WHO ARE THE RUSSELLITES?

NOTE: This article has been written by Pastor 'D' (Grace Covenant Church) to educate the members on the Jehovah's Witnesses. I thought i'd share it although many may find the reading 'heavy' specially if you're not passionate about the study of the WORD OF GOD :-)
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The Jehovah’s Witnesses are an organisation founded by Charles Taze Russell in the 1870s. Hence, they are also known as Russellites. Although they claim to be Biblical in their beliefs, most of their doctrines are unbiblical, as we will prove in this short document.

1)The Name of God

They usually open a discussion by asking why Christians don’t use the “correct name of God” at our services, and argue that the only correct name of God is “Jehovah.” This argument is nonsense, as the Bible clearly shows that there are many names of God.

In the Creation Account in Genesis Chap.1, the Hebrew name translated as “God” in English Bibles is “Elohim.” The actual meaning of “Elohim” is “Gods,” which supports the truth that the Godhead is a Trinity. Other names of God found in the Old Testament are:

Adonai (usually translated as “The Lord” in English Bibles)

El Shaddai (translated as Almighty God)

Yahweh (“I am that I am” speaking of God’s timeless and eternal existence)

Yahweh M’kadesh (God my Sanctifier)

Yahweh Tsidkenu (God my Righteousness)

Yahweh Jireh (God my Provider)

Yahweh Rapha (God my Healer)

Yahweh Shalom (God is my Peace)

Yahweh Nissi (God my banner of Victory)

Yahweh Shammah (God is there)

 

The names of Jesus in the New Testament are:

Emmanuel (God with Us)

Jesus Christ (which is the English version of the Greek Iessus Christos which is the Greek translation of Yahshua ha Meshiach. The meaning of this Hebrew name is “I am the eternal God your Savior, the Anointed One”)

 In the New Testament, Jesus, the Second Member of the Trinity always called the First Member of the Trinity “My God and My Father” (eg. John 20:17). The NT shows that the only method of salvation or receiving eternal life for mankind is to accept the Son of God, who was crucified and died for our sins, as our personal Lord and Savior. Those who do so become children of God and access the same relationship with God the Father as Jesus Himself has (John 20:17; John 1:12-13; Rom.8:29). In eternity, we will share Christ’s inheritance (Rom.8:15-17; Rev.21:7). For this reason, Jesus, our Eternal King, Leader and Savior specifically instructs all believers to call God by no other name other than “Father” (Matt.6:9; Rom.8:15).

 The above answers the Russellites’ question why we call God “Father” and not “Jehovah.” The simple answer is that we call God “Father,” because Jesus, our personal Lord and Savior, instructs us to do so. The Old Testament makes up 79% of the pages in the Bible and the New Testament 21%. Yet in the entire Old Testament, God is spoken of as “Our Father” only 4 times. But in the New Testament, Jesus in His very first sermon, “The Sermon on the Mount,” found in Matt.Chaps.5-7, speaks of God as “Our Father in heaven” 17 times, and specifically instructs us to address our prayers to “Our Father.” Who should we follow – Jesus or Russell?

2) The Trinity

The doctrine of the Trinity has been accepted by billions of Christians from the days of the apostles of Jesus until today. The most learned theologians and Bible Scholars have accepted and proclaimed The Trinity for 2,000 years. But C T Russell, an unknown self-proclaimed Bible teacher,  decided by himself in the late 19^th Century that there is no Trinity.

 

Simply stated, the doctrine of the Trinity is “Three Persons, One God.” At face value, this may seem to be a mathematical impossibility, until we understand the correct meaning of “One” in the Bible. There are 2 Hebrew words for “one”: “Yachead” which is the absolute numerical singular; and “Echad” which is used for a collective unit, eg. one family, one team, one group, one nation, etc. Every time the Bible speaks of “One God,” the Hebrew word used is not “Yacheead,” but “Echad.”

So, many times when the Bible uses the word “one,” it is simply speaking of a group of people who are strongly united, eg.

“Indeed, the people (of Babel) are one.” (Gen.11:6)

Praying for Christians of all ages, Jesus said: “that they all may be one.’ (John 17:21)

So, a simple explanation of The Trinity is that there are 3 completely separate persons, each one of them having His own mind, emotions and will. This is seen throughout the Bible, but clearly noted in:

“I (Jesus) will pray to the Father, and He will send you another Helper (The Holy Spirit) that He will be with you forever.” (John 14:16)

When His disciples asked Jesus to tell them the day and hour of His return, Jesus informed them that He did not have that information, saying, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matt.24:36)

Other verses which show the three persons interacting with one another: (Isa.48:16-17; Matt.3:16-17; Acts 10:38; 1 John 5:7). 

The Bible clearly shows both in the Old and New Testaments, that there are 3 completely separate persons who have divine nature, and each one of them is rightly called “God.”

Since Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God the Father is God, I will only give below verses which speak of Jesus and the Holy Spirit as “God.”

Jesus is called “God” in: John 1:1 (although the Jehovah’s Witness Bible, called ‘The New World Translation’ has been altered to give a different reading of this verse from normal Christian Bibles); John 20:28; Rom.9:5; 1 Tim.3:16; Heb.1:8, among other scriptures. He is also called the “Son of God” in numerous scriptures.

The Holy Spirit is called “God” in Acts 5:3-4. Moreover, in Matt.12:22-30, Jesus warns men that blasphemy against the Father and the Son will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, which assigns the Holy Spirit a special level of importance within the Godhead.

All these 3 persons, who have divine nature and are specifically seen to be God in many scriptures are perfectly united in will, purpose and character. This is the basis of Trinitarianism, which is the accepted belief of 2 billion Christians worldwide. The Russellites, who number less than 8 million, believe in Unitarianism (ie. one God in one person).

 

3) “Soul Sleep”

Another Russellite heresy is that the physically dead know nothing. They derive this unbiblical idea from Eccles.9:5 which states that the “dead know nothing.” But when we read this passage from verse 3, we find that Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, is writing here about physical death only, or things that happen “under the Sun,” or on this material earth.

The Bible clearly shows that human life is a combination of 3 kinds of life: Spirit, Soul and Body (1 Thess.5:23; Luke 1:47; Heb.4:12).

When God created man, He assembled a physical body made up of atoms and molecules (which the Bible calls “dust” because there were no microscopes and no knowledge of molecular physics at the time that Genesis was written 3, 400 years ago). But Gen.2:7 tells us that this physical body was still without life, until God put His breath (or Spirit, because spirit and breath are the same word in Hebrew) into this physical sculpture, and only then did Adam become a living soul (most English translations say “living being,” but the actual Hebrew of Gen.2:7 is ‘living soul.”

The word “Adam” means ‘dust” in Hebrew, and when Adam sinned, God punished him to suffer physical death among other things and said that Adam’s physical body will go back into the earth, “for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Gen.3:19).

The Bible shows that physical death is nothing but the separation of the 3 kinds of life that are in human beings and even in animals. Solomon himself in Ecclesiastes, has this to say in describing physical death:

“All are from one place: all are from the dust, and return to the dust. Who knows the spirits of the sons of men, which go upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?” (Eccles.3:20-21)

Describing death, Solomon again writes: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return toi God who gave it.” (Eccles.12:7)

The Bible clearly shows that the souls and spirits of men continue to live after their bodies die. In 1 Sam. Chap.28, King Saul consults a medium who brings up the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel. Jesus promised one of the robbers who was crucified beside Him: “today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43), and the very last words of Jesus were: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” (Luke 23:46).

When the first martyr, Stephen was being stoned to death, he saw heaven opened and God and Jesus waiting to welcome his soul and spirit (Acts 7:55-60). In Rev.Chap.20, we see the dead standing before the Great White Throne of Jesus on Judgement Day (Rev.20:11-15), and in Rev. 5:9-10, we see and hear the blood-redeemed Christians of every nation, tribe and people singing the praises of Jesus, who died on the cross to give them eternal life in paradise.

There are numerous other examples which conclusively prove that the souls and spirits of human beings continue to live after our bodies die, but I believe I have provided sufficient biblical proof for the purposes of this short thesis.

4) The Russellite Claim that Jesus is the Same Person as the Archangel Michael

Yes, it is indeed true that this is one of the more extravagant claims of C T Russel’s fertile imagination, but there is not a single word in the Bible to justify it!

5) The Russellite Claim that the 144,000 Tribulation Saints have been Living on the Earth since the Early 20^th Century

This is another wonderful piece of Russellite fiction, but unfortunately they have not identified even one of the 144,000 saints who must now be over 100 years old. Moreover, the Bible clearly shows that the 144,000 will only have their ministry after the Antichrist begins to rule the earth. Moreover, the Bible shows that they are Israelites made up of 12,000 from each of the original 12 Tribes (Rev.7:4-8).

Conclusion

It is obvious that the Russellite (Jehovah’s Witness) evangelists do not know the Word of God. If they did, they would not be fooled by the false propaganda of this unbiblical cult. What they are brainwashed to believe are the booklets given to them with a few selected verses by their cult mentors. Please share this document with them, so that those who are open minded among them may come to know the truth and be led to salvation and eternal life by accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior (John 8:32; John 3:16). Unfortunately, those among them, who are stubborn and have closed minds, will have to face the Great White Throne Judgment and end up in the Lake of Fire for all eternity (John 3:36).

RUN IN THE RAIN

I'm sharing with you an article that really touched my heart this morning...

 

 A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout.  We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.

 

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the World.  Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

 The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

 "Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

  "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated:

"Mom, let's run through the rain,"

 "We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

 

 "No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the  young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

 "This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and  not get wet?"

 "Don't you remember?  When you were talking to Daddy about  his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get  us through anything!"

 Now the entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain.  We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.  Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life.

A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

 "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD  let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

 Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked.

But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

 And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

 Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But  no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. For to; Everything There Is A Season And A Time To Every Purpose Under Heaven!  ( Ecclesiastes 3:1 )

  Now they say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.  So take the time to keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you'll need each other -- and don't ever

forget "to run in the rain!"    Amen.

Bro.H's Testimony

TESTIMONY WRITTEN TO BRO. JOHNSON SEQUEIRA from Bro. H from SRI LANKA (I have his permission to share it)
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I am writing my testimony to you what is my journey with my lover, saviour and Lord Jesus Christ.

 
I was living a sinful life from a young age of 14. I found a part time job only so that i did not have to ask money from my dad - so that I could do whatever I wanted to do. I was getting lot of money from that job. At the same time I was schooling. I was a heavy drinker and smoker from that age. I was also a male prostitute and black mailed people by threatening them whenever I needed money. I used to come home by 3 a.m. everyday after drinking with my friends. Bu my life was a living “hell”!

Time went by with the same life style. I finished my schooling, found a job and worked until age 20. Things were moving smoothly in my sinful life. When i was just about to step on to the age of 21 things started to change. I have lost everything; even my job. I was “done” / fed up with everything. At that time I’ve started to go to the church on Sunday. Then one Sunday 'brother Milan' saw me outside church and called me to the front. It so happened he was talking about Jesus and God and i was also kind of interested as i had no other option than believe in God. That day only i came to know who my real "saviour" was!

Thereafter, we used to meet and talk about the Bible and Jesus. And after couple of days i told him “i have nothing to do now”, what should i do rather then waste my time? Brother Milan said so “read the Bible” , then i started to read the Bible and in the beginning it was so boring, difficult and for about a week i found my self falling asleep on the bible. After that first week it became so interesting to read the Bible, i was more and more interested in the Bible. On my 21st B`day my brother Milan and i had only two coffees from a pastry shop as the only celebration of my B`day. And we said by faith surely next year we will celebrate it better. And it actually happened as per our prophesy!
After 6 months i got a job at Airtel , worked there for three or four months. I was terminated from that job due to non-performance. After that back at home again. After couple of days i have started a business which was not legal neither illegal. In the mean time we came to know from a girl friend of one of Milan`s friend about brother Johnson and we attend to the service. I got the sower and the seed CD from there. I was doing the business and i was at home in the day time so i had the chance to study the CD the day time. I used to drop my fiance to office in the morning , come back home study the bible. Months went by and business was also so good , all the time profitable and I didn’t do any savings. In one point my heart was not right with the business i was doing and i stopped the business with in a one day. Now only I can realise it was the Holy Spirit who was talking to me. By this time i was totally out of addictions of alcohol and smoking.

Back at home again and i was asking Jesus what i must to , some how when i was listening to the CD i have heard you were saying be a blessing to someone so i have decided to be blessing to someone who needs help rather than wasting my time and I had lot of free time even after I study the CD. And one of my brother’s mother had a small accident while coming to the prayer meeting , her hand was cracked and doctor put a plaster. And she can’t work for three months so Jesus showed me a chance to help them. I went to their house , helped his mother to cook and for the house work. Everyday i would wake up @ 4 a.m. start with reading the Bible and praising God. Day time i help that brother’s business. That time was so difficult but praise God His word gave me strength and courage to be a doer of the word of the God and continue in the work.
At the same time i had a girl friend too. After about one month my affair was broke up with my girl friend after 6 years affair. It was painful thing for me but praise be to God , He bought me out of that situation and he kept the same brother whom I was helping strengthening me by the word of God.

Three months i was at brother’s place i really praise and thank Jesus because He gave me strength to bear all things and overcome the situations.

And i was applying for new jobs after i returned from brother’s house. And his mother was also totally recovered. I was called for an interview by HSBC bank. The day before the interview day I was suppose to go , i heard about the lady who was in the hospital and overcame the sickness by after you preaching Habakkuk 3:17-18. Went for the interview and i was failed from the first round as there suppose to be three rounds before the final interview. As i walked out the bank Habakkuk 3:17-18 came to my mind and i was confessing that , however after little time i was out of that mind set and rejoicing in the Lord Jesus.

The next day after the interview the same brother was invited by another brother for a movie and i was also invited by them. And i was sharing with them what was my experience of the interview, how I overcame from that and after the movie one brother invited me to join with him and we have started working together from that day onwards. Then another new journey began with Jesus Christ.

And a one fine day i met my ex-girl friend in the bus. And i was out of self-control tried to speak to her and it turned into a cold war. The same day evening her present boy friend came search of me to my place, i ran to hid myself and i was saved. Then what i thought, if fear can make me run so much and drive me , how much more faith can do. Anyway after that i was keep on confessing “ I love them in the name of Jesus” and I was out of that hatred , bitterness. Now even if I see them or if they come to my mind I bless them all the time and I am at peace all the time. And they are married now.

After I joined with that brother we were going through lot of things but praise be to Jesus and His word we are here today brother. I always believe in john 12:24 and today God put the “seal” some of the things. Praise be to Jesus there were never a day i lack anything brother and there will never be a day also. Clients are making the payments in advance. Even the apartment business we are into, all the apartments we've got even without paying a cent , people come from abroad and buy the apartments , they have given the apartments for us to manage. We always wanted to buy the apartments for this business but God directed people to buy those and they have given them us to manage, even without paying a cent to keep the apartments with us, where as other companies are struggling , fighting to get the same apartments and they are even willing to pay money for those. But for us all are Free. Praise Jesus.

• And this time when you preach about worship God saved me from a trap of the devil. I was struggling to make decision about my life as i was cheated by very closest person of mine. But i have realised i must love that person unconditionally and help him to come out of the situation. Even though he has done a very wrong thing. My good Friday was 10/2/13 but today is my Easter Sunday. I know one thing brother the topic of "die to self" has changed my life and it’s the secret of my success in business, in this journey with Jesus Christ but i am not able to do any by my strength but by His grace only.

Bro this is my life's testimony

GLAD TIDINGS OF PEACE

The Bible says that Jeremiah was a weak and timid man, but God’s power worked in him.  “Before you were born I sanctified you.” Like the apostle Paul, Jeremiah was set apart from his mother’s womb (see Gal. 1:4, Acts 9:15; 22:14). Then God spoke further to him, “I ordained you a prophet to the nations,” and finally “I shall send you.”

Jeremiah, still quite young, is frightened at the prospect of this divinely appointed mission. He meekly protests, “Ah, Lord God! Behold I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” Isn’t it true that we make similar objections? How often we feel our own inadequacy to speak of the Lord and to let the testimony of His grace shine! We forget that when the Lord invites us to serve in this way, there are resources in Himself sufficient to enable us to respond to His invitation.

When the Lord miraculously fed the crowd in the desert, He commanded His disciples, “Give ye them to eat.” Hearing this order of the Lord’s, the disciples could not understand how five loaves and two fishes could possibly feed so many people. But what did Jesus say? “Bring them here to me.” Then He multiplied the meager resources of the disciples and not only satisfied the entire crowd, but had a number of baskets still left over.

This same voice which encouraged Jeremiah and Gideon was heard by the great apostle Paul at Corinth, having arrived there “In weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). It spoke to him in a night vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you” (Acts 18:9,10).

What a contrasting message was to be preached by Jeremiah: “See, I have this day set you ... to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down.” It was the tragic element of his life to constantly prophesy judgment, destruction and captivity.

But our situation as well as our message is much different. “How beautiful are the feet of them that announce glad tidings of peace, of them that announce glad tidings of good things” (Rom. 10:15). Isaiah had had a vision of it, that is, of the feet of Him who announces glad tidings of peace (Isa. 52:7). From that time on, in the steps of the Lord Jesus, how many messengers have been sent to proclaim the same gospel; and, to warn sinners of the dangers threatening them (Heb. 2:3). 

Jesus entrusted to His disciples and to us after them, the mission to preach in His name “repentance and remission of sins” (Luke 24:47). ARE WE READY TO GO ON THIS MISSION believing He is going to be with us? ( OR... are we going to protest like Jeremiah?)

PERTINENT QUESTIONS, APT RESPONSES

Questions from a brother in Christ:

• When Jesus was crucified he said  "My God My God why have you forsaken me? why did he say this?

• When God created Adam & Eve, he gave them the garden of Eden to rule, but Adam and Eve sinned against Him. Did God knew those things will happen? That they will not obey and ate the fruit? what is the purpose of putting the tree in the middle of the garden?

Response by Pastor D:

1) Jesus had to go on the cross to suffer the eternal judgement of all mankind. So when He was on the cross He took all our sins upon Himself. At this stage, God the Father brought upon Him all the eternal judgement and punishment that was due to us. Just think of it - Jesus had to suffer God's punishment that was due to all men who have ever lived, including, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, etc, etc. It was at this stage that He cried out: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

2) God knows in advance everything that is going to happen. So when He created Adam and Eve He knew that they would sin and disobey His commandment. The purpose of this very short earthly life is to test our faith and obedience to His commandments. So He put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the centre of the garden, but He warned Adam and Eve not to eat its fruit, saying, "the day that you eat of it you will surely die." Adam and Eve failed God's test, because they believed the enemy and not God. This, in turn, led to all men being born with Sinful Nature, or in a state of Spiritual Death. But God had already planned the solution and the Savior of mankind. This is why 1 Peter 1:18-20 tells us that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus who was "foreordained before the foundation of the world." And Rev.13:8 tells us Jesus was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 

(Since Pastor shared them with me, i thought I'd share them with my readers too ... Be blest!)

'ALL INCLUSIVE' LOVE

I choked with emotion on a story of Mother Theresa today!

Mother Theresa sent two young nuns to invite a Hindu leper to the leper's home that the Missionaries of Charity were running. When the two nuns appeared at the door of the filthy hovel of the leper, they were greeted with a barrage of bad words. They took all the bad words with a smile and kept coaxing the leper to accompany them to the Leper's Home. The leper kept on abusing them. They both returned to the convent to report the incident to Mother Theresa.

The next day, Mother Theresa went to the leper herself. She too received the same treatment! Mother Theresa took all the abuse with a smile and stood her ground. The leper then hurled an empty metal cup which struck her face. But Mother Theresa kept standing there with a smile! When the leper had exhausted himself of bad words, she stepped into his hut and began to clean the place. She then cleaned a kerosene lamp and lit it while the leper kept watching. Before she left the hut, she asked the leper to light it daily. 

"To whom should i light it?' He asked (Lepers resent God and man for abandoning them! They feel a deep rejection and 'no love')" Light it for me", said Mother Theresa.

A few days later, the leper found his way to the Leper's Home with the same lamp. He not only lit the lamp every day for Mother Theresa but he also committed his life to Jesus! He ultimately died in Mother Theresa's lap.

The Bible gives many examples of God's 'ALL INCLUSIVE' love for His people. The Lord heals a Commander of the Syrian army (Naaman) of leprosy through Elisha the prophet. It doesn't matter to God that Naaman is not a Jew but a pagan. 

Prophet Elijah too is sent to the widow at Zarephath (outside Israel) who brings her dead son back to life. It did not matter that she was not a Jew but a pagan.

Have you ever considered how gracious our God is? He knew that the Jews would have hard hearts toward the message of the Lord.  Jesus offers redemption not only to the Jewish people but to us as well.  I praise God that because of His grace we can be included in His plan!!

A SRI LANKAN MEMOIR

This article has been long overdue! Ever since i returned from Sri Lanka, I've been up to my eyeballs in work! I guess those are the blessings that I'm enjoying as a result of sowing into 'good works'.

Exactly three years ago Dilrukshi (Sister Dilu) had expressed a desire to have an orphanage of her own in Sri Lanka. She belongs to our prayer group in Dubai and has been instrumental in taking Bro. Johnson to Colombo. It has been three years now since JCILM was established there and today, hundreds have offered their lives to Jesus!

Ever since God instilled the desire in Dilu's heart, land for the orphanage has been gifted to her free of cost. She is already looking after about 30 children from the slums, providing them free meals every day. She continues to work in Dubai but supports her friends who have dedicated their lives to this service in Sri Lanka. 

Just a couple of months ago, i recommitted my services to designing the orphanage. At that time, Dilu told us by faith to get ready to go there around the 10th of Jan 2013. Of course i said yes not knowing what was in store for me regarding my job!Even though i lost my job, I offered this trip up to the Lord and before i left for Sri Lanka on the 14th, i had the license of our firm DIASQUARE JLT in my hand! By this time, my brother Antonio had also consented to come along with me to Sri Lanka.

Ever since we landed at Bandarinaike International Airport in Colombo to now, the blessings have never stopped pouring into our lives! Before we left Dubai, the Lord had given me the following message through Psalm 3: 5,6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Just a few things worth mentioning:

- When we visited the various government authorities in Sri Lanka to get the project going, we saw the mighty hand of the Lord as we were accorded a rare welcome, with government servants actually rising from their seats and running around doing all the paperwork for us. They even helped fill our application forms! (Believe me ... if it was in Goa, what we achieved in 2 days would have taken us a month!)

- Antonio and i wanted to visit the survey department but for some strange reason, the 'Trishaw ( Rickshaw, in India :-) took us to Child Protection Authority! Nevertheless, trusting in God that it was not a mistake, we decided to go in and meet the Chairperson. We had no appointment with her but we sat in the waiting hall and prayed. I told the others to get ready to go in any moment and it actually happened! The Chairperson saw us and asked several questions regarding the orphanage. I was silently praying in the spirit. Dilu was heartbroken to hear that the government had stopped giving licenses to orphanages due to the abuses happening there! But God turned her despair into great joy the very next moment when the Chairperson suggested that the building be called a SAFE HOME for abused children. She even said that it would be the first of many such homes in the country and that she had absolutely no issues with the home being run on Christian principles! She even agreed to keep young pregnant girls until their delivery, in the same home and said that Dilu could raise those children as a foster parent! All assistance to get the plans approved would be granted by the ministry. They even volunteered to provide operational assistance for the home!

- Fr. Sanjeeva Vas, a professor in the seminary (Ampitiya) teaching 'Christology' said mass in Dilu's house. People from the ward were also invited and the service turned out to be an amazing one. The sermon was absolutely soul stirring and the young priest's passion to unite the people of his parish through weekly masses celebrated in people's houses was a great way of building the 'body of Christ'. It also happened to be the feast of Blessed Joseph Vaz (Missionary from Goa to Ceylon) who the Sri Lankans revere to this day!

- We visited Pastor Roshan's church and were touched to hear the story of a growing church. His prayers were also answered through our visit to Sri Lanka as he needed Architects to advise how he could extend the hall and other facilities.

-During a dinner invitation from Bro. Paul, who leads worship at Bro. Johnson's meetings, we came to know that he too was praying for Christian architects to help him in realising a long standing dream to own his own apartment block in an opulent zone in Colombo. We were introduced to several such buildings just to have an idea of the type of apartments which were on offer so that we could design accordingly. It appears that God has great plans for us in Sri Lanka!

- The tour of Pollonnarwa, Dambulla, Kandy, Srigiriya, Kelany Temple, Colombo and Negombo broadened our thinking as we were transported 2000 years back into history into the very lives of the early Kings and Monks who lived there. We couldn't stop marvelling at their art,  engineering and Architectural genius!

- We were also blessed to hear Bro. Trewin's testimony of how the Lord had delivered him from Cancer! It is a long story and i will leave it for another time!

Friends, if you ever wanted to go someplace real nice for a vacation, consider Sri Lanka. And please do not book a hotel in one place but rather do a 'point-to-point' stay along the entire site seeing circuit of Anuradhapura (Ancient City and first capital), Pollonarua (2nd Capital), Dambulla and Kandy etc. It is an affordable place (1 Indian Rupee = 2.3 Sri Lankan Rupees). The people are friendly and the food is excellent!

YOU ARE A MIRACLE WORKING PEOPLE!

My family (All four of us!) has been down with some viral cold/fever for the past few days and has been battling it with a lot of prayer and believing. We all want our healing to come instantaneously but most times it comes and some even lose their hope in that waiting period!

Last night, the HS explained it all through Pastor 'D' ...
Choosing Jesus as our model for the study, Pastor made the following observations:

Jesus very clearly states  in Luke 4:18, the purpose of His ministry :

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,^[a]
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

Again in Matthew 4:23,24

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  

 

²⁴ Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

And in Mark 1:14,15...
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom^[a] of God,
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel!

It is clear from the above scripture verses that Jesus was fulfilling the will of His father to establish HIS KINGDOM here on earth. Interestingly, the way He was doing it was with POWER and GLORY and the Apostles, disciples and the early church

When Jesus healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law (See Luke 4:38-41), he 'REBUKED' the fever and it left her body! It is clear from the word 'rebuked' that Jesus was treating all sickness as being caused by the evil one! His ministry had a lot of 'Deliverance Cases'! He 'laid hands' on each sick person and He healed them!

Did Jesus say the following words in John 14:12 or not?
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Again, in Mat 10:1...
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
So, friends, if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you are a MIRACLE WORKING PEOPLE! YOU ARE CARRYING GOD"S GLORY! PREACH THE GOSPEL AND SIGNS AND WONDERS WILL SURELY FOLLOW YOU!
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NOTE:

For those of you who are trying to 'walk the path' but are not 'getting the same results' as Jesus and the early Church did, here's some encouragement for you!

There are 4 possible answers to your 'healing prayer' requests:

YES! - You will see an instant miracle right after you have prayed over someone!

YES, BUT NOT NOW!- The person may need a proper 'deliverance' before the healing can come.
YES, WHEN YOU MEET GOD"S CONDITIONS - The person will need to release forgiveness, change sinful attitudes etc.

NO! - You will not see an immediate manifestation of what you prayed for. (Remember Paul in 2 Cor 12:7-9? He prayed to God to remove a particular 'affliction' from his body but he had to be content with 'My grace is sufficient for you' as an answer!))


If you have any questions, i will forward them to Pastor 'D' for you and he will surely respond!

HOW TO RECEIVE A 'DOUBLE PORTION' in 2013!

Pastor 'D' (Grace Covenant church) has announced that the year 2013 would be a year when one can avail of a 'double portion' from the Lord. Here's how!

It is common knowledge that most Christians find the Book of JOB very depressing! However, to the ones who reflect on it will find it very interesting! Let's learn how to get a 'double portion' from JOB's testimony:

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters, ³ and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. - JOB 1:1-3

His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. - JOB 1:4-5

JOB was a blameless and upright man yet he lived in fear of losing all that he had! His children were sinners and he offered sacrifices to atone for their sins lest God punished them! He was in love with the Lord but he had FEAR inside of him! We all know that FEAR and FAITH cannot coexist in our spirit. Fear CANCELS Faith!

When God allows Satan to test JOB's faithfulness, Satan uses the very weakness of JOB against him - The fear of losing his children and all that he had! 

But Romans 14:23 reminds us that whatever is not of faith is SIN!

Thus JOB stops being 'blameless and upright' the moment he is in fear! He has sinned!

When JOB still remains faithful to the Lord, Satan attacks his body and covers his body with sickness and pain! Yet JOB does not curse God!

What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded has happened to me. - JOB 3:25

A very interesting turn of events happens here when his own three friends (who have been envious of him all along!) appear on the scene. Instead of encouraging him with words of comfort, they  condemn JOB as a sinner!

In JOB 19:25, he at last reaches his 'zero point' and depends completely on God: 
I know that my redeemer^[c] lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.^[d]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet^[e] in^[f] my flesh I will see God;

As soon as JOB completely and truly begins to depend on God and surrenders to God completely, believing and trusting ONLY in His ability to save him, does God intervene! JOB realises  and is convicted of his unworthiness!

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. JOB 42:10

God  restores him ONLY WHEN HE FORGIVES HIS 'FRIENDS'!

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A SIDE NOTE:

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—John 1:12

Here's where we make the mistake in our lives and fall short of tasting the glory of God - If we are the 'Children of God', HE is our PERFECT FATHER. If we trust God to be our father, there should be no fear and therefore perfect peace should be our lot! The words DO NOT FEAR have been repeated 365 times in the Bible!

ALAS!  IF ONLY WE COULD BELIEVE THIS!

AARON'S BLESSING

During Mass today, one of the readings was taken from the Book of Numbers. The following extract is what jumped out at me!

The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;²⁶ the Lord lift up his countenance^[a] upon you and give you peace - Num. 6:24-26

 The above is an instruction to Aaron through Moses as to how he was to bless His people. Since through Christ, we are the 'seed' of Abraham, we can boldly say that Aaron's blessings hold good for all those in Christ even to this day! What better way to start the New Year than to know of our inheritance through Abraham!

¹³ For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

¹⁴ Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

¹⁶ For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. - Heb 6:13-16

The blessing given to Abraham continues to affect his 'seed' to this day. It is only through FAITH that we can access the blessing! Tell yourself again and again, 'I AM BLESSED. I AM A CHILD OF GOD. WITH GOD ON MY SIDE WHO CAN BE AGAINST ME?'

Whatever blunders you may have done in the past, that door is shut now and that 'moment in time' cannot be revisited and put right! But a new door has opened in 2013 which affords the opportunity to 'repair' whatever 'damage' we may have caused in relationships with man or God.

Let us resolve to evolve into a New Creation in Christ this year! Let the 'pursuit of Holiness' continue throughout this year!