www.christianmessenger.in Email: contact@christianmessenger.in