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Showing posts from May, 2011

Waver-Winds or the Enemies of Stability in Faith (Sermon Outline)

Message delivered at the Oriya Fellowship, Cox Town, Bangalore, May 29, 2011 TEXT James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (6) But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. When we are surrounded by a difficult situation, we need the wisdom of God. But, one must be able to listen and obey the wisdom of God by faith. Winds that Bring Wavering 1.C OVETOUSNESS – Balaam (Num.22; 31:8; 2Pet.2:15; Jude 11; Rev.2:14). The one who loves money cannot listen from God. Covetousness brings wavering. 2.CIRCUMSTANCES – Peter (Matt.14:28), Abraham (Rom.4:18-20). If one looks at circumstances, one can't walk by the wisdom of God. 3.CONFUSEDNESS – Mixed Multitude, Israel in the wilderness, (Ex.12

Missionaries and the Promotion of Secularism in India

From Secularism in India: A Historical Analysis (2010) , pp. 54-64 THE earlier attitude of the British Government towards Missions was one of skepticism and vehement opposition. The British believed that if Protestant Missions were allowed in India that would only lead to tension and aggression among its Indian supporters and produce instability of governance. Therefore, in the beginning, the British followed the policy of supporting and patronizing the native religions as the earlier rulers had done. They undertook the management and patronage of a large number of temples, paid the salaries of temple officials, and sponsored the Hindu festivals and sacrifices. A pilgrim-tax was imposed to pay for all this. The British also refused permission to any missionary to settle in their territory. They also refused to employ native Christians and prevented by force any native soldier employed from becoming a Christian. [1] Vishal points out that while the Christian Missions received no money

Shiftings - Guitar Instrumental by Domenic M.

Studies in Hebrews: The God Who is Not Silent (Heb.1:1,2a)

Have you ever felt as if God has been silent in your life? You hear people saying that they have heard from the Lord; but, personally, you wonder what that would mean? How does God speak? Do people hear Him in an audible voice? How did He speak to Adam, or to Noah, or to Abraham? How does He speak today? Of course, it would only be mythical to suppose that He spoke in older times, but doesn't speak today? God must be unchanging. Well, we have good news. Our God has spoken and is speaking to us even today. The only thing we need to note is to learn to listen and to obey. The Book of Hebrews in the Bible teaches us that. It opens with this statement: Heb 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, Heb 1:2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son He Spoke To the Fathers In fact, He has been speaking since the first day of creation. The Bible says in Psalm 33:6 that the heavens were made by the Word of the Lord. It also s

Adoniram Judson, Missionary to Burma

HE hung, his ankles tied together and fastened to a pole several feet above the floor. The pain was excruciating, unimaginably. The prison smelt vermin infested “death”. By dawn he was so stiff and numb, he could barely walk. Though separated from her husband, his wife managed to smuggle in food to him by bribing the guards. These efforts were curtailed, however, within no great time. His location was to be changed. The journey was gruesome. He was terribly weak from the confinement, and the gravel road, sharp, hurt his barefoot. Some of the other prisoners with him died along the road. The pain was unbearable, but he continued on, vowing to live if only for Ann and the baby. Two years later, his wife would die. Ten years from now, he would present this land of his persecution, the Kingdom of Ava (the land of the Burmese), the greatest gift they could ever receive: the Bible in the Burmese language. A Skeptic turns to the Savior Adoniram Judson was born on the 9 th of August, 1788, t

Is Faith in God Different From Faith In Other Things?

Excerpt from the book,  Explorations of Faith , 2009 ( Read/Download Full Book ) FAITH in God is of ultimate kind and is, therefore, both unique and absolute. Since it is not concerned with contingent things of this world it is also not like the belief in the contingent things of the world. Further, belief in God is foundational to our common-sense assumptions about this world as both moral and rational. Anyone who denies God must also deny the existence of absolute morals and absolute truth, for both lose their foundation if their foundation is found within this world itself. It would be like trying to place a ball on that ball itself. Without an unchangeable transcendent ground, there can be no absolute point of reference (as in outer space where all bodies hang in positions relative to each other). The unchanging nature and character of God is the foundation of true morality [1] and His veracity is the foundation of all reasonability and truth. Therefore, divine existence is the su

Rebekah (Gen.24)

REBEKAH (Gen.24) A Woman Chosen By God For Isaac (Gen24:14) A Woman Who Was Young (24:16) A Woman Who Was Beautiful (24:16) A Woman Who Was Chaste (24:16) A Woman Who Was Hospitable (24:18) A Woman Who Was Diligent (24:16,20 "quickly", "ran" (v28)). A Woman Who Served With Generosity (24:19,25) A Woman Who Was Faithful to Her Family (24:28) A Woman Who Was Submissive to the Will of God (24:58) A Woman of Faith (24:58) A Woman Who Was Blessed in Her Family (24:60) A Woman Who Honored Her Husband (24:65) A Woman Who Was a Comfort to Isaac in Happiness and in Pain (24:67)

Qualities and Uses of SALT

Was just looking at some old notes and found this from an homiletical attempt during my Seminary student days. Qualities and Uses of Salt 1. Seasons Food (Col.4:6) 2. Acts as Preservative 3. Is a Symbol of Purity - Out of Sea (2 Kgs 2:201,21) 4. Symbolizes Peace (Mk.9:50) 5. Symbolizes Loyalty, Faithfulness, and Constancy - Covenant 6. Symbolizes Judgment (Gen.19:26; Mk.9:49; Cp. Lk.10:10-12) 7. Symbolizes Holiness 8. Symbolizes Righteousness (Lev.2:13) 9. Symbolizes Right Teaching as Opposed to Leaven 10. Ratification and Renewal of Agreement (2 Chr.13:5; Lev.2:13; Nu.18:19) 11. Sterilizing Enemies' Land (Judg 9:45) 12. Purifying Agent (2 Kgs 2:201,21) 13. Refreshing 14. Used for Bringing Good Health 15. Used as Medicine - Antiseptic 16. Used as Manure (Lk.14:35) 17. Catalyst of Heat 18. Energy Restoration 19. To Clean and Wash (Leather) 20. To Remove Stains 21. Adds Flavor 22. To Soothe, as Pain-removal, anaesthetic 23. Used as Soluble 24. To Cure Fodder (Isa.30:24) 25. Symbol of

The Meaning of Doubt in the Bible

© Domenic M,  Explorations of Faith , 2009 ( Read Full Book Online ) THERE are chiefly seven Greek expressions that have been translated as “doubt” in the New Testament (KJV): aporeo (Jn. 13:22) meaning “to be perplexed”; diaporeo (Ac. 2:12; 10:17) meaning “to be thoroughly perplexed”; meteorizo (Lk. 12:29) meaning “to suspend as in mid-air”; airo psuche (Jn. 10:24) meaning “to keep the soul in suspension as in air”; dialogismos (Rom. 14:1; 1 Tim. 2:8) meaning “to reason” or “to argue”; diakrino (Mt. 21:21; Rom. 14:23) meaning “to judge differently” or “to discriminate”; and distazo (Mt. 14:31; 28:17) meaning “to waver”. We can learn of the different ways in which doubt finds intrusion in one’s life by looking at the usage of these words. PERPLEXITY OR LOSS OF ANSWER First, doubt appears in the form of perplexity or a loss of answer . This is indicated by the word aporeo . For instance, when Festus introduces Paul the prisoner to Agrippa the King, he says that the Jews were accusin

The Humanity and Divinity of Christ

Published in revive, Kumbanad, May 2011. revivemegod.org IN BEGINNING to write this article, I dare to add another string to a theme in the exposition of which, wrote Muggeridge, “literally billions  of   words, oceans of paint, acres of canvas, mountains of stone and marble, have been expended, not to mention, in recent times, miles of film” [ Jesus Rediscovered ]. But, it is a theme well deserved. Saints and sinners, critics and divines, princes and subjects, all have marveled at the magnificence of this event called the Incarnation of the Son of God, in which divinity united with humanity. It baffles human imagination to think that God would condescend to the state of a human. The Bible calls it the mystery of godliness (1Tim.3:16). Sacred in its very essence, it is the story of the love of the King of the Universe, a story so sacred that the colonnades of Romance tremble in disbelief. That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable, And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty, Wherewith he w

Looking to Jesus and Moving Forward

Message delivered at Sanjaynagar on May 1, 2011 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 What does it mean to be looking at Jesus? 1. To Forget Ourselves and be Immersed in Him Of course, this doesn't mean being absent minded. But, as long as we keep looking at ourselves, we'll be filled with all reasons that would keep us from moving forward. But, those who focus on Christ cannot be hindered by other things. Have you seen some of those people who watch the TV and are so immersed in it that they become one with it? That is not good, anyway. But it is always good to be one with the Lord so that we feel with Him and are aware of His will. 2. To Be Attentive To Him How would you feel about a person who looks somewhere else rather than at you when you're talking to him or her? Sometimes we behave like that when

Work Throughout the Daylight

The harvest is ready, The fields are white, Your servant is ready, The crops are ripe. Bring down the hedges, Remove these barbed wires, We'll rush to bring in the harvest, And work throughout the daylight! "The zeal for Your house consumes me."

Drown Me in Your Light!

You entered my dark room With Your gentle light, My eyes were hurt By this brilliant sight, My soul lay bare open, My thoughts all revealed, Before the brilliance Of Your gentle light! I gazed on in horror At the inadequacies within, My face's to the ground For I'm a creature of sin; You reach out and touch me, You say "It's alright, Your sins are forgotten, You're healed from within!" As long as I look at myself, My infirmities remain, But, when I look at You, Jesus, There lingers no stain. For, You treat me as Your son, Not as a stranger without, And, when I'm in Your presence, I remember no pain. Be with me Lord Jesus, Drown me in Your light, Dispel my darkness, Fill my sight! Drown me in Your light!