Harvest Times

1 June 2012 / Volume 9 Issue 6Harvest Times for Your Family

One verse of a popular hymn by Jamie Owens-Collins runs like this:

This takes us back to the time of King Saul of Israel. The Philistines army was in battle array with the giant Goliath ready to lead them. There would have been glee on his face as he thought that the end of the game was near. The Philistines were seething as they thought of the time when they were displaced from their strongholds during the time of Joshua. The skirmishes had gone on regularly from then. But the Israelites could not be thrown out as Jehovah Himself was leading them. But now is the chance, they thought. The Israelites had rejected the rule of Jehovah in asking for a King like the nations around. The battle was fought by the wisdom and strategy of the king. Goliath stood before the army of Saul and challenged them and mocked them. And the 'people of God' trembled. Had they got a chance they probably would have fled the scene.

This is what happens when the people of God stop being under the sovereign rule of God and start depending on their own wisdom and strength. There will be self-seeking, quarrel, failure and disappointment. But, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up,” says James (Jam. 4:10). Even after giving the great commission to the disciples, the Lord instructed them not to do anything until the Holy Spirit had come to take charge. Because the early disciples were willing to do everything under His command, their achievement was disproportionate to their natural abilities.

When the young lad David comes into the picture, he is conscious of the fact that Israel was to fight their battles under the Lord of Hosts. So the Israelite army was not servants of King Saul, but “the armies of the living God” (1Sam. 17:26). The same living God had proved Himself to David in his fight with the lion and the bear and he was sure of His assistance even now: “The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (1Sam. 17:37). For him it was not the reputation of the king or any human that was at stake, it was the Name of God that was challenged by the giant.

Human wisdom demanded that David be trained in the art of warfare and use the armour and the sword. But for him, the Name of the living God Jehovah was enough for his protection as well as for defeating the enemy. So he declared boldly: The battle is the LORD's. And God honoured his simple faith.

In our present times we see the Evil one seething and roaring and looking around to see whom to devour. The power of darkness is indeed coming like a flood. This may be happening in our personal life, church life, or work life. The enemy's strategy is simple: to make us afraid and to distract us from the work the Lord has assigned to us. Nehemiah faced this situation while rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. But what was his reaction when prophets told him about the threat to his life and urged him to hide in the temple? He perceived that they were the words of false prophets and refused to budge. He refused to be distracted from the work at hand. So he could finish the work in a record time.

When we feel discouraged because of the stormy attacks against us, remember that the battle is the Lord's and sing the traditional Negro Spiritual:

“The power of darkness comes in like a floodThe battle belongs to the LordHe's raised up a standard, the power of His bloodThe battle belongs to the Lord.”

Stand the storm, it won't be long,We'll anchor bye and bye.

Sam N [email protected]

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

EDITORIAL


To some 'desire' is a perfume. To others it is an ignoble and illegal affair seeking self-

gratification. For the Buddhist it is the root cause of all evil. They assume that less desire brings less evil. But desiring to see and seek Jesus can make a sea change in our lives.

The sinful tax collector Zacchaeus wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way as he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. He worked out a way to fulfill the desire. He climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus as He was passing through Jericho (Luke 19:3, 4 MSG). The earnest desire of Zacchaeus led to the deliverance of this miserable man. Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this home.”

The thief on the cross spoke to Jesus. Both were hanging on the cross in mid air. They were on the verge of death. He did nothing to merit that talk with the sinless Saviour. Jesus honoured his sincerity in seeking Jesus. He assured him. “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Prodigal came to his senses to return to the father hoping to become a servant: “All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, ‘Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’” (Luke 15:17-19 MSG)

None of the above people were qualified in any way to claim any thing except that they all desired to see, speak and show up to the King of Kings.

Hezekiah prayed to grant them their requests even though they were not fit to have access to the temple, and God in mercy and faithfulness granted what they

sought. God responded to Hezekiah's prayer and healed the people – everyone who sincerely desired for God even those who did not meet the conditions stated for access to The Temple" (2Chro. 30:19,20 MSG).

This is good news – more than good. It is the best news for all humans on planet earth. None of us have done anything to merit access to the Saviour. But we have received grace.

May God stir up your heart to seek Him? Let Him give you the desires. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matt. 7:7 NASB).

Other times our desires are not fulfilled. James cautions us on this: You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures (Jam. 4:1,3 NASB). The blessings we receive are not to end with us. They have to be a blessing to many as He reveals. That is the way of the Lord. God said to Abraham “I will bless you and you will be blessing.”

May God stir up your heart to seek Him? Let Him give you the noble desire to see Jesus, speak to him to remember you, come to your senses to return, even if you have wasted your life in indulgence and ignorance. This desire to ask, seek, and knock is the way to walk with Jesus to His Kingdom.

Now what is expected of us? In Jesus' very words: "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you (Matt. 5:48 MSG).

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Desire- K. J. Joseph

DEVOTIONAL

May He grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your counsel!

Do you know where your fights and arguments come from? They come from the selfish desires that war within you.

(Psalm 20:4 NASB)

(James 4:1 NCV)


Chapter fourteen of John's Gospel gives a heart-melting address of our Lord to the disciples on

the last night before He died. During His discourse Jesus revealed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” This is His sixth claim that shows His Deity.

Our Lord was comforting His disciples because their hearts were troubled.” Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). They were troubled because their Master would remain with them only a 'little while' and another reason was that the Lord had said that one of them would betray Him. Also, He had warned Peter that he would deny his Lord thrice. Jesus was going to leave them. Where was He going? Could they go with Him? How could they get where He was going?

The only remedy for the troubled hearts is to believe in God and also in Christ (Jn. 14:1). Almighty God is our father and God knows what is best for us and He makes all things work together for our good. He is on the throne controlling every situation. Christ loved us and died for our sins and rose again on the third day and interceding for us before God the Father.

Our Lord had revealed about the Father, His house and the many mansions there. Also He said He is going to prepare a place and He promised to come back to receive His people unto Himself.

The glories and blessedness of Heaven are brought before us in the New Testament in different names such as 'country' (Lk: 19:12, Heb: 11:16); 'city' (Heb:

11:16, Rev. 21); 'kingdom' (2Pet. 1:11); 'paradise' (Luke 23:43, Rev. 2:7). It is called Father's house because it is permanent. The Father's house speaks of home, the home of God and His people. There is no place like home because it is the place where we are loved and the place where we are always welcome. It is the place where we can enjoy rest and peace always.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). Jesus is preparing a place for His people. He will never take His people into a place before the preparations are complete. While He was on earth Jesus was known as a carpenter. Now He has returned to glory and building a church on earth and a home for that church in heaven.

Here is a great promise of our Lord's return to His people, “I will come again” (Jn.14:3). Some will go through the valley of death, but those who are alive at His return will never see death and will be changed (Jn. 11:25-26, 1Thess. 4:13-18). Jesus will come in person to receive us unto Himself as He promised, “that where I am there ye may be also.” How precious we must be for Him!

Jesus was not pointing towards the way or teaching about the way but

He said He was the way.

MEDITATIONS

– Thomas Mathew

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

The Great I Ams of Christ - 6

(Jn.14:6)


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“And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? (John 14:4-5). Lord, where are You going? The same question was asked to the Lord by Peter only a short time before. 'Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, “Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards”' (John 13:36).

Though the Lord said where He was going and why He was going, the disciples did not understand it. Thomas became rationalistic and materialistic and what the Lord said was unreal to him. When he said to the Lord we do not know where He was going or the way to that place, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (Jn. 14:6).

Jesus Christ is the way. Jesus was not pointing towards the way or teaching about the way but He said He was the way. He is the way to the Father, the way to heaven, and the way to eternal blessedness. Man has lost his way because of his sin. The Bible says that every human is a sinner. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way” (Isa. 53:6). “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Pro.16:25). “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Sinful man cannot reach God or please Him through his own ways, such as his religion, good works, and pilgrimages etc. However, God loves mankind and has made a way for our salvation. It is through the sacrificial death of His own Son, Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.

Jesus Christ is the Truth. God alone is truth and Jesus Christ is the truth because He is the Son of God incarnated in Human flesh. Truth should be seen in a person not in a philosophy. Grace and truth came to the world through Jesus Christ. He said, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” Many things in this world that seem like truth make man into slaves. The first man Adam believed the Devil's lie, and ever since then the mankind is suffering under the slavery of sin and death. Only Jesus Christ can save you from the slavery of sin, superstition, and eternal death.

Jesus Christ is the Life. Natural man is spiritually dead to heavenly things though he is alive to the things of this world. His greatest need is eternal life and only

Jesus can impart that life because He is the Life. He said “…I am come that they might have life and they might have it more abundantly.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who so ever believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life.” He raised dead people and His resurrection itself is an evidence that proves that He is the life.

It was Jesus who revealed God as the Heavenly Father. Such a unique revelation cannot be seen in any other religions of this world. True knowledge of

Father cannot be obtained without the true knowledge of the Son. Philip wanted to see the Father. (Jn.14:8) He was unable to understand what the Lord had just said to Thomas. The Word, made flesh, was tabernacling among men, and His glory was “the glory of the only begotten of the Father.” He was the visible image of the invisible God. He was the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Yes, the glorious revelation of Deity was in front of him, yet he couldn't see! Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father…..” Christ was in the Father and the Father was in Him. Both His words and deeds revealed the Father (Jn. 14:7-11; 10:30; 2Jn. 9).

Dear reader, Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Have you accepted Him as your personal Lord and Saviour?

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True knowledge of the Father cannot be obtained without the

true knowledge of the Son.

the


T

The Essential Glory

The Express Image

Christ's Path to Glory

Eyewitnesses of His Glory

Nature cannot reveal God’s very essence to the human mind

Christ's suffering was His chosen path to glory.

he Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Logos who became flesh, possesses the essential glory of His

deity. As the Word Incarnate who dwelt on the earth, he radiated yet another glory, the glory of his sinless humanity. Irrefutably, he was fully God and fully man.

The essential glory that is innate or inherent in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is well beyond human speculation, comprehension and expression. The Scriptures do, of course, provide glittering glimpses of the effulgence and power of His glory. This glory, which is immeasurably brighter than the noon-day sun, blinded Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:3) and laid the apostle John prostrate, as though dead, on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:17).

The Lord either veiled or put aside his glory when he came to the earth in human likeness. In the course of his long intercessory prayer (on behalf of his chosen disciples and those who would follow him in the future), just hours before his arrest, Jesus referred to the glory he had with his Heavenly Father before the world began: “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5 NIV).

Nature (God's creative work) reveals God's existence and eternal power (Rom. 1:20); it cannot, however, reveal his very essence to the human mind.

That Jesus Christ alone is “the image of the invisible God” in all His glory, goodness and grace is borne out

by the Scriptures. The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians affirms this theological truth in Chapter 1, verse 15. The Epistle to the Hebrews is more emphatic in this regard: “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being …” (1:3 NIV).

The term 'image' used in Colossians 1:15 means an exact representation, as the NIV aptly says in Hebrews 1:3 or, more simply, it means a revelation of something original. In this context, Jesus' own assertion that “… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9) clinches the theological position of His being the only image of the Heavenly Father.

Undoubtedly, Christ's suffering was His chosen path to glory. The resurrected Jesus, in the course of his animated conversation with the two believers who were travelling on the road to Emmaus, highlighted this aspect by making an exclamatory statement, followed by a rhetorical question: “…. How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and enter his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26 NIV).

During the earthly ministry of Jesus, many people had witnessed his power and been the recipients of his abundant grace and abounding goodness. But only Peter, James and John, who constituted the

– K.T. Thomas

The Glory of the Lord

STUDY


inner circle of Jesus, had the privilege of witnessing the splendour of the Lord's glory that flashed forth at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Inspired as he was by the magnificent sight of the revealed majesty of Jesus, Peter declared in his Second Epistle (1:16 NIV): “…. we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

The apostle John, another witness of the Lord's glory, enthusiastically recorded thus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NKJV). Significantly, the popular scriptural expression “full of grace and truth” is an emphatic reference to the sum total of divine revelation.

This article seeks to bring into focus, albeit briefly, the following scriptural perspectives concerning the Lord's glory.

Paul asserts in Philippians 2:6,7 that Jesus came to be a man in every sense of the word, with divine rights, attributes and prerogatives. Jesus was both

(the essential form of God) and (the form of a servant) at the same time. In

His deity, He possesses the glory inherent in the godhead, a glory beyond the brightness of the noon-day sun and more splendid than the rainbow in the sky.

Importantly, the term 'firstborn' does not refer to time but to place and status. 'Firstborn' simply means 'prior to all creation'. Jesus Christ is not a created being; he is eternal God. As the “firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15), Jesus has all glory, priority and pre-eminence.

Jesus is the designated heir of all things (Heb. 1:2). As the Creator and Heir of all things, He is the true reflection of the Heavenly Father's majesty, power and authority.

The Jewish and Roman detractors and foes of Jesus

gave him several inglorious names aimed at mocking him but the Heavenly Father gave him a glorious name that is above every name (Phil. 2:9), a name that echoes down the corridors of time like a melodious anthem sung by a thousand choirs, a name that is more meaningful and powerful than all the names in the world put together.

As the Head of the Church (Eph. 5:23), Jesus is invested with absolute authority and crowned with glory.

Jesus is seated on the throne at the right hand of the Father in heaven. This enthronement was the fulfillment of the Father's promise to His Son: “…… Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” (Ps. 110:1 NIV)

The Epistle to the Hebrews (8:1) affirms that Jesus is our High Priest, the kind of High Priest who meets our need and whose priesthood is perfect, permanent and superior unlike the imperfect and impermanent Levitical priesthood under the Old Testament. The majesty of his Priesthood is an integral part of His overall glory.

Most importantly, the born-again believers are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). They, with resurrected or translated bodies, shall see the Lord as He is (1John 3:2). They are seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6b). They “will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him” over the earth (Rev. 20:6b). They will be co-judges with Christ, as is scripturally evident: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world” (1Cor. 6:2a NIV).

Considering the above mentioned spiritual privileges and prerogatives, may every Christian be filled with the resolve and longing of the apostle Paul, as expressed in his letter to the Philippians (3:13b and 14 NIV): “… But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

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“morphe theou” “morphe doulos”

Seven Positional Aspects of His Glory

1. Co-Equal, Co-Existent and Co-Eternal With the Heavenly Father

2. The Firstborn Over All Creation

3. The Heir of All Things

4. His Name is Above Every Name

5. The Head of the Church

6. He Is Enthroned at the Right Hand of The Father

7. He Is Our High Priest

The Privileges and Prerogatives of Saints

Harvest Times for Your Family 7 June 2012 / Volume 9 Issue 6

Though politics is not everything but there is almost no sphere of life that is directly or

indirectly affected by politics. We cannot escape from political life in the society. Also, believers must know that the confession 'Jesus is Lord' has immediate political implications for the Church in the world. Christian involvement in politics comes with its own set of certain responsibility. They must be transparent in financial dealing and they should not lord over others but be an example to them.

Leader Must Have Servant Nature

In response to the crisis of leadership in 21st century, Robert K. Greenleaf, in his book Servant Leadership says, “Leadership is bestowed upon a person who was by nature a servant.” This implies that Christian leadership is given to those having servant nature. In Mark 10:42-45, Jesus Himself said that His followers must have servant nature. Jesus wanted to impart the spirit of servanthood and a sense of personal commitment and identity. He did it through love so that His followers would also be completely possessed by His love. The world should be saved through Him and His teaching. There is no finer teaching on Christian leadership than what Jesus taught. God must be known and that not simply by name. God must be known as God! Christian politicians must take this up as a great privilege. To make God known is his special task as a Christian as well as the politician. In this regard, one should know that the great commission does not spell out all the duties of the Church in the world or the total mission of the Church. It concerns itself primarily with the outreach of the Church into the world of the non believers, whoever they may be.

Christian politicians must take up the responsibility to spread the gospel through his lifestyle and attitudes. Moreover, they should remember the life of Joseph, the son of Israel who became a slave before he rose to political power in Egypt. He served his master Potiphar faithfully and even inside the prison and also in Prime Ministerial post, he continued to serve. Likewise, a person should continue to have a servant nature even though his social status changes. Therefore, more servants should emerge as leaders. This shows that before a person takes the leadership role, he must be a servant first. Further, Jesus strongly recommended that if someone wants to be great in heaven, he must be a servant of all.

The rise and fall of the church recorded in history mostly depended on leadership. Good leadership is essential for any joint human endeavor, but even more so in the kingdom of God. It means the real leaders are in short supply. Constantly, people and groups search for them. Throughout the Bible, God searched for leaders too. The Bible in its totality points only to one intention of God: to save mankind. Those who would be leaders here have the responsibility to know what it is that they believe to be able to defend the faith and to know those whom they lead.

Integrity is very closely related to humility. Integrity which includes humility is the foundational virtue of leadership. Henry Nouwen points that humility is ultimately, “staying close to the ground, to people, to everyday life, to what is happening with all its down-to-earthness.” Without it, a leader is no more than a manager at best and a manipulator and controller at worst. Because of the godless character of the

A Leader must be Transparent in Finance

– Yumri Taipodia, Itanagar

A Christian in a Political Office

LEADERSHIP

Mark 10:42-45


societies, the poor often find themselves the victim of social injustice and psychological oppression by a society that equates their poverty with God's disfavour. So, integrity is central to all leadership whether religious or secular. For this reason the society needs leaders who are consistent, dependable and has integrity. Other than that, when a person uses Satan's method to achieve their goals in life’ he is really bowing down to Satan. It may be true during elections.

Without proving their integrity in finance and showing concern for the poor, Christian politicians cannot get overwhelmed by the position and hide under bed or escape to the mountains. Such activities will not have a lasting impact on the needy of the world. As law makers Christian politicians must pursue, in State Assembly and Parliament House, making laws which give a lasting solution to economic injustice. He can also initiate revoking laws which are not in harmony with the will of God. In this regard the people's great expectation is personal holiness from their leaders. This is a bigger challenge than that of money and wealth.

As their responsibilities grow bigger, their dealings became more complex because lots of funding and power flows through their office. The prophet Samuel in the Bible also had all the privileges of political power of the nation and was the king maker of Israel; but he never misused it for personal gain. Christian politicians can also maintain integrity in election time and even in official financial transactions. People will then come to the saving knowledge of Christ when the gospel is proclaimed to them.

An authentic recognition of the Lordship of Christ means seeing Him as Lord of all. He is not merely 'my Lord' or even just the Lord of the Church. Rather, He is the Lord of the whole of creation which includes all social and political realms, rulers and structures in all nations. This means God is for both Christians and non-Christians. He is the master and ruler of everyone. So, Christian politicians must recognize the truth that they have only one Lord. In this context Mark 10:42-45 is one of the best-known passages on leadership in the Bible. According to this passage a Christian leader is very different from the secular one. The kingdom leadership is in contrast to worldly patterns, in so far they involve 'lording it over' the

other. The basic qualification for spiritual leaders is that they be living demonstrations of the reality of all that they teach. They should not be mere preachers but must be doers also. So, Christian politicians must remember that the Bible objects to any power that dominates, subjugates and suppresses human lives. So they should not lord over the people at any cost but serve them like a servant so that people may come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ in the place where they serve.

More than anything else, a Christian politician should never forget that sitting in political office for a long or short period should not be their only desire. It is not even the most important thing or a holy cause for a faithful believer where they can give their first priority to achieve their dream at any cost. In their busy schedule or engagement in public dealings, Christian politicians should not forget to be the part of Church and her mission work. They can worship the Lord in every activity and maintain Christian identity in private and public place.

They must take responsibility to share the gospel to fellow politicians as God has given them the privilege. They can also serve God in elite groups, especially to government employees and business men. Also they can openly witness Christ to those who have never heard about Him especially in their respective constituencies from the place where they got elected. They should admit that political office is the best platform to show Christ's love and do charity in a bigger way. Political seat is important because it is a place where Christian politicians can make laws which are in harmony with the Scripture. In addition to that, it is a place where they can easily nurture the Biblical truth and justice and make better societies where both Christians and non-Christians may enjoy heaven - like experience in their brief sojourn on this beautiful world. Whereas sharing the Good News from political office will lead not only to abundance on this earth but also give eternal life in heaven. As believers rejoice in the importance but limited results that flow from obligation of a Christian in the Political Office. Christian politicians must participate in the unlimited, eternal blessings that flow from sharing the gospel from a political office.

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Leaders Must Not Lord Over Others

Conclusion


The other day I was watching the DVD 'Candle in the Dark' on the life of William Carey, who is

known as the 'Father of Missions'. After a perilous 5-month long ship journey, William Carey and his family entered the Bay of Bengal and the Hubly River. Then in the dark they took a boat to a spot near Calcutta and entered the city late at night. This was because the British East India Company did not want missionaries in India, as it would upset their trade with the Indians. Mrs Carey complained, “We have come all the way here and now we are unwanted and illegal immigrants!” “No, my dear,” replied Carey, “we are ambassadors for Christ!”

Paul says, “He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God was making his appeal through us. ” Like William Carey we are all called, young or old, male or female, to be ambassadors for Christ. This is the Mission of reconciliation the God has entrusted to us.

Our theme is 'The Cross: the Mission of Reconciliation'. As we look at the Cross, what do we see? Just a lonely figure hanging there or a door into the future? As we view life through the cross we will look at things differently. The cross highlights sin but it also emphasises salvation. The Cross opens up to us victories and new visions. It is a place of blessing and a place of redemption. The cross illustrates the love of God. But it is not just a love that we can keep for ourselves. No it is a love we need to share with others.

Let us look at this topic under 3 headings – the Meaning of Reconciliation, the Means of Reconciliation and the Mission of Reconciliation.

Reconciliation means the bringing together of two warring parties and doing away with their enmity or bridging the two quarrelling parties. It implies that the two parties that are now reconciled were formerly hostile to one another. In Biblical terms it talks of reconciling us to God. The Fall led to a breakdown of relationships between humans and God and consequently between humans and other humans and between humans and nature. It is from this position that we need to be reconciled to God. The New Testament tells us bluntly that we as sinners are enemies of God. Romans 5:10 says, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Paul is more blunt in Colossians 1: 21-22 where he says, “And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him.” We should not minimise the seriousness of these passages. An enemy is one who is not a friend but is in the other camp. He is a 'hostile' opponent as Paul describes us in Colossians 1:21 and one who is 'estranged' or separated from God. It is in this desperate situation that God had to intervene through Christ so that we could be reconciled and restored to fellowship with God. That was the original intention of Creation where Adam and his wife had full fellowship with God and walked with him in the Garden of Eden. This perfect relationship was destroyed and the Fall led to the need for reconciliation.

The Meaning of Reconciliation

– Peter S. C. Pothan

The Cross – The Mission of Reconciliation

CHARGE

(2Corinthians 5:19-21)


New Testament nowhere speaks of Christ reconciling God to man.

Salvation is the transformation from our own egos and lives into

a relationship with God.

The Means of Reconciliation

The Mission of Reconciliation

It is interesting to note that the New Testament nowhere speaks of Christ reconciling God to man. Instead the stress is on man being reconciled. This is very important to understand. It is man's sin that caused the enmity. Thus it is man's sin that has to be dealt with. So man has to “be reconciled to God” as 2Corinthians 5:20 says. Unfortunately, Mankind as a whole does not seem to be worried by this estrangement and the barrier between God and himself. So God had to take the initiative and break down the barrier, thus reconciling man to God. As Romans 5: 10 says, “For while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” This brings us to my second point.

The means of reconciliation is the death of Christ on the Cross. Paul says this twice in 2Corinthians 5:18-19. He says, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” Christ's death on the cross broke down the barrier between God and man that sin had raised at the time of the Fall. It was the perfect sacrifice having its effects both God-ward and man-ward. No wonder Paul appeals, “We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” He emphasizes, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This reconciliation is proffered to us so that we will receive the double benefits of being righteous and being reconciled to God. Can we refuse such a great offer? The writer to the Hebrews says, “so Christ was sacrificed once to bear the sins of many people, and he will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Heb. 9:28).

As 1John 4:10-11 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” The New Dictionary of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology: comments: “These two sentences in the N.T.

encapsulate the four most distinctive features of the Christian love ethic. It is theocentric because the origin of genuine loving lies in God's gracious initiative. It is Christocentric, in that the Son is the focal point of the Father's love. It is active and self-sacrificial, reaching its peak in the death of Christ. And it demands a reciprocal, imitative response from those who are its beneficiaries.”

As we have just noted, the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross does not only bring reconciliation for us personally but it also “demands a reciprocal, imitative response from those who are its beneficiaries.” No wonder Paul says, “Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” We have to take the good news of reconciliation to others. We need to be reconciled not only to God, but also to our fellow humans and to nature. All these were destroyed with the Fall and we need to reconcile in all these three areas. I am not going into the details. But we need to note that the Mission of Reconciliation covers all these areas.

Reconciliation is not just a process but it is also a relationship. This is true and complete salvation and the true meaning of reconciliation. It is the restoration of the relationship with God. As Oswald Sanders says, “Salvation is not merely deliverance from sin, nor the experience of personal holiness; the Salvation of God is deliverance out of self entirely into union with Him.” Salvation is the transformation from our own egos and lives into a relationship with God. That mean we have to share what we have received with others. It is not just for the Pastor, not just for the missionary., not just for the evangelist, but all of us young or old, male or female, have to share the good news of reconciliation. As the chorus goes “Freely you have received, freely give, go in my name and because you believe others will also live.”

May God help us as we do the mission of reconciliation to our neighbours, our colleagues and our friends.

[email protected]

Peter went to many towns and cities to tell people about the Lord Jesus.

At a seaside town called Joppa, there lived a lady called Dorcas.

Dorcas loved the Lord Jesus. Because of this love, she did all she could to help other people.

She fed the poor.

She made clothes for those who needed them.

Because she l __ __ __ __the Lord Jesus.

Q: write down the name of the town where Dorcas lived.

Q: Why did Dorcas help other people?

Below the picture,


READ:

KEY VERSE:

Ask someone to help

you find this verse

Acts 9: 32-43

Acts 9: 42

6/12 5 - 10 years

BibletimeStory 1 Peter Helps Dorcas


But, one day, Dorcas became very ill and died. Everyone was sad about this.

Peter was visiting Joppa at this time. Two men went to get Peter. They said to him,“Please come at once”.

Straight away, Peter went to where Dorcas lived. When he arrived at her house he went inside, knelt down and prayed. Then Peter said,“Dorcas, get up!”

Peter took Dorcas by the hand and helped her to her feet. She was now alive and well!

Because of this wonderful miracle, many people believed in the Lord Jesus and became Christians. Have you believed in the Lord Jesus?

Everyone was happy.

Everyone was sad.

Q: Underline the sentence which describes how everyone felt when Dorcas died.

Colour the words and picture.

Q: What did the men say to Peter?

Acts 9: 42

P __ __ __ __ __

c __ __ __ a __

o __ __ __ .

13Harvest Times for Your Family

Story 2 Peter Has a Vision

READ:

KEY VERSE:

Ask someone to help

you find this verse

Matthew Acts 10: 9-23

Acts 3: 16

June 2012 / Volume 9 Issue 6

After Dorcas had come back to life, Peter stayed in Joppa for some time.

Peter thought that the Lord Jesus had died only for His own people, the Jews. However, while Peter was still in Joppa, staying at a house belonging to a man called Simon, God taught Peter a very important lesson.

At midday, Peter was praying. God spoke to Peter and told him that God loves everyone and everything He has made.

Three times God told Peter that everyone, not just the Jewish people, are important to Him. While Peter was thinking about what God had said, three men arrived at the house. These men invited Peter to go with them to the house of a man who was a Roman army officer, called Cornelius.

Simon’s house Dorcas’ house Philip’s house

P __ __ __ __ __ __ .

Q: Whose house was Peter staying at? (Underline the correct answer)

Q: What was Peter doing at midday?

Q: Shade in the number of men who came to see Peter.

Cornelius lived about 40 miles away, in Caesarea. But he was a foreigner. Peter had never been in the house of someone from another country. What was he going to do?


Dear parents and Sunday school teachers,

You may make photo copies of Kidz Bible Time (4 pages) and distribute them among children. Please collect the answer scripts and send them to Candelina.

Editor

Answer scripts will be returned after correction.

Hey Kids, Just pull out these four pages

and send to

CandelinaPost Box 565

Bangalore - 560 005

Please send the answer to Mumbaido not

Peter remembered what he had just learned - everyone is important to God, no matter from what country he comes.

1. What was the name ofthe town where Peterwas staying?

2. To whose house wasPeter invited?

3. At whose house wasPeter staying?

4. Who was praying atmidday?

The next day, Peter went with the three men to see Cornelius.

If we have believed in the Lord Jesus, that’s great! But the Good News about the Lord Jesus isn’t just for us - it’s for everyone at our school, in our street and all over the world!

Ask God to help you to tell others about Jesus.

Q: Put the answer to these questions in the Crossword.

Q: Colour the words.

John 3: 16

I

3

1

J

OC2

P4


- Cynthia John

“But I already know this story!” Sonia said. “I have heard the story of Noah in Sunday School a hundred times.”

“But there's always a new way to use what we learn,” her Sunday School teacher said.

Sonia nodded. She knew that the story of Noah teaches us to obey God without question, even if others don't understand. She knew Noah trusted God fully. She just didn't want to think about Noah at this moment. She began thinking about her fight with her best friend, Nina, the previous day. She knew she should not have yelled at her, or spoken harsh words, but she had.

'I don't care!' she told herself. 'Nina deserved them. She hurt me so much by telling Vinitha my secret.'

Her mind came back to the Sunday School class as she heard the teacher say something about doing the right thing because God tells us to, even when we don't feel like it. She found herself thinking about Nina. 'Maybe I should have had some more self-control. Maybe I should have forgiven her immediately...'

'What have I been doing in Sunday School all these years?' she wondered. I am learning all the lessons but I am not really following them. That makes me like the foolish man, who built his house on the sand. Jesus said, “...everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:26,27

Yes, that can be true for many people. We know the

Bible stories, we know what each story teaches, but we don't really use it in our lives.

We know the Lord's Prayer by heart, but we may not really care about whether “His will” is done or not.

We may know that God wants us to be forgiving, but may not be on speaking terms with a friend who did something we did not like.

What is really important is having a real, living relationship with Jesus. It is not a future relationship, or a past one, but a real-time one.

“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” John 15: 14. 15

If you consider Jesus your friend, you can confide your greatest secrets, and share your dreams and thoughts. Do you do that every day? Just speaking to Him in your heart is enough. He is listening. He knows you are speaking to Him. Consider Him a real person who is with you and keep talking to Him. You can't see Him but He can see you. As you keep praying, you will see Him reply by changing things in your life, by answering your requests, guiding your heart and fulfilling your desires.

When we ask God for forgiveness through Jesus, He forgives us and makes us pure in heart, so that we can now have fellowship with God, who is perfect. Jesus

Building a relationship with Jesus

He calls us His friends

Jesus is our Saviour


(All questions from Gospel According to Matthew chapter 5)

1. To whom did Jesus teach the Beatitudes [the sayings stating with 'Blessed are']

2. Who will inherit the earth according to Christ's teaching?

3. Who will see God?

4. What will the peacemakers be called?

5. When we are persecuted what does the Lord want us to do?

6. Two things to which Jesus compared the disciples to.

7. Who will be called great in heaven?

8. Who will be in danger of hell fire?

9. What should we do to the evil person?

10. How should we deal with the enemies?

For 11 to 14 year olds

BO 1. Tamar, Rachab, Ruth, Mary [Matt. 1:3,5,16]

2. 42 generations [Matt. 1:17

3. Isaiah [Isa. 7:14]

4. Emmanuel [Matt. 1:23]

5. Micah [Mic. 5:2]

Winners of BQApril 2012

The answers and names of the winners will be published after two months. Answers should reach us before 7th July 2012. Answers to be sent only on postcards. The publisher’s decision is final. Answers received without name, address or age will not be evaluated. Send your answers with your name, age and complete postal address to:

HT-Explorers, GLS Publishing,

Udyog Bhavan, 250 D, Worli Colony,

Mumbai 400 030

6. Chief Priests and Scribes [Matt. 2:4]

7. Only Jesus [Matt.2:11]

8. Egypt [Matt. 2:

9. About two years [Matt. 2:16]

10. Archelaus [Matt.2:22]

BQ June 2012

Answers of April 2012 BQ

took our punishment on the cross – the punishment for all our sins. That makes it possible for us to receive forgiveness so that we can stand before God and have fellowship with Him.

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:7-9

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!...” 1John 3:1

God has given us the great privilege of being His children. That means we can trust Him to provide for our needs. Do you trust Him, whatever your need? Do you believe He is in control of everything that is

happening to you? Do you turn to Him when you are worried, afraid or sad?

Our relationship with God is based on His love for us. This love also implies that we need to love others – everyone. Are we trying to love our family, friends, classmates and enemies as much as we love ourselves?

Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12

This verse also tells us about the need for love in our lives. “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1John 2: 9-11

[email protected]

God is our Father

God is Love

Sorry No Winners


Everything is easier said than done. It's probably always been this way, and maybe you may chuckle

reading this considering how ironic it sounds, like someone preaching about how difficult it is to practice what he preaches.

If you go regularly to a church or any kind of fellowship, you may become conditioned to the idea of a sermon, or a message which leaves a thought or teaches you a discipline. If you are of the intellectual bent of mind, you probably have a lot of knowledge about basic bible truths and practices from books, documentaries etc. All of this is good and essential but pointless if the preaching doesn't become the practice. Many a time we wonder through our expertly critical lenses if the preacher himself is practicing the message, without realizing the importance of applying them. On the other hand, if you've been or are part of a Christian ministry you may feel that getting things done for God is what growing in the Lord is all about.

I remember waking up one morning from a blissful state of spiritual self-satisfaction thanks to being humbled in my worldly circumstances realizing that I had hardly grown in the Lord. All the things that I could personally attest to my faith were still linked to my salvation or once in a blue moon victories while the rest felt like bookish knowledge or borrowed faith. It was a crippling feeling and I wondered why, having learnt the doctrines and being fairly involved with the ministry, I felt this way.

Sharing the same with my friends Jamie and Jordan, this is what I learnt. Jamie is a few years younger and a mature believer. I often look up to him as a role model because he often takes the initiative for a new activity, has a high degree of maturity and is blessed with many gifts and talents. However, these days he confessed that he has become a little discouraged, a bit by personal failures and also sometimes by the attitudes of those around him. Jordan on the other hand is having an up

in his spiritual life after many a down. It's a joy watching and interacting with him these days but at the same time he also confesses that there are times when he craves the approval of fellow believers and oftentimes he feels guilty thinking that he is doing all things for his own glory.

Let us consider a few attitudes and mindsets that we often fall prey to in our spiritual walk.

As such there is much to be learned by being involved and by using our talents for God's glory but there is a small caveat there. Let us remember that it is God who orders our steps and our stops and we need to seek His wisdom and sometimes just patiently wait for Him. Also, being involved in the ministry has a feel-good factor which glosses over our flaws.

Every Christian goes through ups and downs in life, especially when things don't go the expected way. Elijah for example was running away from the king, fearing for his life when he heard the still, small voice of God. Similarly, it gets difficult for us if we are unable to see the hand of God in the ups and downs in life.

At times our past and present mistakes, both confessed and unconfessed, cripple us to the extent of despair. It is here that we may underestimate the forgiveness and mercy of God. David was called a man after God's own heart not because he was perfect but because he confessed and pleaded for mercy with an honest heart. The same should be the case with us. We need to check our understanding of God's promises if we ever feel like our sins are too great to forgive.

This is so obviously wrong but so obviously common that we can only attribute it to the problem with the human condition. The disciples who

:

Getting-things-done-for-God phase:

Discouraged phase:

Ashamed-and-guilty phase

Vainglory phase:

- Joe Cheeran


Answers should reach us before 7th July 2012. The Answers and Winners will be published only after 2 months. Answers should be sent only on postcards. The publisher's decision is final. Answers received without name, address or age will not be evaluated. Send your answers with your name and complete

postal address to: HT-Challengers, GLS Publishing, Udyog Bhavan, 250 D, Worli Colony, Mumbai 400 030.

CROSSWORD15 - 19 years

Across

1. The weeping prophet [8]

5. At Gethsemane Peter cut off this organ of Malchus [3]

6. Jonathan's son was brought from the house of this man to King David's court [6]

8. Noah was to bring two of every - - - - of living beings into the ark (KJV) [4]

9. Place for the spirits of the dead. Translated hell in KJV. [5]

10. James in his epistle exhorts the believers to be this also, not being only a hearer [4]

11. Jesus advised the fault-finders to remove this first from their eyes. [4]

13. One group of philosophers Apostle Paul found at Athens [6]

14. People welcomed Jesus with the branches of this tree when he entered Jerusalem riding on an ass. [4]

1 He was a prominent elder of Jerusalem Church. [5]

2. Asaph worked as this under King Hezekiah [8]

3. This king got John the Baptist killed [5]

Down

June2012

April 2012 Crossword Winners

April 2012 Crossword

Answers

spent so much time with the Lord themselves argued among them as to who was greater. This is a road, if gone unchecked, often leads to severe disciplining.

You can't say much about someone who doesn'tdo anything, be it good or bad. The Bible however clearly says that we are stewards of time, resources and talents and we must be faithful. Else there will come a day when the master will return and label us 'unjust' as in the parable. Also, doing nothing is the easiest way out and we must therefore guard against it.

It is not easy and probably never will be but growing in the Lord involves willingness on our part coupled with a desire to be humble. Romans 12:1-2 as a friend pointed out is the principle in place, and we must live our lives with eternity as the goal, with the ability to discern the perfect will of God. This is like an ox at the plough. The ox needs two things to complete its task – The

willingness to bear the load (taking the yoke) and the submission to go in the direction the master guides (following His will). All too often we manage to do one but not the other. This renders us ineffective as believers.

Talk is cheap and it has never solved anything. Many of us are gifted in many ways and churched to different levels. Here's a challenge I would like to place. Pick a Christian quality that you don't practice because you've never felt inclined to, it could be anything from witnessing, to showing brotherly love or maybe even something smaller, like a small kind deed. Try practicing the same continuously looking and asking God for His help and wisdom. Do it with discipline, patience and show self-control with a clean heart and watch your faith grow. It's never too late, but better late than never.

Tough words, tougher to practice, but then again it has always been easier said than done.

I-do-nothing phase:THE CHALLENGE:

4. Paul compares a loveless person to this [5]

7. One of the wells that Isaac's servants dug [8]

10. Ac cor d i ng to c re a t ion description darkness was on the face of this. [4]

12. Wood of this tree was used for making idols according to Isaiah 44. [3]

Gurpreet Singh

Jenny Uasih

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S.D. Tenzing

Sonam P. Tenzing Bhutia

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YES, NO, WAIT are the three answers God gives to our prayers. But how is it that we only

acknowledge the answer 'YES'. Other times we say – 'I am praying about so and so matter but God is not answering' or 'God is taking His time to answer.' God always answers, it is not in His nature to turn a deaf ear to His children, but we in our selfish nature only want 'YES' to be His answer to all our requests.

Imagine yourself to be an independent woman having a good job. After marriage and children, God asks you to be a fulltime homemaker. Your repeated requests for a job are an empathetic NO. God says – “I will provide all your needs (not wants) but I need you to stay home.” What would be your reaction?

When God says 'no' to any of our small requests or big decisions we react in different ways:

Many of us immediately react in this way. We refuse to believe that this answer is coming from God. “I love God so much, I am a good Christian so He can't say no to this prayer of mine.” We live in denial and keep on praying. When asked about it, we respond by saying “God is taking His own time to answer.”

r become angry with Him. More than denial, this is the reaction that hurts God more. Many Christians have rejected God when God said 'no' to their requests, especially when they have prayed for healing from some major disease for themselves or for their loved ones.

It is a fatal mistake to assume that God's goal for our lives is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do

with material abundance, and faithfulness to God does not guarantee success in a career or even in ministry. In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life. We are not completely happy here because we are not supposed to be! Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better. We are made for eternity.

: Mature Christians will accept God's answer of NO even though they find it hard to do so. If our life's aim is to do God's will in everything, then we accept His answer. We may not understand His answer, but understanding can wait, but obedience can't. We may question God's answer, ask Him for the reason and God may or may not give us His reasons. But we should always remember that as we are God's children, He only has His best for us.

I have a friend whose lifelong ambition was to adopt a child. When her marriage got delayed she decided that as soon as she turned 30 she would go ahead with the adoption. She is a believer and she wanted only a believer to be her life partner. She wanted the proposal to come via her parents but since her parents are orthodox Christians, it seemed highly unlikely that she would ever get married. On her 30th birthday she contacted a law firm to start the legal process of adoption. But God said NO. She couldn't understand God's reasons for saying 'no'. She was trying to give a better life to one of His children. Why would God object to such a noble cause? But God said, “My dear child, what you are trying to do is a good thing but this is not what I have planned for your life.” After much

We refuse to accept it as coming from God:

We rebel against God o

We accept it as His will

- Jessy Mathai


Accidents, sickness, tsunami, drought, depression, inflation, politics, suicides, shattered dreams,

broken homes—an endless list! This is what the world offers to us today. These things visit us sooner or later in life and sweep away all that looked beautiful, as if somebody accidentally spills water over a beautiful landscape being painted by an artist. And 'Alas! What a tragedy!' we say.

A keen observer of life would be able to see the real picture of today's world. Does anything look beautiful? Does anything seem meaningful and worthwhile? The whole world is like a rattrap offering baits to trap us. All the glamour and the pomp is only a trumpet to herald the approaching vanity.

Death, an inevitable fact, takes over as the Grand Finale. This world is not our home. Some of us have witnessed the most vicious demonstration of death in the lives our loved ones. A terminal illness, an incurable disease, or a tragic mishap leaves one's dear one look repulsive and ugly and in a pitiable state. It leaves us shocked and shattered. The doctor offers no hope. He has given up.

Does the curtain of life fall at Death? Is the play over? It is said, “Dust thou art, to dust thou shall return.” Are the ashes the end of everything?

NO! All glory and praise to the Lord who said, “I am the resurrection and life.” (John 11:25).

The ashes are only the beginning, only a curtain raiser of the Drama of a new life. How many lives, like mine, have seen the meaning, purpose, direction and the beauty of real life, because of the death of a loved one! Death is only an eye opener to see the stark realities of life. Every funeral service of a believer is the stage to proclaim the Victory, “Where, O death, is your victory, where, O death, is your sting?” (I Cor. 15:55-57).

Death, your sting turns me to ashes

My God gives me beauty for ashes!

Shakespeare writes:

“All the World's a Stage

And all the men and women merely players…..''

Beauty for Ashes! – Nirmala Masih

Father, sometimes You and I, Your wayward child,Fall out.So often I can not understandYour way, and want to haveMy way.

Forgive me for doubtingYour love. Forgive my bitter heart.Teach me to count Your blessings.

I want to get out of the Mire of my bitterness But can not. I stretch out my handsIn dumb pleaFor Your help. Wash away my dirt, Take meIn Your arms again.

It's dark and drearyWithout the sunshine ofYour love. Take my wretched heart,Warm it by Your love.

Father, there's all I needIn You. You give what is best, You are the best for me. Hold me close to You.

Prayer – Malsawmi Jacob

crying and questioning she said “not my will but thine Lord.” Today she is happily married to a believer and is the mother of a beautiful child.

Every time we trust God's wisdom and do whatever He says, even when we don't understand it, we deepen our friendship with God. And when we find it difficult to accept God's 'No,' let's just remember the CROSS – an example for the toughest NO God ever had to say.


We are venturing into an area on the purpose of education in a Christian's life. We try to do this

in the light of Psalm 19 that begins,

In this Psalm we read about what is written in the heavens and the expanse (verses 1-6) and what is written in the written Word of God (verses 7-14). To make our venture brief, let us limit our writings to Newton's Laws of Motion. We hope that you could expand this to many other areas that you will come across in your higher studies. If you wish additional illustrations, please let the editor of Harvest Times know about it, and we could provide at least one more example. We wish you a bight Christian testimony in your life for the glory of God.

There are three laws of Newton that are known as the laws of forces. The first is the law of inertia. The second is the law of acceleration of forces. The third is the law on the reaction of forces.

A body will remain at rest unless compelled by an external force. A body set in motion would continue its motion with a uniform velocity in a straight line (rectilinear) unless it is influenced by another force.

This law is also known as the 'Law of Inertia.' It tells that in nature there is a tendency in all things not to change from its original form or actions, unless it is compelled to change by a force from outside. In other words, the external force is a force that creates unbalance in the system of things.

We read in Genesis 2 and 3, how God created all things, including Adam and the Woman and placed them in the Garden of Eden. At that time, they were innocent and did not know about good and evil. They only knew about good, God. As they were

living in the knowledge of Good in happy fellowship with God, Satan came and provided the outside influence to change the course of human history. When Adam and the Woman subjected themselves to the influence of the words of Satan, they became sinners, knowing not only good, but also evil. If Adam and the woman did not subject themselves to the outside influence of Satan, they would have remained in the state of being innocent knowing only Good (Elohim – God, his Creator – Luke 18:18-19) and not evil. When they subjected themselves to the influence of Satan, they became naked, cunning, and sinners. According to the Newton's first law, the state of being stable and in control, knowing only Good, was the state of inertia. God placed this law for man to discover (Ecclesiastes 1:14) and Sir Isaac Newton discovered it and provided it to mankind with the name of the 'law of inertia.'

After man became disobedient, naked, cunning, and sinner he is under a new state and that is under the wrath of God (John 3:16). All who are born under sin are under the wrath of God, and that is the new state of being under a new inertia. To change this state God provided a Mediator between God and man, Lord Jesus Christ – the Man. This perfect Man, Christ Jesus, also provided a new force to change the inertia under which Adam placed all men. That force is the Power from heaven (Acts 1:8), the Holy Spirit, that came to baptize all believers into the new position, the body of Christ. This Power from heaven indwells in us, giving us a new understanding about God. We are anointed with the same Power from heaven, giving us the outward acceptance of God to the enemy, Satan. We are also sealed with the same Power from heaven, telling the enemy that we belong to God and He that is within us is greater than Satan himself. The same Power from heaven is also given

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the expanse shows the works of His hands.”

Newton's Laws:

Newton's First Law:

– Dr. George P. Koshy

BIBLE AND SCIENCE

The Purpose of Education and Newton's Laws of Motion


to us as an earnest of our hope in the promises of God. We are provided with a force to influence us from inside and outside so we could change the direction of our going and turn to a new path, the straight and narrow Way to the Father.

This is what we should learn, when we think about Newton's first law of motion.

The relationship between an object's mass 'm,' its acceleration and the applied force is = m . Newton wrote this as d(mv)/dt, because he was not of the opinion that mass is constant. Later, others assumed that mass is constant and hence the modified equation that we use, = m .

Acceleration and force are vectors (as indicated by their symbols being displayed in slant bold font. A 'vector force' has both magnitude and direction. A 'scalar force' has only the magnitude and not the direction.); in this law, the direction of the vector force is the same as the direction of the acceleration vector.

On earth, this law is: = m , which provides /m = , or W/g = m. [Where, = weight, m = mass, =

gravity]

Newton's second law differs from the law of Aristotle. Aristotle's law was, F = mv, where 'v' is the velocity. According to Aristotle, a force has only velocity. According to Newton, an object will maintain its initial velocity unless it is compelled to change it by an external force. This change of velocity is acceleration. The principle of acceleration demands that the change depends on the mass of the object. That is, greater the mass, greater the force to produce acceleration. Newton's second law of motion is the most powerful of the three laws, because it allows quantitative calculations of dynamics.

We could see God's wisdom in this law. God teaches us from nature how we should conduct our life as children of God. If we consider our mental actions as the mass, 'm,' and the changes in our mental activities as the acceleration, then the resulting force will be equal to their products. Using the formula = m , we could imagine the force that is required to change our mind to repentance. If we accelerate our pace of actions, then the force needed to change our course also will increase. When we surrender our mind and will to God, then the acceleration ceases and our

mental activities approaches unity, 1. This is the requirement of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ showed this at Gethsemane, when He prayed,

(Mark 14:36) God told us about His will in the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit convicts and guides us. God requires us to be obedient to Him. Therefore, the force that is required to change our course should come from us, if not; we will grieve the Holy Spirit. It is written in Ephesians 4:30,

The required force is always within our capabilities and we should never forget this fact.

When we are baptized, indwelt, anointed, and sealed with the Holy Spirit, then we are under a new force that is greater than all other forces, including Satan, and by surrendering our mind and will to God we will be in a new course. That new course is to the Father's house. Now we have a new direction and are guided by the Holy Spirit we could reach our destination, to be with the Lord forever.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It says, for every force there is a reaction force that is equal in size, but opposite in direction. That is, whenever an object pushes another object it gets pushed back in the opposite direction equally hard. This principle is used in the transportation industry. Planes go forward because of the force that is exerted backward. Rockets go up, when the force is exerted downward.

What do this force in nature teaches? It tells us that we are bound in our natural bodies with the law of sin. We read about this in the epistle to the Romans. Apostle Paul also wrote that the victory is in Christ. If we ask for the help from God, the Holy Spirit will help us to produce the counteractive force to overcome the guiles of the Devil and we will propel ourselves toward God. The more we fight against the enemy, the more we draw closer to God. If depends on our surrendering of our will to that of God. We should not forget that we are called the children of God not by our will, but by the will of God. We are to make our decision as to which direction we ought to be traveling in our spiritual life. When we want to move towards God and His word, then we will exert the

“… But not what I will, but what You will.”

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you have been sealed for the day of redemption.”

Newton's Second Law:

Newton's Third Law:

'aF F a

F a

W g Wg W g

F a

,'

24


BOOK STUDY

– Richard Masih

Job is famous for his blamelessness and righteousness (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3). Apart from the

book of Job, he is also mentioned in Ezekiel 14:14 (Righteousness) and in James 5:11 (Steadfastness).

In the book of Job, we have: study

1. Prologue – Job versus Satan (1-2).

2. Dialogue – Job's opening lamentation (3); three cycles of speeches (4-37), God's closing intervention (38-41).

3. Epilogue – Job's confession, vindication and restoration (42:1-17).

(Outline taken from 'Explore the Book' by J. Sidlow Baxter)

Now let us look at the man himself:

He was committed to the sovereignty of God. Even when disaster struck Job, his reaction was: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (1:21). He was committed to the faithfulness of God. “Though he slay me, I will hope in him” (13:15). He was committed to God's word. “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food” (23:12). He was committed to maintaining his purity. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin” (31:1).

He was confident that his Redeemer is a living Redeemer. He is not dead and lifeless like the idols of the world. “For I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25a) He was confident that no matter what he was going through one day his Redeemer will take his stand. “…and at the last he will stand upon the earth” (Job 19:25b). This twofold knowledge of God gives great strength and endurance to any child of God who may be going through dark periods in his life. Job was not disappointed in his confidence. At the end he was vindicated and his fortunes were restored (Job

42:10a). The LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10b). The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning (Job 42:12).

Job's heartfelt cry was that there was no arbiter between him and God. “There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both” (Job 9:33). His second cry was to know where to find God so that he may go to him and lay his case before him. “Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat” (Job 23:3)! His third cry was for the long gone days when all was well with him. “Oh, that I were in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me” (Job 29:2)! His fourth cry was that there was no one to hear him. “Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!) Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary” (Job 31:35)! Haven't we all felt at one time or the other, these cry rising within us. But we don't have to go anywhere to find God. He is with us wherever we are. We have our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ to mediate for us (1Timothy 2:5).

Job also, in the midst of his relentless pain, had uttered things what he did not know or understand. “…I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:3). But now he confesses the omnipotence of God. “I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Omnipotence of God is very comforting to a child of God. His God can do all things. There is nothing which is impossible with him (Genesis 18:14; Matthew 19:46). Rather than speaking hastily of the things which we don't understand, we better leave them to God (Psalm 131:1). Or else, we might be guilty of 'darkening God's counsel by words without knowledge' (Job 38:2; 42:3a). But we can certainly ask God to help us understand if it so pleases him (Jeremiah 33:3).

a. Job's Commitment

b. Job's Confidence

c. Job's Cry

d. Job's Confession

June 2012 / Volume 9 Issue 624Harvest Times for Your Family

e. Job's Correction

Job corrects himself in dust and ashes. “…therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). Earlier Job had sat in the ashes with a piece of broken pottery with which to scrap himself to ease his discomfort (Job 2:8). He was reduced to dust and ashes (Job 30:19). But now he is sitting in dust and ashes in repentance. Pouring dust and ashes on one's head was a sign of grieving (Job 2:12; 2Samuel 13:19) and a sign of repentance (Jonah 3:6; Matthew 11:21). Speaking of oneself as dust and ashes was a

sign of humility (Genesis 18:27). It is better to humble oneself before God and repent than to resist and rebel against God. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Let us be committed to and confident in God. Our cry has been heard by God. Let us confess not only our sins but God's goodness and greatness as well. Let us correct ourselves wherever correction is needed.

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force against the wiles of the enemy. On the other hand, the leaders of all unscriptural sects and their followers will use their force against God and His word, and they are propelled towards their benefactor, the Satan.

We have seen that the laws that God placed in nature at creation have spiritual significance. This spiritual significance is not visible to the world. It will become visible, if and only if we try to understand their significance in the light of the Word of God. These laws are in existence in nature as the shadows of things that are in the Word of God. The shadows are visible only if light is shining on things and they fall on the opposite side of the light in relation to the things. In general, the shadows seem to be attached to the thing. The shapes of the shadows vary according to the surface on which they are projected and the angle in which they fall. The intensity of the shadows is proportional to that of the light. Brighter the light, sharper the shadows will be. The shadows provide only the outline of the thing and not the thing itself. The knowledge of the thing will help a person to understand the shadow and its implication better. So is our knowledge about the laws of nature as shadows of the spiritual laws of our life.

This is why it is written in Genesis 1:31,

The purpose of education should be to find the good that God found in His creation at the end of the sixth day.

“And God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good.”

contd. form 22

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