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June 2015

EEEEEnvirnvirnvirnvirnvironmentonmentonmentonmentonmentDemands our stewardship!

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June 2015

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A Campus MagazineVol. 33 Issue 6

June 2015Into ThePAGES

Editorial 04

Top Ten environmental Issues...06Renjan Mathew Varghese

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Sanctification and thework of HS 18Reji George Varghese

REACHING OUT TO MUSLIMS 22Rajadurai


June 2015

The pulse

Prof. P.G. Varghese

“Then the Lord God placed the manin the Garden of Eden to cultivate itand guard it.” Genesis 1:5, 6.

Environment means the physicalsurroundings, conditions,circumstances etc. in which welive. It also means the externalconditions which affect plant andanimal life. Again the termenvironment refers to the totalityof the physical conditions on theearth. The term ‘environment-friendly’ is used in the sense ofbeing not harmful to theenvironment. An environmentalistis a person who is concerned withor advocates the protection of the

environment.Today we witness several

instances of natural calamities orenvironmental hazards; most ofthem are due to ecologicalimbalances. These ecologicalimbalances are caused by naturaland artificial reasons. We are tobe blamed for these artificialreasons because they areprimarily man-made. Every kindof pollution is caused by man’sgreed and selfishness.

In the creation story, we readthat ‘then the Lord God planted agarden in Eden, in the East andthere he put the man he hadformed. “He made all kinds ofbeautiful trees grow there and

ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY LIFE


June 2015

produce good fruit.” Gen 2:9.According to the Biblicalnarrative of the creation process,this is the beginning of theconcept of environment.

After creating the humanbeings male and female, the LordGod commanded them to ruleover the rest of creation. In otherwords, after completing thecreation of the universe, the LordGod put human beings in chargeof the animal kingdom and theplant kingdom and asked them toprotect and preserve theenvironment. So all the peoplewho inhabit this earth have theresponsibility to keep andsafeguard the environment.

The Lord God who is thecreator of the earth has appointedus as the stewards of theenvironment. Environmentpollution is a dangerous threat toour existence on this planet earth.The earth’s crust (soil), water andair, all are highly contaminated.As a result, life on this earth hasbecome very difficult.

In his life’s non-stop flightwithout any rest for pleasure, manis knowingly or unknowinglydigging his own grave. The foodwe eat, the water we drink and airwe breathe are all poisonous. Inthe name of industrial growth andeconomic development,individuals and governments areexploiting the ecological system.As a result, we have been hearingof so many problems like ozonelayer holes, drinking watershortage, air pollution,earthquakes, famines, incurable

diseases, etc. Sharp increase inatmospheric temperature andunforeseen climate changes aremainly caused by man’s misuse ofthe nature and environment.

Environmentalists, ecologistsand scientists have been warningus against the impending doomover the earth if man doesn’t stophis misuse of natural resources.

Under the auspices of the U.N.O.several schemes have beenlaunched for the protection of theenvironment. Many countrieshave their own projects andprogrammes with the sole purposeof environmental safety. Thegovernment of India has aseparate ministry under whichthere is a particular department tolook into the different mattersconnected with the nation’senvironmental problems.

As we celebrate WorldEnvironment Day on 5th of June,let us resolve to do our part inprotecting the environment andsaving planet earth fromdestruction.


June 2015

Environmental issues are everywhere– it might be different from place toplace and it may also vary in extent andmagnitude. To prioritise, the Top TenEnvironmental Issues at the globallevel would be Global Warming andClimate Change, Globalisation, Defor-estation, War and related disasters,

Marine Ecsoystem, Loss ofbiodiverstiy, Wildlife Trade, Poaching,Consensus on issues and inter-govern-mental agreements and treaties, andNatural disasters like droughts, floods,hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes.For India it would be Wastelands, Wa-ter issues, Sanitation & Health, Airpollution, GM Crops, Agriculture re-lated issues, Mining, Oil & Gas, Mega-development projects, Oceans &Coasts, and Povetry. The Top Ten En-vironmental Issues of our State Keralawould be:• Laterite hillock miningPhysiographically Kerala can be di-

Renjan Mathew Varghese


June 2015

Cover Storyvided into three – lowlands, midlandsand highlands. Laterite hillocks aremainly seen in the lowlands and mid-lands and they are small mountains ofcompressed laterite soil which wouldnaturally act as the sponges of Earth tohold up the monsoon showers in itsmicro pockets and slowly recharge ourwells and ground water structures. Butunfortunately, over the years, we havebeen rampantly razing down lateritehillocks for various reasons, the mainbeing laterite bricks cut out for otherconstruction purposes, the laterite soiletxracted out as a waste dumping ma-terial to fill and reclaim paddy fieldsand wetlands and also levelling of landfor other construction and developmentactivities. This is mainly prevalent inthe seven districts ofThiruvananthapuram, Kollam,Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram,Kannur, and Kozhikode. Many of theseactivities are done with the prior ap-proval of the Department of Miningand Geology but much more happenson the field without any permission.This ultimately leads to drying up oflocal wells resulting in water shortage,reclamation of paddy fields and wet-lands which act leads to flash floodsduring monsoons and water shortageduring non-monsoon period.• Reclamation of wetlands and wa-ter bodiesOne of the scarcest natural resource inKerala is land. Then again around 25%is covered by forests and then takinginto account all the land that has beenbuilt up already or not available forfurther development, the net availableland for any development, be it domes-tic, commercial or industrial is veryless, and hence this huge demand forland and the resultant reclamation of

paddy fields and wetlands for variousother uses. Paddy cultivation has beenreceding in the State over the past manyyears attributed to various reasons.Most of the paddy fields are left as fal-low. Since most of the households inKerala have a family member abroadin the Middle East, US, UK or Europe,there is huge inflow of foreign moneyand there is an ever increasing demandfor land for housing. This has beenagain aggravated with the shift fromjoint to nuclear family and also with

the present trend of constructing 3BHKor 4BHK houses even for a small fam-ily of 2-3. Paddy fields and wetlandswhich would have otherwise acted asthe kidneys of Mother Earth and alsoas flood buffer zones are shrinking fastand this leads to many environmentalproblems like flood, drought etc.• Invasive alien speciesInvasive alien species is one of themost recent, emerging and biggestthreat to the native biodiverstiy in theState. These alien species includesplants like Parthenium, Lantana,Mikenia; and animals like Africansnail, African catfish, wetland weedslike Salvinia, Pistia, Eichhornia,Hydrilla etc. The land including for-ests, plantations, urban gardens andeven avenue trees; and water bodies

Paddy fields and wet-lands which would haveotherwise acted as thekidneys of Mother Earthand also as flood bufferzones are shrinking fastand this leads to manyenvironmental problemslike flood, drought etc.


June 2015

Cover Storyincluding backwaters, estuaries, canals,freshwater lakes and other such areequally being captured over by theseweeds and since they are aggressivefeeders and breeders, they slowly tendto replace the native species. In the caseof aquatic weeds, they form a blanketover the water body preventing ad-equate infitlration of sunlight whichresults in the death of the total waterbody. Chemical intensive agricultureand the resultant eturophication of wa-ter bodies also aggravate the growthof some of these aquatic weeds.• Water pollutionKerala has 44 rivers but recent surveyssay that all the 44 rivers are polluted

beyond acceptable limits and thesource of pollution can be domestic,industrial, commercial and agricul-tural. In rural areas, the sewage linesfrom many households are let out intothe nearby canal. Other systems like'kayal kakkoos' (toilets atop water bod-ies) and seepage from septic tanks alsopollute surface and ground watersources. Many industries take waterfrom the upstream of rivers and aftertheir processes the effluents are let outdownstream which then very muchpollutes the water body resulting inmass fish deaths and such. Chemicalintensive agriculture also pollutes ad-

joining water bodies when after onecrop, the water is let into the agricul-tural field and during the time of thesecond crop the water mixed with manychemicals are again drained out to theadjacent water body polluting it se-verely. In the towns and cities, lack ofmunicipal solid waste managementfaciltiy is leading to household, mar-ket and slaughterhouse waste beingdumped into nearby water bodies.• Coastal issuesKerala has a coastline of about 570kms. Kerala stands second to WestBengal with regard to populationdenstiy and within the State it is thecoastal areas which have the highestpopulation and tenement denstiy. Thereare many issues along the coastlinewhich ranges from implementation ofthe CRZ Act and impediments for thefishermen in constructing houses, sani-tation, health and hygiene along thecoastal communtiy is very less, en-croachment of the coastal stretch bytourism lobbies and real estate mafias,construction of sea walls, ports andharbors and their related accretion anderosion issues, sand mining etc are allserious issues along the coast ofKerala.• Roads & TransportationKerala is one of the states having thehighest road denstiy, but generally theexisting condition and development ofroads is still very poor when comparedto other states. There are no express-ways to cater to the long distance trans-port vehicles which increases traveltime and reduce the efficiency of thevehicles and thereby creating morepollution. Except for some stretches ofthe National Highway and the MCRoad, other roads are not in goodmotorable conditions. For rail lines

In rural areas, the sewagelines from many householdsare let out into the nearbycanal. Other systems like'kayal kakkoos' (toilets atopwater bodies) and seepagefrom septic tanks also pol-lute surface and ground wa-ter sources.


June 2015

Cover Storyalso, there are too many turns andcurves which again reduces the speedlimit increasingt ravel time. The ve-hicles on Kerala roads still heavily runon fossil fuels increasing the carbonoutput into the air. With more junctionsand intersections coming within stretchof the road, the idling time is also more.The number of new private vehicleshitting the roads in the State is veryhigh and this leads to congestion andcoupled with the hurdles involved inland availabiltiy and acquisition fornew roads and widening of existingroads, this results in a far less efficienttransport system than envisaged.• Sand miningHousing and real estate are the mostflourishing industries in Kerala. Witheach and every nuclear family desir-ing for their own house, and landavailabiltiy being a major deterrent toindependent houses, high rise residen-tial buildings are on the rise in the State.All these are very raw material inten-sive construction design and structuresand hence the demand for sand has al-ways been high. As of now, we haveexhausted all our rivers of their sandbecause the rate of mining is muchhigher than the rate of their replenish-ment. Many river banks have been de-stroyed, course of rivers have been al-tered and many deaths have occurredin the deep sand mining pits in the riv-ers. Now cotnractors and the construc-tion lobby is turning to beach sand forconstruction purposes, which is not atall desirable since it has salintiy. Butbeach sand is mined using the cover ofnight and then that sand is depositedalong the river banks during the nightitself and during the day time they areagain etxracted out labeled as riversand.

• Waste managementThe tragedy in Kerala is that eventhough the waste is generated by theindividual households, they fail to takeresponsibiltiy of it and segregate atsource. And then the Municipal andCorporation authorities have alwaysfailed to install and fail proof systemfor the solid waste management intowns and cities. Many things adoptedfrom other parts of the coutnries andfrom abroad have been tried and testedand failed. As of now, there is no properwaste management system in any of themajor towns and cities in Kerala. Pipecomposting, vermi composting, biogasplants at household level, dumping ofcollected waste in abandoned quarries,compress the waste and use it in con-struction of railway platform, sanitaryland filling etc have been tried, but hasback fired. Now open dumping andburning of the unsegregated waste isthe usual solution that is adopted inmost of the places which is aestheti-cally very bad, and this can have vari-ous direct and indirect, both short termand long term negative impacts on theenvironment and humans.• Energy concernsThe increase in the per capita energyconsumption of every citizen in theState is an alarming situation. With glo-balization and the shift to a consumer-ist lifestyle, our dependence on exter-nal energy sources are increasing dayby day with more and more of eletcricalequipments and eletcronic applianceslike mixer, grinder, induction cooker,microwave ovens, air conditioningunits, geysers and mobile phones. Butthet ragedy is that with increasing en-ergy consumption, Kerala does nothave the option of increasing its ownenergy production and be self sufficient


June 2015

Cover Story

in the case of energy. Already we areheavily dependent on the Cetnral gridfor our share of power for which wepay a high cost. Kerala does not havemuch thermal options since we do nothave the fuels like coal, naphtha, natu-ral gas etc to run a thermal power plantand generate power on a cost effectivebasis and also we need to consider thevery high carbon footprint attributedto a thermal power plant. We do nothave option of nuclear power also be-cause of the safety aspects and also wedo not have vast tracts of uninhabitedland along the coast to allocate for anuclear power plant. So the only op-tion is hydro power which is again con-strained by environmental, social andeconomical factors. The only optionahead of us is to stress energy conser-vation and making the switch to nuclearenergy, mainly solar.

• Stray dogsIn earlier times, stray dogs used to bekilled by capture and giving a lethaldose of cyanide injection. But in thepast, with the intervention of AnimalsRights Groups and the ruling of theBombay High Court and the SupremeCourt, killing of stray dogs have beenbanned in the coutnry. The only optionis to effectively implement Anti Rabiesand Animal Birth Cotnrol programmes.This has failed miserably in the Stateand coupled with lack of proper solidwaste management and disposal sys-tem and open dumping of household,market and other waste, the stray dogpopulation in most of the cities andtowns have increased and there aremany reports of ganging up of streetdogs against humans, especially attackon children and people riding twowheelers. There are many instances of


June 2015

Cover Storydeath by rabies too. Due to lack of co-ordination and consensus, even thoughAR and BC programmes are run by theState Government and the variousLSGIs, it is not effective to cotnrol themenace of stray dogs and unfortunatelythis is increasing day by day.What we can do?• Be a responsible green citizenWe feel that the Cetnral and State Gov-ernments and their allied departments,NGOs and others working in the fieldof nature conservation and environ-ment protection should take care ofsuch matters. The Indian Constitutionunder the Fundamental Duties stipu-lated in Article 51 clearly states thateach and every citizen of the coutnryhas the right and responsibiltiy to pro-tect and safeguard his or her naturalenvironment. Hence we should makeeach and every citizen aware about hisroles and responsibilities and encour-age him to translate his awareness intoaction and thereby be a green citizen.Kerala claiming to be leading in lit-eracy, education, social awareness,physical infrastructure, gender equaltiyetc should take the lead role in thismatter also.• Be more aware about environmentand its related issues and respondWe see a lot of environmental issuesaround us – cutting of trees, dumpingof waste along road sides and in waterbodies, razing down of hillocks, recla-mation of paddy fields and wetlands,and other pollution. Again we fail torespond thinking that it is someoneelse's responsibiltiy to do so. We shouldread about the environmental issuesaround us reported in newspaper,magazines and visual media, be sensi-tive to it and respond on whatever waypossible for us.

• Write to authoritiesWhen you see undesirable things hap-pening around you, don't be a silentspectator to it. You have the right toquestion and respond because thisPlanet belongs to you and you have aresponsibiltiy to protect it for your-selves and for your children. The man-dates and contact details of all the rel-evant government departments andother institutions including the officer'snames, their designations, mobile num-ber and email ids are available. Youcan bring your concerns to the atten-tion of the respective person.• Publicise through mediaMany a times, when you write to thegovernment departments and their of-ficers, the required response may notcome. In most such cases, you will haveto put some pressure on them by bring-ing it to the attention of the wider pub-lic through the print and visual media.You can use the ordinary cameras andshoot a video clipping or take a photo-graph and along with a small note, sendit to the relevant media who will takeit up. Medias are always waiting forsomething new and sensational (I justwant to quote a small example here –

The Indian Constitutionunder the FundamentalDuties stipulated inArticle 51 clearly statesthat each and everycitizen of the coutnryhas the right andresponsibiltiy to protectand safeguard his or hernatural environment.


June 2015

Cover Storysome time back, a concerned touristvisiting Vizhinjam recorded marineturtles being captured and cut intopieces when they are still alive. Whenhe came to the Ctiy, he visited my of-fice and shared the video clipping withme. I contacted Asianet and shared thisvital piece of information and theyquickly sent a camera crew to my of-fice. They took my brief interview andalong with the video clipping aired itin the afternoon news. The then ForestMinister Shri. Binoy Viswom who hap-pened to see this news telecast in hisoffice, immediately called up the For-ests and Wildlife Department officialsand asked them to take immediate ac-tion. The officers conducted a raid inand around Vizhinjam Harbour andconfiscated 5 Marine Turtles alive andlet them back into the sea)• Come together and act as acommuntiyNow we have Residents Associationsall across, or it can be a religiouscommuntiy coming together for a com-mon cause or an office or educationalinstitution. So more than individuals,we can share the concerns with ourimmediate wider communtiy and re-spond accordingly. You can conductsome small level protests, give repre-sentation to authorities, invite mediafor a press interaction and share yourconcerns etc.• DonateYou might be constrained with timeand manpower to respond directly.Then, in that case, you can supportother people's groups and NGOs whoare working round the clock for thecause of conservation. As you alreadyknow, NGOs are under the scanner forreceiving any foreign funding. Henceit is high time that we raise the finan-

cial resources necessary for ourprojects, programmes and protests lo-cally. Hence, you can donate to suchagencies and support them financially.Most NGOs give you IT exemptioncertificates also for your donations.• Volunteer with conservation orga-nizationsWhen you are really concerned aboutthe environmental issues around you,but you feel, you are just an individual

and cannot do much, remember youhave the option to volunteer with otherlike minded organizations and institu-tions. People's organizations andNGOs are always looking for morehands to get their work done becausethey always have their hands full andalso look forward to students and youthto come forward and volunteer bring-ing with them the creativtiy, innovation,dynamism and out-of-the-box solu-tions to environmental problems. To-gether we can achieve more.Renjan Mathew Varghese(The author is presently working as theState Director, WWF-India, Kerala StateOffice and is based at Thiruvananthapuram.He may be contacted at98472 87725/[email protected])

People's organizations andNGOs are always looking formore hands to get their workdone because they alwayshave their hands full and alsolook forward to students andyouth to come forward andvolunteer bringing with themthe creativtiy, innovation,dynamism and out-of-the-boxsolutions to environmentalproblems.


June 2015

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June 2015

Knowledge Test

Out of the 15 questions given below, get atleast 10 correct and win aprize. Send your answers as sms or by email to 98472 87725/[email protected]. The first five correct answers will bag prizes.1. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests have beenrecently renamed to …………………….2. The headquarters of the National Biodiversity Authority is locatedin ………………………….3. What is the full form of NTCA4. The Western Ghats holds two international titles. Name them.5. Which place in Kerala has the highest number of Tigers?6. The only species of Marine Turtle still now reported along thecoasts of Kerala7. Expand KSCSTE8. The Kerala Government has initiated the Institute for ClimateChange Studies. Where is it located?9. The very unique vegetation Myristica Swamp is found in only oneplace in Kerala. Which is the location?10. Which is the agency in Kerala who deals with Solid WasteManagement?11. What is the correct designation of the top most official of theKerala Forests & Wildlife Department?12. Who is the Chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board?13. The recently declared Peafowl Sanctuary is located in whichdistrict in Kerala?14. Which is the district in Kerala having the highest extent ofmangrove vegetation?15. Expand EFL and ESAMore than a competition you can take this as an interactive learningprocess whereby you can explore more on these very relevant nationaland State level topics and enhance your knowledge. You are free torefer the internet or books and come up with the answers. All the best.

Test yourknowledge onNature and theEnvironment


June 2015

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June 2015

Social Concern

The following Sustainable Development Goals were adopted as part ofUnited Nations Post 2015 Development Agenda

Do you think they can be part of the Christian agenda? Does the Biblesupport these goals? Reflect and Respond

Goal 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhereGoal 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition

and promote sustainable agricultureGoal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all

agesGoal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and

promote lifelong learning opportunities for allGoal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and

girlsGoal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water

and sanitation for allGoal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and

modern energy for allGoal 8 Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic

growth, full and productive employment and decent workfor all

Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive andsustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among countriesGoal 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,

resilient and sustainableGoal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patternsGoal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its

impactsGoal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and

marine resources for sustainable developmentGoal 15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial

ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combatdesertification, and halt and reverse land degradation andhalt biodiversity loss

Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainabledevelopment, provide access to justice for all and buildeffective, accountable and inclusive institutions at alllevels

Goal 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalizethe global partnership for sustainable development

U.N. Sustainable Development Goals


June 2015

Doctrine

This is a brief introduction to thework of the Holy Spirit (HS) in anindividual as well as in the life andministry of the Church.

1. Holy Spirit: The DivinePresence

The divine presence of God iscontinually made possible in the bodyof Christ through HS. According toJohn, Holy Spirit is the providence forthe believers, Jn. 14.17. HS continuesthe work of Christ or the works of lovebegan with the earthly life of Jesus.Thus the incarnation of Christ will bemade effective in the body of Christ(the Church) through Holy Spirit,16.4-15.

John further comments that HS isthe promised helper, indwelling God

or the Trinitarian presence for thosewho believe in Jesus, Jn.14.18. It isboth an individual and a communalexperience (Jesus blew over them andthey first received the HS corporately,Jn. 20.22). And the whole ideabecomes fully known when HS wasdemocratically given and distributedto the Church after the day ofPentecost, Acts2.4.

The beginning of HS presence inus: When a person receives the HS?Can we say that in every believer’s lifethere is a definite moment for that? Isit possible to conclusively say that we

Reji George Varghese,Allahabad


June 2015

Doctrinereceive HS, only at the moment whenwe personally believe in Jesus Christ?These are difficult questions to answeras Bible is not specific in such details.It shows that these are secondaryconcerns. The Christiandenominations also differ in thesematters.

The symbolic expression “Baptismin the Spirit,” may be a helpful NTtheme to explain this further. John theBaptist prophesies that Christ willbaptize in Spirit, Mtt.3.11, Mk.1.8,Lk.3.16, and Jn.1.33. Other than thegospels, the term is used only in 1 Cor.12.13. Where it reads that the believersin Corinth were already baptized bySpirit into one body (somethinghappened in the past). There are atleast three possibilities. It may be areference to the joining of eachmember of the Church through faithat a particular moment in his/her life.OR It can be a reference to thebeginning of the Church in Corinthwhen many joined together at onepoint of time. OR It may even be ageneral reference to the original dayof inauguration of the Church on thefirst Pentecost when all believers werespiritually united in Christ into onebody.

There is no New Testamentcommand to get baptised in the Spirit.The command is to be filled by theSpirit. It further attests that the ideamight be referring only to a historictruth about Church as discussed above.Hence it is erroneous to expect for arepetition of the Baptism in Spirit orto wait for the same again. Here oneshall not confuse with the idea offilling by the spirit; a clear NTcommand; it will be taken later in thisarticle.

Thus there is no conclusive answerto the problem of when a personreceives HS. But we can say for surethat the indwelling of HS in our livesis a spiritual possibility in our earthlylife. This indwelling should be takenas the continuation of the experienceof Christ, which is made possiblethrough the body of Christ foreveryone who believes.

2. Holy Spirit: The SanctifyingGod

What the HS will do? John writesthat the HS convicts us (Jn.16.8-11),reminds us, teaches us (Jn.14.26;

16.12, 13), witness through us andsustains us. It’s effect in us issanctification. The believers willsanctify through this process.

This condition is referred asour life in Christ or a life led in theSpirit in Pauline writings (Rom.8,Col.3). It means the sanctification isthe work of HS for those who are inChrist. It starts in the life of any personwho unites with Christ.

When we closely observe thesepassages, we learn that it requires anactive involvement from us. It meansthe sanctification will not happenautomatically without our activeinvolvement; we need to work out oursalvation diligently, Phil.2.12. Here

Hence it is erroneousto expect for a repeti-tion of the Baptism inSpirit or to wait for thesame again.


June 2015

Doctrinesalvation refers to the sanctificationwork of HS in a believer.

Sanctification through fruitbearing: To bear fruit, the primaryrequirement is to remain in the plant.A ‘cut-off branch’ cannot bear fruit.Gospel of John explains it throughdifferent allegories, Jn.15. There, itspeaks about our obedience to thewords of Christ and our life style inlove. The theme is elaborated morepractically in John’s epistles. Thus theidea of fruit bearing is clarified ascontinuing in the love of God revealedin Christ. It’s a work of God possibleonly when we choose to obey and love;a possibility for those dwelling in Godthrough HS.

The idea of fruit bearing is clearerin Pauline writings. The Pauline poemon love, 1 Cor.13, is an attempt toshow, this superior life style possiblein love. In the book of Galatians, Paulfurther expands the theme byintroducing the idea of the fruit of theSpirit, Gal.5.22. A close reading showsthat the nine virtues listed here areaimed to bring a godly character oflove within us. These are the attributesof God that we diligently cultivate inus when HS gives us the strength forthat by indwelling in us. Therefore itcan be assumed that dwelling in Jesusor indwelling by the HS is a conditionthat we need to ensure through ourpractical spiritual living. This providesthe basis for Christian morality orethics.

Our moral necessity of beingfilled with the Spirit: It’s a clear NTcommand and a recurring necessity forour spiritual living (Eph. 5.18).Therefore the idea of filling with theSpirit must be understood as adifferent expression for sanctification.

Therefore every command to fill withspirit is a command to live in theholiness and power of HS. It shouldbe a regular feature in our life.

3. Holy Spirit: The AuthenticWitness

Holy Spirit is the authentic witnessfor the work of Christ in this world.Only when HS convict and convincea person, s/he could know Christ. Tolearn how HS helped in witnessing, thebook of Acts is helpful. It tells howHS witnessed through the earlyChurch verbally and through signs and

wonders. The book of Acts teaches thatHS even enhanced the Church towitness Christ (verbally) by equippingthem with unknown tongues, Acts 2.10(v.11 in KJV). The outcome of it wasbelief, Acts.2.41.

It also led to liberation andreconciliation, the key themes ofLuke’s gospel that fully materializedin this Luke’s second book, the bookof Acts. Everyone entered the Churchexperienced the physical and spiritualliberation in Christ. By breaking alleconomic, social and cultural barriers,the HS brought to fulfilment the divineplan of liberation and reconciliation.The book of Acts further testifies thatthe HS also facilitated the growth of

These are the attributes ofGod that we diligently culti-vate in us when HS gives usthe strength for that by ind-welling in us. Therefore it canbe assumed that dwelling inJesus or indwelling by the HSis a condition that we need toensure through our practicalspiritual living.


June 2015

Doctrinethe Church and thus expanding thescope of liberation and reconciliation.

Spiritual gifts and Christianwitnessing: The various spiritual giftsare enlisted and explained in theepistles. As we correlate these lists, welearn that they are not an exhaustivelist including all the gifts of the Spiritbut only some sample lists. Though theuses of some of the gifts are vague andits present relevance is difficult toexplain, their general purpose ofequipping the body for Christianwitnessing and spiritual living is clear(Eph.4.11-13; 1Cor.12).

There is no clarity about whetherthese gifts will be universally availablefor all the churches every time. AlsoNT never teaches that certain gifts areuniversal and therefore necessary forevery believer. Hence any attempt to

argue that these are only timely giftsfor certain periods or that these are theuniversal necessity for the identity ofa church every time is justextrapolation and arguments in gaps.

It is quite explicit that the spiritualgifts enhanced both the qualitative andquantitative growth of the EarlyChurch. In other words the gifts helpthe Church to grow in the nature ofChrist and also it accomplishes itsphysical growth by bringing morepeople into its fold through witnessing.Thus the indwelling Spirit makes theChurch missional and every Christian,holy and witnessing. Interestingly thecontext of the above passages in bothepistles, Ephesians and Corinthiansare concerning unity. It means thatonly a church united in love can be aneffective witness in the world.

Wormy Sermon A Southern Baptist minister decided that a visual demonstrationwould add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. ýÿFour worms wereplaced into four separate jars. The first worm was put into a jar of alcohol. The second worm was put into a jar of cigarette smoke. The third worm was put into a jar of chocolate syrup. The fourth worm was put into a jar of good clean soil. At the conclusion of the Sermon, the Minister reported the followingresults: The first worm in alcohol - Dead. The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead. Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead. Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive. So the Minister asked the congregation, “What can you learn fromthis demonstration?” A little old woman in the back quickly raised her hand and said, As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won’t haveworms!”


June 2015

Mission

In the previous 2 parts of this series,we looked at the Origin of Islam,Beliefs, and practices of Islam and alittle bit of Apologetics. In this thirdand final part we shall see one of themethods of reaching the Muslimswith the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thismethod is called

The CAMEL METHOD.C - CHOSENA - ANOINTEDM - MANIFESTEDE - ETERNALL - LIFEMuslims have a saying that Allah

has 100 names, but a man can onlyknow 99 of them. Only a camel knowsthe 100th name. We want them toknow that 100th name of God, thename above all names, the name ofJESUS.

PURPOSE•GOAL OF THE CAMEL

METHOD is not to lead a Muslim tosalvation but to draw out a Person ofPeace. We will use Surah Al-Imran3:42-55 in the Koran in an attempt to

raise Jesus from Prophet status toSaviour status. After understanding theabove text no Muslim can honestly saythat Isa was merely a prophet.

• Three points from Sura Al-Imran3:42-55 that raises Jesus closer toSaviour status

• Isa is holy• Isa has power even over death• Isa knows the way to heavenHow to Begin ?:• After a friendly introduction, use

one of the conversations below todirect the conversation towards Koran:

• I have discovered an amazingtruth in the Koran that gives a hope ofeternal life in heaven. Would you readSurah Al-Imran 3:42-55 so that we cantalk about it?

• The Koran says someinteresting things about Isa, wouldyou read Surah Al-Imran 3:42-55 sothat we can talk about it?

REACHING OUT TO MUSLIMS

Rajadurai


June 2015

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The Topic For

Mission• May I show you that I have

found about peace and salvation inthe Koran. Could you read Surah Al-Imran 3:42-55 ?

• Use rhetorical Question: Arhetorical question is a question, theanswer to which is known to the oneasking question. They are a powerfuland peaceful way of drawing outcorrect answers from others.

• Attitude: No Muslim wouldappreciate a Christian approach himwith a superior attitude trying toteach him something about theKoran. Approach Muslims with ahumble attitude and with a genuinedesire to learn

EXPOUNDING CAMELMETHOD

Isa is HolyNow begin the actual explaining:Isa is holy: 3:45-47 - Bring out

the point that Isa holds the samequality of holiness that Allah has.“Does this ayat say that ‘Isa came

directly from Allah and that he didnot have a father?” They will mostlikely agree that Isa came directlyfrom Allah and that he certainly didnot have a father.

Ask two more questions:Are there any other prophets who

do not have a father?Explain that Adam did not have a

father. Tell the story of Adam in thegarden. And how he walked withAllah because when he was firstcreated Adam had no sin. He washoly and therefore could be in theholy presence of Allah. When hedisobeyed Allah, he could no longerbe in Allah’s presence. Allah is100% holy and nothing unholy canbe in his presence. This means thatif anybody wants to go to heavenand be with Allah one must be holy.

Why did Allah have Isa bornwithout as father?

Explain that All of Adam’sdescendants struggle with sin. If a


June 2015

Missionperson is not in the blood line ofAdam, he will be just like Adambefore he sinned when he and Allahwere both holy. As we all know ‘Isalived his entire life without doingany sin. Isa was holy. Muslims usetwo particular titles for Isa. They areIsa Kalimatullah and Isa Ruhullah.Allah said that he would put hisWord into Maryam. “Word”(kalim)

means anointed one or promisedone.

Isa has power over deathII. Isa has power over death

Sura 3: 48 – 54And [make him] a messenger to

the Children of Israel, [who willsay], ‘Indeed I have come to youwith a sign from your Lord in that Idesign for you from clay [that whichis] like the form of a bird, then Ibreathe into it and it becomes a birdby permission of Allah . And I curethe blind and the leper, and I givelife to the dead - by permission ofAllah . And I inform you of what youeat and what you store in yourhouses. Indeed in that is a sign foryou, if you are believers. Sura 3:49

And [I have come] confirmingwhat was before me of the Torah andto make lawful for you some of whatwas forbidden to you. And I havecome to you with a sign from yourLord, so fear Allah and obey me.Sura 3:50

After reading the list over “Isa’smiracles, draw out the point that Isais powerful and this power bringscomfort to the world. We arenaturally drawn to look closely at Isabecause the power he had over ourgreatest enemy, death.

Ask these two questions:Do you think that one of people’s

greatest fears is death?Explain that Death causes all of

us to worry. Truly death is the mostfeared enemy of man.

Do you know of any otherprophet who was given power overdeath?

Explain to them the threeinstances mentioned in the Biblewhere Jesus raised dead people tolife viz. Jairus’s daughter, son ofwidow of Nain, and Lazarus. Only

is related to the terms used forbreath . So Isa Ruhullah means Jesusthe Spirit of Allah. Another referenceto ‘Isa being a word and spirit ofAllah is found in The Women 4:171“Speak the truth; the Messiah, ‘Isason of Maryam is only an apostle ofAllah and his word which hecommunicated to Maryam and aspirit from him. So the Koranteaches us that ‘Isa Kalimatullah orIsa Ruhullah was sent from Allahhimself and placed in the form of ababy in Maryam. That means thatIsa has come to us from heaven.Ask, “If Allah put his spirit inMaryam, does this mean that Allahwas inside Maryam? This questionhelps them to understand that Isa andAllah are one. Allah asked Maryamto name the baby as Isa Masih which

So the Koran teaches usthat ‘Isa Kalimatullah orIsa Ruhullah was sentfrom Allah himself andplaced in the form of ababy in Maryam. Thatmeans that Isa has cometo us from heaven.


June 2015

Missionone who has overcome death cantake away the Man’s fear of death.Direct them to the likeness and unityof Isa and Allah. Say, “Isn’t itamazing that just as Allah madeAdam out of clay and breathed lifeinto it and it became alive, Isa hadsame power to create life. He blewhis “Ruh” (Spirit) into the clay and itcame to life. This affirms that Isa isthe Ruhullah of Allah.

Isa knows the way to heaven: And remember when Allah said,

“O Jesus, indeed I will take you andraise you to Myself and purify youfrom those who disbelieve and makethose who follow you superior tothose who disbelieve until the Dayof Resurrection. Then to Me is yourreturn, and I will judge between youconcerning that in which you used todiffer.”

Sura 3:55Finally use this ayat to help

Muslims to understand that Isaknows the way to heaven because hehimself has travelled the straightpath directly to Allah and is withAllah now. Ask these questions:”Ifyou want to come to my house andyou need help in finding my house,who is best suited to help you?

Naturally I am the best person tolead you into my house. I know theroad that leads to my house.

“I am a sinful man. I have donemany good things in my life, but stillI have Adam’s blood in me. I knowthat I can never become holy on myown and get to be with Allah inheaven. Out of all the prophets,which one do you think is bestcapable of helping me get toheaven?”

If they answer Isa is the one bestable to help you get to heaven, getthem to discuss why it is that they

think he can help me. If they answer,“Mohammed is the one best able tohelp you get to heaven” then takethem to Surah The Chambers 46:9.This ayat will show that Mohammeddid not know where he or hisfollowers would go after death.Carefully say, “If Mohammed didnot know where he was going afterhis death, how can he help us ?”

In Surah The prophets 21:91 weread “And she (Maryam) guardedher chastity, so we breathed into herof Our spirit and made her and herson a sign for the nations.”

Along road side are signs thathelp us get to where we want to go.‘Isa is a sign for the entire world,according to the Koran. At this pointyou are finished with the Camelmethod. Turn on your spiritual radarand see if God is at work. If God isat work in them they would showinterest to know more about Isa. Insuch cases you can give them theInjil (Gospel) and ask them to readit. Follow them up regularly and leadthem to Christ.

CONCLUSIONIn John 4:35, Jesus asked his

disciples to look up and see that thefield is ripe for harvest. If Jesus issays the fields are ripe, we need notdoubt that. The disciples did notknow that there was a harvestavailable in that Samaritan village.Jesus knew and therefore did notmind going hungry as long as he didthe Father’s will which was his food.My dear friend, this is the day forthe harvest of Muslim souls. If yousincerely believe in Jesus’ wordsthen you should be actively involvedin evangelism among Muslimbrothers. The harvest is reallyplentiful but the labourers are few.


June 2015

News

147 dead as Islamist gunmen targetChristian students

At least 147 people have been killedafter Islamist terrorists attackedGarissa University College, Kenya,singling out Christian students tomurder.

A five-man cell of the Somali-based al-Shabaab group stormedinto halls of residence at GarissaUniversity College, 200 miles east ofthe capital Nairobi, Thursday 2nd

April 2015 during early morningprayer services, shooting atstudents before taking othershostage.

Joel Ayora, who was on thecampus and witnessed the attack,said gunmen burst into a Christianservice. Taking hostages from theservice, they then “proceeded tothe hostels, shooting anybody theycame across except their fellows,the Muslims.”

Collins Wetangula, vice-chairman of the university’s studentunion said the attackers opened thedoors and asked if the people whohad hidden inside were Muslims orChristians. “If you were a Christian,you were shot on the spot. Witheach blast of the gun, I thought Iwas going to die,” said MrWetangula. H thinks he was savedby the sudden appearance ofKenyan troops as the gunmen wereworking their way through hisdormitory.

Garissa, 200 miles east of

Nairobi, is a mostly Muslim townbut the university enrols manyChristian students, and it wouldstand as a target for jihadist groupslike Somalia’s al-Shabaab thatoppose Western education anddevelopment.

A unit of FOCUS (Fellowship ofChristian Unions) which is the IFESmovement in Kenya functions in theuniversity and Lukas Owako, thestaff worker reports that at least 5committee members and severalleaders lost their lives in themassacre.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/02/africa/kenya-university-attack/index.html dated 2/4/2015https://www.facebook.com/lucasow?fref=ts dated 7/4/2015


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