Follow @is0ac Biblical Perspective: June 2012

False Teachers Exposed, Part 1

Jude 4: For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Marks of a false Christian:
·        Verse 8: Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.
·        Verse 16: These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts, and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.
·        Verse 18: How they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
·        Verse 19: These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

You get cheated, duped by the teachings of false teachers because you do not know God's word (Bible). You think you know God's word, but you do not. How else could you explain the fact of your being cheated, duped, taken for a ride? There has to be only one reason. That is, you do not know the full counsel of God. You know part here, some parts there, there are many parts which you may have read, but never understood, overlooked and there could be a whole lot of parts which you may have never read due to many reasons. Sin, inconsistency, perseverance, boredom, lack of understanding etc.. You may have never given yourself to a serious study of God's word. 

You false teachers, you teach false teachings because you do not know God's word. Even if you had known God's word completely, you would still preach and teach falsehood, because you are of the devil. Does he not know the complete Bible? 

You Christians, you do not even know that you are being cheated, duped because you do not know God's word. How will you know falsehood is being taught or preached when you do not know the truth itself. You need to know the full counsel of God to identify the false teacher.

For part 2, please click, False Teachers Exposed Part 2

My mom

In her life, she lived in God's fear,
in her death, to Him, she brought me near.
In her life, she found solace in tears,
in death, went home, to her Dear.

A young girl, longing for love and embrace,
in return, did she receive, hurt and pain.
through it all, never, did she complain,
in death, all, she forgave.

In her suffering, like sheep, she was silent,
never ever, became she, violent.
Soft spoken, could hardly hear her speak,
Bible, to her close, she would, ever keep.

No relief, no respite, no comfort or escape,
yet to Jesus, she clung, in Psalms and prayer.
A life, not worth life at all,
yet to Jesus, she said, 'Lord, I come, You are all.'

Being Childless: Biblical Perspective, Part II


For first part on the topic, please click, Being Childless: Biblical Perspective, Part I

Children are a blessing from God. The Psalmist in Psalms 127: 3 says, 'lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.' It is the normal progression of a married life to have a child. Children complete your marriage. After a brief period in your marriage, to fill your life with joy, love and excitement, it is God's design for your family to have a child. It is natural for a couple to crave for a child.

You long for a child not to prove that you are a man or a woman. You long for a child not to prove your neighbors, society or relatives wrong. You long for a child not to continue your family line. You long for a child cos you love children. When you love children, why do you deprive yourselves of the joy of having a child through adoption?

Is it God's curse to not bear a child? In Genesis chapter 11 and verse 30, it says, 'but Sarai was barren; she had no child. The Bible does not comment on Sarai's sinfulness as the cause of her barrenness, but we all know that God had a purpose in her being barren. That He may glorify Himself. He did not want to share His glory. To ensure that all glory was ascribed to Him, He gave them the promised child when they were stricken in age.

Again in Judges Chapter 13, we see a woman, wife of Manoah, who was barren. In verse 2, it says, 'and his wife was barren and bore not. Does it talk about her sin being the reason? No it does not. See, what does it say, verse 3, 'And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Verse 24, so the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew and the LORD blessed him. We know what a mighty man of God Samson became.

God used her barrenness to bring glory to Himself. Her being barren was for a reason. To not let her glory but let all glory be ascribed to God. She was a proven barren. There was no way she could have said, this is my child.

I Samuel 1:2 say Hannah had no children. There is no comment on her sin. If there is any doubt of her being a sinful woman, you can discard that doubt by reading verse 7, which says, 'So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD.' She found her solace and comfort in the house of the LORD. In verse 11, where Hannah is praying in the house of the LORD. This is what she prays, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me and not forget your maidservant but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life." 

There is no comment for her reason to be barren. It just states a fact that she was barren. In verse 5, it says, 'the LORD had closed her womb.' verse 6, 'and her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb. See, she was not despised by God. She was not reviled by God. She was humiliated by a fellow human being who did not understand the purpose of God. Then we know how God blessed Hannah with a child who she called Samuel who went on to become a mighty prophet of God.

For part three in these series, please click, Being Childless: Biblical Perspective, Part III

Remember

When the storm seems to be brewing up,
When winds threaten to blow away everything,
When the waters rise higher and higher,
Remember, Jesus will carry you through.

When your love walks away,
And your loved ones leave you all alone,
When tears flow down your cheek,
Remember, Jesus will walk right beside you.

When you find yourself stranded,
And help seems to be far away,
When fear and hopelessness assails you,
Remember, Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.

When you find yourself deep down in your own pit,
And you are hurt, in pain, sorrow and grief,
When life seems vanity and suicide seems the answer,
Remember Jesus, His faithfulness lasts forever.

When the guilt becomes overwhelming,
And all your efforts have turned futile,
When you find yourself unworthy to be forgiven,
Remember, Jesus died and now lives to forgive.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28
Jesus said, "...the one who comes to me, I will by no means cast him out." Jn 6:37

Being Childless: Biblical Perspective, Part I

Paul in Romans 12:2 says, ‘Do not be conformed to this world.’ 

It bothers me that we have brought into the church, the customs, practices of the non-believing society that we live in, which are contrary to the teachings and doctrines of the Bible. To our own hurt, have we followed these beliefs. The church has always faced this problem, this issue. It is not a new discussion that we are entering into. From the days of the early church, Paul had to confront believers who followed and practiced the customs of the unregenerate culture that they came from. In I Corinthians chapter 3 verse 3, he confronts the Corinthians church believers of being envious, of striving with each other and divisions among them. In chapter 5, he confronts the sin of sexual immorality within the church. In chapter 6, he confronts believers of going to court against another believer and in that same chapter, he again warns believers to stay away from sexual immorality. In chapter 7, he discusses the topic of marriage, of relationship of husband with his wife and of wife with her husband. In chapter 8, idolatry, in chapter 9, about him being criticized and in the end of the same chapter, about self-control and discipline of body. He goes on and on about the sin prevailing in the church.

History tells us that it was a city of sin and from that sinful culture, there were individuals who believed in Jesus and were part of the church. So, it is obvious that they brought in with them the baggage.

We have been born in this society, we went to school with unbelieving children, and our communications and time have been spent in the company of unbelievers. We have been raised in this culture. We have been bombarded with this belief system though our parents, friends, media, and movies. Before we realized, those belief system have already become a part of us. It has so deeply seeped in the mindset of Christian individuals that it is difficult to see it as sinful custom.

Folks, 'our faith is not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God', I Corinthians 2: 5. Our thought process, our ways in life are different from the ways of unbelievers. Our belief system is different. We don’t think the way the world thinks. We don’t act the way the world act. We don’t do things the way the world does.

Let's look at some of the false beliefs that we practice in the church. And I will start with the issue of adoption. In India, if a married couple fails to have a child, it is considered a disgrace. That gods are not pleased with you. You need to appease the gods. You need to fend off the curse. The couple spends years making trips to countless temples, mosques, god-men and medical practitioners to somehow break this curse. They live with the hope that someday they will have their own child. With that belief, they waste the best years of their lives and spend it in being sorrow, anger, confusion, hatred and seek to forget the issue by getting involved in other things or areas. 

Is not the culture that we live in against the concept of adoption? Does it not look down on parents who adopt children? Is it not a disgrace in our society to adopt children? When we do not adopt children, depriving ourselves of the joy, thrill and renewal of energy that they bring in, we unconsciously practice the belief system of the unregenerate society.

Have we not brought this belief system in the church? Are we not guilty of this act, thought process? Have we not made a fool of ourselves like the people outside the church? Are there not believing couples who are suffering because of this belief? A childless Christian couple, without having an understanding of the Bible on this issue, they undergo pain and suffering. Do they not suffer in their relationship with God and with each other?

For part two on this topic, click on Being Childless: Biblical Perspective, Part II

If you happen to see my face

If you happen to see my face
will you love me the same again
If you happen to see my face
will you wipe all my tears away
If you happen to see me face
will you just walk pass by me

It's hard to say sorry
harder still to face me
It's hard to face the truth
when all you did was ignore me

If you happen to see me again
will you embrace and hold me tight
If you happen to see me again
will you hold my hand and
lead me to paradise

If you happen to see my face
will you hear the words I've been longing to say
and if you happen to see my face
could we fall in love all over again

Why India cannot stand united in a revolution?


Why India cannot stand united in a revolution?

I find it hard to believe that when across the world, revolutions have and are taking place against the tyrannical governments, the reactions from the world’s biggest democracy and the most populated country is muted or at its best, just symbolic.

I kind of wonder why with the whole system in tatters, open ridicule of politicians to democracy and people of India, that we are not able to bring a revolution to clean the mess? Why we Indians can never stand in unity in our fight against corruption and corrupt system?

As I think over it, i find many reasons which leave Indians at a disadvantage. Religion has always been a cause of confrontation between the followers of two major religions of India. Any temporary unity, if at all arrived at, can easily be broken by fuelling the emotions of either one of them. We find our identity and pride through our religion. We find our being in religion. It is not just a belief system; we are too emotionally involved in it. Any attack on the religious books, places of worship, religious gurus or leaders, gods/prophet, tradition of either one of them, results in anarchy.

Muslims will doubt the intent of any movement if it is led by Hindu leaders and vice versa. Since the end of the Mughal Empire, Muslims have found themselves to be at the receiving end. It is obvious of them to eye with suspicion any mass movement. We cannot ignore their presence with the thought that Hindus being a majority can achieve the objective without the support of the Muslim community. Any voice of dissent will only work in weakening the movement. The strength of a chain is always measured by the strength of the weakest link. We need to stand, walk and fight together this great battle. So, it is reasonable to call for two simultaneous movements led by leaders of their own community. Both the leaders need to have mutual respect of each other and most of all, stand in unity to the cause.

Christians are another community which, I think, watches in silence, which makes me very uncomfortable. Is it indifference or are we just being cowards? When Christians across the world have actively participated in politics, bringing of good governance through war and revolutions, it is also the prerogative of Indian 
Christians to actively participate in the fight against injustice. Christians can be a force to reckon with if we chose to fight with the rest of the nation. Christians are considered ‘the people of the Book’ and find their strength through prayer to the living God.

Our reliance on caste system is also a major reason for our failure to stand and fight together. Our false sense of pride or shame is a hindrance to the common objective of any movement. As long we source our identity in caste, we will always fight for the benefit of our own community. We will not fight for the common good. The fight will only remain sectarian which can and will be easily crushed.

Astrology and religious god-men are reasons which dent our fight against the system. We cannot afford to be guided by astrologers and god-men, who, for their own personal gain, subvert innocent minds and make their followers mere puppet while they continue to hold the rein. Any dependence on astrology only results in fear, which is the main reason for its survival.

Difference in language is another obstacle in achieving unity. We find comfort among people who speak the same language and find our identity through them. This kind of limitation can be overcome if we have travelled or stayed in different parts of India, among people of different regions, for ex. families of defence forces. Unity can only be realized when we rise to the occasion and dispose our sense of insecurity.

South India has always remained relatively calm in comparison to North India. We need to either get moulding hot or icy cold rather than being lukewarm in our response. We may have our differences, and we may not have been dealt fairly in the past, we may have been discriminated by the North Indians on the basis of color and taunted, mimicked by them, yet, we cannot let these excuses as our refusal to join the fight.  We have a common enemy, so, let’s join together. As we fight together, may be, we may be able to erase the erroneous beliefs of the North Indians towards us.

History is proof that we have never fought in unity. Any unified efforts have only remained sporadic and short lived, ultimately yielding to the demons created due to differences in religions, caste, language, region, and colour. We have not been consistent in our unity. The sad part is that the enemy knows our weakness and our unending desire to play into the hands of the enemy. The British and later, our Indian political leaders have used these weaknesses so often, with sure results. If we are aware of our weakness, we would be conscious of the attack made on that and continue to work on the weakness. Social defects of casteism, astrology and religious god-men are sole domain of the followers of Hinduism. We need to work on these areas to eliminate the devastation that we bring about on ourselves.

I know the dream I dream is not possible but I have always believed in, ‘Nothing is impossible’. A lot depends on the leadership skills displayed by the leader of the movement. We need to fight together to change the course of history.

Alcohol, Mother and Son

How is it possible for a mother to not love her son? How is it possible that a mother would not teach her son not to touch alcohol? How is it possible that mother's love does not prevail over the temptation to touch alcohol?

Is it really a temptation or peer pressure or sheer lack of principles in life? If parents could instill principles by living a life of example and actively informing and advising their children, then, it would be difficult for someone to stumble. Even if he stumbles, because of the strong foundation laid by his parents, he will pull himself up and walk.

Does this mean, Indian men can hide behind this excuse? Not at all. There is no excuse for anyone to touch alcohol because of the conscience mechanism inbuilt in our system.

How is it possible that a mother fails to communicate in her long years of close relationship with her son? How come that the whole of India is wallowing in alcohol? where's mother's love? is mother's pride only rooted in her son's materialistic success to the utter sacrifice of personal worth?

Did mothers fail in their responsibilities toward their sons? or have the sons failed to understand the love of their mothers?

How could you indulge in things if when your mother comes to know about it would break her heart? are you real men? is the stress and struggles of life too much for you to depend on alcohol to sustain yourself?

For many, it is only for fun, a life time of fun spent in the annals of tavern (madhushala). Or is it the lack of integrity in personal life?