July 2016 2 Suvartha

JohnsonK. Samuel

Apostle Jamessays: “not many

of you shouldbecome

teachers".Those whoaspire to be

teachers /preachers in

the churchhave a special

responsibilityto guard

themselvesfrom stumblingin their words!

n an article thatI read the other dayabout 'Taming thetongue', the writerremarks: "Samsonused the jaw bone of

a donkey to kill Philistines. Even today it is thesame, the jaw bone is still used to kill people!"What the writer implies is that a person's jaw boneand his tongue are jointly involved in the heinouscrime of character assassination!

Scriptures deal with ‘human tongue’extensively in several places. Apostle Jamesdevotes an entire chapter to the power of the tongue(James 3). Jesus said: “I tell you that men willhave to give account on the day of judgement forevery careless word they have spoken” (Matt.12:36). King David resolved: "I will watch my waysand keep my tongue from sin" (Psa. 39:1). Also,"My tongue will speak of your righteousness andof your praises all day long" (Psa. 35:28). KingSolomon has many wise words to say on thesubject in his Proverbs: "When words are many,sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue iswise" (10:19). "Reckless words pierce like a sword,but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (12:18)."The tongue has the power of life and death, andthose who love it will eat its fruit" (18:21). "A wordaptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings ofsilver" (25:11).

Most people want to be heard. What better wayto be heard than to be a teacher or preacher of thegospel? But listen to the words of James: "Notmany of you should become teachers, my fellowbelievers, because you know that we who teachwill be judged more strictly. We all stumble in manyways" (James 3:1,2) The apostle is urging us thatwe must not be hasty in propelling ourselves intoa position where the tongue is constantly used.“We all stumble in many ways”. Hence a preacheris likely to be "judged more strictly". In other words,those who aspire to be teachers / preachers inthe church have a special responsibility to guardthemselves from stumbling in their words.

An Aesop’s fable talks about a donkey: Onceupon a time, a donkey found a lion's skin. He triedit on, strutted around, and frightened manyanimals. Soon a fox came along, and the donkeytried to scare him, too. But the fox, hearing thedonkey's voice, said, "If you want to terrify me, you'llhave to disguise your braying". Moral of the story:

Clothes may disguise the real person, but hiswords will give him away.

Godly speech comes out of our tongue onlythrough Godly wisdom from above, while worldlywisdom is earthly and unspiritual. Worldly wisdomshows itself in bitter envy and selfish ambitionand is accompanied by bragging and a denial ofthe truth (James 3:14). It leads to "disorder andevery kind of evil". Godly wisdom and speechdisplay the work of God’s redeeming grace in ourhearts and should govern our life.

Citing illustrative examples like control of apowerful horse with its small bridle, control of ahuge ship with its small rudder and the start of awild forest fire by a tiny spark, James argues thatman can be considered to be in control of himselfif he is seen in control of his tongue which is onlya small part of his body. Words can build or destroy.“Loose lips sink ships” as the saying goes. Thatapplies not only to battleships but also tofriendships and relationships and even churchfellowships. A loose rudder, a loose tongue, cansink all those “ships”.

The words of Apostle James are verysignificant: "If anyone is never at fault in what hesays, he is a perfect man, able to keep his wholebody in check" (James 3:2). One of the importantqualities that shows maturity (perfection) in a manis his ability to control his tongue.

Yes, we need Holy Spirit’s help to control ourtongues. We need a new life with a new tongue -not to curse, not to blaspheme, not to tear downothers, but rather to bless others, to praise Godfor His many mercies, to pray to God for our needsand for those in need. Only Holy Spirit can give usredeemed tongues to speak words of blessing toour fellow brothren, words that will build them up.

A popular song, entitled “Words” by HawkNelson has its chorus going like this:

“Words can build us up,Words can break us down,Start a fire in our hearts,Or put it out!

Let my words be life,Let my words be truth,I don’t want to say a word,Unless it points the world back to You”

(You can listen to the song in 'YouTube')Let that be our conscious decision in our

every day Christian walk!

The 'jaw bone' andTHE TONGUE!I

July 2016 3 Suvartha

Paul Piff, social psychologist has studiedhow wealth affects attitudes and behaviour. Hisempirical studies has uncovered that thewealthy are more prone to corruption and verypoor in giving. They tend to be more likely to belawbreakers than those who are poorer thanthem! However, he says that these can beimproved, though he doesn’t tell us how. Thereare exceptions to this rule certainly. Theexceptions comes to us in the form of WarrenBuffet, Bill and Melinda Gates and NarayanaMurthi (Infosys) and many others who thoughrich are engaged in commendable service tohumanity and liberal in their giving.

I think Paul Piff,has provided a modernscientific commentaryto what Jesus said inthe first century: ‘It iseasier for a camel togo through the eye ofa needle than for a richperson to enter thekingdom of God’ (Mark10:25). He meant ‘eyeof the needle’ literally.It is not a small gate in the city of Jerusalem inJesus’ time as some interpreters think. Therewas no such gate! ‘Eye of the needle’ is ahyperbole used to illustrate the nearimpossibility of the rich making progress in theirspiritual progress.

The story of the rich man who approachedJesus is a good illustration. This man (youngand rich) approached Jesus to find out how toenter ‘eternal life’ (Mark 10:17-31). This manobviously had the hunger to grow spiritually. Heknew that there was something more than whathe knew and what he practiced to spirituality. Itis this realization of lack that made him cometo Jesus ‘running’ and ‘kneel’ before Him. Inaddressing Jesus as ‘good teacher’ he alsoexpressed his confidence that Jesus had theright advice and he iwas eager to know it.

The camel goingThrough the Eye of a Needle!

The conversation between him and Jesusreveals that he has achieved good spiritualprogress already. Jesus prescribed to him sixout of the ten commandments that has to dowith human relationships and wealth (Mark10:19). However, Jesus slightly modified onewhich originally said, ‘do not covet’ to ‘do notdefraud’. Defrauding goes a step further thancovetousness or that is where covetousnessleads a person to. In response to Jesus heclaimed that he has been following these ‘fromhis youth’ (Mark 10:20). That means ever sincehe became morally responsible for his actions.(A Jewish male is considered to be morally

responsible for hisactions when heturns sixteen. He isthen accountable toGod and the societyfor his actions). Jesuswas very impressedby his spirituality, thatis why Jesus ‘lookedat him and loved him’(Mark 10:21).

He is indeed arighteous rich person by the standards of hissociety and the religion he followed. Bydeclaring that he has been observing all theserules, he claims that he has become wealthyin the right way. He has not become rich at theexpense of others. This is almost equivalent toany claim religious people make in these daystoo. They have not accepted or given bribes tobecome rich, theyhave not exploitedanyone, nor havethey ever mademoney through anyillegal means. All thatthey possess havebeen made throughright and justifiablemeans.

‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich personto enter the kingdom of God’ (Mark 10:25).

Rev. Dr.PaulsonPulikkottil

heads theDepartment ofBiblical Studiesat Union BiblicalSeminary, Puneand pastors‘The Communityof theRedeemed’Church, Pune.His blogs canbe read athttp://paulsonp.blogspot.com/

Jesus meant ‘eye of the needle’literally. It is not a small gate in the cityof Jerusalem in Jesus’ time as someinterpreters think. There was no suchgate! ‘Eye of the needle’ is a hyperboleused to illustrate the near impossibility

of the rich making progress in theirspiritual progress.

This man obviously had the hungerto grow spiritually. He knew that there

was something more than what heknew and what he practiced to spir-

ituality. It is this realization of lack thatmade him come to Jesus ‘running’

and ‘kneel’ before Him.

July 2016 4 Suvartha

But Jesus’ response to him was shocking:‘you lack one thing!’ (Mark 10:21). What is thatone thing that the rich lack? Jesus did not makeit clear when he said: ‘go, sell all that you haveand give to the poor.’ Jesus was not asking tomake a donation or to be regular with his tithes.His demand was to give away all that he has. Itis shocking because Jesus was not againstwealth or the wealthy. Jesus did not demandanyone other than this man to sell all that hehad. If His followers leftanything, that was on theirown, not because Jesusforced them to. Thedisciples left their nets,boats or tax booths at theirown will. Zachaeus offeredto give away the wealththat he gathered throughillegal means and sharehis legitimate wealth withthe poor without anyinsistence from Jesus.Jesus certainly had manyrich friends and disciples.Some of them were so richas to throw parties andJesus accepted theirhospitality to be labelled ‘a glutton and adrunkard’ (Mat. 11:19) by his opponents. Thispeculiar demand was to illustrate to Hisdisciples that the wealthy preferred their wealthif they had to make a choice between wealthand spirituality. As He expected, the rich manwalked away: ‘Disheartened by what Jesussaid, 'he went away sorrowful, for he had greatpossessions’ (Mark 10:22).

Jesus made two powerful statementsthrough this confrontation with the rich man.First, even the most perfect man by anystandards have still room to grow spiritually.Second, wealth is the most important thing for

the rich people. It is so important for them thateven higher goals of life like growing spirituallytakes a back seat. That means it is easier topass a camel through the eye of a needle thanexpecting the rich to make spiritual progress.

What is wrong with money then? Does thismean that one has to become poor in order togrow spiritually? Not at all! We have alreadyseen that Jesus did not demand asceticism fromhis followers. The danger of wealth is that it

demands worship from us.That is why Jesus qualifiedwealth as ‘mammon’ thename of an Aramaic deity.That is why Jesus said thatnoone can ‘serve’ God and‘mamon’ at the same time(Matthew 6:24). ‘Serve’ meansto worship. It competes withGod for its place in human lifeand we are prone to yield towealth than to God when achoice has to be made.

Paul Piff’s research tellsus that the problem with thewealthy is the sense ofentitlement that they have.‘Entitlement’ is that notion or

belief that all that one has belong to him (her)and he (she) has the right to it. He has foundout that even those who didn’t make their wealthbut got it through inheritance could have thissense of ‘entitlement’. This makes them poorgivers because they want to hold on to whatthey are ‘entitled’ to. This also make them makemore money any way they could. Paul Piffunderstood through his scientific studies whichthe great Teacher had already stated and provedthrough the conversation with this rich man: ‘Itis easier for a camel to go through the eye of aneedle than for a rich person to enter thekingdom of God’.

** “Joy cannot be pursued. It comes from within. It is a state of being. It does notdepend on circumstances, but triumphs over circumstances. It produces a gentleness

of spirit and a magnetic personality”** “God’s Word is not a book of human ideas . . . it is given to us by God to teach

us how to live”** We are not here by chance or by accident; God put us on this journey called life.We came from Him, and our greatest joy will come from giving ourselves back to Him

and learning to walk with Him every day until we return to Him”“

Quotable quotes from Rev. Billy Graham

It is shockingbecause Jesuswas not against

wealth or thewealthy. Jesus

did not demandanyone other

than this man tosell all that he

had. If Hisfollowers left

anything, thatwas on their own,

not becauseJesus forcedthem to. The

disciples left theirnets, boats or tax

booths at theirown will.

First, even the mostperfect man by anystandards have still

room to grow spiritually.

Second, wealth is themost important thing forthe rich people. It is soimportant for them thateven higher goals of lifelike growing spiritually

takes a back seat.

July 2016 5 Suvartha

Man’s desire to achieve greatness bybuilding a tower, “whose top may reachup to heaven” (Genesis 9: 1-9):

Man has the power of rational thought; mancan come out from the circle of limitations. Man,a special creation, created in the image of God,has the power of conceptualization. When flyingwas unknown, the poets composed poetryabout flying. The novelists began to includeflying in their fictions. Then the scientists beganto analyze the physicalcomposition of energy,particle, matter etc. Themathematicians providedmathematical equations onflying; in a way, we live in aworld where mathematicalpossibilities are becomingrealities. Exploring the outerspace, Moon landing, sendingspaceship to Mars, Skylabetc. are examples of suchrealities which were once onlymathematically possible.

However, in building ourown life we need somethingoutside of ourselves, namelyfrom God the creator. We areto build life based on God’sWord. When we draw a straight line, it canbecome curved or crooked due to our mistakesor carelessness. We know it has becamecrooked by comparing it with another straightline. God’s word is like the straight line to tellus what is good and bad. It is like a mirror tosee ourselves. But it is quite possible to buildlife based on one's own thinking, deliberatelyignoring God’s standards.

We notice a clear-cut vision they had whenthey decided to build the tower. Vision definesthe mission, and the mission is accomplished

Building Life According ToThe Plan Of GOD

by set goals. The clear-cut vision and purposekeep reminding us about pursuing the goal. Itis possible to end up in something else whengoals are not specific. The acronym SMARThelps to understand the goal that it must be:Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic andTangible. Some may be afraid to set goalsbecause of the fear of failure. Such peopleinterpret as God’s will whatever they found doingat a time according to their convenience and

comfort! It is important to setgoals and pursue it.

Our lives are built on God’sprinciples, but God worksthrough people. Strongleadership seeking and doingGod’s will were used of God inthe past. In Ephesians 4:11-13, we see a list of leaders withleadership gifts. They are toexercise their gifts and equipthe people of God for the “workof ministry”. Leadership issomething people do, and notmerely a position. So it can beperfected. In certain cases,some may argue for “one-man-leadership,” but can lead tosome kind of autocratic

leadership with possibility for errors. It is betterto consult each other with oneness in Christ.Or “participative leadership” and the person inthe forefront can be “one among the equals”honoring each other.

It is by mobilizing men and resources thatthe goal is achieved. One person, of course,cannot do it alone. Those with leadership giftsare to prepare God’s people for the work ofservice, while they themselves exercising theirown gifts. Also they are to use their gifts togetherin interdependence in mutual affection. It is not

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, thepastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the

body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and inthe knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the

whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13)

When we draw astraight line, it canbecome curved orcrooked due to our

mistakes or careless-ness. We know it hasbecome crooked by

comparing it withanother straight line.God’s word is like thestraight line to tell us

what is good and bad. Itis like a mirror to see

ourselves.

The acronym'SMART' helpsto understandthe goal thatit must be:Specific,Measurable,Attainable,Realistic andTangible.

Dr. GeorgeSamuel

formerly anuclearscientist,is currentlyDirector ofValueEducationCentre,Tiruvalla,Kerala.

July 2016 6 Suvartha

that each person trying to do things accordingto his whims and fancies or selfish interests.God has given the Church with potentials to doHis task. These potentials in terms of giftedmen and resources are to be mobilized torealize the goal.

Use what resources we have, and there isno need for complaining. There was no stoneor mortar available for building the tower. Butthey made bricks in place of stones and usedbitumen in place of mortar. We need to spendtime in creative thinking to find propersubstitutes rather thancomplaining about what we donot have. It may be possiblethat in one geographicallocation and in a particularculture, the people might havefound some items veryeffective. Such items may notbe available in our culture, andstill the Lord’s command tofulfill the mission of the Churchremains the same. Wetherefore have to think in termsof indigenous items andmethodology to carry out theplan. It is our obedience andfaithfulness that will help us tothink creatively. Someonesaid that even obstacles willbe found removed when a goal is pursued withperseverance. If no such perseverance, one mayfind only obstacles! Let us use God givenresources and means that pleases the Lord.

Single-mindedness is required to carry onthe plan. The situation was they couldcommunicate with each other, because it wasa “one-language” situation. We face a lot ofcommunication breakdown due to relationshipissues, nepotism, despotism, greed and the

like. The oneness in Christ is to be restored ifpeople are fragmented with divisions, envy,jealousy and selfishness. There can be culturaland/or historical reasons which can be thecause for divisions. But it is possible to bringChrist into each group, and so the people toexperience the oneness in Him.

The people must have worked very hard tobuild such a tower, and even God couldcomment “now nothing will be restrained fromthem, which they have imagined to do”. Thereis no substitute for hard-work. “No pain, no gain”

is said commonly. Wecannot take God’s worknegligently. Bible says“cursed is he that does thework of the Lord negligently”(Jeremiah 48:10). We need toassess our priority given tospiritual matters and the timeand resources used for theLord. We are, indeedaccountable before the Lord

Their vision was to meetthe practical need of beingtogether (Genesis 9:4). We inour spiritual growth try toknow God more and more.Our desire to know God is tolove God more. The practicalexpression of our love is

getting involved in services that meet humanneeds. When the practical needs of the peopleare met as a result of our spiritual growth, otherswill also be attracted to know God better.

We need God’s help in all the areas of lifeand ministry. We cannot accomplish the goalswithout God in it. We should not do anythingwithout God being in it. We may have manytools and techniques, but without God, therewill be of no lasting result.

The peoplemust have

worked veryhard to build

such a tower,and even God

could comment,“now nothing

will be restrainedfrom them,

which they haveimagined to do”.

There is nosubstitute for

hard-work.“No pain, nogain” is saidcommonly.

There was no stone ormortar available forbuilding the tower.

But they made bricks inplace of stones and

used bitumen in placeof mortar. We need tospend time in creativethinking to find propersubstitutes rather thancomplaining about what

we do not have.

** “God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which he must work. Only to know this is toquiet our spirits and relax our nerves.”

** “God wants the whole person and He will not rest till He gets us in entirety. No part of the manwill do”

** “True faith rests upon the character of God and asks no further proof than the moral perfectionsof the One who cannot lie.”

** “When we try to focus our thought upon One who is pure uncreated being we may see nothingat all, for He dwelleth in light that no man can approach unto. Only by faith and love are we able to

glimpse Him as He passes by our shelter in the cleft of the rock.”

Quotable quotes from Rev. A.W. Tozer

July 2016 7 Suvartha

New Series:Meditations from

"Galatians" - 3

Dr. ShibuCherianD.Min., Ph.D.

is an ordainedMinister with theChurch of Godand serves asPresident ofUnited in theWORDMinistries, Inc.He is a certifiedClinical Chaplain,a Bible Teacherand a PremaritalCounselor. Visithis ministrywebsite @ http://www.unitedintheword.com

The story ofGod’s blessing andcurses can be tracedback to thebeginning of time,when God blessedhumankind duringcreation with bothfruitfulness anddominion over theearth (Gen. 1:28).However, both Adam& Eve sinnedagainst God throughdisobedience, andreaped curses from God upon themselves (Gen.3:16-19). God’s death penalty (see Gen. 16-17) was temporarily averted when God killedan innocent animal in their place and clothedthem with its skin (Gen. 3:21). However, whilesome of their descendants could not escapeGod’s curses (Gen. 4:11; 6:7; 11:7-9), otherrighteous people like Enoch (Gen. 5:24), Noah(Gen. 9:1) and Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) wereblessed for their obedience. Abraham’sblessings were extended to his descendantsby the grace of God!

Down the ages, God instituted the MosaicLaw, however, living under this Law did not bringblessing; actually it brought God’s curses. Thatis because to obtain God’s blessing under theLaw, a person had to keep it perfectly - and noone could. God’s law:- ”Cursed is the one whodoes not confirm all the words of this law” (Deut.27:26) - was inviolable, and those who fail tokeep even one point of the law falls under God’scurse. It is safe to conclude that since we brokeGod’s covenant by violating the Law, we deserveto receive the Law’s curse and God’scondemnation!

The curse of the law was death - the penaltyfor breaking its commandments (Rom. 6:23),

JESUS CHRIST was ‘CURSED’so that WE get the ‘BLESSING’

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us(for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of

Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive thepromise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal. 3:13-14)

and the cursedindividual was to behanged on a tree(Deut. 21:23) tojustify God’srighteous judgment.God’s only begottenSon Jesus becomesthe substitutionaryrecipient of thatcurse, and He hasdelivered thoseunder law frompaying the penalty ofdeath demanded by

the law. Thus, Jesus has redeemed us by dyingin our place, enduring the dreadful wrath of Godagainst sins. The curse of God fell on Him asour substitute. He did not commit a single sin,however our sins were placed upon Him andHe took the punishment meant for us (Acts5:30; 1 Pet. 2:24).

What the Mosaic Law could not do, Jesushas done for us (Rom. 8:3–4) by paying theransom price through shedding His preciousblood (I Pet. 1:18–19) in order to deliver us fromslavery to liberty. Jesus hasnow redeemed uscompletely, freely, and irreversibly (John 5:24;Rom. 8:1). Not only that, God had promised tobless all families of the earth (both Jews andGentiles) in Abram (Gen. 12:3), which wasratified in Gen. 22:18 when He promised: “Inyour seed all the nations of the earth shall beblessed”. Jesus Christ, who was a directdescendant of Abraham (Luke 3:34), was thatseed through whom God had promised to blessus when we receive Him by faith alone. JesusChrist was cursed in our place so that we willbe blessed by God!Hallelujah!

“For (God) made (Jesus) who knew no sinto be sin for us, that we might become therighteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)

July 2016 8 Suvartha

God’s Book for Mankind:- Part 16 -

'Biographical Bible Study' Method

Dr. C.P.Varghese

is the Founder& President of

Peniel BibleSeminary,

PenielChildren’s

Home & PenielAcademy,

Keezhillam,Kerala.

True Christianityis not a religion,

but is therelationship

between the oneand only true

God andmankind through

the God-ManJesus Christ.

It is the lifethat is taughtin the Bible.

Bible Study

A Biography is ahistorical written recordof a person’s life.Biographical Biblestudy method isstudying the lives of thepeople of the Bible.The Bible has somuch history of somany individuals. Dr.Herbert Lockyer wrotethat, “--- the Biblementions some three thousand men”. Thenthere are so many women and children whoare also mentioned in the Bible as you know.Studying the lives of Godly people helps andencourages Bible students to live such livesthat please the Lord. It builds up our faith andtrust in Jehovah God. It encourages us tofollow the Godly examples as well as to avoidthe mistakes they made. Studying the lives ofthe ungodly people warns us to flee fromungodly, wicked ways of living. What is writtenin the Bible is recorded for us to learn from theexamples of others. (Acts 10:34 - We see thatGod is no respecter of persons and that theGod of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our God.The God of Elijah is with us).

Several important matters to rememberin doing 'Biographical Study':

1. Some people in the Bible have theirnames changed or have more than onename:

For example when we first read about thispatriarch his name is Abram in Gen. 11:27.But God changed his name to Abraham inGen. 17:5. His wife’s name was Sarai in Gen.11:29 and God changed her name to Sarahin Gen. 17:15.

God told Jacob that his name shall beIsrael in Gen. 32:28, but we can see that bothnames are used even after the change. SeeGen. 48:2,8,10,11; 49:1,33.

Saul of Tarsus was also called Paul (Acts13:9). Peter is also known as Simon andCephas (John 1:42). Thomas is also knownas Didymus. Matthew is also known as Levi(Matt 9:9, Mark 2:14).

2. There is more than one person withthe same name:

Some of them lived indifferent times in historyand some lived around thesame time. There are morethan one persons calledSaul, many called Jonathan,John, Joseph, James,Nathan, Mary and probablyothers as well. So becareful not to confuse oneof them with another one ofthe same name.

3. More information about some and lessinformation about others:

There is so much information about Abraham,Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Paul and manyothers. Then little information and very fewreferences about Cain, Abel, Enoch, Jabez,Simeon, Anna and many others.

There is much to learn by studying the lives ofthe men and women whose names in thegenealogies of Jesus found in Matthew ch. 1 andLuke ch. 3. Who can limit the encouragement andblessings we will receive by studying thebiographies of those who are named and notnamed in Hebrews ch. 11.

4. Unnamed Men and Women of the Bible:There are thousands of people that the Bible

speaks of without giving their names. The Bibledoes not give us the names of most of the childrenof Adam and Eve, nor names of most of the wivesand children. It is repeated in Genesis 5 againand again in the genealogy that “he begat sonsand daughters”. Bible genealogies do not give usthe names of most of the wives and daughtersand gives us the names of only a few sons. Wehave no record of the names of the seven thousandGodly prophets at the time of Elijah that he did notknow. Thousands were impacted and blessed bythe work of God in the Old Testament. Thousandsgot saved and received believers’ baptism on theday of Pentecost. Thousands that rejected Godwent into a Christless eternity.

Select a person with a brief biography tobegin, then go on to another:

Start the study by learning about a person witha short biography like Cain the first murderer orAbel the first martyr, or Enoch who walked with theLord for three hundred years and had a family andwas taken from this world without death.

July 2016 9 Suvartha

We are a blessed group. What is thespeciality of this group? When Mosesreviews the history of the people of Israelwhom he was leading for 40 years fromtheir bondage in Egypt, he exclaims:“What other nation is so great as to havetheir gods near them the way the Lordour God is near us whenever we pray tohim?” (Deuteronomy 4:7). What makesus blessed, is the presence of God withus. God himself has chosen us.

God had chosen Israel for a specialpurpose. God had handed over aconstitution for Israel. Moses, their leader,heard the voice of God. This group hadseen wonders and miracles. They hadseen the ten plagues afflicting theEgyptians. The Red Sea was divided forHis people. Such a wonder was unheardof! And water gushing out of the fiery rock!No nation was ever known to have beenfed Manna!

Blessings unlimited – foryou and me. God has a greaterpurpose for us, the NewTestament Church. Even whentwo or three gather together inHis name, He is there in theirmidst. There is no group asblessed and special as the newliving church. We have got aspecial law, that is Repentance.‘Be baptized in the name of the Father,the Son and the Holy Spirit’ – is ourprivilege. ‘Separation’ and ‘Holiness’ areour assets. Prayer life is our doctrine.Remember our forefathers who havepaid a high price for the growth of thechurch.

When everything was settled, the

Look! How Special We Are!

Israelites put forth the demand for a king.“That we also may be like all the nationsand that our king may judge us, and goout before us and fight our battles” (1Samuel 8:20). This demand was putforward by a group specially chosen byGod. God had chosen this group throughAbraham, whom God had blessed andso, they grew into a great nation. But they

wanted a king. They wanted to becomelike other nations. This was a ridiculousdemand by God’s own people.

Who are we following today? Are wenot aping other groups? Are we notcompeting with the world in our day today movements, in our dress code,habits, etc.? We shouldn’t be like the

Gentiles according to the command ofthe Lord. God has not made us wealthyto emulate others’ habits. We have gotan identity. Let us keep up that identity (1Peter 2:8-9). We are not just a people,but His people! We received His mercy.We are His possession. We cannotimitate the world. Let us take our stepscarefully.

We are a chosen group. We worshipour God in spirit and in truth. Let ourworship be sincere and from the bottomof our hearts. We rejoice in Christ Jesus.We have no confidence in the flesh. Letthere be no tendency to implement thepractices and customs of others in ourworship. Our role model is Jesus. Letus cling only to Him. "Let us run withperseverance the race marked out forus, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneerand perfecter of faith. For the joy setbefore him he endured the cross,

scorning its shame, and satdown at the right hand of thethrone of God" (Heb. 12:1,2).According to J. R. Miller, ”Weare in the Father’s house inthis world, though not in thebest room of it, because sinhas marred everything here.Still we are in the Father’shouse. His care is over us

continually. His love pours its brightnessall about us”.

Therefore let us be renewed. May theLord help us to do the greatest work ofsaving souls in the given time allotted tous. May God bless us to shine for Himand bring more souls to His kingdom!

“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God isnear us whenever we pray to him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7)

Mrs.Mary MathewMulund

Some questions to ask in doing a 'Biographical Study':Who are the parents of this person? When and where did they live? Who are their contemporaries? What is the spiritual or

religious background? How did he/she come to an encounter with the Lord? What kind of transformation took place in his life?Did he obey the Lord and follow him? How did God use this person? What did God accomplish in and through this person?What are the lessons that you can follow from the life of this person and what are the matters to avoid? ------ Make your ownquestions that are appropriate.

You need a Bible, a Bible concordance, a Bible Dictionary or a Bible Encyclopedia to do this study. Be sure to take notes.May the Holy Spirit bring illumination as you do 'Biographical Bible Study;.

God's Book for mankind . . . . . Continuation from previous page

We have got a special law, that is Repent-ance. ‘Be baptized in the name of the Father,the Son and the Holy Spirit’ – is our privilege.‘Separation’ and ‘Holiness’ are our assets.

Prayer life is our doctrine.

July 2016 10 Suvartha

Matthew: He was killed by asword wound and thus he sufferedmartyrdom in Ethiopia.

Mark: Died in Alexandria, Egyptafter being dragged by horses throughthe streets until he was dead.

Luke: He was hanged in Greeceas a result of his zealous preaching ofChrist to the lost.

John: He was dipped in a hugebasin of boiling oil during a wave ofpersecution in Rome. However he wasmiraculously delivered from death. Hewas then sentenced to banishment tothe prison island of Patmos. It was onthis island that John wrote hisprophetic book of Revelation. ApostleJohn was later freed and he returnedto serve the Lord as an old man andwas the only apostle to die peacefully.

Peter: He was crucified upsidedown on an x-shaped cross. This wasbecause he told his tormentors thathe felt unworthy to die in the same waythat Jesus Christ had died.

James: He was the leader of thechurch in Jerusalem. He was thrownover a hundred feet downfrom the South EastPinnacle of the templewhen he refused to denyhis faith in Jesus Christ.When they discoveredthat he survived the fall,his enemies clubbedJames to death. Thiswas the same pinnaclewhere Satan had takenJesus during thetemptation.

James the Great:(Son of Zebedee). Hewas a fisherman by tradewhen Jesus called himto a lifetime of ministry.For the sake of hispassion and zealous

How the Apostles died asMartyrs for the Lord!

Anoop Chacko, UK

work for the Kingdom of God Jameswas ultimately beheaded in Jerusalem.The Roman officer who guarded Jameswas amazed to see how Jamesdefended his faith during his trial. Laterthe officer walked beside James to theplace of execution. Overcome byconviction he declared his new faith tothe judge and knelt beside James toaccept beheading as a Christian.

Bartholomew: (Also known asNathaniel). He was a missionary toAsia. He witnessed for the Lord in thepresent day Turkey. Bartholomew wasmartyred for his preaching in Armeniawhere he was flayed to death by a whip.

Andrew: He was crucified on anx-shaped cross in Patras, Greece.After being whipped severely by sevensoldiers, they tied his body to the crosswith cords to prolong his agony. Hisfollowers reported that when he wasled towards the cross, Andrew salutedit in these words “I have long desiredand expected this happy hour”. Hecontinued to preach to his tormentorsfor two days until he expired.

Thomas: He was stabbed with aspear, during one of his missionarytrips to India in order to establish thechurch in the subcontinent.

Jude: He was killed with arrowswhen he refused to deny his faith inChrist.

Mathias: (The Apostle chosen toreplace the traitor Judas Iscariot) Hewas stoned and then beheaded.

Paul: Apostle Paul was torturedand then beheaded by the evil EmperorNero in Rome in A.D. 67. Paul enduredlengthy imprisonments which enabledhim to write many epistles to thechurches he had formed throughout the

Roman Empire. Theseletters which teachmany of thefoundational doctrinesof Christianity, form alarge portion of the NewTestament.

These stories andother historicalnarratives remind usthat our sufferings hereare indeed minorcompared to theintense persecutionand severe crueltiesfaced by the apostlesand other earlyChristians for the sakeof their faith.Jesus and His followers

July 2016 11 Suvartha

Two brothers from a Pentecostalchurch in Bangalore were distributingflyers for a gospel meeting. They sawtwo persons standing in front of arestaurant. One was a young womanwearing a frock with a tattoo on herneck smoking a cigarette and the otherwas a well dressed man with a briefcase in his hand looking more or lesslike a Pastor. The distributors lookedat each other and decided to hand outthe flyer to the well dressed man,completely ignoring the woman. Whenasked why, they responded: “that manlooks honourable and righteous, whilethat women, nothing short ofimmorality”. Their answer defeated thewhole purpose of conducting a gospelmeeting. Let me draw your attentionto what Jesus said in Matthew9:12&13: When Jesus heard that, Hesaid to them, “Those who are well haveno need of a physician, but those whoare sick. But go and learn what thismeans: ‘I desire mercy and notsacrifice’. For I did not come to callthe righteous, but sinners, torepentance” (NKJV).

In John chapter 8, we comeacross an incident where thescribes and Pharisees bringingto Jesus a woman caught red-handed in adultery. Theyexpected Jesus to condemn thatwoman. And Jesus, who had all theright and power to condemn thatwoman, did not do so. He forgave her.He let her off the hook with this simplesentence: “Neither do I condemn you;go and sin no more” (John 8:11 -NKJV).

Jesus saved this woman fromdeath and gave her a new life.

It has been a trend in Mumbai,Bangalore and other upcoming citieswherein the youngsters group-upduring the weekends and head towardsany outstation they find feasible and‘party’ all through. While Bangalore

"Perspective"

has been known to be the Rock capitalof India and likewise the mosthappening place for EDM (ElectronicDance Music), Mumbai is known to bethe trend setter when it comes to'fashion', movies and all the other latestfads. In a few months time, these citieswill be hosting series of musicalcarnivals and fashion events such as,The Sunburn Festival, NH7-Weekender, Lakme Fashion week,etc. The youngsters try hard to bargeinto these venues spendingsumptuous amount of money ondrinks, food, clothing and accessories

in order be in phase with the so-called‘happening-event’ in town. At timesthey even go to places such as Goa,there, they would say, “let’s ‘smoke-a-joint’ and party from sunset tosunrise”. And it has been told that inmost of these parties LSD, cocaineand other such ‘stuff’ have been foundto be in abundance.

I have a bunch of friends who fallinto these categories. They feel thatthey have the money and the only wayto enjoy it is to be associated withthese events. To them this is the mostoptimal way to socialize with elitistcultured youths who are free-minded

and are willing to be committed onlyinto ‘open-relationships’. But when youreally look into their life, though theygive an impression to be active and funloving bunch, they are indeed lonely.Though they claim to be loved, theyhave a feeling deep within themselvesthat they are unloved. They feel thattheir life is filled with a sort of vacuumwhich is taking a toll on them. It is thissituation which makes them to turn tosuch activities.

When we come across suchyoungsters we should be filled with pitythan being judgemental, for theseyoungsters have fallen into the trap ofsin. It is the duty of youngsters in thechurch to approach these people andshow them the love of Christ and tomake them understand that true loveand happiness cannot be foundanywhere else. We should pray for ourmates in college/ workplace who resortto such sort of entertainments. Ourprayer should be that God would openthe minds of such youths, lest theybe lost eternally.

We must understand onething: The devil is aware thathe has only a short time;hence he is going haywire todeceive many. On the otherhand, if we sit idly, after

knowing that they are moving into thepath of destruction, we will beaccountable to God.

If you are part of the church inMumbai then it is your duty to spreadthe gospel to such youths in Mumbai.Irrespective of what race, language,culture, or background they belong to,the church must open its doors wideand invite them with the love of Christ.If we will not do it, then who else will?It is no secret that many of our MeetingHalls are turning hostile to suchyouths. Let the local churches be filledwith sinners who were once lost, butnow have been found.

Joshua Joy Kollanoor

Youth Forum

On the other hand, if we sit idly, after know-ing that they are moving into the path of de-

struction, we will be accountable to God.

July 2016 12 Suvartha

&JKS

High School graduatesdefy atheists!

Singing the Lord's Prayer was atradition during the High Schoolgraduation ceremony for more than 70years in East Liverpool High School,Wisconsin, USA. But this year the schoolauthorities banned the performanceafter an atheists' group complained tothem that it violated the US constitution.The students and the choir leader wereheart broken and decided to dosomething about it. The graduatingstudents decided to defy the atheists.After the welcome speech was delivered,the graduates stood to their feet andbegan singing, "Our Father which art inheaven ..... " It was an emotional momentfor the patents who applauded theirchildren for their courage to stand fortheir convictions!

The atheists' group, 'Freedom fromreligion foundation' got a slap on the faceas they have no reason to go to courtagainst the school authorities!

Mary Magdalene’s Native place

The Pontifical Institute Notre DameJerusalem Center chose a site near theIsraeli town of Migdal in the Galileeregion to build some guest houses anda mandatory examination of the site bythe Israel Antiquities Authority wasconducted. As the name suggests, thearea was associated with the ancientcity of Magdala, the birth place of MaryMagdalene. The diggers strucksomething hard which turned out to bea part of a first century synagogue. Theyalso found a coin dating from 29 A.D.,during the reign of the emperor Tiberius.This was the time of Jesus’ publicministry, and we know that Jesus wasactive in the area - Capernaum was onlyfive miles away. Judging by the evidence,Magdala was a prosperous town. It wasthe center of the fishing industry in theregion, with an infrastructure to match.The prosperity of her hometown, andpresumably Mary herself, sheds light onLuke 8, where Mary Magdalene andseveral other Galilean women are said

to have provided for Jesus and Hisdisciples “out of their resources”.

The find at Magdala is yet anotherreminder of the historical nature ofBiblical accounts. The Christian story ofthe Word made flesh, who lived and diedas one of us and rose on the third day,may sound “mythical”, but it happenedin actual history. And, as the evidencefrom places like Magdala attest, theGospel accounts faithfully reflect thishistory. Magdala was a real place thatproduced a real woman named Mary whoprobably had the wherewithal to supportJesus in his ministry and follow him allthe way to Calvary.

Scientific prooffor the existence of God!

According to the GeophilosophicalAssociation of Anthropological andCultural Studies, scientist Michio Kaku,who is known as one of the developersof the revolutionary String Theory, stated,

“I have concluded that we are in a worldmade by rules created by an intelligence”.Kaku is one of the world’s mostrespected scientists. He explains in avideo how science points to the existenceof God. He says: “The very purpose ofphysics is to find an equation which willallow us to unify all the forces of natureand allow us to read the mind of God. Tome it is clear that we exist in a plan whichis governed by rules that were created,shaped by a universal intelligence andnot by chance”.

Any right thinking person can seethat the universe is designed by asuperior intelligence and has not comeinto existence by chance.

A real Ark to set sail!

A real Ark built in accordance with theinstructions God gave Noah in Genesisis about to set sail on a voyage from theNetherlands to various ports in SouthAmerica. The life-sized Noah’s Arkreplica is the brainchild of Dutch

carpenter Johan Huibers has been builtby a multinational team from the UnitedStates, the Netherlands and Brazilsupported by many Christianorganizations around the globe. They areeager to bring the Gospel message fromEurope across the Atlantic Ocean to Braziland other ports in South America andUSA. The ark has already attracted manytourists where it resides in Rotterdambut this summer it will attract many morevisitors as it docks in ports off the coastof Brazil, down to Rio de Janeiro.

Baptists membership declining,Pentecostals increasing!

Baptists, the largest Protestantdenomination in USA continues to losemembers each year, according to thelatest statistics, compiled by LifeWayChristian Resources. Its membership isdown 1.3 percent to 15.3 millionmembers in 2015. It is the ninth year in arow that there has been a membershipdecline. “In a world that is desperate forthe message of Christ, we continue tobe less diligent in sharing the GoodNews”, said Baptist ConventionPresident Frank Page. Meanwhile, theAssemblies of God, the world’s largestPentecostal denomination, is continuingto see increases in USA. The lateststatistics, compiled using reports fromits churches show a 1.4 percent rise to3.2 million in 2015.

Noah's Ark Replica

Michio Kaku

13July 2016 Suvartha

Children'sCorner

Inward appearance matters!

"Let the little children come to me,and do not hinder them"

Moses with Ten Commandments

Juby Anoop, UK

A m a n was explor-ing caves by t h e s e a -shore. In one of the caves

he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had made balls of clay and left them out in the sun to bake. As he strolled along the beach, he had great fun taking the clay balls one by one and throwing it out into the ocean as far as he could.

He never gave a thought about it until one of the clay balls dropped on a rock and it cracked open. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!

Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found precious jewels in the 20 or so

clay balls that were left.He had been on the beach a long

time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. He ignored precious treasures only because the outer surface was not appealing. He was disappointed as he lost more than he gained.

Friends, let's compare this with

people we relate to. Very often we

look at the outward appearance and

judge a person. We take no

notice of an individual's

good qualities and talents.

We ourselves care more

about our outside appear-

ance rather than building

our inward qualities. An

individual's wealth, physical

appear-ance, status in society is how

we measure a person. We often do

not take the time to find the treasure

hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure in each and

every one of us. If we ask God to help

us see a person the way He sees

them, then the clay begins to peel

away and the brilliant gem begins to

shine forth. "For the Lord sees not as

man sees: man looks on the outward

appearance, but the Lord looks at

the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).

They sold Josephto Ishmaelitesfor 20 Shekels

Barnabas E. Johnson Nagpur.

Jemima M. Johnson Nagpur.

Good Samaritan

Banage P.K.

Jonathan & David