Dearly Beloved Friends,

BIBLE BHAVAN

3/82-A Vishnupuri208-002, India

'January 15, 19,., -

My desk is covered with a wide assortrr.ent of birthday cards, Christmas Greetings,and letters of sympathy, but no bills. " ^ _

As 1 have been reading the letters of sympathy, I am once again impressethe great love of ray friends in Christ. In a avay they help to answer eachRuth H.mdwerk writes,"Knowing of your mother'^ s decl^fiing health, I had prayed dailythat she would live to see you when you returned, to the States on your expected furl .-^^h.Tncn, when I learned you were still in India and Itad no;"idea when you tvould be_pii.home, I began'to feel a bit uneasy. Then when weheareljat church that your Mc*' -dgone home to God, -1 must confess I wondered, '^Iry, *od?' Why had yourcc . ^ beendelayed... .Whv had she lived this long but not long enough tosee you again ? ???In the next m^il, Ethel Gulick's letter came: "I know how badly you feel not to have beenhome to see your mother before her passing, even though friends feel there was nothingyou could havc-doneho help her. It may be more pleftisant to remember your mother ingood health as you lefther." But if you; think I read these letterswitliout tears, you arewrong, very wrong.

Ncverthless, there was a certain delight in receiving a letter from Dadafter years of letting Mora do it. Dad has a very interesting writing style, and it ismorelikely that I inherited my flair for writing from him. Just a month before Mom died, ^Dad buried his nonagenarian maternal aunt for whom he had been caring for several years.

Armed with the telegram about my mother's death, I once again approached theIndian authorities for their "No Objection to return to India Endorsement." If and whenthey choose to grant it, I will come home. I do not know whether that will be two weeks,two months or two years. I have not, however, committed myself to stay here foreverin case they never grant it. If it does not come soon, I would like to go down to Madrasfor a couple ofweeks to attend to some business. Considering the terrible weather in Ohiothis winter, it is probably justas well that the officials take their time in dealing with theapplication. Dad also writes that there, is no hurry now as he intends to stick around fora while longer.^ This may prove to be the busiest January we ever had in the Bible Book Store. The

T^son for this is that two shipments ofChristmas supplies shipped to us from Madrasand Bombay in October did not reach us'until after Christmas. The Madras shipmentcontained 1000 calenders which are now being "gobbled up." The press is also busy.B^ddes the Hindi language monthly, they are printing the Hindi edition of"What Kind ofa Person Should I Be," and the English edition of "The ABC's of the Christian Faith."The annual report ofthe Bible Society Kanpur Branch is also wailing to be printed. Production has been hindered because L. Lazarus (the publisher) and Mangal Singh(the printer) have been taking turns being absent from vork. Someone this morning made

llie bright remark that we are like three generals in the jungle who can neverget together. There is something to that.

Our hostel is quieter now tha-t the t.umber of boys has been decreasedfrom 12 to 8. It was very sad,to me, though, to seefour of the

Kulpahar boys leave college in mid-year, at the boys' request.It seems to me that they have ruined their lives, but only time

will tell. One other boy has finished his training and will beleaving shortly.

As;usua^other parts ofIndia are in difficulty but Kanpurto be in pretty good shape-weather-wise,

b^wise and political-wise. The rise in prices setoff by the Arabs has also been stopped fbr the timei^being. Only the church is doing poorly. Please

;\>V( prayfor it.And may 1975 bring you much joyand happiness.

Your ever grateful and loving

Lo, / am with you o I wa y even unto the end of the age. Man. 2.v. 20

))Christasion

c3n tfiis issus': 'Devotional Page

Mrs. Lois ReesABG's.of the Christian Faith

jK.-JB. Harler 3For Peace and Security in theNew year and Always

L. W Thompson 5The Theological Scene In India

Prof. Bruce Nicholls 6Pilgrimage of Salvation

A. Krishna Pillai 7Thank GodR. R. Harter 8

A Christian is - A Justified PersonL W. Thompson 9

Indian News SummaryR,R.H. 13

CHRISTASIAN MAGAZINERegistered with the Press Registrarof India^ Registration No. 4534/57.Edited and Published forKALISIYA SAHAYAK SANSTHA

ByMr.V. GNANASIKHAMANI288, Thazhanguppam High RoadEnnore, Madras-600057Tamil Nadu, India.-Contributing Editor:Mr. RALPH. R. HARTERBible Bhavan3/82-A, VishnupuriKanpur, U. P. 208-002Subscription Rate:for 3 years Rs. 5.00of $ 2 (U. S. A.)Available in U. S. A from :Miss. Florence DoughlasI i II No. Main St.Joplin, Mo., 64801Please Addressall Communications to:' CHRISTASIAN '288, Thazhanguppam High RoadEnnore, Madras-600057.Tamil Nadu, India.

'VOevotmnMlMrs. Lois Rees.

Alone with God, the sky,the trees, the sod. . .

The sweetest music is His voice inthe birds that sing, the sun to shine,the moon to glow, the wind to whine,the coyotes in snow. With Him I canface His whole world and know.

Psalms 193: The heavens declarethe glory of God; and the firmamentsheweth his handyworh. Day unto daynttereth speech, and night unto nightsheweth knowledge. There is no speechnor language, where their voice is notheard.

I walk with God in the morning thesky. turns red. I walk with God in theevening, the stars shine over head. Weknow He cares about us, whether aliveor dead. We walk in confidence in themidst of danger. We walk without fearthrough this land, though as strangers.

Psalms 139 :1 - 10; 17 0 LORD, fhniihast searched me, and known me. Thouknowest my downsitting and mineuprising, thou understandest my thoughtafar off. Thou compassest my path andmy lying down, and art acquainted withall, my ways. For there is not a word inmy tongue, but, lo, 0 LORD, thou knowestit altogether. Thou hast beset me behindand before, and laid thine hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whithershall I go from the spirit? or whithershall I flee from thy presence? If Iascend up into heaven, thou art there'- ifI make my bed in hell, behold, thou artthere: If I take the wings of the morning,and dwell in the uttermost parts of thesea; Even there shall thy hand lead me,and thy right hand shall hold me.

{Continued on Page T2)

ABC's OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHRalph R. Harter

L Stands for Love^ Now abideth the ABC's of theChristian Faith^ and the greatest ofthem is L because it stands for love, --

Dtiring the past several years wehave seen and heard a great deal ofemphasis on the; sybjept of love, andyet we are ehtefjng into an era of theworld's history when we can expect tosee less afid less of its evidenees*

To love as the Bible teaches us toIdye has never been easy. It has alwaysf^ulred. a lifetime of learning andxpriencb3-but in oiir rnqdern tinies itis going to become more and moredifficult as the' population and densityincrease, as ration lines lengthen andrations shrink, and as oiir lives becomeincreasingly regimented and corapiiteri-sed.

The oicture that the Apokle Paulgives us of the last days is a pictiire,where, selfishness reigns supreme and-love takes th^. Hindmost.

But know this, that In the last daysgrievous times shall come. For men shall belovers of self, Ipvcrs of money, boastful, haughty,railers, disobedtcnt to parenu, unthankful,unholy, wihout hatural affectfon, implacable,slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no loversof good, traitors, headstrong, puffed up, loversof pleasure rather than lovers of God.

II Tim. 3:1-4,;^ t. - '

Inasmuch as we have alreadyentered these last days, we must eachone search jhimself to see whether thegerms of this Iqyeiessness may havealready infected our own lives andsouls.

Loving bur neighbors as ourselvesis easier when we have a full stomach^What is going to be our reactioo whenour neighbors come to us begging fobbread and we only have enough tofeed ourselves? Will the, Americanssend wheat ^o India when they aresuffei'ing serious shortages of their own?At siich times will we be ready toremember the words of Christ, . ^

Greater love hath no man thanthis, that a man lay down his life "for his friends. Jn. 15:13.

Love'does not look very brnpticajto a hungry man with a hoijse fhll bthungry children. Neverthless, it isy IhCe:most practical thing in the world, bhly-when we come to love our neighborsas ourselves will "we be able tO solve^the world's problems. It is only Thislove which will solve our populationproblem and all of its consequences^ ;

Some wag is sure to say that love'is the cause of the population'problemand not its cure, but that depends onwhether you areTooking at love yfrom^a worldly point oi view or front' Christian point of view. I doubt very'much if my friends with large familieshad love for their neighbors in mindwhen they rejected the advice of theFamily Planning Department.

Eventually, love will solve all, ofthe world's problems b.ut God is going?to allow men to try their own wayfirst until they are sick of it.

Limitless SupplyWe all recognise this to be a day

of shortages... .shortages of food,water, electricity, paper, fertilizer, soap,jobs etc. etc. Believe it or not. thereis a sufHcient stock of love availablefor everyone at every time.

That is what the Apostle Paulmeant when he wrote. Love neverfaileth. He was not saying that lovealways succeeds. God loves all of hischildren but He is. unsuccessful withmost of them despite His boundlesslove. On the other hand, God has agreat storehouse full of love that isopen to every creature every hour ofthe day and night. There is never anyqUeue at.the door. We can tap it foran instant supply and take our fill.

None of us can deny that his ownprivate supply of love often runs verylow. When we compare ourselves withPaulas description of ideal love in I Cor.13, we come out with very poor marks.We may find , some person whoseems to exhibit a great deal of lovebut if we were to live in the samehouse with that person for any lengthof time, our estimation of his goodnesswould go down.

What is true about man, though,is not true about God. Man's supplyof love faileth but God's supply neverfaileth. ;

It is because our tanks go dry thatwe need a dependable filling stationat which we caii fill up. That fillingstation is not to be found with manbut With God. Once we have learnedto go to the right Tilling station, weneed never run dry.

1 Cor. 13 AgainThe great thirteenth chapter of

First Corinthians can be divided intothree great parts.

The first three verses tell us thatlove is, essential and that any othervirtues in a Christian's life are uselesswithout it.

The next four verses tell us whatlove is, defining it in such a way thatit can be applied to every circumstanceof life.

The last six verses might be called.The Theology of Love." Because they

are theology," they are not enjoyedas much as the previous verses.

Neverthless, there are importantpractical lessons to be learned fromthese theological verses.

For one thing, they teach us thatlove and perfection go hand in hand,the more we are filled with love,the more perfect we become. When weare only 10% filled with love, thenwe are only 10% perfect^ 20% filled,20% perfect; 30% filled, 30% perfect,etc. etc. We can only be 100% perfectWhen we are 100% filled with love.

The same can be said about loveand understanding. As our loveincreases, our understanding andwisdom increases. The more we arefilled with love, the more capable weare of coping with the problems oflife. This helps us not only to solveour own problems but also the problemsof others.

When we begin the Christian walk,our percentage of love is low. We arethen like little children. We think likeChildren, we talk like children andwe act like children. Then as we growin the Christian life, we must growin love. If we do not grow in love, wedo not grow at all.

As we grow in love, we begin toput away our original childishness andgradually become adults and mature.

{Continued on Paije JI)

For Peace and Security in theNew Year and Always

LEONAKD W. THOMPSON

1975! A brand new year. 12 monlhsto live-36S days. And it's all yours.What are you going to do with it? Howare you going to use it?

I know you may make some resolutions. To do this or that. Get an education, get married, give up smoking;start exercising, read booksoh well,you know what you want to dol Butthen, suppose something goes wrongwith your planning. Suppose you runinto problems and trials. Look againahead of you into 1975. There may becalamities. There may be suffering.Tragedy might sttike. Death may liftits head. What then? Can you say youare prepared for such events?

Nobody is really fully prepared. Forno one can accurately predict disaster.But some people can say that they arenot afraid of what's to come. They donot look into the future with worry oranxiety. They can face 1975 or 76 orany unknown yearany distant futurewith confidence and peace saying that'No matter what may come I know Filnever be alone.^' Now that's it.Trouble may come but we can havesomeone to share it with us. The futuremay be dismal and. dark but someonecan lead you safely through it. Let meintroduce you to that some one.

He is Someone who was in the beginning is now and will ever be. In otherwords He is Eternal. His existence hasno beginning. But He gave this earthof ours its beginning. His recordedauthentic word says that He spoke andthe world came into being. And as welook upon the world we marvel at itsbeing. We travel into space and wonderat its glory. As the space ship Pioneersoars towards another galaxy, and we on

earth see the wonderful pictures it sendsback we can only stand amazed as weponder on the Creator of the galaxiesand the stars, the planets and the earth,the world we liye. in and of course youand me. He created usYes man wascreated in His image and was given dominion over all of the rest of creation.So you see we can step into the futurewith someone who began it all.

But morel We can walk into thefuture with Someone who shown Himself interested in the affairs of men^andnations. When the nation of Israelwere captives in Egypt He deliveredthem, with signs and wonders, withplagues and death. Till Pharoah in thehour of ultimate crisis told Moses totake his people and. go. But when theIsraelites stood on the shores of the RedSea and were boxed in and trapped bythe pursuing Egyptians, He made theRed Sea to part and the waters to separate. Why? To allow the ;thousandsand thousands of men, women andchildren and cattle and beasts of burdento go across on dry land. Now that^sright. His Word says that they did.And how did He.do it? Well, He createdthe seas did He not? He could ordereven nature to stand still. And He canlead you this year across any troubled!waters. . ..

And He can lead you further. If youtrust Him with your eternal futureHe can give you the assurance of lifeEternal. For not only was He interestedin the earthly affairs of men and nations.'He is more interested in thb Spiritualwelfare of youthe individual. He isinterested in the future that begins ineternity. And so He sent His only Sonwho is coexisted with Him. And Hecame to earth during this season called

{Continued on Page 11)

Reprinted from " Light of Life Magazine of Bombay .

THE THEOLOGICAL SCENE IN INDIAProf. Bruce NichoJIs

PART TWO

Secular UtopianhinUtopianism is emerging in India

today. It is an attempt to live withoutreference to God or the supernatural.Man is autonomous and free. He isnot dependent on any power outsidehimself. And he has the power withinhim, individually and collectively, tochange the world in which he lives.

Seciitarism is a philosophy of life.T^-provides an alternative to the religioussituation including ChristiauityiSecularism is one of the end ^.products'of secularisation,, and' secularisation isa historical prdcess by which niJth movesfrom a religiously oriented* base to asecular base.:

There are two streams that havefed into this process of secularisationin India, and both come from outsidethe country. One stream is westernculture. This begaii in the early I9thcentury through the. introduction ofEnglish, of education, and of ideasborn out of.the French Revolution. Itpermeated Calcutta in the eighteenhundreds and began to deeply influenceIndia. .

Tracing the siream to its source,\ve find this form of secularism springsfrom the_ Renaissance and from theEnlighteriment of the Medieval andIlefprmation periods when man sought'P : separate^ his reason and wholeeyaluation of experience from religiona^d from God. (This subject is dealtwith in the books of the modern Christian philosopher, Francis Schaeffer.)

The second stream which has beena secularising force is the Christian

ipissionary movement. The wholee4ucational process developed by9|iristian missions hasbeen a liberatingUlpvement,. freeing man from therPltgious superstiiitions of his past.

T^ow secularism will develop intoa ne'w religion, and I believe this iswhat is happening in the western worldat the present time. New religions areemerging based on the satanic, or thepccult, or things likes astrology. A recentarticle in CHRISTIANITY TODAYestimates there are 40 million Americans'wlio dabble in astrology. Here in Ipdiait. IS probably nearer 100 percent. ,

' The secular man is in a spiritualvacuum o he turns to new exotic formsof religion.

The other way secularism willdevelop is into atheistic collectivism:..or communism, which is totalitarianand absolute.

What is the moveriieni of secularismlike? It is like an arrow., l^e religiousmovement is cyclicj bdt secularism hasdirection. It is messiaiiic. 'lt is eschato-logical. It looks for a Utopia, a newhope. And the prime example is China.

Let us not fool ourselves. Chinais doing things today in a way thatis capturiiig the wcrld^s imagination.They are changing their culture. Theyhave a messiah. Thfey have anauthoritative scripture. They have agoal. China may emerge as the greatestpower on earth in a very few years.. .asecular Utopianism with a totalitarimrule and a sense of direction.. .ahteisticcollectivism.

(Continued on Page 11)

By H/AV Krishna PillaiTramalated from Tamil by V. Gnanosikhamani

. Pilgrim Meets Evangelist

Pilgrim, the wise spiritilal enquirerthac he was, worried much' over lifeeternal and became restless over it. Hisbody became weak but his. spirit, wasindeed willing as it continued its ceaseless search. He roamed like a mad manfor some days, then one day he met aman of imique .character. His face wasfull of grace and love; his lotus-likeeyes weref^ull of mercy; the >vords ofhis mouth were constrained by the loveof God in his heart and appeared as ifthey overflowed from the fountain oflife. He looked as though he were thevery figure of grace come in humanform to put an end to all, his miseries.All who met him felt the impact of his gracel^ul persontUity. His name wasEvangelist.

Evangelist's benevolent heart 'melted at the pitiful sight of the panic-stricken Pilgrim. He gently approached liim 'and asked him, **Why are you so worriedand disturbed? How did this everincreasing sorrow of yours come to you?Won^t you please tell me?''

Pilgrim answered him, " O blessedSir, I belonged to the country of destruction- I' aih' the most 'cruel andwretched of all my counirymeri. I have"learned that my country will be destroyed by fire because of the righteouswrath of the God of heaven, and thatfurthermore. He will condu it the greatJudgement. The Holy. Scriptures, alsotell me that He. will .put in eternal hell-fire those who disregard His laws, andthat there is no doubt about that. As I

was searching thfs truth in the scripture,1 was immersed in this ocean of .sorcowthat you see

' As for the virtue^of beiiig grateful to God, I-have virtually strangledit to death, disregarding'all th.at Hehas done for me. 1 have led d ''whollyungrateful life. I' have forgotten Godand hence my deeds have been sowicked. I have completely- wasted. my.precious lifetime up till now. Oh why !I am so afraid and repent so deeply asI anticipate the judgement.

I dp not want to die. I do nothave courage to face the punishment 'which is due me. I do not dare to anylonger lead an ungodly life such as is led by those in the world. Even then,there is no escape : there is no way- toaleviate my spiritual condition. vThereis nothing in my,power that I can dofor it." * . .y. -

Evangelist, having heard whatPilgrim said, sympathetically remarked," What you have, said .is true* andrightly stated; biit since you. haye^aidthat there is endless misery in "the

Twdrld, why dP^ou hesitate to die?'' Because, " Pilgrim replied, *Hhe

sins which i havje committed since mybirth, have collected into, a big- bundle.s

. on my back.. The. load is, very heavy.If I die with it, I fehr ihat iny sins .will .push me .'into the ocean'of hej^llrfirewhere the treacherpus sinner? oT theworld will be torturedi * '

* fs iCo^tinued'on^ Page No. 10)

Thank God..,^" And Mart/ said, behold the hand maid of the

Lord; be it nnJto me according to thy word"Lk, 1:38.When my mother went to heaven on Saturday night, December

14^ 1974, Mary must have been one of those waiting at the gate toreceive her. They had many things in common.

Of course there are glaring differences between the two. Mymother did not have a sinless son, although at times she tended to thinkhe was. There are many details that do not bear comparison. Neverthlessthere are enough similarities between the two to make them appreciateeach other.

The two of (hem faithfully gave up their sons .to God's service.Now and then a little discontentment did float to the surface asthey wished they mightsee more of their sons; yet^ when this did notprove expedient, they patiently resigned themselves to God's will.

There is no doubt but that I caused my mother a great deal ofgrief. First there were my childhood illnesses, particularly the dreadedscarlet fever which almost took my life. She suffered because 1 had badeyesight, always feeling that somehow she may have been parly toblame. She suffered while I went through nine eye operations. Shesuffered because I haye been living by myself since 19.^5. She sufferedbecause she .knew she would never be a grandmother from thisside of the family. 1 cannot say that she always suffered in silence,but Mary didn't either.

She suffered but she also had many joys. She was happybecause she knew it was all God's will. She was honored wherever shewent, and God blessed her. She met many people who thanked herfor the unfluence her son had had on their lives. She was happy forevery sermon she ever heardme preach. No amount of money couldbuy the inner happiness she enjoyed. 1am glad that that is the kind ofjoy I gave her.

And now she must be happier still as she begins to meetthose of my Indian friends who have also gone before, and as theybegin to thank her for giving her son to India. Maybe bynow shehasmet Nani Filemon; Stanley Ramadhar, Mrs. Mangal Singh Senior,Raju Washington and many others.

I thank God that after granting her reasonable good health fo' 85 ycar8]5\He has now called her into His happiness. We would both^hay^^reciafed a last meeting together before her departure but wes^^lfiSirloOn' meet again not many days hence.

And now .1 have one more thing in common with-s themotherless boys who live in my house. \

Ralph. Harlier

A Christian fs-A Justified PersonRomans 3:28

A SERMON OUTLINE BY LEONARD W, THOMPSON

Intro, Justification is a term used oftenin ^^ew Testament.This term as expressed inRom. 3:28served as a libera*ting point for Martin Luther.

Describe Roman Catholictheory of salvation by worhs.Background of Jdwish religiouslife that prompted Paul's teaching on justification*Similar situations exist today*people claim righteousnessthrough birth, deeds^ etc.But, these are not sufficient.

Prop. Justification is by faith, throughthe grace of God.

I. Whaiia juotifiaUion ?A i. A declaration of righteous-

ness*(not a "making*'righteous).

(/ Ilua, ' Looking with red glasses ona paper with red ink marks^make the marks disappear).

2, Christ's righteousness coversus.

3. His righteousness imputedto us.

B A Declaration^ of " NotOuiUy" No condemnation Penaltypaid - Judge prounces acquittal.

{lUi6e. Judge condemns person todeath- then Himself dies forHim).

C Just - flft- if * I'd never sinned.A. legal solution to man's sin.

D Note. Justification: Is notcleunsiq^? atsin. Itla the

legulfreeing of sia and guilt.II. How catS'I bejywtified f

A The grounds >(the basis) * theblood of Christ.

Rom. 3 :21-26^ I Joha I ?^tn Cor. 5 :21.

Righteousness^- ia tixroughChrist's Death. His-Righte*ousness imputed to us.

B The Means - Faith.

Faith is the basics act ofsurrender and commitment.

Rom. 3; 28; I Peter 1:5.

Faitb alonOr does^ot deservesalvation - yet it is the means.

Qod tooks-down on us andsays not guilty.

C' The.Essence-Gracebruce is''unnterited'favor.^'

' Something we don't deserve*Romi. 3 i 24,23} I teter 1;18.Though.';ju8tificatl0ni8 free#butnptiifree-to Qod It host-Ood somettdng^

(iliustfatb agony of 4hCross). . . .His death agony was equivalent to the death of air5

... .. equajl to .an. eternity in Hell. for everypne^.'. . ,

III, Let's look at Faith

::.j . w*(lmportanti sipce,-. its ourresponse)..

if', ^. -Blhle (tefinltion: 'Heb. 11:1^,.^5sent 'as well as

^ . Trust. ...

;._^hat .about baptism? Real""" ' " fali^ manifests itselt in

obedrenoe. *

Faith, shows. itself. .Baptismis an act of faith and an act

.X 7 ' of obedience."T' 't-. . i "i .. : *

' Faith that denies this is faiththat is suspect.

.. We are not justified because... we are haptiz'ed^ but because

"".offaith.

But because of faith we- obey- : '; '.: iramedrately in baptism'.

' Denial of baptism' is not" reatly faith. ^

Conch Aieyou justifieii? If nbt-why

. .c: Accjspt Gqd.'s..ri-ghteousness

........ on faith,f:.< -^13^ iBiti-in fnifh and be

{Continued from Bage-No. 7)" Oh, most learned and gentle sir,

we fear our earthly rulers when theyrightly punishus for doing wrong. Howmuch more should we fear the righteous King, the God who has cPeated allthe worlds and regulated ttrem intoexistence in His eternal wisdom andpower? Thoughts such as these havedeeply anchored my heart, hence comesmy sorrow. '^

Evahgblist, who always thinks andcares for. the needs of otl^ers, said,

Neverthless, your positjdn is hopeful,is it right for you to stay in this countryof destruction any longer? Beforeendless sorrows and perils fall on you,should you not search for the place ofsafety? There is no need for you tocontinue to roam in this country.^'

"Sir,*^ Pilgrim responded, "thepeople of this earth say that , there aremany ways to save my soul. Thesemany waysseem false tome and I haveno intention of following any of them.

Which is the Way that leads unto the'eternal city of the God king? I have notknown it clearly. If yoji: know the lifepath to the Holy city, please instruct

me regafding ii.^'

The good Evangelist told the seeker^'of-eternal life, " Listen to me carefully. I will tell you of the eternal lifepath that will lead you unto the Holy

city.of'God.^'

to

Next issuePart IV

" .The Kingdom of God.^'

^Oontinued from Page 4)We sho.lid never step growing in lovebecause the need for' more growth isalways there.

The True^eedWhen we think about the need

for love in the world, we are probablythinking of our own unsatisfied hungerfor love. The -greatest need though isnot that we be toyed but that we love.

The greatest lesson we are to learnhere on earth is howto love.Everythingelse, including such things as baptism,stewardship and 'evangelism, is thereto teach us how to love God and our

follow man. The whole law and thedJrophets hongs on it, as Jesus sard.It is the most essential of all of theessentials, and we cannot possibly -getto heaven without it. It is the placeto begin, and there is -no end

But this is the end of this serieson the ABCs.

Thank you for listening:

And you can meet Him pow. For theSomeone of Creation and the SomebodyTof Salvation is God HimselftheK ing of Kings and Lord of Lords. Heis the Saviour of this world. His Sondied for you and me. He saved us fromour sin. And He can guideyou throughthe com! ngyearoveranypathway-roughor smoothand you can besure His Wayis best.

Do you want peace and security forthis year and always? Then, brothery3u can meet the Saviour right now.His Way is-simple. Heusks that you believe He is God^s Son. And He is. Hehas proved that He is. Believe He diedto save you from sin and can save younow! Surrender your life intoTfis keeping through repentancethrough baptism. Then see God lead you all thOWay.

{Continued from Page 6}It is against this picture iJiat. the

Christian Church in all of its.weaknessstands. Alone our position is hopeless.But wekave a God who rules. Thevictory is His. It was won on Calvary.Let us who love him dedicate ourselvesafresh to go out and persuade meneverywhere that the Kingdom of Godis at hand and that the kinidoms ofthis world ahall belong to Christ.

Man in India and in Asia is4n aVacuum. He is in a tension caughtbetween the religious heritage iaiidrenewal and the Whole secularisingprocess. There is a sense of despair,of hopelessness and yet it is this whichprovides the great opportunity Corevangelism in India today.

I believe that throughout .Asia -woare confronted with a situation thathas never existed historically before.'Men are becoming ready for evangelismiin a way they have never been. 'Vfecan only pray that in the sovereigntyof God we may see the Church grow.This nation which today is only 2.6percent Christian, why should it notbe ninety-five percent Christian? Itwill not happen overnight but thepotential for the gospel at this criticalperiod of history is very great.

{Continued from Page d)Christmas. He was born in a humbleway in a stable -clothed in rags -butyet angels sang of His birth. And Kingsbrought Him gifts. But the baby ^rewup to be more than what an earthly Xingwould be. Through His life He showedpower over sin and temptation overlife and death. He ordered the storms tocease and the winds subsided. Hecommanded the lame to walk and theyleapt for joy. He ordered the dead torise and they came forth from the gravealive. And He Himself was killed crucified that is. Hanging on a woodencross. But when He died and they putHim in the grave, the grave could nothold Him. On the third day He brokethe seal of the grave and rose alive andis alive today. Alive as the Saviourof this world for in His death in Hisburial - in His Resurrection. He tookaway the sins of all mankind. Yes yoursins and mine. He was interestedin youin me. And He said if webelieve.Him and obey Him our eternalfuture is sure and safe and secure.

11

{Coniinued from Page 2)li&w 'precious also are the thoughtsunto me, O God\ hew great is the sumof theml " .

Paul said God has left no manwithout testimony to Himself. He refersto the ways of nature. One man looksat the sun. the moon and the stars asutilities and things with much toentertain little children, and makethem stop crying,by the telling of folkIpre stories, oft repeated. Man inanother area may look upon them asobjects of worship. It affects theirholidays, sets their time and, season^.One instance is that of the earlyinhabitants of Germany- When yearlythey saw the sun receeding into shorterand shorter days, panic siezed themand they began serious worship. By the25th of Dec. they could see the dayswere again getting longer so they hadho'longer a solemn worship but a joyousfeast" with the bounty and beauty oftheir portion of the earth all beingbrought ihto "play to decorate an'dbeautify th'eir homes and villages, wiihfeastingj lauilhter, fun and fellowship.A very large portion of the earth'sinhabitants observe the moon as a guideto plant crops, cut the trees of^ theforest and, in general, direct activities.The scientific mind of an educated manin a hurry often will not listen to thesimple wisdom of the sons of the soil.

Psalms 19 : 7 The law of the LOUDis perfect, converting the soul: thetestimony of the LORD is sure, makingwise the simple.

: - Let us see-Did God not give thesun, the moon and the stars a work todo? - God said the moon rules the

night/ It, in turn, affects certain birds.Listen to the owls on a Full Moon litnight and nnderstand. It rules somehuman moods and ways. I sometimeswaken and go outside and worship notthe moon It's crea"t6r, the one who gaveit its job do so.

One evening recently at abouteight o ' clock my husband and I wentfor-an evening walk. A few minutesearlier Lsaw the beauty of the bright,cool, moon-lit night. Both of us lookedup at once. He began to say," " I neversaw the moon turned up that wayMfore A cloud must. ;. . Hey/. anecliose'' I cried excitedly.. It was upthere looking like ahig volley-ball withred light vaguely pouring throiigh itsskin. We could see clearly andpersonally , for the flrsf timewith the naked eye, the mop.n is round.As it became a total eclipse in mid-sky.I pondered in my heart what if it werethe beginning of the end/ I felt peaceand wished it might be, to settle allproblems once and for all^ to give joyunspeakable to His saintsj to take usto be with Him and taste the new andforget the old. I've seldom sothoroughly enjoyed the creation andmoon. It wasn't the end of the old andbeginning of the new. God's,.time isn'tright for that final wonder. But. Hegracefully waits for our preparation.Are.you making ready for that finalday? He is ..giving .us a NEW "Y'EARin whichlo succeed or fail accordingto how well we can utilize the wondershe. plans for us through Christ Jesusand how patiently we seek the wisdomof the Spirit. He has given us a NEWYEAR in which to work and helpbring in :His coming to fulfill thatperfecf time.

12

IndUau Neu)s NummaryBy R; R HARTER

Former Defence Minister V. K.ICrisbna Menon died in a New Delhihospital on October 6 at the age of 78.Despite his reputation as a controversialfigure, Mr. Menon has neverthless beencreditated with many notable achieve-"ments. He was the principal architectof Indians non-alignment policy duringthe Nehru era.

The Government of India has carriedout a vigorous compaign against smugglers, hoarders and tax evaders. Some ofthe nation^s most renowned firms havebeen implicated.

One of the immediate effects ofthe crackdown on smugglers has beenthe rise in the value of the Indian rupeein the foreign money markets.

Several missionaries have beenarrested for irregular foreign exchangetransactions. Instead of having theirdollar cheques exchanged through thebanks, they sold them on the black-market. The Government is also inpursuit of unscrupulous persons whosolicit funds from the United States forthe support of non-existant orphanages.

An exporter of vegetables has beenarrested in Bombay for using his vegetables as a cover for the smuggling outof India of Indian cinema films.Another method was to sneak the filmsinto the luggage of unwary air passengers, all with the help of airlineemployees who were suitably rewarded.

Customs officials working out ofCalcutiu will soon have the help oftwenty speed boats imported fromNorway. It is hoped that boats of thistype will later be manufactured in Indiaafter their performance and worth havebeen proven.

Reserve Bank officials are encouraged to note that the money supplywith the public has been brought downduring the past five months by anunprecedented 2290 million, rupees. Inthe corresponding period last year, thecirculation of money had increased by2140 million. This has helped to stopinflation. The amount of money nowin circulation is one hundred tenthousand rniliion rupees. If you see anyof it floating around, you know ouraddress.

The Bharat Electronics Ltd, ofBangalore has produced one of theworld^s most advanced radar systems.The new equipment will first beinstalled in Bombay to detect cyclones.Having a total rangeof 500 kilometers,it will be able to -measure rainful at adistance of 100 kil6meters.

India's exports are now rising ata much faster rate compared to previousyears and may touch a figure of 32thousand million rupees in the currentfinancial year, according to Ministerof State for Industry and Civil Supplies,Mr. A. C. George.

Double-decker railway coaches arenow being manufactured at Peramburand they are expected to be in regularuse by 1977. Each coach will seat 146passengers as compared to 80 in single-decker coaches. The double-deckerswill only be used on short-distant runs.

There is no immediate hope forthe restoration of more than 600passenger trains, most of them innorth India, which were cancelled somemonths ago due to the coal shortage.The coal shortage is partly due to thepolitical situation in Bihar.

RegM No. 4534/57

over this portfolio in October, 1974*the event was marked by the arrivalof much-needed rain.

Maseehi Rai> an ex-service manfrom the British Gorkha Regiment,has been jailed in Nepal for convertingthe people of his village to Christianity.Under the Nepalese law, any attemptat conversion of religion is punishableWhile Maseehi RaFs father was amongthose who embraced Christianity, hiswife resisted a change of faith.

One of the big tourist attractionsof south India is now a thing of thepast. " Keddah,^^ an ingenious way oftrapping wild elephants, can no longerbe held in the Kakanakote forestsbecause much of the area is nowsubmerged in the Kabini dam reservoir.

Mr. H. R. F. Keating of Englandhas written ten detective novels withBombay as the setting but, untilrecently, he had never set foot in India.He was finally brought to Bombay byAir India and lodged in the Taj Mahalhotel. The manager at the Taj is nowworried that Mr. Keating will makehis hotel the scene for his next novel(and murder).

Indian Airlines has acquired fournew Boeing 737s. The improved aircraftwill accommodate 127 passengers ingreater-than-ever comfort. The 737 hassophisticated braking equipment whichpermits it to use smaller airports. Theairline now owns ten of this craft.

Postal services between India andPakistan have been resumed after abreak of three years. The first mailbags were exchanged at. the bordernear Amritsar on October 17th.

The name of Jayaprakash Narayancontinues to be much in the newsalthough his agitation has not spreadmuch beyond the borders of the stateof Bihar. That in itself, however, isenough to disrupt train services betweenDelhi and Calcutta. Mr. Narayan deniesthat he is preaching rebellion but atthe same time he insists that it is afundamental right of the people togovern themselves and to refuse torecognise a government that no longerenjoys their confidence. His view ofthe present government is that it hadturned " usurper and imposter,^^ andhe is threatening to set up a parallelgovernment. He has urged, his followersto carry on the agitation peacefully,at the same time challenging themto "fight to the finish.^^

Former President, V. V. Giri, isonce again involved in politics but ina less sensational way. Down inBangalore, he has launched a campaignfor city cleaning and bringing down

the prices.

Mr. Jagjivan Ram has had thelongest spell in office. . .28 years . .of any Union Minister. At varioustimes, he has held the portfolios ofLabour, Communications, Railways,Transport, Food and Agriculture, andDefence. When he served as AgriculturalMinister in 1967-70, his term wasmarked by good rainfall and increasedproduction. When he once again took

(Continued from Page I)As we expected he was not able

to reach home last year. This prevented him having a last meeting withhis beloved mother who slept in theLord to be with Him forever duringDecember '74. We praise God for thatmother who gave India such a dedicated missionary son. We share withhim his feelings and pray for theLord's comfort for him and the restof the family.

The New Year issue, though alittle smaller in volume, yet has veryuseful material to share with youthroughout this year and beyond.

Printed by Mr. G. John Soundaranathan at Thiruvarul Press, 162, Kathiwakkam Bazzar Road. Enr.ore, Madras-57.

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(?.iChristasian' 4^

CROSS BABY

Jt- "=-

"And he that doth not take his cross .and follow after me,is not worthy of me." Mat. 10:38. (See also Page 15)

^C) /

Vol. XIX, No. 2. lVItdras-57, India

JUL 1 91975

BOW WOWBy Lar^ru the Dog

From the South we are be:joniingpopular in reaching you late^ of coursealways with an appology. There areseveral reasons. We need your prayersvery much. Finally Mr. Harfer reachedU.S.safely and comforted us, that we arenot orphans through his timely articleon *Orphans^. It was a real consolationespecially to the Editor's wife who hadlost her mothef quite recently.

Happy to introduce to you Mrs.Jean Rolland whose devotional articleappears in this issue. The Roilands arenot new to India. They are good dedicated servants of the Lord who servedthe Lord in North India and now againby God's grace they ate in South Indiato work with the Benevolent SocialService of India.

In this issue the jpiajor emphasizeis on the Cross of Christ and the subsequent resurrection. Christ has finishedHis mission of human redemption onthe Cross. Now the challenge to us ishow well are we responding in ourrenewal and rededication to continueHis mission from that cross, t.o win soulsfor Him. We must continue this mission'Ruling, Toiling and watching' until Hecomes with His Peace ^that runneth likea river' as Mrs. Lois Rees reminds us inher story.

We received encouraging lettersfrom Mr. Konald A. Hoffman andMajor Baj Wycliffe. It would do goodto go through the two previous sermonoutlines of Mr. Thompson including thepresent one to see whether we areright with them or they are right withus. 1 am concious that some are unhappyin not finding the 'Indian News Summary', but they may have to wait forsometime unless they send one. We arealso missing the 'Pilgrimage of Salvation' of H. A. K. but we do have aninspiring visi"n of his on the Cross ofChrist. How is your vision on the Crossof the Saviour?

Sn tkis issue :Devotional Page

Mrs. Jean Rolland

I see upon the crossH. A. K. 4

We need never be aloneR. R. H. 6

Easter FaithL W.T, 7

Peace like a RiverMrs. Lois Rees 9

Ruling, Toiling, WatchingC. R, Qolsworthy 11

SanctificationL.W.T.

Cross - Cross - CrossV. G. S,

13

15

The Gate to Enter the Churchand the way to firmly stand in it.

H. A. K. 18

DevotionalSpiritual Hunger and Thirst

Jean R. Rolland

Matt. 5:5 "Blessed are they whichdo hunger and thirst after righteousness,for they shall be filled." See also Psalm42:2; 63:13 73:255 '07:93 119:1743 143:63Amos :ll3 Isaiah 26:9.

'Hunger and thirst are described ascraving, longing, or urgent need. Aperson may hunger and thirst for manydifferent things. Everyone gets hungryfor food. We may crave pleasure orhave sensual desire. There may behunger for literature, music, the cinema,television or the radio. When a hungeris fed the person feels pleasure, satisfaction, and contentment.

Righteousness is being upright,moral, virtuous, blameless or actingrightly. Therefore when a person has acraving, longing or urgent need to beupright, moral, virtuous, blameless, oract rightly, he is hungering and thirstingafter righteousness or is spirituallyhungry and thirsty.

What is your greatest desire,craving, or longing? Is it for rich andtasty food or drink? Is it for luxurioKsliving? Is it for sensual, carnal, fleshlypleasure? Or for drugs or thrills andexcitement? Or is it for God?

A person's vocation may indicatehis hungers and desires. One who trulyhungers for righteousness would not bea prostitute. Such a person could notbe satisfied in that occupation andwould rather starve (physically) than tostarve his craving for holiness. Aperson longing to be Godly could notbe a robber. He would rather remainhungry than to steal and kill. A virtuous person could not be happy earninghis living doing anything which isimmoral or evil. He would choose a.vocation which would satisfy his desireto be good, righteous, and upright.

What we do in our spare time issure to show what our hunger is.During leisure hours a person tries tosatisfy his longings, cravings-hishunger. So if we spend our spare timeseeking worldly pleasure it is evidentour real desire is not spiritual, if wemake excuses for being absent fromGod's house when we could and shouldbe there, we are fooling ourselvesnot God. If we fill our time so full ofbusiness or pleasure that there is littleor no time to study God's word or prayit is because we do not crave spiritualthings. When a person craves anythinghe does all within his power to satisfythat need. He finds or makes a way toget the thing he craves. He does notrest until he satisfies his hunger and

thirst. Christ on the cross said, Ithirst, " but He refused what he wasoffered to drink. It was not the thingHe was thirsting for.

When people do the very leastthey can *^get by with" for Christ andGod they obviously are not hungeringfor Him. Our conscious and subconscious efforts center around our truedesires. Try as we will it is hard to getour minds off the things for which welong. We are only satisfied andvhappywhen doing the' thing which gives usreal joy and pleasure.

How much time do you spendstudying God's word, talking to God inprayer, or fulfilling Christ's commandto tell others the good news of salvationthrough Him? The answer to this question will indicate whether you arehungry and thirsty for righteousnessand for God If you are, jou areblessed/ You shall be filled. But if youcrave only the things and pleasures ofthis world, you need to develop thetaste for righteousness. 1 astes can bedeveloped. We are not born with tastesbut learn or develop most of them. Ifone eats mostly rice from childhood hebecomes hungry for rice. If one's fathersmokes, he may develop the taste fortobacco. Happy is the person who grewup in a home where he learned todevelop a hunger for God's word andrighteousness. A hunger for God Himself.

Many people who smoke admitthey did not enjoy the first smoke.They learned to like it. How good thatone can develop a taste for righteousness also. The more we indulge andpartake, the more pleasure it will bring.Someone recently wrote about theBible, f'Every time I read it H learnmore and reading becomes i [moreenjoyable." That is how it is for a person who is spiritually hungry andthirsty^ And he gets filled and satisfied.

" I SEE UPON THE CROSS "H. A. KRISHNA PILLAI

He, whose eyes are free from guile.Who, to save my base, deceitful self.Did flood me with His grace like rain5He, the life of all terrestrial lives5He, the clear eternal Water and sweet Fruit^Tis He I see upon the Cross.

He, that bore sin's weight that wrecked the worldsHis beauteous body from God's own holy bosom,For which Lord Christ did hang upon the CrossWhile down His red blood ranjThe King who crushed old Satan's headAnd over-threw his flag of victoryThe King I See upon the Cross.

Lord Christ, who treats us all as worthy.Whose lives were crowded fullWith falsehood, evil' slander and perversities;The Man of knowledge who kept the Ten CommandmentsAnd fulfilled the task of world redemption'Tis He I see upon the Cross.

He who matched the trifold powersOf creation^ preservation and destruction,With Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit;The God in whom the Three are One,And who is One in Three;Holy One in body, speech and mind; ;In form the peerless Mother of all good deedsAnd all worthy to be praisedHimself the precious medicine for sin 'Tis He I see upon the Cross.

He is our God immortal.Who uttered ancient Scripture;He, the Mi-Highest, of eternal shining goodness;Longing to save the world from perishing.He took up arms and plantedThe flag of victory The God of gods I see upon the Cross.

Lest I, entering upon an evil wayVile wretch among the vileShould suffer on the path of evilAnd perish in deep pits of otW paths.My Guru loved me and taught me the Truth,Opened wide my mind^s eyesAnd showed to me the Way of right'Tis He I see upon the Cross.

While the heavenly drums were booming.And all the angels bowed in adorationIn the presence of God the Father^He, the Lord who sat upon a lofty throne.Was born and suffered as a manjThat He might free us from all sin,He shed His blood and took on Him our woe -^fis He I see upon the Cross.

The cruel and murdering workmenDid cause for Him the shame.Iron nail upon iron nailThey drove into His body.But he who bears the Sceptre of UprightnessEndured the pain He whose lipsWere like sweet fruit, and thus He. spoke-'They cannot know the sin they do.Be gracious, P'ather, and forgive!' ^'Tis He 1 see upon the Cross;

He who changed into fruitful soil.The hearts of sinful robbers^He who, by clouds of grace.Poured down a rain of loveAnd caused to grow the fruits of virtue;Lord Christ, the fertile mountain.Who brought the might of goodnessHe who is Salvation's glory'Tis He J see upon the Cross.

The Sun of flawless RighteousnessThat casts its glowing beams^The purest Gold in shining light;The Gem of beauty indescribablcjHe who's like to gleaming Pearls:The Lamp that burns Untrimmed:He who glows as does the Ruby'Tis He I see upon the Cross.,{This is a translation of a 'Thevaram' composed by Krishna Pillaion the vision of Christ on the Cross, Translated by Mr. E.E, White.)

5

From the Christian Standard

We need never be alone

Good News for OrphansRALPH R. HARTER

THE good news for orphans is thatthere are no orphans among those whobelieve in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesushas promised us who are His disciplesthat we shall never be orphans.

By holding on to a single Greekword which is familiar i6 all of us,John 14; 18 may be rendered^ "I willnever leave you orphanos."

The Greek word orphanos is variously translated "comfortless^^ '^deso-late,^^ "bereft," and "alone,^' butsome translators have felt that the bestword for orphanos is ^'orphan" itself.

An orphan, after all, is not just achild who has lost his parents. If achild^s parents have died but someoneelse is taking good care of him, we donot think of him as being an orphan.On the other hand, if a child hasparents who do not care for him, thenhe is more of an orphan than the childwithout parents.

There is also no age limit to theword "orphan." Jesus was talking toHis grown-up disciples when He usedthe word. It may well be that our mostneglected orphans are our senior citizenswhom the younger generations tend toneglect.

As members of the family of God,though, we always have three to help us.We have a FatherThe fatherhood ofGod is mentioned in the Old Testament

but it remained for Jesus to bring us intoa closer relationship with Him. Becauseof Jesus we have learned to pray, '^OurFather..."

It is the Father who protects us,provides our daily needs, plans ourfuture, blesses us, and, when necessary,punishes us. These are the prerogativesof the Father, not of the Son or of theHoly Spirit,

Jt is a great comfort in these troubled times to know that we do not needto worry about our food and clothingbecause, and Jesussaid, "Your heavenlyFather knoweth ye have need of allthese things."

We have a BrotherThere are somethings which a father can do best but,because of the "generation gap," thereare some things he cannot do so well.No matter how hard he may try, he canseldom be a close companion to his son.There are few confidences between generations.

We can be thankful, then, for elderbrothers and sisters, especially whentheir examples are good and godly. Inmy own case, I ower much to my sisterPhyllis. It was because she was a Bible-toting Sunday-school pupil that I everbecame interested in the church.* ..szJ

"Whosoever shall do the will ofGod," Jesus said, "the' same is mvbrother, and my sister? and mother"

{Continued on Page li)

EASTER FAITHA JiADIO SERMON BY LEONARD W. THOMPSON

This year in the month of March,the world celebrated Easter. A nationalholiday in some countries, a day ofgaiety and laughter in others. There isa lot of custom and traditionconcerning Easter. In many Westerncountries Easter is also heralded as theapproach of the season of spring. Newclothes, in face new fashions come out.Easter eggs, and easier bunnies, andeaster hats all play their part. But thepart they play is a non-Biblical, non-spiritual and non-religious part. Forthey have nothing to do with the factsof Easter. Even the day really does notmatter, for the day is chosen accordingto various date and is on a differentdate every year. So let^s forget aboutthe traditional Easter, and the festivalEaster, and let^s take a long, hard lookat the real, historical facts of Easter.

And while we go to the Word ofGod to know the events of Easter, let^salso ask ourselves a question. A question that can determine our faith andour eternal future. What does Eastermean to me? Or, ask it in a more revealing way, What does the Resurrectionmean to me?

The Bible records what took place.Now we know that the Bible is true. Itsauthenticity could be proved. And sowhat we read about the death and resurrection of the Lord, our Lord, is historical. Jesus did die on Calvary mount,on a cross, ciircified like any old criminal. But just as sure as that historicalfact is true so is the fact of His Resurrection. The Bible says that on the thirdday after His death, his loved oneswent to the tomb. They went to finish

the job of embalming the body withspices. But when they came to the.garden tomb they found it empty. Thehuge stone over the entrance of thetomb was already rolled away. Well,naturally they were afraid. Anythingcould have happened. Was the bodystolen? Was it taken away to anotherplace? But then they saw a young manseated in the tomb on the right side. Hewas dressed in white. And he told themthat Christ had risen and that He wasgoing to Galilee.'*Go, be told them, and.tell Peter and the other disciples.^^ Butthey were afraid and told nobody.

But Christ Had Arisen. Early in themorning He appeared to JdaryMagadalene. She was the one Jesus hadcured of being possessed by demons..She too had gone to the tomb early inthe morning. But when she told thedisciples, they would not believe her.

But Christ Had Arisen. Twoof His followers were proceeding fromJerusalem to Emmaus, a village nearJerusalem. He walked with them, andtalked with them, but they did notrecognize Him. But at Emmaus whenHe ate with them and broke bread withthem> they remembered. Their eyes werereally opened and they recognized Him.But He had disappeared. The two disciples hurried back to Jerusalem with thenews. But no one believed them.

But then He appeared to all theeleven remaining disciples while theywere eating. And they recognized Him.But He rebuked them for not believingthat He has risen. And indeed He had.They now knew it and believed it. And

in all the Bible records at least 12appearances of Christ after His deathand resurrection. But do you believe it?

Now you may say, yes. You mightsay that the evidence is really conclusive. He has risen. I know it and believeit. But then if you do are you livingaccordingly? Has it changed your life?

You see, the resurrection of JesusChrist was no ordinary event. It was aDivine event. It was a once-for-everhappening. Never before had it happened. And never again will it happen inthis same manner. For Christ throughHis death an ' resurrection was takingaway and removingbelieve that?

man^s sin. Do you

Now I am proposing that if youreally believed that you would be achanged person. Not just believing it inagreement. But believing it in terms ofa personal trust and commitment. It isa belief that makes us get involved. Orrather, it should. For true belief, leadsto expression. If you believed your housewas on fire you would run. Or if you believe that something extraordinary willhappen, you would react accordingly.Have you reacted to your belief in theResurrection of Christ?

The Resurrection means manythings. It means that Christ since Herose from the dead can save us from sin,being a living, and a reigning God, Hecan pardon and forgive. He has thepower to do it. His resurrection provedit. So when He said, all authority isgiven Unto me, go and make disciples.He meant that disciples could be madeof those who believed on Him. Petersays that if we respond to God^s invitation we will get remission of sins. Thisis in Acts 2:38.1 know that He can save

from sin. If He just died we may doubt.But He rose again. And I am willing totrust Him to remove my sin.

Christ^s resurrection also meansthat we too will live again. And whenwe belong to Him, it means a lite withHim. We will rise to be with Him. Paulsays that Christ actually did rise fromthe dead and has become the first ofmillions who will come back to lifeagain some day. So we will rise again.This life is not the end. He rose and wecan too. And instead of eternal punishment we can gain eternal salvation andrise to be with Him. For He rose first.

Christ^s resurrection also means Heis coming back again. He lives and soone day He will come back to redeemthose who are His. For if He did not risehow can we believe He is coming back?But the Bible says that the Lord Himself will come down from heaven witha mighty shout and with the soul stirring cry of the archangel and the greattrumphet call of God. You can read thisin I Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse16. He is risen! He is coming again/

Now do you believe that? Thatbecause of the power of His resurrectionHe can save? That we will be raisedlike Him? That He is coming back?How much of your life has been altereddue to your faith in these things? Haveyou reacted to the resurrection?

Now the Resurrection is thecentral fact of the Gospel. On this wasthe whole of Christendom rests. A risenLord, not a dead good man/ A living$aviour not a remembered hero!A divine Son of God/ A crucified butyet resurrected Lord/ This rs the Gospel/This is the way we have be^' saved/ Bythe power of a risen and a living Lord.^ [Continued on Page JO)

Peaee Hke a RiverLois Rees

Peace is aninfai[|iBI?q^llty painted by an arUst.rfs a tiny bir^itting ona swaying wW^ranchiff^ midst ofa waterfall with terrible waves and dashing waters making mist everywhere.But the little bird cares not for the sound,the unstable branch, the swirling wavesor the strong wind. He is singing inpeace with God and the whole world.

Jesus said. *'These things I have spokenunto you, that in me ye might have peace.In the v/orid ye shail have tribulation : butbe of good cheer; i have overcome thev/orld." Jn 16 : 33.

A missionary living near a cornfield had many sleepless nights. She hadbeen a rancher^s daughter. Her fatherwas a converted Christian and hadalways observed the golden rule and itwas ingrained in his children. He alsopointed out that ranching includes takingcare of the neighbour's possesions andfields the same as one's own. He usedan Old Testament Scripture to illustratethe point. God commanded HIS peopleto drive a straying animal home and alsosaving a neighbour's crops.

Her bamboo hut was located on amountain ridge. To one side lay the finecorn field. Directly below on theopposite side of the ridge lived a manwho owned and fenced in his beautifulenormous ^^choanni" bull. Half a mileup the valley of this neighbour lived aman who with his whole family hatedChristians, all Christians.

One day he came racing up to themissionary's bamboo house cursing herand threatening her with damage chargesto pay for the com eaten from his field.He declared her cow only had eaten hiscorn. No matter how carefully sheexplained that it was the neighbour'sbull who jumped the fence at night andihat many times she had risen anddriven him back over the fence, hecontinued to curse more and more.

Since her husband was far awaytheir helper felt responsible for herhonour. He hurned up with severalvisiting Christian men. In fine languagebut with frayed temper they scoldedhim. The helper was saying '^manynights we have heard shouting and running, I have personally gone out to checkand found her alone chasing out thatbig bull. What is more she very carefullyinstructs the one leading her cow downto water to be careful and not let hereat one blade or ear of your corn.'^

Finally in disgust and desperationbecause of his evil language theychallenged him threatening that theywould take the matter with witness tothe village headman.

Still cursing and yelling againsther, he went off down the hill but neverreturned to collect the damages or priceof his corn, but he knew not peace.

After remonstrating gently with theother Christians for scolding him sohotly because Christ had said, ''Returngood for evil" she returned to her workgladly that she had been able, andconsidered worthy to witness toChristians and non-Christians alike.

Our Saviour said,

^** Blessed are ye, when men shallrevile yoUy and persecute you, and shallsay all manner of evil against youfalsely, for my salcef' Matt. 5:11,

Her peace, and calm were fruit ofthe Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love,joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:against such there is no law." Gal, 5:22-23.

A few weeks later she saw the sameman coming thin, weak and obviouslyin great pain. He was supported by twomen holding most of his weight oneither side. One was a Christian neighbour, another his relative but both werefrom his tribe.

The missionary ran to bring abench and a drink of water for himWith great concern and compassion sheasked what was wrong as she carefullyexamined him. When she enquired whathad happened and why he had not comesooner his reply was, ''why are youbeing so kind to me when I was^ sowicked to you. If I could live or die Iwould never come to bother you butthis headache and fever had been on mefor four weeks but I can^t live and Ican^t die.'^ The illness proved to be oneof the dreaded disease of the area.

After giving him an injection sheexplained that she must come every fourhour of the day and night to give himtreatment. It was a quarter to a halfmile down the steep path and part of itthrough deep and difficult mud.

His humiliation and humility weretotal. He often asked, **why do youcome alone like this in the night forME. Let me die'^. She assured him thatit was a pleasure because Christ lovedher and suffered for her and forgaveher and so she forgave and loved him.

One day after his headache wasreceding and the fever under control,

1 he told: "If my family will let me,when I am well I shall become a Christian- My brother is willing but my wifesays she will throw me out of my ownhouse." During those troublesome daysof waiting and caring for him, sheprayed for her patient fervently and forhis wife. The missionary's heart waswarm and grateful to the Lord for sucha graphically afforded opportunity to

witness to others. His love in word anddeed. It was truly turning the othercheek. The helper and other Christianswere also strengthened and rejoiced.Nightly as she claimed wearily back upthe mountain path, in rain or moonlight she felt the peace like a river whichtruly passes all understanding. (Phi.4:7)

{Continued from Page S)- Do you believe that? Then let Jesus

come into your heart. He lives, so Hecan. But you have to invite Him in.You have to get rid of your sin. Repentand be baptized. To begin a new wayof life. Paul says we can have newnessof life if we obey Him. Jesus said, inJohn's Gospel, chapter 11 ,verse 25,^Tamthe resurrection, and the Life^ he thatbelieveth in me, though he were dead,yet shall he live." Yes, He lives and wecan live too. We may be as good as deadnow because of our sin. But due to Hisresurrection we can live - a new and aglorious life.

That new life can be yours. Stait withreal faith in Him. Believe that He isGod's Son and that is none else. Believethat He can save you from sin. And thatHe made it possible with His death andresurrection. Change your allegianceand repent of your sins. Then obey Himbecause you love Him. Faith and obedience go together. Believe and obey.

the New Testament records thatthe disciples wereso moved in body andheart by His death and resurrection thattheyrisked their lives for the sake oftelling it, to others. Some even diedbecause for it. But we tell you verysimply, you can believe in a risen anda . living Lord, and give your entire lifeto Him in trust and confidence. Thiscan be a real resurrection in your life,as you obey Him and rise to walk innewness of life.

10

Reprinted from HEBBON MESSENGER

RULING, TOILING, WATCHINGC. R, Golsworthy

^"For theSon of man is as a rnantaking a far journey, who left his houseand gave ayXhority to his servants, andto every man his work, and commanded,the porter to watch'' {Mark 13:34).

One of the marvels of Christ^sministry was His ability to present theprofoundest verities in the simplest andbriefest terms. In the above one-sentence story^ there is, for those who haveeyes to see it, a concentration of deepchurch truth, and a survey of the wholepresent dispensation. Surely, Neverman spake likethis man.'^ (John 7:46).

Our Lord is telling of a wealthyhouseowner who, obliged to undertakesome foreign travel, preceded hisdeparture by assembling his employeesand explaining what would need to bedone during^ his absence. Some, itseems, weregiven '*power of attorney,qualifying them to negotiate variousbusiness transactions during the periodof the master^s absence. Others werebriefed concerningpractical tasks needing to be undertaken either in the'fields or in the homestead itself.Uppermost in the householder's mindseeined to be his concern that those leftbehind should remain constantly alertand on the lookout for his return. Thewhole chapter, we notice, deals with ourLord's second coming, and revolvesaround the statement of verse twenty-six: "And they shall see the Son of mancoming in the clouds of heaven withpower and great glory." Our brief storyis evidently intended to bear down uponthat truth, and to show us, in composite form, what it is that the Lordexpects from His people, the church,during the period of His absence fromihem.

According to the story. His out"standing concerns are three:

1. HE WANTS US TO EXERCISEAUTHORITY DURING HISABSENCE.

This, tve notice, is the first mattermentioned:- " He gave authority to His.servants." Without a doubt, one of thegreatest revelations of the New Testa-nient is that the "church" is a companyof people "called out" for ADMINISTRATION I The Greek word '^ eccle-

ts applied in Acts 19:39 to a groupof citizens called out to exerciseauthority in civic afiairs. In like manner,we may say our Lord's '^'church'' is"called oiit" to exercise His delegatedauthority in the existing spiritual realm.(Pleasesee Matt.! 6;19). The samewordsare repeated exactly a little later mconnection ..with the church as locallyexpressed (Matt. I8;I8), emphasizingagain that this is a people called out"for administration and authority. Thisauthorityis clearly ours from our AbsentMaster, and it may be used to the degree"in which we ourselves are truly subjecfto his'will. With it, we may bind God'senemies, and even resist the devil himself, so that he flees from us (James 4:7)And, by this authority, we may loosespiritual situations and set captives free(Acts 26:18, etc). This, evidently, is tobe a primary function of the churchduring the period of our Master'sabsence. Have we caught the vision?Are we being faithful?

The second point our Lord wouldmake plan is that:

2. HE HAS WORK FOR US TODO DURING HIS ABSENCE.

1!

We are told that this householder^^gave to every man his work" andcertainly none would question that there is much for God's people to doduring the period of Christ's absence.Immediately prior to His going, ourLord said, '*Go ye into all the world,and preach the gospel to everycreature." The fact is that, as the Lord'speople, we have been ''^ put in trust withthe gospel," and much seedsowing,worldwide, needs tc be done. To Peterthe word was Feed My sheep," and" Feed My lambs "(John 21:15-17); adifferent task, but in the same^'house-hold." All this is heavy work, but theLord '^enables us, putting us, into theministry." (I Tim. 1:12).

None of these tasks, of course, areto be undertaken in natural or fleshlystrength, but sometimes we do need tobe reminded that there are TOILS INTHE SPIRIT which we are to knowduring the period of our Master'sabsence

(See Rom. 16:12; I Cor. 2:4; Col.I : 29; etc). Paul told the Corinthiansto be ^'steadfast and unmovable, alwaysabounding in the work of the Lord,"(I Cor. IS ; 58), and in the same chapter he says that he labours more abundantly than they all, '^yet not I, butthe grace of God which was with me."(V. 10).

It is true, then, that our DivineMaster has given to every man his workduring this period of his absence, andall to be fulfilled in the energies of HisSpirit. Whether our task be out in thefield sowing the seed, or inside the^'house" (See i Tim 3 15). keeping itorderly and beautiful for our Lord, it isall one work undertaken for Hispleasure. And, of course, there will bethe joys of harvest, and the Joy too, ofseeing the Lord's ^^house" manifestingits true beauty as the saints grow in

grace and in the knowledge of theirLord. And all is in anticipation of theMaster's coming.

Finally, it is clear from the storythat ;

3. OUR LORD HAS A SPECIALDESIRE IN HIS HEART THAT HISPEOPLE BE CONSTANTLY WAT-CHING FOR HIS RETURN.

We are told concerning this householder that ^'He commanded the porterto WATCH" and we notice that it isthis phrase, particularly, which is selected for special emphasis. (See vss. 33,35, 37 *^Watch"). Our Lord surely realised that it was this expectation of Hiscoming, this joy of meeting Him again,that would provide the essential motivation for deligence in his business, andpersistence in the various toils andduties allotted to us. (Please see Luke12 35,36).

This surely has an unmistakablemessage for us. Taking a general surveyof all that is said to the church for thisparticular age, we would say that our ,Lord's paramount concern is that weshould be a people, "Looking for thatBlessed Hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our SaviourJesus Christ." (Tit.2:l3). Even ourregular participation at His Table is tobe till He come" (I Cor. 11:26) orshall we say, in eager anticipation ofHis return. None would deny that alldown through the centuries, the promiseof the Lord's coming has been like alamp in the night, and has broughtuntold comforts and encouragements toGod's saints. But, as the actual timedraws near, and the explicit signs beginto be fulfilled, how much more wouldwe be found earnestly watching!"

Paul tells us the Lord is going togive a "crown of righteousness" tothose who " Love His appearing "

{Continued on Page 14)12

THEOLOGY FROM THE PULPIT

Sanctifieation - The Progress of a ChristianLEONARD W, THOMPSON.

Intro, Confusion over sanctifieationleads to many false teachings.

Examples : ^^Saved but not Sanctified'^leads to lack of assuranceabout salvation.

"Once saved, always saved"offshoot' of '^predestination" leaching etc.

Prop. A Christian is sanctified andwill be sanctified. (Sounds con-tradictory-but it is not).

J. Meaning of the word 'sanctifieation.''

Root Greek word: HAGIOS.Basic meaning-holyj set apart.Sometimes used for 'saint'.

II. A Christian is a 'sanctified' person.

This is in the sence of being setapart.

It is initiated at Conversion.

We enter a new category3 gainnew status3 are legally newpeople.

Since God-holy and righteous-has acted on us-by imputing tous righteousness-and cancellingsin, we become 'set apart', orholy. 1 Peter 1:23 Heb. 13:12.

Warning: This view if taken as theonly view is far too limited.

lUus. Acts R. Simon was 'saved' (hebelieved arid was baptized).But he fell. We pan say he losthis original "sanctifieation".

John, warns that we are notcompletely 'perfect'. I John.1:8, 9.

HI. The Christian will be sanctified.

True sanctifieation (perfection)will occur in eternity. But theprocess or progress is NOW.

1. God is the Author. I Thess. 5:23, 2^ jHeb. 13:20, 213 John 15:^3Eph 3:l6~etc.

2. The Holy Spirit is the primaryagent. The Holy Spirit is givento us to make us holy.Rom. :ll3 15:16.

3 Man has a definite role to play-a roleof co-operation with God.Rom. 12:9,16,17; I Cor. 6:9, 10.

7F. Christian growth is the individual's responsibility towards sanctifieation.

1. Basic ccncept-Grow in grace andknowledge. II Peter 3:18.

2. We should control the old man?kill him; mortify him (in termsof desires). Rom; 6:1-113 Col..3:5-1C3 Gal. 5:24.

3. The 'new' man should be cultivatedand nourished. Col. 3.T-33 12-17.

13

'ihm. We can air out an old, mustybuilding* by opening thewindows. Simultaneously freshair comes in.

a. Intellect involved (understanding) - John 6 ; 45.

b. Will involved - Phil. 2;13.. c. Passions involved - Gal. 5;24.

d Conscience involved - Titusl:15.

4. Diligence to holy living enjoined-Rom. 8;12, ISj Gal. 6:7, 8, 15.

5. The Word of God used by thespirit towards sanctification.Similarly, the Lord^s Supper.

Conclusion: Realizing the true natureof sanctification we should be-t) tolerant of others. 2) Assuredof our own salvation. BUTtoday you can evaluate yourselfin the light of God's Word :Where am I on the path ofsanctification?

[Continued from Page 12)(2 Tim. 4: 8), and we need to realisethat this is something very differentfrom just expecting a scheduled coming.It is a devoted friend and worshipperwho really LOVES the appearing, andthat, we fear, cannot be said of allChristians. It is one thing to be waitingat an airport, timetable in hand, forthe arrival of some important official,but quite another to be waiting therefor the yearned-for, home coming of abeloved Mother or Father or ElderBrother.

We believe these are days when ablood-bought church should be waitingon tiptoe, faces aglow, arms outstretched to welcome Him :Who loved usunto death, rose again, and promisedHe would come back.

O may our Master find us waitingand watching when He returns. He hasgiven us His authority, and to everyman his work. May none of us beashamed before Him at His coming.(I John 2128).-^

^{Continued from Pagt 0)(Mark 3:35). As our brother, Jesus hasgiven us.examples in living which cannever be gainsaid. Because He sharedour sufferings in the flesh, we feel closerto Him than we do to the Father.

Because of our feeling of closenessto Jesus, some are more inclined to prayto Jesus than to the Father. It is notwrong for us to talk with our ElderBrother, especially when He has promised to be with us until the end of theworld. Jesus is always ready and happyto give us the help which an elderbrother in His exalted position can give.We must not, however, forget the teaching and example of Jesus in praying tothe Father.

We have a Companion - Brothers alsohave their limitations. That is why wechoose companions. As King Solomonsaid,'^Iherc is a friend that stickethcloser than a brother" ^Proverbs 18:24).

Jesus described the Holy Spirit asa paraclete - a companion, helper andadvocate who walks side by side withus.

It is very difficult, if not impossi ble,Xo define the difference between Christliving within us and the Holy Spiritliving with us. Jesus wanted us to know,though, that in the Holy Spirit we havea companion that is even closer than abrother.

Seeing that we have a Father, aBrother^ !and a Companion who arealways near and dear to us, we neednever feel lonely or fearful or distressed.

We need only be sure that we aretruly heirs of His wonderful promise.^*If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments," He said. (John 14 ; 15,American Standard Version)*

14

CROSS - CROSS - CROSSV. GNANASIKHAMANI

Probably the most celebrated reli-'ious sign of the world is the cross. Itbecame so after the death of the world'sSaviour^ the Son of God upon it. It isindisputably a historical cross andaround it hinges the eternal destiny ofmankind.

In the cover picture we see a childborn with the sign of a cross on itschest. Though some attempted toremove this sign, they were not able todo it. This unusual thing happened inthe city of Madras. The Baby was bornon Oct. 5, 1974 to Mr. & Mrs. Rama-samy, a middle class family living inthe Kalaigner Karunanithi Nagar. It isthe fifth child of this non - Christianparents. 1 he father is an atheist. Someunusual characteristics of the child werealso reported in the news papers.

It aroused no little interest in theneighbourhood. Even the Governmenttransport authorities arranged specialbuses to visit the baby for sometime.

Many have attempted to interpretthe sign in different ways. Whateverthe interpretations are, one thing isdefinite and demanding, that is itreminds us of the cross of Christ. Andthat cross of Christ has a special andunavoidable meaning to everyone bornin this world both to know and to applyto daily life. The application whetherpossitive or negative has everlastinginfluence on human life. Hence humanresponsibility to respond to the devinepurpose of the death of Christ is amatter of eternal life and death.

Cursed and blessed

The death of a man on a cross wasunanimously considered as the most

horrible form of death. This kind ofdeath was meant for criminals of theworst type. It served as a punishmentfor thecriminal and also has a publicwarning.

The disobedient man in the Gardenof Eden invited divine curse upon thisearth. God told Adam :

Because thou hast hearkened untothe voice of thy wifcj and hast eaten ofthe tree,- of which I commanded thee,saying, Thou shall not eat of it: cursedIS the ground for thy Sake; in sorrowshalt thou eat of it all the days of thylife; thorns also and thistles shall itbring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat theherb of the f ield^ in the sweat of thy faceshalt thou eat bread, till thou return untothe ground; for out of it wast thou taken-,for dust thou art, and untodust shalt thoureturn. Geh. 3:17-19.

No it did not end there.

Wherefore, as by one man sin enteredinto the world, and death by sin; and sodeath passed upon all men, for that allhave sinned. Rom. 5.12, also see Rom.3:23; 6:23.

Further God's word tells us "alllike sheep have gone astrayj we haveturned everyone to his own way"(Isa. 53 :6) but bur loving heavenlyFather did not leave us to die in ouriniquities and perish for ever, instead,,

The Lord haih laid on him (Jesus)the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53.-6). Inotherwords "Christ hath redeemed usfrom the curse of the law, being made acurse of the law, being made a cursefor us, for it is written, cursed iseveryone that hangeth on a tree."Gal. 3:13.

15

In our place God put His only Sonbe cursed and be nailed to the horriblecross. William Smith writes^ **The Crosson which our Saviour suffered is said tohave been discovered in A.D. 326, andto this day the supposed title, or ratherfragments of it are shown to the peopleonce a year ..^^

Christ who made Himself *a cursefor us' and was nailed to the cross didnot end up there. God shattered thespangs of death and raised His Son onthe third day. The cursed death for oursake became also the blessed death forour sake Jesus become the blessedSaviour of the world. The sign of thecross also became a blessed one. Hearthe paean of His glory :

Wherefore Ood also hath highly exalted hirn,) a*^d given him a name which isabove every name : that at the name ofJesus every knee should bow, of things inheaven, and things in earth, and thingsvnder the earth; and that every tongueshould confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the gloryof God the Father,Phil,2:9-11.

The Means of SalvationBefore He went to the cross Jesus

Himself declared: ^*As Moses lifted upthe serpent in the wilderness, even somust the Son of Man be lifted up thatwhosoever believeth in him should notperish, but have eternal life" (Jn. 3 14,15). In the wilderness of this sinfulworld the Son of Man was lifted up onthe cross. Unless the people of theworld believe on Him they wilT nothave eternal life. His blood that wasshed on the cross became the healingbalin of our sins and the price of oursoul's redemption. Christ finished hiswork of redemption, when he said '^itis finished on tne cross.

Whose Cross to Bear

The Cross has become the meansof our salvation and the unique sign of

victory over sin and death. Some hangit around their necks others have dilfe-rent ways in bearing the sign of cross.

In fact while we stand errect and ifwe stretch forth our hands on the opposite side in parallel we can by ourselvesmake a cross. So naturally-provideniia-lly, our physical bodies are framed inthe form of a cross. Perhaps there is adivine mystery in that the Son of Goddied upon a type of cross which we canmake with outstretched' hands ratherthan one of the other common types ofcrosses used in that day. However thefact is Jesus never asked us to carry Hiscross as some are doing today.

Instead He declared:"If any man will come after me, let him denyhimself, and take up his cross, and followme. Mat. 16:24.

From this declaration of Jesus itis disticntly clear that we are not tocarry a sign of the cross. This may notbe objectionable if some do wear it butthat each of us should carry-bear ourown indivlJual crosses is clear.

Again this does not at all meanthat we should create a cross of our ownliking either in form cr life and bear it.In other words we can't do it simplyaccording to our will and pleasure. Ourcross mtist be in the imitation of thecross of Christ as revealed in God'sWord.

This we can do, Firstly, by *deny-ing ourselves'. This requires faith inChrist and a self denial - refusal to sin-a thorough repentance. Unless we denyour-selves to sin we can't let Christcome into ourselves to live. Paul says,

I am crucified with Christ". Gal 2:20;see also Acts 9;18, This we actually doin our obedience to the Lord in baptismas penitent belevers, where we really

taste the death of Christ. And it isthere we apply His precious blood toour sin sick soul; RoiA.6:3. The crucifionof the old man of sin does take placeat baptism^ we are burried with Himand are risen with Him into a newnessof life. The Spirit of God makes thechange within us. From there on wetake up our cross-our individual Christian life-after the imitation of ourLord. This we may call the secondstage. And the third stage in bearingour cross is to ^Tollow Him." (SeeRom. 12:1,2.)Again listen to what Paul says,

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless Ilive; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: andthe life which I now live in the flesh I liveby the faith of the Son of God, who lovedme, and gave himself for me. Gal, 2:20; alsosee Rom. 6:4-13; Acts. 2:42.In this bearing of our cross and

following Jesus we must be faithful

until death to receive the crown of lifePlease note, when we follow Christ wefollow a living Saviour and He is able tolead us until the Final Day and rewardus with the crown of eternal life. Mat.28 : 203 Rev. 2; 10.

Dear friend, whose cross are youbearing, a sign of the cross, your owncreated cross or. ^*... his cross ..." -thecross-your cross after the manner ofChrist? Jesus says;

if anyone wants to be a follower of minelet him deny himselfand take up HIS CROSSand follow me. For anyone who keeps hislifefor himself shall lose it; and anyonewho loses his life for me shall find it again.What profit is, there if you gain the wholeworld - and lose eternal life.? What can becompared with the value of eternal life? ForI, the Son of Mankind, shall come with myangels in the glory of my Father and judgeeach person according to his deeds. Mat.16:24-27. (The Living Bible.)

Statement about Ownership and other Particulars about theNewspaper CHRISTASIAN to he Published in the First Issue of

every year after the last Day of February.FORM IV (See Rule 8)

1. Place of publication :

2. Periodicity of its publication3. Printer^s Name:

Nationality .-Address ;

4. Publisher's Name :Nationality ;Address .-

5. Editor's Name :Nationality:Address :

6. Name and addresses of the individuals who own the Newspaper andpartners or share - holders holdingmore than one percent of the totalcapital.

V. Gnanasikhamani, hereby declare that the particulars given aboveare true to the best of my knowledge and belief.Dt. 1, March 1975.

288, Thazhankuppam High Road,Ennore, Madras-37.Bi-MonthlyG John SoundaranathanIndian25, First Main Street,UlaganathapuramEnnore, Madras-57.V. GnanasikhamaniIndian288, Thazhankuppam High Road,Ennore, Madras-57.V. GnanasikhamaniIndian288, Thazhankuppam High Road,Ennore, Madras-57.

Kalisiya Sahayak Sanstha3/83, VishnupuriKanpur, UP. 208-002.

17(Sd.) V. GNANASIKHAMANI.

Regd^Ne; 453^

The Gate to Enter the Church and the way tofirmly stand in it.

'The Son of Man in hands of Gracious beautyTook bread and brake

And offered thanks and gave to His disciples.As thus He spake:

/'This is My Body now to death deliveredYour life to be.

This is My Body, do this and in doingRemember Me.^'

'He took the cup of fragrant wine and blessed itand charged them plain:

"Drink this} it is your Saviour's life-bloodFor sinners slain.

This blood shall seal the new covenant established'Twixt God and men;

Nor will I drink till in My Father's kingdomWe meet again."

'Thus He who came to earth in human likenessThat we might live^

Then to the Father, whom such live constrainedHis Son to Give,

Jesus the Lord bade them in pure thanksgivingTheir hearts to raise.

And sweetly lifted they with holy voicesA Psalm of praise.

Jesus, our Lord, on earth a Church ordainedThe world's bright sun,

That thence the Gospel rays might cleave the darknessOf creeds foredone:

Two sacraments from her divine preceptorTwo founts of grace.

First Baptism, second this most holy BanquetShe doth embrace.

'Whoso believes the Son of God, The sinless.Hath borne our sin, ^ "

Into the Church through the gate of Baptism r :Must enter in3 ^

And whoso in true faith this Food recelevth ^With trembling hand, /

Saved by the precious Blood in that salvationShall firmly stand. ^

From the 'History of Salvation' by H. A. K.}

(

News of Ralph ''Bud" Barter of Kanpur, Indiapresently on furlough at Box 144, Clinton, OH, 44216

Telephone (1-216)-882-3785 and ask for "Bud"EOm AT lAST

During the last week ofJanuary, Tomniy and I travelled 1500 miles south to Madras where I helped to organise the Tamil publicationswork of Dr. Don DeWelt andDr. {to be) T. Gnanasikha-mani. Of course I got to

preach several times too.Inflation has also hit the

Indian railways but you canstill travel 1500 miles foronly $10 if you go by 2ndClass. The 1500 mile triptakes 48 hours.

Riots between Hindus andMuslims broke out in Kanpurduring our absence. At firstthere was a 35 hour curfewfollowed by two weeks ofnightly curfews.

One of the letters awaiting my return from Madrasvjas one from the state government of Uttar Pradeshsaying that they had no objection to my return toIndia and that I could dropby and pick up my permit. Itstill took another 10 days

to wind things up but Feb.12th found me on board PanAra's Flite ffl to New York.Although the 27 hour fliteincluded stops at Teheran,Beirut, Istanbul, Frankfortand London, I did not leavethe aircraft (Jumbo 747) until we reached New York.

JFK airport was diggingout from under a heavy snowfall and only one runwa