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Mark16:1-3 tells us that very early on that
first Easter morning, a small group of women
made their way to the garden where the tomb
was. As they walked along, their minds were
seized of a great problem. They had gone into allthe trouble of preparing the spices, but how would
they anoint the body? Wasnt there a heavy stone
rolled against the entrance to the tomb? None of
them was strong enough to move it. They
discussed the problem among themselves,
wondering who will solve it for them. You can
speculate on the suggestions that would have
come forth. Lets find the gardener, May be
one of the soldiers on guard will be kind enough
to help us, Shall I go back and get my son?.there would have been umpteen options
considered in those few minutes. As they went
closer, the tension and confusion in their minds
would have been sky high.
Those of us who know the end of the story
know that their anxiety was absolutely
unwarranted. There was no need for a giant pair
of hands to roll away the large stone, for it had
already been rolled away. There was no need
for the fragrant spices, for Jesus body was not
there.
It seems amusing that the women got so
worked up and spent their money, time and
mental prowess on a problem that did not exist
anymore. Yet, how often we do the same thing!
Looking back, I tried to make a list of the things
I have worried about over the years. It made me
sincerely wonder why I had agonized so much
over some things that turned out so well in the
end! I realized that most of my worries were
because my feeble mind had greatly exaggerated
the problem on hand and made it appear much
bigger and more ominous than it actually was.
Anxiety is a fertile breeding ground for imagination
and soon the matter assumes monstrous
proportions in the inner eye. There is a nagging
W
stomach pain and the doctor advises an
endoscopy. Instead of just waiting for the result,
the mind conjures up situations where the verdict
is a terrible disease! Sleepless nights follow
considering the implications of the supposed
result. By the time the report comes in that it is
only a treatable inflammation, the blood pressure
goes up to new heights!
Luke 24:13-35 describes a scene that
happened later that Sunday evening on the road
to Emmaus. Here, we encounter two disciples
discussing feverishly about the heart-wrenching
happenings of Thursday and Friday. They were
totally oblivious to the earth-shattering miracle
that had alreadyoccurred on Sunday morning
and were too fatigued to realize that they were
joined by the Subject of their conversation. How
often I too am on that Emmaus road! When thereis a problem, I am frequently on the telephone,
discussing situations that I, with my finite
understanding, think, are beyond redemption.
Little do I realize that my Infinite, Living God has
already solved the problem for me! It is only a
matter of time before my eyes are opened and
I see Him having worked it out far more
beautifully than I could have asked or imagined
(Eph 3:20). Parents with children of
marriageable age often find themselves on this
road. We fret over every proposal that doesnt
click because we do not see Him working
behind the scenes. We do not realize that He
is very much on the job, moulding and
preparing both our child and the person He
has ordained for him/her. The veil will be lifted at
WWWWWho will rollho will rollho will rollho will rollho will roll
aaaaawwwwwaaaaay they they they they the
stone?stone?stone?stone?stone?Mrs. Haema Henry, Chennai
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exactly the right time when both become uniquely
suited to receive each other.
When Jesus met the women in the garden,
He greeted them and said, Do not be afraid.
Thats the command He gives each of us as well.
Many of us are unable to lead the victorious life
that the Victors children ought to lead because
we worry about all kinds of things. When the
Bible tells us Do not be anxious about anything
it doesnt stop there ( Phil 4:6). It also tells us
what to do about it. The verse continues, but in
everything, by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. It
is followed up by the promise, And
the peaceof God, which transcends all understanding will
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (v 7).
The and is the connecting word between the
two statements. The peace of God fills our hearts
only when we stop worrying over the problem
and focus instead on the Lord whos greater than
any situation. The secular world advises us not
to worry, because, we cannot change anything
by worrying. The Living Word from the Author
of Life tells us not to be anxious about anything,because, our times are in His hands, He is in
control of all things and all things work together
for good for those who love Him.
Just as He greeted the anxious women that
early morning, the Risen Christ wakens me each
morning whispering Greetings(Is 50:4). When
I open my Bible, He breaks the word to open
my eyes, just as the eyes of the two men were
opened when He broke the bread (Luke
24:30,31). He reassures me that because Helives, I can face today and tomorrow; Because
He lives, all fear is goneLife is worth the living
just because He lives!
(The author is a housewife, Mob:
09003131177)
Fortyfive years ago
when I had just turned to
the Lord, three of us
brothers used to go to the
seashore to pray. The
owner of the coconut grove
where we bent our knees was the local
postmaster belonging to the fishermen
community. He was an atheist.
Whenever he found us in his grove hewould stop for a chit chat. Now and
then we would lovingly share the
gospel with him and give him books
to read, like the history of Sadhu
Sundar Singh and other saints. In a
short while he accepted the Lord Jesus
Christ as his personal Saviour.
He was very burdened for his
community and opened the doors for
us to preach the goodnews to them.During their important festivals we
wo uld in vi te pr eachers to comm
unicate the gospel to them and thus
sowed sack loads of seeds among them.
We also started to pray regularly for
them. After 45 years, on the same spot
where we knelt down, stands a church
and along with the same postmaster
and around 100 fisherfolk who turned
to the Lord and were baptized. We
worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.
I feel my heart would burst with joy
when I think of this small start and a
beautiful beginning!
S. Wilson, Kanyakumari
How I won a soul
A SOUL AND AA SOUL AND AA SOUL AND AA SOUL AND AA SOUL AND A
CHURCHCHURCHCHURCHCHURCHCHURCH
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Prayer - The breath of Life!Prayer - The breath of Life!Prayer - The breath of Life!Prayer - The breath of Life!Prayer - The breath of Life!Mrs. Margaret Manuel, Dindigul
THird
prize
One of the most beautiful and heart-warming
experiences in life is watching an egg
hatch. As the eggs are gathered under the
mother birds wings, they receive warmth, and
lo, and behold, a baby emerges from it! Its the
genesis of a new life! Similarly, when the
spirit of prayer is lit in a nation, its heat begets
and revives countless new lives. When
the Apostle Paul saw the inscription to anunknown god on an altar in Athens, his
heart was seared. Everyday, we witness people
in our country going to great lengths to
propitiate numerous gods and goddesses. Does
this affect us? Or do we just go about our
business unconcerned?
Praise : As the sun dips into the horizon each
evening, the skyline is filled with flocks
of birds returning to their nests. When the first
rays of the morning pierce through thedarkness, their loud chirps add to the magic of
the breaking day. Praising God with all
their might in the language of their heart, they
challenge you and me. We humans ought
to be on our knees even earlier than them, lifting
up our hands and voices to the God who
created day and night. He who feeds the birds
of the air cares much more for us. It is also
our duty to teach this to our children. Do you
see your neighbour worshipping the sun
reverentially every morning? If you dont speak
to him about the God who created the
sun and rules over it, how can you stand before
Him on Judgement Day ?(Matt 12:41,42)
We search glossaries and dictionaries before
we choose a name for our child. Why not
adore the Lord using one of His attributes every
day? The Lord says, the people I
formed for myself that they may proclaim my
praise. (Is 43:21)This is His longing and
expectation from us. May we remembereveryday Paul and Silas who sang praises in
One of the most
beautiful and heart-warming experiences inlife is watching an egghatch. As the eggs aregathered under the
mother birds wings, they receivewarmth, and lo, a baby emerges fromit! Its the genesis of a new life!Similarly, when the spirit of prayer islit in a nation, its heat begets andrevives countless new lives. When theApostle Paul saw the inscription To
an unknown god on an altar in Athens,his heart was seared (Acts 17:23).Everyday, we witness people in ourcountry going to great lengths topropitiate numerous gods andgoddesses. Does this affect us? Or dowe just go about our businessunconcerned?
Praise : As the sun dips into thehorizon each evening, the skyline isfilled with flocks of birds returning totheir nests. When the first rays of the
morning pierce through the darkness,their loud chirps add to the magic ofthe breaking day. Praising God withall their might in the language of theirheart, they challenge you and me. Wehumans ought to be on our knees evenearlier than them, lifting up our handsand voices to the God who created dayand night. He who feeds the birds ofthe air cares much more for us. It isalso our duty to teach this to ourchildren. Do you see your neighbourworshipping the sun reverentiallyevery morning? If you dont speak tohim about the God who created thesun and rules over it, how can youstand before Him on Judgement Day?(Matt 12:41,42) We search glossariesand dictionaries before we choose a
name for our child. Why not adore the
Lord, using one of His attributes everyday? The Lord says, The people Iformed for Myself will proclaim Mypraise (Is 43:21).This is His longingand expectation from us. May weremember everyday Paul and Silas whosang praises in prison in the middle ofthe night!
Petition: The first step is the taxcollectors prayer (Luke 18:13). A goodmodel is Jonah, who accepted hiscircumstances and called out to God
from the belly of the fish (Jon 2:1-9).Nehemiah shot off an arrow prayerbefore he spoke to the king (Neh 2:4)and God caused Nehemiah to findfavour with the king (2:6). When Estherfasted and prayed along with hermaids, she found courage and wisdomto stand before the king and gainvictory (Esth 4:16). Prayer warriors arethose who stand boldly and ferventlyon their knees for the redemption oftheir land. We are accountable for the
hundred and thirty crores of people Hehad placed in our land. There will be abountiful harvest if only we intercedeearnestly like Elijah (James 5:18).Theprayer offered in faith will raise thesick (James 5:15). While on ministry,I once met a girl who seemed to beabout 13 years old and had theopportunity to talk to her of Christslove. As she spoke, I was shocked toknow that she was 24 and had beenmarried for four years, but childless.She was visiting her grandmother. Weprayed with her and left. She wasdelighted. When we went there againthe next week, she brought herhusband to us and said she was goingback home. She had told her husbandabout us. We prayed again and gave
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them a New Testament. Weeks passed.One day, her grandmother rushed tous with the news that the girl Iswarihad conceived, adding You made pujafor her! (prayer). We were amazed bytheir faith. The door opened for us toproclaim the true God. When theanswer to our prayer is No, Jesusteaches us to submit to the Fatherswill by His own example in the gardenof Gethsemane (Matt 26:38-44). Thatis the climax of prayer. Lifted up onthe cross, He prayed to His last breath.May we follow in His footsteps!
Vows: When you make a vow toGod, do not delay in fulfilling it (Eccl5:4-7). Hannah is a good example here.
There are many who make vows to Godby the dozen like politicians before anelection! Not surprisingly, they areunable to fulfill them. Our God is agreat and awesome God. The sight wasso terrifying that Moses said, I amtrembling with fear (Heb 12:21). So,we need to be careful with our words,unlike Jephthah who regretted,Oh!....I have made a vow to the Lordthat I cannot break (Judg 11:35). Ourwords should reflect the fear of God
and be uttered after respectfulconsideration. Our Lord has warnedus not to babble like the pagans (Matt6:7). How do we describe Jephthahwho made a rash vow and his daughterwho offered her life to honour herfathers commitment? Have you heardof the mother who dedicated her littleson for ministry when he was very sickand almost dying? When he grew up,he asked her how she could make thecommitment without consulting him!
I wonder if she had brought him upprayerfully telling him of hercommitment as he grew up! Prayeralone brings victory.
Thanksgiving: Where are the othernine? (Luke 17:17). Thats the heartcry of the God who created and rules
over the entire universe. He desiresthat the human race would have anattitude of thankfulness. The discipleswho had received so much from Himover 3 years just vanished from sightat Gethsemane! Even Peter, whofollowed at a distance claimed he didnot know Him. What a longing therewas when Jesus looked at Peter!(Luke22:61). Dont our eyes well up whenwe read this verse? After the Lorddelivered Mary Magdalene of devils,she remained one of His most devotedservants and played a crucial role inpublicizing the goodnews of theresurrection. What a great expressionof thanksgiving! Thats what the Lord
expects from each of us. Recently, anon-Christian family attended ourchurch. The lady had a beautifultestimony to share. She said, For thepast three years, I have been visitingthis place from a village 57 km fromhere. Every time I come, I step intothis church and pray. Also, I used totake out a small offering, wrap it inpaper and keep it in my purse. At thattime, my husband was very ill and bed-ridden. As I kept praying, he got better
and better and started walking. Iprayed for a job for him. He got a job. Ihave also found employment. Mychildren are going to school. I praiseGod. Please accept this offering. Sheopened an old, worn out purse andemptied it on the altar. It was full ofmoney. It was her token ofthanksgiving collected over the years.
The Pastor was spell bound. I am sureheaven would have rejoiced. There maybe many of us who have experiencedsuch deliverance from acute needs.
May we pray for thankful hearts aswell. That would be our sacrifice to ourdear Redeemer.
Let our every breath be a prayer!Let it become the rule of our life!
(The author is a retired teacher now servingthe Lord. Mob: 9894449874)
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Because He Lives...!Because He Lives...!Because He Lives...!Because He Lives...!Because He Lives...!Dr. Mrs. Lilian Stanley
Many years ago I had invited a 50 plus
professional to give the Christmas message in theRemand Home for juveniles, where we were
regularly ministering. He explained excellently the
birth of Christ and movingly His crucifixion. Jesus
died for you he said, Jesus died for you. AcceptHim as your Saviour. Then he sat down. The
boys squirmed. Why would they accept a dead
man as their Saviour? The room fell silent. I didnt
know what to do. I didnt want the boys to thinkthat the death of Christ was the end of His history.
So I mustered enough courage to break the
impasse by getting up and tactfully concluding
with the resurrection and Second Coming ofJesus. We got the happy ending. All faces lit up
like fireworks and the room began to sing again.
What a great difference it made! It is the pivotal
point in the history of Jesus and the hinge eventin the history of our planet itself. Because He
rose again, because He lives, my life is changed
cent percent. What appeared to be the end was
really a new beginning. Lets see how our lives
are influenced by Christs resurrection.Because He lives, our preaching is
fruitful.If Christ has not been raised, our
preaching is useless (1Cor 15:14). The death
of Christ put a damper on the hopes of the
disciples. Why would they preach? What would
they preach? They huddled up behind closed
doors. With their leader gone their self-esteem
hit rock bottom. But when He rose again they
were ready to kick into action. What is the point
in proclaiming someone whose life was cut short?
He will be one Mahatma Gandhi or Buddha orConfuscius. Our preaching will bring little more
than a yawn. Now we preach the risen Lord in
no uncertain terms and thats why our preaching
is the power of God to bludgeon sinners into
submission. It has made us powerful crusaders
for ridding the world of injustice.
Because He lives, our faith is alive
(1 Cor 15:14). There is no monument built for
Jesus. Think of putting our faith in dead idols
which can neither see nor hear nor speak. We
believe in a living God whose eyes are on us,
whose ears are open to our prayers and who
answers prayers. Why do Christians risk social
ostracism and even die as martyrs? Repeatedly
gunned down, beaten and arrested, they have
never been completely vanquished. Why is it so
difficult to shake the faith of Christians? It isbecause Jesus lives! Resurrection makes us cling
to our faith even when every other reason for
doing so is yanked away.
Because He lives, we have the hope of
eternal life.Man will live for evermore, because
of Easter Day! Easter is the death blow to death.
Occassionally a feeling of utter hopelessness
overwhelms me. I become paranoid and cry,
Lord, Your sea is so big and my boat so small!
Then the thought of Job flashes across my mindwho had a prophetic revelation of Jesus and in
his desperation uttered, I know my Redeemer
lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the
earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet
in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him
with my own eyes I, and not another. How
my heart yearns within me! (19:25-27). It is as
if someone had suddenly gripped my heart and
given it a squeeze. At the graveside of Lazarus
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in Me will live, even though hedies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will
never die (John 11:25). The hole in the heart
left by the death of Lazarus was healed when
Jesus resuscitated him. The spectacle of
resurrection unfolds before my eyes and I hear
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the rustling of grave clothes. Hope surges within
me and with a spring on my feet and bloom on
my cheeks I go ahead with life. As Marcello
Marcheri put it: May death find us still alive and
life find us not already dead!
Because He lives, we have a clear
objective for our earthly existence.If there
is no resurrection...why do we endanger ourselves
every hour? I die every day... If I fought wild
beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what
have I gained? If the dead are not raised, Let us
eat and drink, for tomorrow we die says Paul
(1Cor 15: 29-32). If there were no resurrection
we just exist and disappear into oblivion. The
days and nights will follow more days and longernights, all empty, dreary, meaningless. But Paul
says, He died for all, that those who live should
no longer live for themselves but for Him who
died for them and was raised again (2 Cor 5:15).
There is an urgent need to live for Him and proclaim
Him. It is an itch I have to scratch. It drives me
hard to live for Him and die for Him. It makes me
a get-up-and-go-person. It consumes my thoughts
every moment and my life is full and crowded
because He rose again. It gives us the zest to beat
the odds and survive.
Because He lives, we are delivered from
our sins.The three hours on the cross pass by in a
maddening blur. A gloom envelopes the earth for
three days. And then like a lightning across a black
sky comes the announcement, He is not here; He
is risen. The doom of sin is past. If Christ has not
been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your
sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ
are lost (1 Cor 15:17,18). It is our faith in the
risen Lord that lifts us out of our sins and thosewho died in Christ are absolved of their sins. The
sting of death is sin. Because of the absolution we
find in the risen Christ we can challenge, Where,
O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your
sting?... Thanks be to God. He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:54-
57).
Because He lives, we will see our loved
ones and will be united with them.The breaking
away process was hard on those left behind. But
when Christ made His debut after resurrection
what a happy reunion it was. The Spirit of Jesus
is palpable even for us. I think of my parents, in-
laws, my two little brothers and friends who are
with the Lord now. Sometimes my heart aches
for them. But the Bible says, For as in Adam all
die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in
his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He
comes those who belong to Him (1 Cor
15:22,23). Christ rose first and therefore others.As Paul wrote in 1Thessalonians 4:13,14,
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant
about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the
rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that
Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that
God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen
asleep in Him. What a relief! The thought of
resurrection slays the demons of depression. I find
myself grinning ear to ear and singing.
Because He lives, we are acquitted and
face no charges..No one can condemn us.
Who will bring any charge against those whom
God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is
He that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died
more than that who was raised to life is at the
right hand of God and He is also interceding for
us (Rom 8:33,34). Do not trample yourself for
your past sins; God has justified you. Dont allow
your friends or anyone like Jobs friends to
trounce you. Jesus rose again and is interceding
for you from the right hand of God. Never allowSatan, the sly accuser to lambast you. God has
chosen you and satan cannot bring any charge
against you. We are guilt-free because Jesus rose
again!
Jesus Christ Zindabad!
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Ashamed of the Gospel?Rose Allen, Missionary. Rajasthan
If a survey is done to know who is the most
favorite person of born-again Christians,
doubtlessly the survey report would reveal Jesus
to be the most desired person, irrespective of their
denominational background. Its quite natural that
sooner or later after our conversion we deliberately
pack off our heroes, icons and superstars to give
way to supernatural, supreme Jesus. Is it not? Of
course, He is our most preferred man on the face
of the earth. In our songs, in worship, in prayer
and in fellowship very often without any
reservation we declare Jesus to be our only
favorite. It gives us a good feeling and we are
pleased about it. But thats not the case when we
are outside our prayer closet or fellowship. Just
hang on. When was the last time you talked about
Him to a stranger? When did you last go out of
your way to witness to an unsaved friend? When
was the last time you shared your faith with
someone while traveling in a bus or train? Howwould God be delighted if He is not your favorite
when you are in the outside world? You talk about
sports icons with your colleagues and friends. You
chat about T.V serials and politics with your
neighbors. You engage in conversations with
strangers about day to day issues. But barely there
was anytime you were bothered to talk about your
faith in Jesus as you move and mix with people.
We are very much comfortable talking about
people to God. But we find it extremely difficultand uncomfortable to talk to men about Jesus.
All born-again Christians know that Jesus
Christ is the Way and the Truth and the Life and
no man comes to the Father but by Him (John
14:6). Also without a shadow of doubt they claim
that the Gospel is the power of God to salvation to
everyone who believes (Rom 1:16). Nevertheless
their lips are tightly closed when it comes to sharing
the goodnews with strangers. Are you ashamed
of the gospel of your Lord and Savior? Jesus
forewarned, If anyone is ashamed of Me and
My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of
him when He comes in His glory (Luke 9:26). If
the love of God dwells in us, how can we not be
horrified by the fate of the lost? Many professing
Christians today are so locked into worship (with
the volume turned up high) that they seem to give
little or no thought to the fact that all who die in
their sins will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev
21:8). Did you know that if you allow another
human being to die when its within your ability to
save him, you are guilty of something called,
depraved indifference? Depraved means that
its as low as you can get, and indifference
means that you couldnt care less. If you are notseeking to save them with fear, pulling them out
of the fire, hating even the garments defiled by
the flesh you are guilty of the serious crime of
depraved indifference (Jude 1:23). Are we doing
all we can to rescue the lost, or are we sitting
passively in the pews while people perish? Oswald
J. Smith said, Oh, my friends we are loaded down
with countless church activities, when the real
work of the Church, that of evangelizing and
winning the lost, is almost neglected. We havebeen gazing to the Heavens while sinners are
sinking into Hell.
When we look back to the book of Acts, we
dont find the Church consumed with worship
although it is the highest calling of every Christian
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as we see in the book of Revelation. Instead, we
find the Church was obsessed with the lost, to the
point that they willingly gave their lives to preach
the gospel. Suppose, God offers Rs. 1000/- every
time you share the gospel with one person, with
how many people will you be sharing the gospel
in a day? Im sure the entire Church would be on
the streets busy sharing the gospel with strangers
forgoing their worship services, parties,
entertainments and worldly affairs. Shame on us!
Lets repent of our lust for money and
lukewarmness of our hearts. Please re-evaluate
your priorities, take off your earphones, unlock
the doors and demonstrate the depth of your love
for God by rescuing those who are about to perish.
One of the common reasons for a Christian to
put aside evangelism is because of the erroneous
understanding they have about evangelism. People
take evangelism as a gift and consider it as assigned
for a special group of people in the church. Hence
they expect the so called gifted and chosen
ones to do it. But as for the early Church it was
a matter of obedience or disobedience and not amatter of gift or calling. Evangelism was in their
very breath. Had it not been for evangelism, the
early Church would have ceased to exist. Their
right perspective about evangelism was the key
to their commitment in evangelism. They took it
as an art and not as a gift. Of course it was their
simple obedience to the Master coupled with
passion for souls resulted in evangelism explosion.
Were they skillful and competent in evangelism
when they went about sharing the goodnews? No!
They became experts simply by the process of
doing it. Practice makes one perfect goes the
saying. It is very much true even for evangelism.
Just like you learn prayer by practice, you learn
evangelism too by practice. You know, every time
you share your faith with someone, you are
practicing. And the more you practice, the better
you get at it.
When you share your faith with someone thereare only three things that can happen: 1) The person
surrenders to Christ, or 2) Your plant a seed, or 3)
The person rejects you. The first one of course is
a winning situation. And most of the time you are
planting seeds when you share the gospel which
is also a winning situation. But, what if someone
rejects you? Is rejection OK? Well, the Bible says
in 1 Peter 4:14 that every time you are rejected
for the name of Christ, the Holy Spirit will rest
upon you and comfort you. Also, Jesus said in
Luke 6:22,23 that when we are persecuted or
opposed for the sake of His name there will be
great reward in Heaven. Is it not a winning
situation? Yes, it is! WINNING! WINNING!
WINNING! So, you are always on the winning
side whether you win a soul or plant a seed or
face rejection. You just cant lose! The only time
you lose though, is when you are NOT sharing
your faith. Thats the only time we lose as the
Church of Jesus Christ.
By the way, what is the worst thing someone
can do to you when you tell them about Jesus?
They can kill you and send you to heaven. Is that
a bad thing? Let the slogan of the Apostle Paul,
For me to live is Christ, and to die is a gain be
our slogan too (Phil 2:21). Evangelism is one thing
that you cannot do in Heaven. Do you realize when
you take your last breath on this planet you willNEVER be able to witness to a lost person for all
eternity? So, if that is true, how can you be
ashamed of this glorious gospel?
(Allen and his wife Monica work among
youth. Mobile : 9828378411)
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BLESSING / April 2011
Hard Work, the Hard WordSugirtha Livingston, Missionary, HQ
I was talking to a 13 year old. With his faceplunged into his hands he asked, How do I know
what the will of God is for my life? Will I become
a professional or serve God fulltime? I am
confused. As I chuckled in my heart I remembered
how I was plagued by such questions as a
teenager. I told him whatever it might be, the will
of God for him right then was to study to the best
of his abilities. Our conversation continued for
another fifteen minutes.
Fulfilling the will of God in life is a state rather
than a step. Yes, as students, working hard to
excel in studies is the perfect will of God. For everynew generation, the word hard work is becoming
more loathsome. Reading through the night before
the examination and spilling over the answer sheets
those few concepts retained in short term memory
and exulting over the results achieved by a nights
work has become common place. In other words,
systematic study grasping the concepts, putting
it into application and entering the examination
hall with a thorough idea of the subject is limited
to a handful.
Do you think, after deciding not to defile
themselves with the Kings food, Daniel and hisfriends sat for a chat? They had so much to talk
about... their country, their friends and relatives
left behind, the new country and so on. But they
worked hard to graduate with special distinction.
Ofcourse, God gave them knowledge and skill in
all learning and wisdom (Dan 1:17). But they
worked hard to show a 10 fold excellence. Even
before Jacob met Laban, God promised to bless
him. But Jacob worked hard to inherit the promise.
While he took care of Labans flock, the ewes and
she goats did not lose their young ones. He
protected the flock from the wild animals and never
brought a carcass to Laban. He said, ...by day
the heat consumed me and by night the cold, and
I could not sleep (Gen 31:40). When Laban said
that the streaked ones shall be his wages, he kept
watch and put the peeled poplar rods when the
strong animals bred and removed it when the weak
bred. The blessing did not come as a result of a
nights work. He laboured for 20 years in thisfashion.
You may not be a brilliant student who could
understand the concepts at a wink or who could
memorize theories at a reading. But you also have
to realize that you are not inept. May be you will
have to read again and again, read aloud, write
what you have learnt to retain it in memory. This is
hard work and it really pays. It doesnt matter if it
is mathematics, science or language, hard work
will help you raise a notch above, then another
and another. Even if you are a brilliant student,
working hard will make you one among the creamof achievers. If not you should be satisfied with
your mediocre performance.
Long hours of study can be tiresome. You can
keep your mind fresh and active by taking 10 or
15 minutes break to peer at the night through the
window and let the fresh air dash against your face.
You can also munch a slice of apple or a piece of
chocolate. Difficult portions and easy ones can
be studied alternatively.
When the Ammonites and Syrians came
against the Israelites, Joab saw that the battle front
was against him both before and behind. He dividedthe people and put them in array against the
Ammonites and Syrians. After he did all that he
can do he said, ...let us play the man for our people
and the cities of our God. And may the Lord do
what seems good to Him (2 Sam 10:12). The word
hard work will cease to be a hard word if you
have the right kind of drive behind the work. It would
be harder if you think you are working to fulfill the
expectations of your parents or just to get a seat
in the desired course or the institution.But only if
you understand that you are Gods child and your
achievement is directly proportionate to God beingglorified through you in your school / college,
society and family you will be able to bring the
best out of you. When you do your best and leave
the rest to Him, in Joabss words, May the Lord
do what seems good to Him.
(Mobile : 9488234526)
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BLESSING / April 2011
Feed OrissaAn update by Biswanath Samal, Missionary, Bargarh
Dear Friends of Feed Orissa,
Every surgery camp turns out to be a melafor the poor people here. When we hold ourbreath praying that every surgery would bea success, God is faithful in helping each ofthe patients come out unscathed and fullyhealed after the surgery. Yes! 92 patients wereoperated in 4 days (9-12 February) and all thesurgeries were successful! Who else can makesuch things happen? As we pen these wordsour hearts are filled with gratitude for God.
Dekunja Paik of Khenedsara village is a
poor weaver who gets thread from thegovernment and gives back the product. Hemanages his family of five with the meagreincome. Two years back due to a growth onhis right brow, he felt intense pain and slowlyhis vision got impaired. But what he earnedwas hardly enough to feed his family andhence he could not get operated. Dekunja wasoperated in this surgery camp. He was excitedwhen we met him after the surgery. He said,The pain is gone and my vision is alsoalright. So were every x, y and z who never
thought that they could be ever relieved ofthe pain and agony they were going throughuntil they were operated in this camp.
Our heartfelt thanks to Medivision,Nagercoil who have been sincerely involvingin this ministry of coordinating doctors and
paramedics in conducting Eye, Medical andSurgery camps in the mission fields in orderto give a boost to the missionary works. Weappreciate the team: Dr. Stephenson, Dr.Gnanamani, Dr. Litta, Dr. Berrylson, Dr.David, Dr. Chandra, Dr. Lisha, sisters Ruth,Nancy, Pattukumari, Vasanthi and Shoba andbrothers Pushparaj, Christopher and Julian.Besides putting up with the minimal comfortsavailable in the fields, they had to work hardperforming atleast 24 surgeries a day. But theyhave left an indelible impact in the lives ofthe patients and their families. We also thankthe Catholic Mission Hospital, Bargarh foropening their doors for us to conduct thecamp.
Many of you have been praying towardsthe success of the camp and have contributedtowards the surgical expenses. Surely, yourreward in heaven is great for bringing backthe lost smile on the faces of the poor. MayGod bless you all.
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BLESSING / April 2011
NEWS FROM THE FIELDS
The Blessing Youth Mission has stationed 333
missionaries in 15 States of India, namely Andhra
Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttar
Pradesh and West Bengal, for reviving Churches
and missionary evangelism leading to church planting
in churchless places. The news of various fields is
compiled here for PRAISE and PRAYER.
ANDHRA PRADESH
A Christian Officers Meet was planned inWarangal. As against the expected hundred, 115
officers from different walks of life made their
appearance. As Bro. A. Lionel, Spiritual Overseerof BYM brought the challenging Word for the
changing times they sat with rapt attention from
9.30 a.m. - 1.30 p.m. How to Work for God in the
office & How to be a witness for God in the office
were the two messages. For the glory of God 50%
responded through the Feed Back forms. Many hadexpressed their desire to have another such meeting.
Eight have pledged to support missionary work and17 wanted missionaries to visit them.
Bro. Lionel shared Gods Word in the eveningYouth Retreat at Revival Christian Centre, Kazipet
to 60 youth on the theme In Pursuit of Happiness.
Many engineering graduates rededicated their lives.
Bro Lionel shared the Word in Manna Church,
Warangal and in the factory of Mr. Konningston, to
the workers. All the expenses for the meetings were
met locally and Rs. 7000/- worth literature passed
into the hands of people.ASSAM
Church planting ministry was started in Assam
in Jorhat Districts Majuli (Asias largest river
Island). This is the main Vaishnavite site and home
to the Mishing tribe who are basically animists(worshippers of spirits). 6 are now ready to make
a covenant with God. Pray for missionarySomasundaram and family who are based there and
doing the Lords work enthusiastically. As direct
evangelism is not possible here, through tuition
classes children and their parents are reached. Prayfor Mridul pegu who is doing his 10th exams now.
The Lord enabled our missionaries to minister
in the CNI Upper Assam Deanerys Womens
Conference on the theme, Where Are You? (Gen
3:9). The Spirit of the Lord moved the hearts of the
women to examine where they stand. Missionary Dolly Joel shared Gods Word in
the Womens Fellowship of Iswar Prem Baptist
Church, Jorhat. Missionary Leence Joel shared the Lords
message in the Immanuel Prayer Fellowship.
One day Youth Retreat was organized in theLokmi Baptist Church. BYM missionaries ministered
to the 26 youth.
Missionary Leence Joel shared on Preparations
for the Second Coming in the Sunday Service of
the Borbheta Baptist Church on 30th Jan and again
on 27th Feb. Nine youth attend the Sunday Bible Study.
House visiting is done systematically.
Missionaries Somasundaram and his wife
Saritha shared the Word in the Upper Assam Deanery
Conference in Dibrugarh. The Conference was well
attended and the Word well received. Pray for our contacts who will be writing their
exams: Arjun, Audrey, Mridupan, Ranjit, Gopalsingh,
Aditya, Rajhee, Bruce, Liza, Jyoti, Porinita and
Nehali.
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BLESSING / April 2011
Please pray for the safe delivery of Dolly Joel,
Benita Nag, Diana Murmu and Chitra Nath.
GUJARAT
Service was conducted in Pampalapada, Hatta
Kandi, Beda company, Moti Fokidi, Sakrali, Rosarand Navijamuni.
In Sabarkantha Distirct (North Gujarat)
congregations have came up in 10 villages. Praise
the Lord! Praise God for the new Child Sponsor in
Vadodara who has joined the galaxy of sponsors.
Blessing Readers in Vadodara, Navsari, Anand
and Ahmedabad were visited.
Bro. A. Lionel ministered the Word of God in
the three day Staff Fasting Prayer and RevivalMeetings. 150 gathered for the revival meetings and
were richly blessed.
Marathi Sangat was conducted for the Marathipeople of Vadodara. Missionary Kailash Mane
ministered to the 25 participants.
Jolly Meet was conducted in Nadiad and Bro.Sallins Roy challenged the 32 youth who
participated.
A One-day Youth Meeting was conducted in
the Salvation Army Church, Vansol. Missionary
Esther Robin shared the Word to the 75 participants.
A new Girls Prayer Cell has been started inCTM area of Ahmedabad and the Monthly Partners
Prayer renewed.
Night meetings were conducted in 9 villages inwhich 600 heard the Goodnews, 19 committed their
lives to the Lord and 42 are in touch with our
missionaries. Praise the Lord! Three obeyed the Lord and joined the church
in Boripetta village.
Mrs. Sumen, Mr. Mukesh and Mr. Chawdha
of Sakrali village were delivered from demon
possession after our native missionary prayed.
A one-day Ladies Retreat at Ponayee, a Sozoat MTI, Vadodara and Exam Goers Meets at
Vadodara and Salvation Army Church, Jashodanagar
are planned.
Voluntary workers for Vadodara andAhmedabad and a Youth Worker for Nadiad are
needed. Pray for the healing of Mrs. Bhaju Rathan
Vasava (Chronic headache), Mrs. Lucky (severe
loss of vision), Mrs. Punu (stomach tumour), Mr.
Suresh (mental problem).
Missionary Kailash Mane met with an accident
and underwent knee surgery on 5th March. Pray
for the expenses of more than a lakh to be met.
Pray for the safety of missionaries.
KARNATAKA God performed a miracle after the prayer of
our missionary for Gurunath Seethavva who is
pregnant after 10 years.
Raju (12), Nijama and Mahaboobi weredelivered from demon possession.
A new village Bijikuppa was visited and 6
families showed interest.
Missionary Shakuntala Sadamal visited new
villages Odrahathi and Mudalagi and conducted
prayer. 13 attended the Gospel Meeting in Chilumur.
Missionary Albert shared the gospel.
Bro. Regunathan shared the Goodnews to 50who attended a house-warming ceremony on Feb
8th.
Bro. Solomon from Hubli, brother ofmissionary Myla John gave two talks on intercessory
prayer to 80 people in Alnavar.
Missionary Saravanan and his wife Suganthini
addressed the 24 youth who participated in the Youth
Retreat in Alnavar on Feb 12 & 13.
Lady Staff of Karnataka gathered in Alnavarfrom Feb 22 to 24 to fast and pray. Mrs. Beulah
Newton and Mrs. Grace encouraged them through
the Word. One-day Prayer Retreat was conducted in
Bagalkot. 150 attended. Missionary Ramanathan and
Pastor Ashok Naik from Udipi led them. Localpeople met all the expenses.
Fasting Prayer for partners, conducted in Hubli
was attended by 40. Missionaries Albert and Sadamal
encouraged them.
A new prayer meeting has been started at
Thoppalakatti (Hubli). 10-15 regularly attend. Four backslidden families were restored to
faith.
Missionary Ramanathan and his wife Latha
shared the Word in the Love Feast at Biliki. Missionaries Sadamal, Subash Nalavade and
Bro. Bennith shared the Word in the two day BlessingRevival Meet in Pandraval. 130 people from Hosur,
Kegadal, Kalaiginakoppa, Sambrani, Haliyal and
Dandeli attended and were blessed.
Missionary Mohanakrishnan preached in the
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New Covenant Church , Bethel Full Gospel
Assembly (Bangalore), Shalom Prayer House,
Kadumane Estate, Zion AG Church, Hassan and
Hassan Wesley Church.
Exam Goers Meet was conduted in Ramdurg.Teacher Sowmini Daniel and missionary Ruth
Manivannan exhorted them.
Missionary Manivannan addressed the 150
youth in Welcome 2011 in Hubli.
100 youth attended the Tarikere Sozo.
Missionaries Arun, Mohanakrishnan and Catherineexhorted them.
25 attend the Tuition Centre in Chunchalakathi.
Teacher Rekah Rathod is in charge of the centre.
A new Tailoring Project has been started in
Kattur.
100 Kannada Better Everyday have gone into
the hands of people in one month. Prakash, a fruit of our Sunday Class ministry
in Jamakhandi joins us as a native worker. Praise
the Lord!
Pray for missionary Victoria Albert suffering
from Migraine.
Our missionary Mr. Joseph (48) in Bijapur had
his homecall most unexpectedly on 4.3.2011 when
he had a massive brain haemorrage. His eldest
daughter is married to our missionary Subash
Nalavade. His wife and two other sons need yourearnest prayers.
UTTAR PRADESH
Exam Goers Meet was conducted in Kanpur
at the CNI Christ Chruch premises. 85 students
and some parents attended the same. It was amazingthat 50% were from other faith. Missionary Allen
from Jaipur gave practical tips. Mr. Victor Kumar,
Campus Coordinator of BYM shared the Word and
challenged the students to seek Gods blessings in
all they do. Dr. Samuel Dayal, City Coordinator of
Kanpur coordinated the programme.
TAMILNADU
Our believer Kandhamma, a widow gotwidows pension and Mary got a Government Job
as cook. Both dedicated to God their first income.
Believer Pasuvammal was praying for an oil engine.
God enabled her to purchase one and improve
plantation work.
43 believers from Aladipatti, Pungamaduvu and
Chitling gathered for a day to fast and pray for
ministries.
School children Valarmathy, Ilavarasi, Anita,
Radha, Amudha and Augustine read the Bible from
cover to cover, memorize verses and take active
part in the church service as future pillars.
Missionary Ebenezer Dhinakaran was
diagnosed for tubal pregnancy and surgery at the
right time saved her life.
Believer Ravi of Pereri Pudur passed his B.Ed
exam.He also wrote the exam for Sub Inspector of
Police and has received the appointment order.
A Medical team of 13 from MEDIVISION
stayed in Palamalai for 3 days and treated patients
with eye and other diseases in Palamalai, Ramanpath,
Pullampatti, Pathiramaduvu, Padiangadu,
Kadukkamarathukkadu and Thalaikadu villages.
Partners from Nazareth trekked through
Kannamoochi, Moolapanangadu, Kattuvalavuvillages for three days. they treated 450 sick,
distributed 1200 tracts and 700 New Testaments.
Our believer Kasthuri married Sakthi in
Aladipatti Church.
Pray for Angel, Arunodayam, Revathy and
Elsan who have made a committment to serve the
Lord, to find like-minded life partners.
A youth Retreat for the young people of Chitling
and Arnoothu was conducted by our partner Mr.
Ponpandi. News awaited.
The lands of believers Subramani, Duraisamy,
Danapal, Kulandai Rajammal, JeyaramanKandhamma (widow), Stephen and Singaram were
encroached upon by neighbours. The cases are
pending in courts since many years. Pray for justice.
Ammapalayam, Gandhinagar and Porasakkal
House Churches are growing. We need to buy land
to build churches here. Pray.
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BLESSING / April 2011
Pray for the salvation of Krishnan, Pushpa,
Elumalai, Kanmani, Masilamani, Govindan, Senthil,
Thiruppathi, Thangamani, Selvam, Sangeetha,
Vijayan, Annakkili, Pandu-Rajamani, Devan-Mythili,
Senthi, Santhosh, Saravanan, Selvam, Duraisamy,Subramani, Madhaiyan, Kapilan, Raman, Palani,
Vijiya, Sridhar, Palaniamma, Ponni, Sudha,
Nandhini, Palani and Chennamma.
WEST BENGAL
20 youth prayer cells have been formed in NorthBengal over the last few years. Prayer Cell Leaders
Training Programme was conducted for 30 leaders
from these prayer cells from 18-20 February. Bro.
Anand Daniel (GEMS, Bihar) was the resource
person.
GENERAL
Pray for Mrs. Lilian Stanley as she will be
ministering in Bangalore, C/o The Faith Baptist
Church on the 14th and in the First IEM Women
Missionaries Conference to 250 lady missionariesfrom 15th-18th of May.
Pray for the preparation of the book The
Dream that did not come by Night (The History of
Feed Orissa) by Mrs. Lilian Stanley as the Feed
Orissa Project Celebrates the inauguration of the
Second Decade. Your contributions welcome tocover the printing cost of 2 lakh rupees.
The Editorial Committee of Blessing Magazine
met on the 26th of February to discuss the various
aspects of it. Around 100 key persons of Tamilnadu gathered
in Tiruchy on the 26th Feb to pray and plan theministries of BYM.
Send off function was organised for missionary
E.L. Mathansingh in the Headquarters office as he
retired in February.
Pray for missionary Devanesan who had a
IIt is an Indian custom to give a gift onbehalf of the bride and groom to all whoattend the wedding. Why not give a Blessingbook? I thought. When I approached myfriend Prabakaran in Sivakasi, whosedaughters wedding was on February 28thhis response was not too enthusiastic. Wesent him five Blessing Books. After a fewdays he called me and said, Super.What? I asked. The books you sent he
replied. We can give books useful forfamilies he said and decided on Jolly Familyand World of Youth. We presented 250 setsin the wedding. Some sets were given to theleaders of his church prayer cells.Prabakaran called again on March 3rd. Itseems some non-Christians who attended thewedding complained that they did not getthe books. We heard that the books werevery good. Atleast xerox and give us theyhad said.
December 2010 we approached some
textile shops in Chennai and suggested theycompliment their customers with books.Jeyachandran Textiles decided on HerDecisions and 2000 copies have beensupplied to them. May Gods Word pervadeevery nook and corner.
D. Ilango, NeyveliI
stroke 3 years ago and was completely paralysed.He cannot talk or eat. He is bed ridden and fed
through a tube put in the stomach. He was a hard-working and sincere missionary. His wife Ida, aheart patient is taking care of him faithfully. Please
pray. He is in Thanjavur (Tel: 09786719523). Pray for Saravanan and Suganthini who will
be shifting to Jhansi (U.P) from Hq by the end ofApril with their two children (13&9).
Pray for Dr. Jaisankar and Florence who willbe shifting from Hq to Sagar (M.P) by the end ofApril with their two children (12&5).
Pray for the coming Elections that the Lordmay give us a favourable Government.
Let Gods Word Go!Let Gods Word Go!Let Gods Word Go!Let Gods Word Go!Let Gods Word Go!
Gifts of the Spirit
Beginning with 14 April 2011,every Thursday, 9.30 to 10 pm,
Brother Stanley is givinga Series of Talks on
How not to operate Gifts,English-Tamil, in Tamilan TV.
A vital subject for the day.You can also watch it online:
tamilantv.com
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BLESSING / April 2011