Table Of Contents Editorial: Excellence Of Faith... p.2
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Expression Of Faith: Prayer................................. p.7
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Endowment Of Faith: Study Of God’s Word............ p.14
Energy Of Faith: Fellowship....................... p.11
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Enigma Of Faith : Inward Spiritual Process.......... p.17 Experience Of Faith: Communion...................... p.18
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To Parents With Love.................................................. p. 20 Special Project: Centre For Training.................... p. 22 Readers Write.................................................................. p. 23
Christian Thought Series July - August 2014 Vol.11 Issue 01 Published by :
DISCIPLES FOR CHRIST
C/o Rev. Joshua Dhanabalan 1/3, Happy Home Flats, 17, Balfour Road, Kellys, Chennai - 10. Ph : 044 - 26602135 / 09380709875 Email : joshbalu@yahoo.com
Managing Editor Rev. Joshua Dhanabalan Publishing Associates Ms. Rita Dhanabalan Ms. Joanna Dhanabalan Literature Promotion/Coordination Mr. Clement S Mr. John Paul
Editorial: Excellence Of Faith
Whenever Jesus made a reference, he called some as having great faith, little faith or having lack of faith. Paul the apostle commended the believers in Rome as having a well reported faith (Rom.1:8).
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ne of the finest missionaries that India saw in the last century was Dr. Stanley Jones who popularized the Christian Ashram Movement. He founded the Sat Tal Ashram in Nanital-North India, where people of other faiths came together for religious dialogue. This place is being used by Christians for prayer, Biblestudy and meditation even today. He befriended Gandhiji–the father of our nation and shared his faith with him. Many learned Hindu scholars, eminent lawyers, great thinkers of Hinduism, Jamindars and the elite community gathered all together in the evenings at the town hall to listen to Dr. Jones expound the Christ of the Scriptures. Many were fascinated, some drawn to the love of Christ through the missionary endeavours of Dr.Jones. Here is what he says about the very essence of faith: “Faith that had never paid a price will never contribute anything.” In other words, faith can never be put in the back-burner! Aren’t we called as the faith community? If so, how do we exhibit our faith?
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The believers at Thessalonica were referred to him as those with growing faith (1 Thess. 1:3). In his second letter, he calls the Thessalonians as having productive faith (2 Thess.1:3). Is ours a mere confessional faith or a contributing faith? If we merely carry on with a confessional faith, then it amounts to a lip-service faith! If that be so, then we only follow a religion. There exists a vast difference between a religion and relationship. Religion is often man-made with set rules of “do’s” and “ don’ts.” On the other hand, relationship means freedom from human traditions to that of God ordained way of life. Jesus said: “If you have faith (believe), you will see the “glory of God” (John 11:40). John the apostle tells of a “faith that overcomes the world ” (1 Jn.5:4). The writer to the Hebrews says “without faith it is impossible to please God” (He.11:6). Jesus said that one’s “faith can move mountains” (Mark 11:24).
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Not many Christian walk by faith, but by fate! Please consider an example we find in Mark 2: 1-12. The setting: Jesus was teaching to people in a cramped, crowded room where friends of a paralytic man tried to bring him in with a cot. When they could not enter in, they made a passage on the roof and let the man in. Jesus commended their faith! There are four things we could learn from this. 1. The friends demonstrated their faith. 2. Jesus communicated faith to the paralytic (Your sins forgiven…) 3. The paralytic rolled up the mat; got up, and walked away! Corresponding faith and 4. The onlookers’ casual or critical faith. They had problems accepting the authority of Jesus Christ. More than that, they could not believe that Jesus had the power to forgive sins. We too, like the critics of Jesus wonder if Christ has the power and the authority to bring about transformation into our lives. Until we let Christ in, we would continue to live in a moral mess.
I. Communicating Faith What a joy to consider the blessing of our faith having wonderful verbal expression! We come together for
worship and sing joyfully songs of praise. Not many religions of the world have this. Ours is not a dumb faith. It is only lately that there is a revival in some religious groups in India where they come together for singing to their “unknown god.” “Satsang” as they call it is gaining popularity everywhere in India. But what do they communicate is the question in order. When we gather as believers we sing Hymns of faith. We sing: “My faith looks up to Thee, O Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine! Ask proponents of any religion if this is the way they sing. We have crystal clear verbal statements that constitute our faith and confession – either through song, prayer or reading the scriptures. That is why it is always important that we come together as believer into the Body of Christ which is the Church. It is here, we find expression to our faith (We shall read more of these in the following articles in this issue). In the Old Testament, we find God calling Abraham and communicated faith to him (Gen.12:1). The Bible says that he had a corresponding faith. In the words of the Bible, “he believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Rom 4:3, Gal.3:6). Abraham believed God and His promises at the face value. We call him as the father of faith. He walked by faith, not by sight (2 Cor.5:7).
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Think of events in your own life when faith was deeply stirred up. Aren’t there times when God’s Word or his whisper came to you crystal clear? His directions were like the modern day GPS as long as it was followed! We trust in a God who calls and communicates. How many examples do we find in the O. T and the N.T? Adam, Noah, Abraham, Samuel, Saul, Zaccheus, Paul and all the apostles. Down through the centuries he kept calling many men and women who obeyed his voice. Is God speaking to you often, calling or communicating intimately?
II. Personal Faith What do we mean by this? Unless we internalize our faith, we would end up following an abstract concept. Christian faith is personal. Paul said: “I know whom I have believed (2 Tim.1:12).” The word “know” is experience per se. Little do we know of the difference between “knowing” and “knowing about.” A lot many of us know about Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world. The question remains: Do I know Him as savior and Lord personally? God is a person. This is not to think that He is the way that we are – sinful or imperfect. This means that God is able to extend his love as that of a person and would get into a personal relationship with those who connect themselves with Him. We do not believe in a power or principle, feeling or emotion, an idea or a concept.
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Now, what do you think is your understanding of God? I am afraid at the way we worship, sit in the church or even stand for singing, it appears as though we worship an impersonal God. If He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, we ought to bow down, kneel before this awesome God. There ought to be a holy reverence. A word of caution: We cannot take God’s holiness for granted just because we believe in Him who is personal. A God who is Holy and transcendent becomes personal condescended in Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this as “the Word becoming flesh.” The word without person (or personality) can be impersonal. That is precisely why Jesus left His glory and came to dwell among us. Here are a couple of things about becoming more personal with God. How important is our appointment with someone we are committed to? Why does life’s priorities over take our commitment to God? Look at how David describes his commitment to God. “I wait on you, O my Lord.” “My soul thirst after you.” “I seek you earnestly.”(Ps. 38:15; 143:6; 42:1; 63:1). Modern man does not know of this experience. It’s all noise and
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din. One thinks that God can be brought down through our loud music or concerts. The Bible affirms: “Be still and know that I am God (Ps.46:10).” It is probable that our spiritual appetite may be lost in due course of time if we fail to feed on the spiritual manna. We might suffer from spiritual anemia and malnourishment. One can easily detect a spiritually healthy Christian from the one who is malnourished spiritually. Such a person will exhibit his weakness through his walk and talk! Are you a spiritually healthy person? Do you enjoy personal relationship with Christ? We must not let our personal problems come in between our relationship with Christ. Many Christians get bogged down with their own problems. Even as I write this, I am aware of the many burdens of my own life. I cannot bear them on my own. Some of them are so painful and I cannot share it with anyone. It may be that even good Christian friends or partners may fail to empathize or understand. I have a personal friend in Jesus to whom I go. There in his presence, I pour out all my pain and agony. I do not share many of my life’s difficulties with as many people. At times, it complicates the problems instead of bringing relief. Christian counselors can disappoint, fail or flounder. It is also possible that one might get right direction and counsel from a godly counselor. Such cases are not very
many. As long as he is not a gossip monger, well and good! One of the indicators of a good counselor is to maintain confidentiality. I know a certain pastor who is a broadcaster of almost anything. He cannot keep quiet. He has a bad mouth! Little does he know to analyse the problem of a counselee. He does disservice to those who confide their problems to him. He would give an interpretation of his own – pass on judgment and dumb them. This is one of the reasons why I am careful not to speak out everything to everyone. But I must also admit I have failed in this often by opening my mouth to the wrong person! Well, personal faith in a personal God helps so much in our maturity and growth.
III. Corporate Faith There is a difference between a Christian being personal and the one who is becoming individualistic. Some Christians’ faith is too exclusive. They do not interact with believers who may belong to other Christian groups or denominations. Beneath this lies the idea that ‘everyone is bad and I am the only one left behind to follow God. Therefore, I would not mix or mingle with anyone’. This is one of the dangerous or slippery grounds on which a Christian may rest his faith. I know of some good Christians with sound morals but do not attend any Church. They imagine to stand on a higher plane than everyone.
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Christian faith, as the Bile describes in the New Testament is a collective faith (Acts 2:46). It calls for collective, corporate expression of our faith. We are His sheep (plural) and Christ is our Chief Shepherd. The church is called out and as the hymn describes:” Elect from every nation, yet one over all the earth”. In the Old Testament, God referred to the nations of Israel as “my nation,” “my people, and as “light to the nations.” When we come together as a corporate body (church), we discover the spiritual element which is present. Jesus called this as worshipping God in spirit and truth. We engage ourselves in an experience of mystical communion with Christ. Our spirits are elated. There one finds deep satisfaction, joy and sense of fulfillment. The hymn further describes: “Yet She on earth hath union. With God the Three in One, And mystic sweet communion, With those whose rest is won”. (Samuel J. Stone 1839). It is very sad that most of the churches today have missed the mark for which they have been called. Perhaps, it is one of the reasons why some people abstain from worshipping in any church. Churches are too concerned about raising buildings rather than people. Churches choose to entertain than edify. Many of them merely offer
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programmes than providing spiritual nourishment. The church’s agenda must be inclusive in the sense that it must bring in those who remain outside the fold of Christ. Disciple-making is a prerogative of every believer.
Conclusion We hear of church buildings being sold elsewhere in Europe and the UK. It has become difficult to maintain them. People have shunned the idea of coming together for worship. In the places of churches, we have today dance halls, movie theatres and malls. While this seems to be a deplorable sign elsewhere, there are upcoming churches – new and vibrant. God is raising His men and women everywhere to “building a people of power.” We must lay the foundation as expert builders – not just of churches or buildings but on people who are soundly grounded in faith. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard though the Word of Christ (Rom.10:17).” It becomes imperative that every believer must strive toward a faith that contributes, communicates and collectively functions within the Body of Jesus Christ. - Joshua Dhanabalan
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Expression Of Faith : Prayer
(Matt. 6 : 9-13) ne of the greatest Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, privileges that a Christian Uttered or unexpressed, possesses is the forthright The motion of a hidden fire, boldness and confidence in That trembles in the breast. approaching God’s throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). God says: alone in prayer and we utter the word “Call on me, I will answer (Jer. “our.” For, the Holy Spirit Himself 33:3).” A believer who says that he aids us in our prayer. Though God or she loves God but has no time for is omnipresent, He dwells in the prayer is a contradiction in terms. heavens (Ps.115:3 ; Jer. 23:23,24)). The Scriptures urge that every one of Where do we first come across the us express our faith through prayer. word “Father” in the Bible? Find out And for that matter, our Lord Jesus passages that describe heaven. Christ further clarified and taught Holy Be Your Name how well we should pray. Many We express our love to God by churches have long forgotten the honouring and obeying Him. We Lord’s prayer. We tend to overlook should respect and worship Him the beauty and blessing it has both for its brevity and comprehension. to the greatest of our abilities. One The point however, we must note, of the most important ways to is that it is faith, not feeling that respect God is found in the Third Commandment. It concerns the measures the efficacy of prayer. sanctity of God’s name. We are The subject on prayer is commanded by God to honour and exhaustive. There are different respect His name. “You shall not models of prayer. Our concern take the name of the Lord your should be one of praying biblically. God in vain; for the Lord will not Here is a brief over view of The hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain (Ex. 20:7).” Vain Lord’s Prayer: means empty, useless, false, unreal The first four phrases of this and worthless. In short, taking prayer are directed God ward. We God’s name in vain refers to the might call this the Upward Look. abuse, misuse, blasphemy, cursing Our first priority in prayer should be that of God, His holiness, His or manipulation of the Lord’s name. How often do we find ourselves in Kingdom and His Will. a church service where men and Our Father in Heaven women show utter disregard and We enjoy the privilege of calling irreverence to God by the way they God as Abba, Father. We are not speak or conduct themselves. Think
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of those things which may not be acceptable worship to a God who is Holy. Look for more words or phrases in the Bible that talk about the names of God.
Your Kingdom Come Jesus ushered in a new perspective to God’s Kingdom. He taught the importance of people who should be “born into the Kingdom of God.” The very first utterances in his preaching were the words: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near”. This essentially meant the change of heart as a prerequisite for anyone desirous of entering God’s kingdom. “ My Kingdom is not of this world,” further clarified that Jesus was talking about a Kingdom not made with human hands. His kingdom is one of righteousness and justice. The Kingdom of God was central in Christ’s teaching. God wants us that we become part of His Kingdom. Are you sure you belong to His Kingdom through the act of repentance and faith in Him? What values of the kingdom do you possess? Study carefully through other passages of Scripture where God’s Kingdom is mentioned.
Your Will Be Done
(Deo Volente- God willing) Christians often confuse themselves with the will of God and the will of man. The will of God for a believer is that which seeks after God’s glory alone (Rom.12:1,2). What would be the ultimate goal and purpose of a Christian? It is not self-
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seeking, rather the will of God. Selfwill often is in enmity with God by what it purposes to do. Doing God’s will, in other words, is submitting or surrendering our ”ego.” Many Christians, find it hard to deal with the problem of ‘Self ’. Even at the point of death, our Lord Jesus Christ submitted Himself to the will of His Father. There is visible, declared will of God written in the Bible for us to follow. How would we learn to do the will of God daily through our lives? If the angels do God’s bidding in heaven, is it suffice if we just pray? Do we suffer from the problem of self-will? Doing the will of God goes beyond mere utterance of this prayer. It may demand our obedience, sacrifice, suffering or humiliation for Christ’s sake.
Give us Today Our Daily Bread God is our provider—‘JehovahJireh’ (Deut.10:18). He knows our needs. But He wants our needs to be made known to Him. He provides the best for His children. Our problem is that we often tend to look at the gift than the Giver. Depending on God does not mean that we should not work for our livelihood or bread (2 Thess. 3:12). The concept of work is outlined clearly in Ps,128:2. We also learn contentment with whatever God has provided (2 Tim. 6:6).
Forgive us… As We Forgive Others We pray to our heavenly Father not just for our daily bread, but for daily forgiveness. He is not only
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giver, but forgiver. Undeclared sin is un forgiven sin. A believer must have the knowledge for genuine daily repentance and confession. Self- examination is essential on the basis of God’s word. Unforgiving spirit hinders God’s blessing (Mat.. 5:23,24; Eph. 4:30-32).
Lead Us Not Into Temptation Our daily battle against sin continues as long as we live in this world. We live in this mortal bodies marred by sin. A believer is saved from sin. But he or she is not guaranteed of freedom from sinning. Having forgiven does not mean that a believer leads a careless life. Temptation has to do with something evil. The enemy of our souls may endeavour to use ‘testing’ to tempt us to doubt God (Adam and Eve). Our temptation is not Satan’s fault. It is because of the pull of our sinful nature (James 1:14). Temptation is not necessarily sin. Succumbing to it is sin. Martin Luther said:
We cannot stop a bird flying over your head. But we can definitely stop it making a nest there! The Bible therefore exhorts us to : ”Watch and pray.” We must be sensitive to sin and must nip it in the bud.
Deliver From The Evil One We must always recognize that though we are saved, we are often vulnerable to sin. The devil can trap us through pride, sexual appetite, impure thoughts, unholy imagination, jealously, error of extremes etc., We must be aware that there is an enemy trying to topple us. But we must never become too conscious of the devil. We must focus on Jesus. Yours Is The Kingdom, The Glory. A befitting way to close our prayer is through the ascription of praises to God who is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords! (Rom.11:33). - J.D
Christian Thought Series has never been published on popular demand. One of the aims of this magazine is that through the reading, a believer is elevated to the heights of spiritual understanding and joy. This is not to be equated with cheap thrill, an excitement or some kind of emotional ecstasy. But through these columns, believers are encouraged, even admonished to think more sober thoughts – about God, His Word, The Church, Society and even themselves. We deliberately avoid jokes, anecdotes or tit-bits that may not offer much to the soul! That may be part of a conventional journalism. We are concerned more about solid food being offered to mature people. Milk is for the babes! No wonder some who are used to soft-diet will continue to develop a distaste for the things offered through the columns. - J.D. What are you Looking for?
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Perspectives...
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he contents of the articles that appear in Christian Thought Series are more devotional than mere documentation. It aims to inspire spiritually than being an intellectual stimulant. It concerns more towards the adoration of God than becoming a column of academic pursuit. The articles sometimes are hardhitting and straight to the core. Some readers are perplexed with the way we project issues. Some say, the approach is too negative. To those who think that way, I provide an explanation: When we visit our physician, do we expect him to appreciate us always? None of us ever think of him when we are enjoying perfect health. But when something goes wrong in our body, we rush straight to his clinic. With his thorough medical investigation, he plainly tells us what had gone wrong and what should be done. He never says: “Don’t worry. Thinks will be alright. Instead, he says: “You must take care!” We never get upset with our physician and say that he always has a negative approach. Instead, we know him to a caring physician. In the same manner, an automobile mechanic tells us that something had gone wrong with the machine and some parts needed to be replaced for the good performance of the vehicle. We quickly respond and follow the advice. Why then do we get upset when there is correction, rebuke and admonition given on the basis of God’s word? Is it not done for the spiritual benefit of each believer? What good is there when someone uses vain words and says: “All is well, go in peace!” - J.D
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n the subject of Spiritual Discernment, a Christian not only acquaints himself with the knowledge of who God is, but also about man. We live in a perverse and crooked generation. Our daily human interaction involves men and women who may adhere themselves to some religious belief system. Yet they may be those who would remain far from being godly. For not less than 8 hours per day, a Christian is exposed to a world of utter godlessness. Self reigns in the heart of man. Choices are made on the basis of one’s own priorities or preferences. Men live like epicureans. Their lives’ philosophy is: “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Man to a great extend is controlled by baser instincts. He goes by the feeling of the senses. One “feels” something to be good and rejects those things that are considered “bad” on the basis of feeling. The intrinsic value and the preciousness of human life is not well understood by modern men. But aren’t they the ones who exert their pressure on us to accept their ideas and opinions? For example, I buy a product not because of its worth and value, because it would be acceptable or admirable to my peers! The inner motives of men are not too obvious. But a follower of Christ through his daily walk with Christ will be able to discern what lies deep inside the heart of man. -J.D. 10
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Energy Of Faith : Fellowship
Acts 2 : 42
The disciples devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the Fellowship (Acts 2:42). owhere in the Bible do we find a believer who had sustained or energized his faith in isolation. At times, believers spent months or years in prison. God in his sovereignty had permitted these events in the lives of His children. John Bunyan languished in Bedford prison for about 12 years. The noble lady by the name Madame Guyon was imprisoned in France for her faith. John the apostle was exiled to the island Patmos. Almost every apostle went through times of isolation and hardship. John Bunyan brought about his classic: Pilgrim’s Progress. The Prison Autobiography of Madame Guyon provides fresh insight into Guyon’s theology and suffering in her own words. John, when exiled, saw the great revelation. His epistles and the Book Of Revelation is a spiritual eyeopener of the mysteries of Christian eschatology.
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Amidst all of these exceptions, the Bible exhorts us to come together in to Christian worship and fellowship.
1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Fellowship comes from the Greek word, KOINONIA, which means “to share in common.” Christian fellowship is more than attending Church—it is “assimilating” into the body of believers, becoming “one” in worshipping, loving, caring and sharing. According to the scripture, fellowship is not an optional matter for believers. It says, “if we walk in the light [in fellowship with God]... this causes us to have fellowship with one another.” And from the outcome of this fellowship, “the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Fellowship Is the Practice Of Loving The Brethren Not only does the Bible say that “fellowship” is the evidence of walking in the light (1 John 1:7), but it also says that “loving the brethren” is evidence of that walk. “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:10). This shows that there is a strong, inseparable relationship between “fellowship” and “loving the brethren.” Consequently, it appears that fellowship is intended to be the practice of loving the brethren, which helps keep us in a right relationship with Christ so that His shed blood can continue its full cleansing effect!
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Many passages of the Bible confirm that “love toward the brethren” is proof of our salvation. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren...” (1 John 3:14). In essence, we need brethren to have a right relationship with God. We are able to see our relationship with God from the reflection of our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. “...for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20). Fellowship with the body of Christ is not just an option, but is critical to our continued survival as Christians. We need the preaching and teaching from God’s Word, the atmosphere of worship and praise, the encouragement which we draw from our brethren, the opportunities of Christian service, and the practice of love toward other Christians. Get involved and stay in faithful fellowship with the body of Christ! Don’t run off if something disappoints you or when you get your feelings hurt—this only demonstrates immaturity and places you in further danger of losing out with God. If you alienate yourself from fellowship, you will restrict the lifegiving blood flow of the body of Christ, and will be regressing down a path that leads away from God. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good
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works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:24-26).” There is no perfect church to be found on the face of the planet earth. Some believers tend to get disappointed with what goes on in the church and discontinue fellowshipping with other believers. Not many recognize the danger that as a loner, one faces the risk of getting drifted away. I am remembering at this time, one of the readers of CTS who wrote to say how she had been disappointed with the dangerous doctrine that had crept into her church. But she carefully weighed her options of quitting her church. She sought the counsel of mature Christians what course of actions she must take. Martin Luther had to come away, not to remain as a loner. He began an agitation or a protest. But there erupted a great awakening resulting in Protestant Reformation. John Wesley came out of the Church of England – only to bring about a great revival movement in England. God used them to shake the world through their lives. Often someone was required in the history of the church to reform and restore. This was not to leave the fellowship. Their
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motive was to reinstate what was lost within the church. Such must be motive of every believer. We cannot survive with Elijah’s syndrome: “I am the only one left.” God had to tell him that there were still 7000 others like him! (I Kings 19:18). We must avoid the danger of becoming self-righteous in our own eyes. And for that matter, none of us are infallible. “Bad Christians, go to Church! Therefore, I cannot be part of that group!” Are we tempted to say this? If that be so, had we not been saved by God when we were sinners? Nevertheless, there could be extreme or exceptional cases when a Christian has to leave the church after much prayer and consideration. We too can blame one another and get away like how Gandhi had been blaming Christians for not living lives like Christ. If all Christians had been living like Christ, many Gandhis would have become Christians! Even then, those who reject Christ in their hearts may still find faults with Christians. John
writing to the believers wrote: “If we say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves (1 Jn.1:8).” The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church was dealing with serious sins among believers. When a church no longer believes in the article of faith or when the church’s conduct is not in keeping with sound doctrines, one has to look for a Bible-believing church where the pastor and the congregation members are not one of those stainless, spotless ‘holier-than- thou’ lambs without blemish! But they are those who with all their frailties or failures continue to seek God’s grace and forgiveness. A believer has to seek the help of mature Christians as to what to do. Sooner or later, one needs to be part of a vibrant, Bible-believing fellowship of believers. This means, that one needs to be a part of the local church. If you are too proud and consider adequately knowledgeable to renounce Christian fellowship, be aware you are sailing in troubled waters! -J.D.
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Endowment Of Faith: Study of God’s Word
opportunity of discovering God’s plan as unfolded through the pages Acts 17: 11 of the scripture. It ow, the Bereans were of more is sad and unfortunate that a group noble character than the of young men whom I mentored Thessalonians, for they received the recently tried in vain to glean through message with great eagerness and everything from Wikipedia to their examined the Scriptures every day to android bound on-line queries about see if what Paul said was true (Acts God except studying diligently the 17:11). Word of God. They have ample time Since the time we began believing left out for using many computer God, it was the Word of God that applications for their own personal aided and sustained in what we entertainment. At most, they have believed. God’s word is a spiritual downloaded many versions of treasure. David describes it as more the Bible. But who reads at least a precious than gold (Ps.119).Someone chapter diligently is the question in described the Bible as God’s “Until I come, order. It had always been love letter to mankind. It devote yourself my practice urging them portrays clearly the heart of to systematically start to the public God. God is the one who reading God’s Word. reading of constantly communicates Many young men and Scripture, to to man. There may be other preaching and women do not make time ways of God speaking us. for God and His Word. to teaching But one of the primary ways (1 Tim.4:13). In due course of time, of His speaking to mankind they lose their appetite is through His Word – the Bible. for spiritual things. This results in a Therefore, it is essential that we take casual Christian commitment among seriously the study of God’s word many new believers. A Christian in our lives. There is a difference cannot possibly manage with bits between reading and studying. Paul and pieces of scripture. I had a friend writing to Timothy says: “Until I who, before leaving for office, would come, devote yourself to the public quickly pick out a scripture verse out reading of Scripture, to preaching of a jumbled up verses put together and to teaching (1 Tim.4:13). This in a bowl - all cut out from an old essentially meant that Timothy was Scripture calendar! That was his entrusted to both public and private spiritual diet for the day. He would study of God’s Word. read that verse for 10 seconds and get Imagine, a believer having been out of his house presuming that he born of God but never had the had performed his spiritual duties!
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There goes a story like this: A man wanted God to speak to him. He quickly opened his Bible and put his finger on a verse closing his eyes. When he opened his eyes, this was the verse that caught his attention: “Judas went and hanged himself.” He was upset. But he wanted to try one more time. He wanted God to speak to Him one more time. So he opened the Bible at random and put his finger on a verse which read: “Go and do likewise!” Many Christians tend to misunderstand the Bible this way. It is meant to clear the spiritual fog out of their minds. But there is a way. If the word of God is the road map, we must make sure how we must use it best to our advantage. The following are a few basic principles of personal Bible study. 1. Observation: (study a passage of the Scripture and ask questions like who, what where, when how etc.,) 2. Interpretation:What does the passage mean? What does it say? How do we understand an obscure passage? Does the passage have a symbolic meaning, a literal meaning or a spiritual meaning? We do not project our views or opinions in our process of interpretation. We must be careful not to bring in our own denominational teaching! Does
the passage teach anything in particular about God, His Son or the Holy Spirit? Is there a promise to inherit, an admonition to take to heart, a command to obey? These basic rules will help oneself better in the study of God’s Word. 3. Application: How does this passage of scripture relate to my personal life? Without this, the above two principles will only make a person possessing a mere head-knowledge of the Bible. There are many Bible teachers who do not obey what it teaches, but love to preach from it. One can read a chapter or follow a sequence of a history by reading more than a chapter. If one wants to concentrate in a parable, a psalm or some teaching on the Father, Son of the Holy Spirit, it will be wise to note them down with other references that are found in other passages. Regular reading of the scriptures will enhance our desire to seek more after what God says in the Bible. Here is how Paul commends Timothy about the study of God’s Word: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim.3:14,15).”
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Here are few spiritual benefits we derive by studying God’s Word:
Legacy Of Faith Passed On “I have been reminded about your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also (2 Tim.15)”. It is indicative that the household of Timothy were nurtured in their faith by what the scriptures taught them. It may be concluded that Timothy’s sincere faith was the result of having known the “holy Scriptures”.
Protection From False Doctrines Paul says to Timothy to this effect: “I urged you to stay in Ephesus when I went into Macedonia so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer. ( 1 Tim.1:3)”. Those who are not well grounded in the word of God are vulnerable to attack and are often treading on dangerous paths. The devil is the angel of light. He is also known as the roaring lion seeking to devour those who are careless.
Leads To Maturity “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim.3:16)”. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Tim.2:15)”. Paul admonished young Timothy in this way: “Watch your life and doctrine closely (1 Tim.4:16)”. We cannot separate one from the other. A believer’s life style is quite evident from the way he or she follows doctrine–and for that matter, it may either be truth or error. This points us to the fact that it is so imperative that we take the study of God’s word– reading it and rightly understanding through the help of the Holy Spirit who leads us into truth. A believer must therefore develop a personal desire to study God’s word. He must be devoted and be able to set apart time for this spiritual exercise. God will surely honour such a diligent seeker of His Word and reward him or her accordingly. Such a person will be gifted with a spiritual endowment which will further enhance his faith. - J.D
The most unhappy people are those who constantly make comparison of themselves with others 16
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Enigma of Faith
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Inward Spiritual Process
he experience of regeneration is when a child of God is saved and cleansed by Christ. This is the first stage of having born of the Spirit. The Bible calls this as justification. This is to mean that a sinner is declared not guilty of his sins anymore. Further, he is made righteous by the atoning work of Christ through faith in Him (Eph.2:8; 2 Cor. 5:21). The next process in the life of the believer is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, called as Santification. The basic meaning of sanctification is “to be set apart.” The Hebrew word (qadosh) has a basic meaning of “separation.” As a moral term, sanctification is translated as “holiness” or “purity.” The term in Greek (hagios) is translated as “holy”, as in “Holy” Spirit, or “saint.” In the spiritual sense of a believer’s life, sanctification means “to be set apart for God,” or to be made more holy through conforming to the image of His Son. The Holy Spirit is the continuous agent of sanctification, who works within us to subdue sinful impulses and produce fruits of righteousness, or right actions (Rom 8:13; 2 Cor 3:17-18; Gal 5:22). In spite of these wonderful spiritual experiences (Jn.3:8), a believer might suddenly finds himself
in a murky ground. All is not well as he thought them to be! The pull of sin seems to have increased and the believer struggles with sin than never before. Wherever there is the presence of sin, there is conflict. Paul wrestled with this conflict in Rom 7:15-25. This passage shows us that resolving this conflict is a process. It involves God making us more “set apart” from our wrongdoings to be more like Him. For the believer, there must be a constant and ever-increasing sense that although sin remains, it is not in control. It is one thing for sin to live in the believer, but it is quite another for the believer to live in sin. Often sin plays its trick upon the mind and heart than through the hand or feet. It works its way quickly through the eyes and ears than any other parts of the body. Subtle sins though they may be and not many take note of them. Yet the Holy Spirit is grieved and the Spirit within in quenched. The conflict and struggle may end with our last breath when our mortal bodies cease to live any longer. The full redemption of our bodies is something human words fail to express. It is a mystery, yet too wonderful to be true. The Bible teaches that souls of believers at death are absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they await their
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resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23 :43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17) Glorification in short is God’s final removal of sin from the life of the saints (i.e., everyone who is saved) in the eternal state (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). At Christ’s coming, the glory of God (Romans 5:2), His honor, praise, majesty, and holiness- will be realized in us; instead of being mortals burdened with sin nature, we will be changed into holy immortals with direct and
Experience Of Faith
The Lord’s Supper
Is not the cup of thanksgiving, a participation in the blood of Christ? 1 Cor. 10:16
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ften we come to church as simple and ordinary worshippers. But the kind of churches we may belong to tend to bombard us with ecclesiastical jargon. The words may have roots either in Latin, Greek or Hebrew. Established churches (historic churches), passionately adhere to the usage that is derived from languages unknown to common man. These things have to do with their historic lineage. Pastors, assuming that the congregation is well aware of a certain doctrine, fail to explain what it means to both an average believer or the congregation as a whole.
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unhindered access to God’s presence, and we will enjoy holy commune with Him throughout eternity. In considering glorification, we should focus on Christ, for He is every Christian’s “blessed hope”; also, we may consider final glorification as the culmination of sanctification. It is essential that a believer studies those passages in depth that talk about justification, sanctification and glorification for a broader understanding of what the Bible teaches about life “here and now,” and “hereafter.” - J.D. For example, one may have heard words such as “Eucharist,” or “Sacrament.” Have you heard your Roman Catholic friend telling you that he participated in the Holy Eucharist? Most protestant mainline denominations also use these words for “communion”. In your own lack of understanding, please do not misunderstand them for being like Roman Catholics! Unfortunately, this branding of other Christians as not being spiritual goes on by the free churches who have nothing of their own to fall back! No historicity, no spiritual heritage, no theological movement, no thought process…. Is this what a church calls “freedom in the Spirit?” A Christian must never be led to believe that ignorance is bliss! “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15)”.
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Now, the word Eucharist simply means thanksgiving in the New Testament. It is also used as a verb referring to the Lord’s Supper. Some protestant churches prefer to use the word “communion.” The Latin word, “communio” means sharing in common.
present in the whole aspect of our participation in the Lord’s Supper, then it makes sense and sends blessings. There are other things present as well: grace, spiritual symbolism and the privilege of enjoying the mystic union with Christ.
The Greek word for sharing is called “koinonia” which means fellowship. Now based on the above verse, let us put together the words: Thanksgiving, The Lord’s Supper, Communion, Fellowship = Eucharist.
When we take Communion for granted, condemnation follows (1 Cor. 10:21). Here are the verses that remind ourselves of the seriousness that is involved.
We shall also note the second word, Sacrament. In Latin it is called “sacramentum.” The Roman Catholic church interprets this as a Ritual Observation, or a Sacred Thing. It is considered by them as an efficacious sign of grace instituted by Christ, entrusted to the Church. In all, the Roman Catholic church retains Seven sacraments. Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Confession, Anointing of the sick, Holy Orders and Marriage. The protestant church on the other hand has two sacraments. Baptism and The Lord’s Supper.
Blessing Thanksgiving in all its totality involves remembrance, acknowledgment, denial of self and identification. If these elements are
Bane
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and number of you have fallen asleep. ( 1 Cor.11:27-30). A good comparison is given by Paul in chapter 10. The people of Israel though chosen by God took the whole redemption work of God easily. Their privileges as chosen people was flouted by them. Therefore, God had to discipline them in the wilderness. They became arrogant, stiff-necked and unrepentant. One of the sad things found among believers today is the wrong equation of God’s grace which leads to slightness of attitude and indifference to God’s holy standards.
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People of God in the Old Testament, in spite of God’s fore-warning, indulged themselves into idolatry, pagan revelry, sexual immorality and grumbling against God. With the result, they were killed by venomous snakes and in one day 23,000 of them died (1Cor.10:6-10).
Beware Verses 11-13 further explain what we should do to avert the wrath of God. One can be proud of face, proud of race, proud of success or status. The Lord’s prayer teaches us: Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil (V.13).
Back Out
hide their emptiness by talking about their possessions. We carry none of these when we die! Do we know that the mind of the world is in enmity with the mind of Christ? The verses (16, 17), talk about One Body and One Loaf – reflecting thanksgiving and communion of God’s people who are washed, cleansed and separated from this world by the blood of Christ. This kind of fellowship of God’s people would express togetherness, commonality, sharing and oneness. Oneness does not mean uniformity, but unity of God’s people.
Verses 14-17 tell us what we must do to avert disaster. Flee from anything that is idolatrous. Do not brag about your car, cash or culinary. We know of some people who even take pride of their door mats, dogs or dust bins! Haven’t we seen those people who go and buy the costliest thing fooled by the media, Ad or the seller and brags that he or she has the best product only to realize soon that the product itself did not last long. People tend to
God is calling us to enter into a vertical relationship of receiving His grace and share the horizontal relationship with His Body, the Church. In this way, an individual learns rightly to reconcile with himself, with God and with other man.
To Parents, With Love
help them seek career guidance? You send them to the best coaching centres in order to preparing for professional college admission. Aren’t you the one who try for a bank loan so they complete their M.S in the United States? Sooner or later, they find the most coveted job in the MNC. No doubt, the pay package is more than you have expected. Now comes the
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Grand Parents included too...!
sn’t it true that Christian parenting is an awesome responsibility? You alone know how much you care for your child/children. What an amount of love, time, energy and money are lavished toward their well being. When they are grown up, don’t you
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Communion, if understood and appropriated well, would turn out to be an extraordinary means of experiencing our faith to greater heights of mystic union with Christ. -J.D.
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time for their perfect match. Offers keep pouring in. You find it difficult to short list the matrimonial profiles. Blessings overflow…! When your children were young, you taught them nursery rhymes. Each night, bed-time stories were shared with them. You rushed along with them to the evening tuition classes. Returning from work, you helped them reach their music school which is situated six kilometers away from where you live. On alternate days, you sent them for dance classes. Isn’t it a perfect picture of a truly successful family? Sadly though, when it involved our commitment to prayer or reading the word of God, most of us have simply said:” We have no time.” Yet we find plenty of time for newspaper, television, parties and leisure activities. But we do not feel like praying or studying the Bible. We simply do not feel inclined to do this. By being this way, we show ourselves as being discourteous to God. The point I want to make is this. Have you ever spoken about your faith (if you have one!), to your children? By the way, we are discussing on the subject of our faith in this issue. Have you prayed with them? Did you ever try to tell them what Jesus means to you?
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Did you impress on them what it means to follow Christ? Do you also know what it costs following Him? Have you gifted them with hymn or chorus books or children/youth Bibles, along with crayons and other utilities that you did not hesitate to dumb on them with – say android, iphone, many other gadgets, expensive mobikes, swanky cars… the list is endless. What are true blessings of God? Through what ways do you think that God would truly bless them and their lives be fruitful? At times, God in His love and mercy draws us to Himself through life’s most unpleasant situations. He provides a wide span of time. Then at a certain point in life, He permits either a tragedy or some painful event through which we are able to hear clearly the voice of God. “God whispers in our pleasures, and shouts to us in our pain,” said C.S. Lewis. Until such a time, we generally tend to run our own lives on a fast track. We must never forget that there are times, when life is taken too easily for one’s own pleasure at the expense of God, He even permits death, a debilitating illness or any other tragedy to put us right on our tracks. That would be like learning life’s lesson through the hard way! What is seen is not necessarily real blessing. Please give serious consideration to these things. -J.D
od is ever seeking to teach us the way of faith, and in our training in the faith life there must be room for the trial of faith, the discipline of faith, the patience of faith, the courage of faith, and often many stages are passed before we really realize what is the end of faith, namely, the victory of faith. (Streams In The Desert).
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DFC CENTRE FOR TRAINING (Chennai)
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S p e c i a l
P r o j e c t
ears of waiting and praying had gone by. Now we have sensed the sure prompting of God in terms of raising our training centre in Chennai. Many would know that we possess a land without a proper building for over 2 decades. We carried our mission from a temporary shed repaired or replaced from time to time. This is the only asset we possess on behalf of our ministry. Maintaining and protecting this site itself proved to be a herculean task in these many years. For some time now, we have stopped all our activities here and would like to revive them once again. Much work had been carried out from this site in the years past. Free tutorials, Sunday school, Tailoring, Medical camps and evangelistic outreach are just a few activities that need to be mentioned here. Having left with no funds, we explored many possibilities. For more than five years, we made several attempts and also considered different options such as joint venture with local builders. This proved to be frustratingly unsuccessful because of various legal implications and risks involved therein. In the ministry front, we have moved to other states and conducted training for pastors, evangelists and missionaries. We felt it is high time we should focus our concentration of equipping God’s people and must have a base of our own for this purpose. Our objective in all these years was one of building up God’s people – in terms of mentoring and motivating. Any financial resources, however meager, were spent on such ministries directly. Therefore, we could not succeed in raising a building – solely for want of financial resources. While we kept this concern in prayer, one of our long time friends - a committed and godly couple have provided us a with a seed money of Rs.1 lakh. This indeed has boosted our morale. We are now confident that the Lord would bring more supporters for this cause. Any contributions received ear-marked solely for building project will be duly accounted for and the developments will be notified to the contributors then and there. The building would consist of Office-Cum-Residence and Training Hall with some guest staying facilities. The proposed building project is estimated to be around Rs.50 lakhs. (5 Million dollars). In order to raise substantial amount, we thought it best to suggest our friends and partners who may form a group of 5 or 10 or more individuals and pledge to contribute on a monthly basis for a period of one year or so.
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This will enable us to launch the project work and move on steadily. We should go ahead with the initial work of Architectural design, obtaining government approval and ground work and foundation piling etc. In which case, we must quickly look for the initial amount of Rs.5 lakh or so. Please pray and participate in this concern with us. For more enquiries contact: joshbalu@yahoo.com 9380709875 044-26602135.
We have opened a building project account solely for this purpose at HDFC bank. Contributions and donations for BUILDING PROJECT solely can be made to the following account. Disciples For Christ, HDFC Bank, Kellys Branch Current A/c No. 50200007377501 IFSC HDFC0000124
READERS WRITE...
Free copies of CHRISTIAN THOUGHT SERIES can be had from the following Christian literature centres: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
C.L.S. Park Town – Chennai – Tamil Nadu C.L.S. Ernakularm – Kerala. Christian Literature Centre – Guwahati – Assam Operation Mobilization – Chennai Inspirie India (Lion & Lamb), Purasawalkam, Chennai ELS, Purasawalkam, Chennai. Word Of Christ – Kilpauk, Chennai Christian Books And Music World, Kilpauk, Chennai GLS (Gospel Literature Service) Mumbai Word Centre, Kumarapatnam (Karnataka) God Is Good Christian Book Store, Mehta Nagar, Chennai 29. CSI Holy Trinity Church, Ooty. Jeevit Book Shop, Panajim, Goa.
Dear Pastor, Thank you for the on-line version of the magazine. I have received it with all the heart and mind. I hope I will be assisted even in my studies at the Bible college. Ms. Lucy (Malawi-Africa) Dear Brother in Christ, Greetings. I need the magazine (past issues also) for the library we have at Oddanchatram at the retreat centre for missionaries. Will you be able to help me? I think this will be a great asset for the missionaries. John J. Ratnakumar, Oddanchatram
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Dear Pastor, Thank you Rev Joshua for the thought series booklet. So inspiring, so many times we have enjoyed being in large gatherings waiting to hear good things spoken for our lives while even diverting from what God is speaking right at that moment. May God give us this discerning spirit in Jesus’ Name. Rev I have just been accepted in the African Bible College here in Lilongwe for a 2 year Masters Degree Programme in Christian Leadership. I am also joyful, I pray that it deepens my understanding of the faith at the same time making me a leader. I am excited, and I pray that God give me abilities in all areas -health, finances, marital peace, career and all the necessities to spiritually accomplish this challenge. Thank you and keep encouraging us with wisdom. Remain blessed you and your family. Ms. Diana, Lilongwe (Malawi). Dear Reverend Joshua, Thank you for sending this! I’ve read the whole issue and enjoyed the articles. It’s nice to know that no matter where we live in the world, believers face the same challenges. Sadly, the U.S. has been on a downward spiral in our cultural and moral values. I’ve noticed a significant change from the time I was a child. It’s more important now to reach as many people as possible with the gospel. I hope my comments can be some encouragement to others. Looking forward to your next issue. Ms. Tracy Tufaga, USA Dear Sir/Madam Greetings you from Peniel Bible seminary. Your magazine had been a blessing to our students. Now a days
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it does not reach us. kindly make the magazine available to us. Please send a copy enclosed with subscription form. we will do the needful. Librarian, P.B.S. Ernakulam. (Kindly check with local postaldelivery system - Editor) Respected Sir, This is regarding the publication of CTS. Yes, the printing and publishing costs are increased and only you have the best experience of it. We, the readers at times even do not think about it or even if we read it again and again, we take it for granted. Therefore, as a reader, I am not in a position to comment anything about it. I am giving my freedom to you to decide either it should be published 4 times/magazines in a year or 6 in a year. Today, I have deposited Rs. 5000/- (Rupees Five Thousand only) towards this literature ministry. Lalit K. Bardhan, Vishakapatnam. Dear Uncle, Thank you for CTS through email. Even this issue provides radiology services to us... we fool ourselves into thinking we are clean before God, but the X-rays from CTS always help to interpret our life in God’s perspective and we are found wanting...! Uncle, if you are making CTS quarterly, I have a suggestion. How about 3 or 4 printed issues a year, while there are still 6 e-versions in the year? Dr. Lionel Mathew, Chennai. We have begun publishing the 1st edition of CTS in Tamil. We praise God for enabling us in this effort. Please write if you require copies
Christian Thought Series
Volume 11 Issue 1