At this Christmas, Jesus Christ knocks at your door...

The true meaning of Christmas is often lost in the midst of all its present day commercialization – brightly illuminated stars, colourful cakes, fancy cribs, expensive greeting cards, imported trees, jazzy carol singing, Santa Claus in all his attire and all his gifts.

True Christmas is actually all about Gods initiative to connect with mankind – and at this Christmas time - with you as a person. God loves you and desires to have a personal relationship with you. For this very purpose Jesus Christ was born into this world and that is what we truly celebrate about at Christmas time. His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary knocked at many doors in Bethlehem for a place to lay their newly born child, but most refused to give them any place to stay. Finally an Inn keeper allowed them to share space in his backyard animal shed. Likewise today, Jesus Christ is gently knocking at the door of your heart. You may be reluctant to open the doors of your life to Him because you may have a past that you are ashamed of. But Jesus Christ is willing to come in, if only you will allow Him to do so. He can walk into those places of sin and failure, wipe the slate clean and give you a new beginning. If you open the door of your heart to Jesus, he will surly come in and be a faithful friend to you. You need a friend. Jesus knows the worst about you, yet He believes the best. Why? Because He loves you not only as you are now, but He also sees the potential for all you can be in Him and with Him.

If you would like to begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ today, talk to Him in prayer. Invite Him into your life. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus Christ says: ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.’ If you are one who has done so before, maybe there is some facet of your life that you are yet to allow Him in. You can consider opening up that room of your life for His lordship.

May this Christmas be most meaningful because you opened the door of your heart so that Jesus Christ may be born there, may live and reign there, transforming your life once and for ever.

Wishing you a very meaningful Christmas and a Christ directed New Year!

Gods will is often plain and simple

If God wants us to be doing His will, then why is finding His will so difficult? The truth is that Gods will is often plain, simple and readily available, but unfortunately we have made it seem complicated and hard to find. 

The will of God is not a road map, mysteriously hidden and waiting to be discovered somewhere. Instead, it is a path that God wants us to walk everyday and every moment of our life. The will of God is clearly given to us from cover to cover in Scripture.  It is not intended to be found; it is intended to be read, studied, understood and simply followed.

While we must submit in advance to Gods ultimate overruling of our plans, we must not view God as a deterministic deity who has planned out every single step we are supposed to take. Many spend countless hours praying about and seeking those steps. Deep inside, they also worry about missing God’s will. The truth is that in the issues for which we often seek guidance, namely: which course or college should I join, what job or vocation should I take up and whom should I marry, God has only given us the guiding principles. If equal options remain after all those guiding principles have been carefully applied, God in His graciousness has allowed us the freedom to make our own choices based on our preferences. This freedom to choose actually empowers us to do Gods will rather than grope  blindly in the dark hoping that we hit some cosmic bull’s eye called God’s will. While God does give us the freedom to choose, He also wants us to be responsible for the choices that we make, remembering that the choices that we make can have very significant consequences, the ripples of which may even be felt on the shores of eternity.  

In every decision, we must pray to God for help, trust His wisdom, and submit to what is already revealed in Scripture. The fact that God never fails to fulfil His sovereign will should allow us to languish for some supernatural intervention to jerk us out of slumber. We ought to keep moving forward, one step at a time, based on the light that we have already received. This process would involve serious study of the Scripture to find out what principles apply to the decision at hand, seeking wise counsel, asking the opinion of those who have walked these paths before, reflecting our thoughts with faithful mentors and searching the World Wide Web. Good decisions are always the fruit of homework done well. The earlier we do the homework, the better equipped we are when the hour of decision falls upon us. Moving forward also helps us to realise what is actually available out there in the market place. It cuts to size our unrealistic expectations and enables us to operate in sync with the ground realities of our times. As we prayerfully go about this process with all sincerity, Gods will almost always becomes self evident – plain and simple.  

When it comes to choosing a course, take up the course of your liking, if you can get a seat. If not, opt for the next best choice. While opting for a course, you should also consider the job prospects and whether the anticipated job description fits your personality. Not everybody likes to be a teacher. Not everybody likes to be an accountant. However, not everyone always gets what he or she likes in life. So, we should be able to see courses or jobs that are not to our liking as divinely ordered stepping stones to fulfilling some higher calling in life, just as Joseph was being prepared in prison to occupy the highest office in Egypt, Moses was being prepared in the wilderness to be the meek leader of a mass exodus and David was being prepared in the pastures, to be King of Israel.  This is what it means to submit to the outworking of Gods sovereign will in your life. Nothing is wasted in the economy of God. Ultimately, from the eternal shores, when we will look back at the paths that God in His sovereign will had allowed us to walk, we will see the unfolding of a wondrous plan, far beyond what we could ever have imagined or master minded in our own wisdom. 

 

When it comes to deciding which school or college to join, take into consideration the track record of the institution, the availability of funds to pay for the fees, the distance from home or the availability of good safe hostels, the opportunity for spiritual growth and fellowship, etc. In this age of centralised allocation, we are often left with very few options to choose from at the end of the process. If you missed out on getting into the institution or course that you had very much longed for, don’t lose heart, for God may have some better plans for you in this allocation. 

As your college years come to an end, only if you are fortunate enough to have multiple job offers in your kitty does the question of choice come up. In such cases, along with the pay pack, perks and reputation of the company as a good place to work, you must also consider the quality of life that the job offers, opportunity for career advancement, environment for serving with integrity and work-life balance ensuring availability for family and ministry. We know that God desires all men and women to be saved and that we have been commissioned to be disciple makers. As this is the already revealed will of God in Scripture, we ought to ask how the choices we make with regard to vocation, job, spouse, relocation, etc would enable us to better partner with God in His redemptive programme.

If you are wondering whether God is calling you to full time ministry, don’t wait. Remember that you already are a God commissioned witness for Jesus Christ in your campus or your work place. Go ahead and start being involved in the ministry right now in the campus where God has places you as a student, or while you are still employed. That is your present mission field. Do not get involved in ministry activities to the extent that your faithfulness to academics or work is affected. During the holidays or by taking eligible leave, go and work in the mission field of your choice. Get the feel of what it to be out there. As you go about doing so, it will soon become evident to you and to others who care for you, whether or not you should quit the job and make yourself available for full time ministry.

When it comes to marriage, we must recognise that in this fallen world, we will never feel completely fulfilled and getting married and/or having children is not going to change that. If young people enter into marriage believing that it is God’s central calling for their lives and that it will fulfil their aching for relationship, then they are in for a big disillusionment when they finally realize that marriage will not wholly fulfil their aching. Only a deep personal and ongoing relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is going to be the ultimately satisfying relationship. Marriage and/or children may be part of our lives, but God doesn’t set up marriage as the only option before us. We may also choose to remain single and wholly devoted to the service of the Lord.

If you do plan to marry, work on your dream spouse concepts so as to ensure that the bricks you use to construct your dream spouse image are taken from the Scripture rather than from what is dished out or stereotyped by the world, the media, culture or tradition.  Remember, romance will fade, the honeymoon will end and chemistry will one day become history. Whomsoever you marry is not going to be an angel dropped down from heaven, but a saved sinner, imperfect like you and me. However, just because you are not going to get a perfect spouse, doesn’t mean that you should compromise on what the Scripture values as important. Make an all out effort to search and find those who best qualify. You may end up with just a handful and they in turn, may not find you to be up to the mark. As we faithfully go about the search process, doors will open and close, again making the choice almost self evident – plain and simple. By that, I do not mean that you will be at peace. All important decisions in life will be stressful. It is risky to move without peace, but it can be equally risky/destructive to not move at all or wait for peace in order to justify the fear that you have in making a decision. You will have to trust God for the unknown future. Stepping out in faith need not be a blind leap in the dark. It can be a prayerfully and carefully considered well informed choice. Peace will come, as we slowly move forward in line with the already revealed will of God in Scripture. God often calls us from pain to pain to fulfil our calling in life. God will, often, if not always, involves consciously choosing to take up the cross and follow him on the narrow road. Often, it is not the lack of knowledge of the will of God, but not wanting to do the known will of God that prevents us from proving that good and acceptable and perfect will of God in our life.

Take heart, my dear brother, my dear sister...for Gods will is often plain and simple and readily available.

Just do it!

God created man in His image, male and female

“I had chafed under the restraints and the ties which formed the common lot of women...How hard it seemed to my mind that marriage should be the goal of woman’s ambition, and that she should spend her days in the light trifles of a home life; live to dress, to look pretty, and never know the joy of independence and intellectual work. The thought had been galling. It made me avoid men.”

These words could have been written today. But they were actually written by India’s first feminist writer Krupabai Satthianadhan (1862-1894) way back in the 1880’s.

What is a modern day rendering of the same thought? Read what Lena Dunham, writer and director of HBO series, ‘Girls’ says about 21^st century womanhood. Claiming to offer a new script for what womanhood looks like, Lena Dunham says “None of my actions have ever been determined by the search for a husband, or wondering if I was going to have a family someday, or wanting to live in a really great house …. This is the kind of female character that doesn't make sense to me."

The feminist script for 21^st century womanhood is basically the same as what India’s first feminist had said over a century ago.

The Bible does not insist that ‘marriage should be the goal of a woman’s ambition’ or that her life be ‘determined by the search for a husband?’ The Bible presents singlehood as an acceptable and honourable option for both men and women. Yet, in the wisdom of things, God did say that in this journey of life, companionship in marriage is good and that it is not good to be alone. (Genesis 2:18)

Should woman ‘spend her days in the light trifles of a home life’? The Proverbs 31 woman is described as a merchants' ship bringing her food from faraway lands. (Proverbs 31:14). Of course, home was the base of her operations.

Should the woman ‘live to dress, to look pretty’? The Bible warns us not to be overly concerned about what we would wear (Mathew 6:25). Again in the context of the Proverbs 31 woman, we are told that charm can be deceiving and beauty fades away (Proverbs 31:30). While many a woman may find her identity in what she chooses to wear, a godly woman finds her identity in being an eternally loved child of God.

Should the woman ‘never know the joy of independence and intellectual work’? Once again the Proverbs 31 woman stands out as an example of strategic planning and administration. The Bible also speaks of Deborah as a busy judge in the public place.

In other words, the stereotypes found in the writings of feminists and post feminists do not reflect what the Bible says. The Bible sets believers free from gender stereotypes that diminish them. The Bible teaches that in the eyes of God, women and men are equal in their position as created beings bearing the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and that in Christ Jesus they are equal in their position as children of God. (Galatians 3:28)

Jesus Christ consistently elevated the position of women in the Greco-Roman world. Despite the advances in education and development, in today’s world, women are still disproportionately the victims of violence, human trafficking and economic injustice. Jesus Christ is glorified when the shackles of such oppression are loosed.

What does it means to be masculine and feminine? There is enough for us to formulate our conclusions in this regard from Scripture, psychological observation, and practical application.

The right place to work out a theology of the relations between the genders is to begin with the doctrine of creation. Genesis 1:27 says that God created man in His own image, male and female. That's where theologians and psychologists can begin to equip men and women to be "fully alive," beyond culturally determined stereotypes.

On gender roles, people are usually divided into two camps: the egalitarians and the complementarians. The egalitarians emphasise equality. The complementarians emphasise differential roles that synergise to yield something greater and far more beautiful.

In the Triune God, whose image we bear, we know that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-equal. Bruce Ware has argued in his book, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit; Relationships, Roles, & Relevance, that “We should look… to the triune roles and relationships among the Triune Persons of God to see what it means to live our lives as His images…. In the very eternal relations that are true of the Persons of the Trinity, authority and submission are lived out with love and joy. We must learn to embrace what is eternally true in God, and this means, among other things, embracing rightful authority and rightful submission.”

True freedom is the ability to do what God wants us to do. We are not free, if we are bound from within or without by prejudices or stereotypes – be they from our cultural past or from modern day feminist propaganda. Only the Truth can set us free. A woman who deeply loves the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word will find herself deeply rooted and deeply satisfied in the midst of the confusing feminist cacophony around.

Is My Home an Open Home?

My Home is not an Open Home if you think that an Open Home is one that has doors that I do not lock every night lest robbers make good of what the Lord has given to my stewardship.

My Home is not an Open Home if you think that an Open Home is one where boundaries need not be honoured and privacy that need not be protected.

My home is not an Open Home if you think that anyone can come in and go as they will. I welcome people to come, to stay, to talk and to dine with us, but I desire that they would call up to fix a mutually convenient time – especially in this age when we have all the means to do so.

But my home is an Open Home in that you will still be welcomed if you come unannounced and you will get to share in what we have to eat. We won’t serve you a five course dinner. If you wish you may use the provisions in my store to cook a dish for yourself. You are also welcome to share in the household chores, but there is no obligation at all. You can read my books and listen to the songs on the system if you wish. You can use my computer to catch up with your mail and check Facebook. You can sleep and rest. If there aren’t enough beds for all of you, there are many mats and pillows at my home that you use to make yourself comfortable on the floor. You can wash and iron your clothes. You can learn some simple cooking tips from my wife. May be we can go shopping together – for the necessities of life and window shopping for the luxuries of life. I can give you some money if I am convinced that you have a genuine emergency…otherwise I usually don’t give, lest I teach you the bad habit of being unduly dependent on others.

My home is generally a very silent place, but you can make the noise you wish – you may sing, shout and yell at the top of your voices. If there is something you do that I do not like, I will tell you upfront – you can rest assured of that. What I would love most is if you would open up your heart and share your thoughts and your concerns…if we could ponder on the options and pray…ahh what joy it would be if we could open the Scriptures and see what the Lord has to say.

If you are going to be at my home, you are going to witness how we live and make a living, how we manage to make both ends meet – not only in terms of money but also in terms of what I consider to be the valuable of all resources – time. You will see how we make time for the important things in life and how we say ‘No’ to the demands that take us away from our focused goals in life. You will see how we love and discipline our children. We try not to wear masks – we have been working on that for many years now.

My home is also open in a virtual sense because of all the advanced forms of connectivity that we have today. Text me at any time of the night or day and sometime you should be getting a reply if indeed a reply was warranted. Call me between 9 pm to 11 pm – that is the time I have set apart to be available for you on my cell phone. Unless I am out of station I normally do reply to emails too. In some ways I prefer emails and texting to telephone calls, because they give me to freedom to revert when I am free to do so. But listening to your voice and talking things out can make a whole lot of difference.

Many have come to my home simply to stay, to talk, to laugh or to download and cry. In as much as they who came were blessed (hopefully) more so were we. We have never regretted the manner in which we have kept our home both closed and open with delicate deliberate discretion.  But we know of others whose homes have been more wide open than ours – what a blessing it may have been. There is much to learn from such homes, but I only hope their openness did not cause undue stress on the family. We also know of others who have remained secluded in their own closed homes. We cannot stand to judge them for they may have had their own valid reasons. Nevertheless, they have forfeited from themselves so much of the blessing of being an Open Home in this journey of life. May they have the courage to experiment in moving out of their comfort zone.

The door bell has just rung…somebody has come…let me open the closed door. Ooops! I am in my Bermuda. Is that ok? Yes, it is!

Choosing to walk in God’s ways...

Dr. Deepak George Paulose was a participant of UESI (K) Preparing for Marriage Conference in 2011. He had come to learn about the Divine Design for marriage and family life and also to discern the will of God with respect to a marriage proposal of a believer girl who had come to the saving faith from a different religious background. Having obtained clarity that marriage was a choice to be made within God’s moral will, having received encouragement from the Book of Ruth – of how Boaz choose to marry Ruth, and having waited patiently for the whole hearted approval of parents from both sides, Dr. Deepak married Dr. Surabhi in January 2012.

Dr. Surabhi Deepak was presently doing her MD in Dermatology at the Kottayam Medical College. As part of her course she was to present a paper at a national level conference on Dermatology - DERMACON 2013 at Ahmadabad, Gujarat. While filling up the application form for the conference, she had to answer two questions: (1) Has this study been presented before in any other conference? (2) Is this study a group work or individual work?

The answer for the first question was ‘Yes’. Surabhi had not only presented this paper at a state level conference at Kovalam, but she had also won a prize for that presentation. Saying ‘yes’ to that question would invariably mean that the paper would be rejected by the screening committee for DERMACON 2013.

The answer to the second question was neither very appealing. The paper was a product of group work and the credit goes to many seniors and faculty members who had played a role, big or small in some way along the way. Stating the truth would significantly bring down the likelihood of the paper being selected.

As Surabhi pondered on the issue, there seemed to be no doubt of the options before her. As believers she had just one option: to say the truth even if that meant that the paper would be rejected. Against the tide of public opinion and against the sincere advice of her well wishers in her academic circles, Surabhi choose to stand for the truth. The application was sent stating very clearly that the paper had been presented before and that it was not an individual work but the contribution of a group.

Guess what!! The study made it to the final list of 12 papers selected from among 750 entries from all over India. Struck by God’s grace in rewarding their truthfulness, Surabhi and Deepak left for Ahmadabad. DERMACON 2013 was a big stage for Surabhi. She was tensed as she made the presentation before a learned and august audience. Waveringly she trusted the Lord Jesus Christ to carry her through.

And when the final results were announced … unbelievable … Surabhi was awarded the Best Paper Presentation Award for 2013. Both Surabhi and Deepak were overjoyed, amazed and humbled. It turned out that she was the only South Indian to get an award for paper presentation at DERMACON 2013 and on enquiry, the only doctor from Kerala to have ever won the prize in the known past.

Receiving the prize for the award at that eminent national conference was as testimony to God’s faithfulness. He is still the same God who chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise! 1 Peter 5:6 exhorts us therefore to humble yourselves, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.

True Masculinity and the Manifestations of True Love

A World Health Organisation report tabled in June 2013 states that violence against women worldwide has assumed epidemic proportions with one in three suffering physical or sexual assault at the hands of a man they know – a current or former partner. Thirty eight per cent of women killed worldwide were victims of their own intimate partners. The report defined physical violence as being slapped, pushed, punched, choked or being attacked with a weapon. Sexual violence was defined as being physically forced to have sex – or having sex because a woman is afraid of what her partner might do if she refuses.

Why do women put up with such transgressions from their spouses? In asking this question, I am not blaming the battered woman for the violence in her life but I am saying that she continues to be a victim of her spouse only because she has chosen to stay without precipitating the issue. Having listened to such victims, I can assume some of the reasons: She may want a father for her kids. She may honestly love all his good qualities and hope against hope that someday he will change. She may not have the courage to leave. She may be afraid, legitimately, that if she leaves, he will find her and kill her. Or hurt the kids. Or worse, succeed in taking them away from her. She may be concerned of the social stigma if she chooses to precipitate the issue and may not what to pain her parents who may have spend their lifetime savings in getting her married to this jerk.

Why do men commit so much violence against women? Jesus Christ said: ‘For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things pass out from inside and defile the man (Mark 7:21-23). And when they do, why does society continue to allow it? Because it is not often precipitated, not reported and when reported it does not get properly punished. This is not merely an Indian or Asian phenomenon – it is global. Take for example, Monica Seles. In 1990, aged just 16, she had become the youngest-ever French Open Tennis champion. In 1993 while Seles was resting during a break in play, a 38-year old unemployed tool maker plunged a 23 cm-long knife into her back. He was immediately over powered and arrested, while a distraught Seles was rushed to hospital. At the court trial, the man was given a mere two year suspended sentence. Due to the light sentence, Monica Seles has never set foot on German soil again. “Germany is the country where that man attacked me from behind, yet was not sufficiently punished,” she said later in a television interview. “I cannot understand why this man did not have to pay for his crime.”

When women in the public space sense that they will be targeted and attacked, for no other reason than that they are women, many choose to withdraw rather than fight it out. Even if there are laws to protect women’s rights, the majority of women prefer to err on the side of safety than take a chance, especially against the reality of our poorly functioning criminal justice system.

What is urgently needed is a rethinking of true masculinity. The world has stereotyped masculinity in some of the following false prototypes:

• The Macho Man: Thinks that masculinity means muscles, meanness, and mastery of women
• The Playboy: Lacks sexual self-control, suffers from ‘Wandering Eye’ disease
• Mama’s boy: His mother still controls his life. Umbilical code not yet cut!
• Major General: As boss, husband, father, he keeps barking his orders
• Jellyfish: He allows others to walk over him and has no stand of his own
• Workaholic: His job is his priority, work controls him and he is restless without work.
• Zombie: Grew up thinking that a man should never show emotions, so he doesn't…
• Hobbyist: Loves his hobbies more than his family

We must instead ask is there a Biblical definition for true masculinity? Instead of being conformed to the false prototypes dished out by the world we must strive to renew our minds with the divine design. What are the parameters that define the divine design for masculinity? From just one passage of Scripture (1 Timothy 3: 1-7) which outlines the qualifications for church elders, we can discern the qualities that God is looking for in all men:

• Blameless: a lifestyle that is above reproach
• A one-woman man: not a flirt/womanizer 
• Temperate: does not lose his physical, emotional and spiritual orientation
• Sober minded: Not given to extremes in thinking, judgment and action
• Hospitable: friendly and willing to help those in need
• Able to teach without arrogance – providing spiritual leadership in the home
• Not given to addictions like alcohol or drugs
• Not violent: free from temper tantrums with physical or verbal abuse
• Gentle: gracious, kind, forbearing and considerate
• Not quarrelsome: not argumentative
• Not greedy: preoccupied with money only
• Rules his own house well: good at providing for and managing the home
• Having children under submission: one who has learned to discipline children without irritating them (Col.3:21 GNB)
• Not a novice: One whose character has stood the test of time
• Having a good testimony and reputation in the market place

If only we would allow ourselves to be influenced by this divine design, we would make the world a safer place to be for all – more so for women.

Taking another passage of Scripture (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) that defines the manifestations of true love we can discern true love by asking questions like:

• Is he patient or is he in a hurry?
• Is he kind or hurtful in his ways?
• Is he jealous of others for what he doesn't have himself?
• Is he boastful, showing himself off?
• Is he arrogant, thinking too high of himself?
• Is he rude, forcing himself on others?
• Is he selfish, seeking only to meet his own needs?
• Is he easily angered for silly things?
• Does he hold grudges, keeping score of the sins of others?
• Does he hate sin, or does he compromise and put up with anything?
• Does he take pleasure in the flowering of truth?
• Will he bear with my weaknesses and endure hard times with hope?

If only women would be more careful to discern the manifestations of true love while choosing their life partners, they would make their personal world a safer place to be. 

Impressions are only Impressions

Some tend to justify unwise decisions on grounds that ‘God told me’. How can we tell whether these impressions are from God or from some other source? 

This is a critical question.

Impressions are real; believers and non-believers experience them. Impressions are not to be denied, but they are to be carefully evaluated. Inner impressions may be spiritual or reflect the influence of the Spirit, but they do not constitute the authoritative voice of the Spirit. Impressions could be produced by any number of sources: God, Satan, an angel, a demon, human emotions (such as fear or ecstasy), hormonal imbalance, insomnia, medication, or health conditions. For this reason, the Bible does not bestow on inner impressions with the authority to function as indicators of divine guidance. Sinful impressions (temptations) may be exposed for what they are by the Spirit-sensitized conscience and the Word of God.

To specific questions of vocation, marriage or education, the Bible only indicates what is, and is not, permissible.  When equal options exist, we should thank God for the opportunity to select from equally acceptable alternatives. We should exercise good judgement and not waste time. Where God commands, we must obey. Where there is no command, God gives us not only the freedom and responsibility to choose but also the wisdom to choose.

God’s moral will is the expression, in behavioural terms, of Gods character. It is fully revealed in the Bible. It touches every aspect and moment of life: goals, attitudes, means, and perspectives (why, how, and what). It is able to equip believers for every good work.

Since God’s moral will has been completely revealed and the means of acquiring wisdom has been explained, we can fully attain the knowledge required for decision making. We need not be dependent on subjective impressions. If the source of our knowledge is subjective, then the knowledge will also be subjective and therefore uncertain.

We should apply maturity by gathering and evaluating data, devoting sufficient time to the process, giving personal desires their proper place, seek mature counsel, rightly using Scripture, and basing the decision on sound reasons.

When we have chosen what is moral and wise, we can trust the sovereign God to work all the details together for good.

In areas where Christians’ differ, we must learn to distinguish between matters of command and matters of freedom. On debatable issues, we ought to cultivate our own convictions, but at the same time allow our fellow believers the freedom to determine their own convictions, even when they differ from us. Let our liberty be limited, when necessary, by love and servant hood.

God is not concerned simply with what we do; He is equally concerned with why we do what we do as well as how we do it. God’s will for our attitudes is that lust be replaced by love, independence by reliance, pride by humility, presumption by gratitude, guilt by a clear conscience, irresponsibility by integrity, laziness by diligence, compulsion by eagerness, selfishness by generosity, self-advancement by submission, cowardice by courage and greed by contentment.

Our attitudes are therefore important before God, but our impressions are only impressions. 

It is in giving that we receive…

Mary Alexander shares her experience as a Graduate Volunteer  

Its over! Yes, it’s finally over! Four years…whew…internals, records, assignments, exams, placements…I am at last a graduate and you know what… there was ample time for me to join in a company where I was placed. I choose to chill out…how? Very simple, to make myself available for the Lord…

It all began at the Mini Graduating Students Training Programme for 2012…I started thinking if I could volunteer my time for UESI (K) as a Graduate Volunteer. I pondered on it and prayed about it. And I knew that the Lord doesn’t look at the ability but our availability. In almost the same time, God had led another girl - Sheeba Grace John is her name…to commit herself to serve as Staff Co-ordinator for UESI (K) at Thiruvananthapuram.  I mentioned the proposal to my parents. They were willing and Sheeba was in fact looking for someone to accompany her.  One step at a time everything seemed to fall into place, that God guided me all the time.

God enabled me to involve in the UESI ministry for few months. And it kept reminded me often the reason we are here and the need of students in mission. As members of the same body of our Lord Jesus Christ we need to play different roles in fulfilling His mission. Roles are neither to compete with others nor to rule over others. All are co-labourers with Christ. Coming out of one’s comfort zone is tough but once you come out, God will provide new comfort zones with its own challenges and excitements.

  

Together we could spend more time in prayer, Bible study and shared new thoughts each day. We met students of various colleges in Trivandrum during the group and in personnel. Until now I had always been at the receiving end as a student in camps and conferences, but now as I went to the various campuses and camps, and could share from the Word of God. I learned that we need to do anything possible to help bring a new person to Christ. It takes many people to plant the seeds of the Gospel. It’s so amazing to see the changes in a student’s life.

As I shared my thoughts in few cell groups that I attended, I was enriched by the contributions made by the other students – together we were able to open up the manifold treasures that were hidden in the Scriptural passages. My personal study of the Bible could never have been as rich. The dividends to group study are many. And I Loved being with the students and sharing the love of our Lord.

I praise God for the believer students who genuinely took a stand in their campuses to be identified with Jesus Christ and make themselves available for Him to use, despite all excuses they might have give. And was deeply challenged by the lack of seniors in few campuses, to nurture and guide the second line leaders to continue in witnessing our Lord.

As I visited the homes of graduates and observed their lifestyle, their simplicity, and sacrificial efforts to spend most of the time with the students, enriching them spiritually has all left an indelible mark on me.

After all, we are here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth. If we lose our saltiness, how will people taste godliness! Volunteering atleast for few months in student ministry was a good experience and I found the need of more graduates to help students to reach out the unreached colleges of our state.

I can never regret over the decision I took to spend few months in ministry before taking up the job.  I would encourage the fresh graduating students in EU to be a part of it as God leads and to live with a great ‘passion for God and compassion for students’. Let us lead this ‘young’ world to taste the Love of God without perishing. I close with the famous quote from C.T.Studd-a great missionary, ‘There is only one life, it will pass, but what we do for Christ will only last.’

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Christmas is the day on which Christians--those who identify themselves as believers in the salvation from sin offered to them through the death and resurrection of their saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and who, out of gratitude for the gift of salvation, commit themselves to living their lives in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Bible--celebrate the birth of their saviour.

For Christians, the birth of Jesus Christ is indeed a cause for great celebration. As the Son of God, Jesus was sent to earth, by our Heavenly Father, to become a human being, live a sinless life, be crucified on a cross for our sins, and rise from the dead three days later. The purpose of this was to save sinners from eternal death. While you and I are born to live, Jesus Christ was born to die – as the price to be paid for our sin.

Baby Jesus grew into manhood, he preached and moved men in many walks of life, and died in agony. But His death was not the end. For Him, and for millions of men and women ever since, it marked a time of triumph—because He was born, we have an eternal hope beyond the throws of death.

While the meaning of Christmas can truly be cherished only by those one who truly believe, hundreds of millions of people who are members of other religions, or belong actively to no church at all cherish the spirit of Christmas. The reason is not far to seek. It is because the spirit of unselfish giving at a cost to self, personified by the life and the teachings of Christ makes appeal to the inner conscience and hope of every man and every woman in every part of the earth.

It's been said that all the kings who ever reigned, that all the parliaments that ever sat have not done as much to advance the cause of peace on Earth and good will to men as the man from Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth. In an address to the nation, US President Truman once said that, "In love, which is the very essence of the message of the Prince of Peace, the world would find a solution for all its ills. I do not believe there is one problem in this country or in the world today which could not be settled if approached through the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.

The Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi demonstrated this by the means he chose to free our nation. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela have demonstrated this again and again in deferent settings. Though all may not acknowledge Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour, all have reason to celebrate His birth because He gave the world a philosophy that has transformed the course of history of many nations - an alternative that has proved effective even for those who did not acknowledge Him as Saviour.

His birthday has meant so much to me and so much for the world. Celebrate it meaningfully.

You are already commissioned, therefore GO….

Rather than waiting for some kind of mystical call from God, every believer should respond to the revealed will of God. Jesus Christ’s great commission to ‘make disciples of all nations’ remains applicable to every believer ‘even to the end of the age’ (Mathew 28:19-20). For a believer, personal involvement in the great commission is not optional. We don’t need a call – we’ve already been commissioned. Every single Christian is to be making some contribution to world evangelization and discipleship. Every believer without exception must develop an obedient ‘great commission’ heart and then honestly  ask, ‘How can I better obey the Lords commission to me?’

Given below are seven practical steps that can help you on the road to greater obedience to the great commission:

1.       Commitment: The first step is availability, and that step ought to be settled by grateful submission to the Lordship of Christ (Luke 9:23-26; 59-62; 14:25-35). God looks primarily at your availability and not at your ability. Your strength may in fact be your greatest weakness before the Lord. Or you may have umpteen vain excuses to make like Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah or Gideon. Unfortunately we have mistakenly taught people to indefinitely wait for a mystical call, which actually never comes, because the clear commission already has been given.

2.       Investigation: Begin by gathering facts: What is the need? What are the options? What can I do? What will it cost? What do I have to give up? How, when and where can I begin?

3.       Involvement: Every believer must participate in Christ’s worldwide mission right here and now. We must understand our call is to begin first in our ‘Jerusalem’ (Acts 1:8). We must also understand that our ‘Jerusalem’ is the ‘end of the earth’ for another believer on the other half of the globe. If God has placed you in a particular campus, that is Gods sovereign and choice mission field for you now. It is often found that if one who not involved in the great commission while as a student rarely gets involved later in life too.

4.       Evaluation: Make a personal inventory, evaluating your potential by the standard of missionary qualities and qualifications. In some cases, wisdom will indicate that you can make more contribution to missions through a vocation at home. Or you may discover in yourself the raw material from which cross cultural missionaries are made. If so, you should set out on a course whereby the Potter can shape the raw material into a finished vessel, suitable for service in a far away land.

5.       Consultation: Personal evaluation should not be carried out in a vacuum. The New Testament records the involvement of others in recognizing, choosing, and sending those best suited for various works – be it serving at the tables, or going on a mission trip. You should be actively involved in ministry so that those in leadership will have opportunity to access your gifts, your commitment, your strengths and your weaknesses.

6.       Preparation: As long as the light remains green, you should take those steps that will lead to the mission field of your passion. The most important of these steps is to enrol in an accountability group whose motto is ‘Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness’ (1 Timothy 4:7). Do the required extensive reading and team up with those who are already in the work. Learn as you go and learn while you do.

7.       Prayer: Pray for wisdom, strength, and open doors of opportunity. And submit, in advance to the sovereign will of the Lord of the harvest (Luke 10:2). Then proceed, as you pray, to obey His moral will – with the confidence that He is at work in you ‘both to will and to work for His good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13).

In every endeavour of life, God wants us to take one small step at a time based on the light that we have already been given, leaving the unknown future in the hands of Him who holds our future. Only as we obey one step at a time, we shall be given light for the next step. Let us not wait nor ask to see what the end scene may look like. Instead let us in faith step out in obedience to the great commission while it is yet TODAY…here and now is the time for obedience.

Transformed to Transform

UESIs Vision Statement is: Transformed students impacting the campuses and the nation as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that we are being progressively transformed as we devote time to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in unobstructed communion. Therefore when we speak of ‘Transformed Students’ we refer to those believing students who like Mary have not allowed themselves to be caught up in the rat race of campus life, but have chosen that while remaining faithful in their academics, they will make it a daily habit to remain at the feet of Jesus Christ in humble communion.

Romans 12: 2 tells us that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. Transformation begins in the mind. What we believe determines how we live. Joshua 1:8 exhorts us to meditate on the Scriptures day and night, so that we may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. In doing so we are promised that we would be conducting ourselves wisely and will have good success. Therefore when we speak of ‘Transformed Students’ we also refer to those who are committed to a regular habit of personal devotional Bible Study, not merely done as a ritual out of compulsion, but done with such longing and earnestness knowing that in the Holy Bible is the moral will of God revealed.

When we speak of ‘impacting the campuses’, we consider how these ‘Transformed Students’ will be the ‘salt’ and the ‘light’ (Mathew 5:13-15) of their gang, of their class and of their campus. Salt is required in very small quantities to give taste or to preserve many times a larger volume of food. Such is the expectation we have: that these ‘Transformed Students’, even if they are a minority in the campus, will shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2:15). More importantly, that these ‘Transformed Students’ could see themselves as Gods designated missionaries to that campus, being ready in season and out of season not only to defend their faith but also to make verbal witness of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16)

No wonder the Hand book for UESI, ‘Witness for Me’, delineates three spiritual disciplines as required of an EU member: Quiet Time and Prayer, Personal Bible Study and Personal Evangelism.

Once the students complete their studies, UESIs expectation is that the impact of these graduates will now not be limited to the campus alone but would encompass the whole nation as they continue to serve as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in whatever work situation God has placed them in. Even the presence of just one committed disciple of Jesus Christ can have ripple effects in the workplace by the difference in attitudes and values which that disciple has chosen to live by. As graduates, our calling is to serve, to be available and to get involved in the lives of the students. 

In order to accomplish its vision of seeing transformed students impacting the campuses and the nation as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, UESI has delineated two prime activities in its mission statement: UESI seeks (1) to evangelise students and (2) to nurture them as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the two activities that should consume our focus, for in doing so the vision will be accomplished. Quoting again from the handbook: ‘UESI is spiritually centred. We recognise the great need in India for economic improvement, medical relief and educational advance. We rejoice in all that is being done along these lines....yet we insist that mans greatest need here, as everywhere is spiritual – to be restored to fellowship with one’s Creator through confession of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. This problem is central and others peripheral. Spiritual health is the first step towards physical and mental well being.’ Let us not forget that our primary calling in UESI is to evangelise students and to nurture them as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Responding to Social Issues: The Mother Teresa Model

Mother Teresa has always been to me an inspiration in terms of what a single feeble woman could do in alleviating the miseries of this fallen world. She considered herself just ‘a pencil in God’s hand’ and was convinced that God was using her ‘nothingness’ to show His greatness. She has exemplified for me a model of what Jesus Christ meant when he said in Mathew 5:16: ‘...others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven’.

At the young age of 18, when Mother Teresa (at that time, her name being Gonxha Agnes Bojaxhiu) left her home to commence her life as a missionary, these were the parting words of her mother to her: ‘Put your hand in His [Jesus’] hand, and walk alone with Him. Walk ahead; because if you look back you will go back.’

Few years later when Mother Teresa was trying to persuade her Bishop to allow her to start the Missionaries of Charity, she wrote to him saying: ‘God is calling me – unworthy and sinful that I am....to leave that what I love and expose myself to new labours and sufferings which will be great, to be the laughing stock of so many – especially religious – to cling to and choose deliberately the hard things of an Indian life – to choose loneliness, ignominy and uncertainity. If the work begins, there will be plenty of humiliations, loneliness and suffering for me. Self denial and abnegation will be the means to our end – There will be disappointment – but the good God wants just only our love and our trust in Him.’

In another letter, Mother Teresa wrote about herself: ‘By nature I am sensitive, love beautiful and nice things, comfort and all that comfort can give – to be loved and love – I know that the life of a Missionary of Charity – will be minus all these.’

The Bishop in charge of Mother Teresa was still weighing whether her proposal to start the Missionaries of Charity was leaving ‘a certain good for an uncertain gain’.  He asked her to explain the parameters of success in her proposed model. Mother Teresa replied to the Bishop with these words: ‘I don’t know what the success will be – but if the Missionaries of Charity have brought joy to one unhappy home - made one innocent child from the street keep pure for Jesus - one dying person die in peace with God – don’t you think, Your Grace, it would be worth while offering everything – just for that one - because that one would bring great joy to the heart of Jesus.’

Mother Teresa also wrote to the Bishop requesting him not to dilute the standards of poverty that she had chosen as the very means to her end. These are her words to the Bishop: ‘I would be grateful if I could know regarding that absolute poverty, how far would you insist on lessening or rather making easy that poverty – which for us has to be the means to reach our end? By absolute poverty I mean real and complete poverty – not starving – but wanting – just only what the real poor have – to be really dead to all that the world claims for its own...’ 

Beyond providing care for the downtrodden and outcasts of human society, Mother Teresa was willing to embrace their material and spiritual suffering, their state of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for.

Mother Teresa used to urge her team: ‘Don’t look for big things, just do small things with great love...the smaller the thing, the greater must be our love’. She lived this principle in whatever she was doing throughout the day. Whether it was ‘big’ or ‘small’ mattered not to her; everything she did was an opportunity to love.

What are the success parameters for us today? How does the Mother Teresa model compare with our models of responding to social issues today? Have we in Christendom, conformed to the ways of the world by adopting a business model to address the social issues of our day? In Mark 11: 15 to 17 we read of Jesus Christ saying: Is it not written, "My house shall be called the house of prayer for all nations?" But you have made it a den of thieves. Has the time come for Jesus Christ to purge some of our so called efforts for the upliftment of the poor and the downtrodden? Has the time come for Jesus Christ to enter and cast out those who make monitory gain in name of social action and spirituality? And to overthrow the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold ‘doves’.

The Mother Teresa model will always remain a high water mark in the history of Christian missions for the poor.

The Gospel is to be Preached

"Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary"? - is a famous dictum attributed to Francis of Assisi. According to those who know the relevant history well—the Franciscans—Francis never uttered these words.

But more important, this dictum represents a significant error. It's simply impossible to preach the gospel without words. The gospel is inherently verbal, and preaching the gospel is inherently verbal behaviour.

Those who insist that the gospel can in fact be "preached" without words, sometimes call this an "incarnational" approach to evangelism. But the belief that we can "preach the gospel" with our actions alone represents muddled thinking. However important our actions may be (and they are very important indeed), and whatever else we may be doing in terms of social action, if the gospel is to be communicated at all, it must be put into words.

Few would deny that the holistic mission of the church is the best possible platform for our verbal witness, and that our generation will be more inclined to give us a hearing if we walk the talk. But let us not forget that the church has been messy from the beginning, falling far short of living out the Great Commandment. Yet despite our failures, the gospel itself remains marvellously potent, the very "power of God unto salvation" to those who believe. The gospel's inherent power does not fluctuate with the strengths or weaknesses of its messengers. This truth is humbling, but also immensely liberating. In the end, my inability to answer objections, my lack of training or experience, even failures in my own faithfulness in living it out do not nullify the gospel's power. Its potency is due to the working of God's Spirit. Even when we are at our best, the gospel is powerful in spite of us, not because of us. Thanks be to God.

In 1 Corinthians 1:21, Paul says, "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." Paul is referring here to what we have been calling the verbal witness of the gospel. This is God's chosen modus operandi, Paul says, "so that no human being might boast in the presence of God" (v. 29).

In Romans 10:14,15,17  Paul emphatically says, ‘... how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!" ... faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.’

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a verbal thing, and communicating it requires putting it into words. This verbal witness is scarcely the whole of our calling, but neither is it dispensable. Nothing can replace it. Let us celebrate the reality that the power of the gospel resides not in us but in the Spirit's application of the message we proclaim, the message that declares a crucified Lord and Saviour.

Fig Leaves

Fig leaves were Adam and Eve’s first choice after sin entered the Garden of Eden, and ever since man and woman have always had questions on what to wear and what not to wear.

When I observe some of the fashion trends among believers today – tops with lengthy slits, leggings that hug the body, unbuttoned shirts, low neck lines, sleeveless dresses with large arm holes, low-rise pants, see-through clothing, a bared midriff and back... I begin to wonder: Has not the world succeeded in squeezing us into its mold contrary to the will of God revealed in Romans 12:2 where we are exhorted ‘not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’.

Many sincere young men and women are clamoring for a set of clear guidelines on what is right and what is not.

Fashions keep changing from time to time and from place to place. What may be modest and appropriate at one place and time may be wholly offensive at another. Whatever is the ‘IN’ thing today is ‘OUT’ tomorrow. There is no way we can keep up with the Jones-es in the world of fashions as the trends keep swinging from one extreme to another. Like a pendulum the length of tops swing from short to long, and the width bottoms from Afghan baggies to skin fits.  What then are the ground rules to be followed?

First, there ought to be a decided modesty in dress: In 1 Timothy 2:9 Paul says: ‘I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety.’ This is a biblical injunction. John Stott says, ‘What Paul is emphasizing is that Christian women should adorn themselves with clothing, hairstyles and jewelry which in their culture are inexpensive and not extravagant; modest and not vain; chaste and not suggestive.’

We eat for ourselves, but we dress for others: It is others who see us most. We see ourselves only in the mirror. Others are continually making value judgments about us by what we have chosen to wear. While the statement – ‘A man is what he wears’ is not wholly true, it is true that what we choose to wear makes a statement about ourselves: our values, our intentions and even our character. Our dress style should reflect values such as modesty, moderation, decency, propriety, simplicity, practical utility, comfort and stewardship of time and money.

Second, we must learn to dress for the occasion: Moderation involves – not lagging far too behind the trends of the day, nor always sporting the latest trend in town. But let us also not forget that we are called to be different – to be counter culture, not conforming to this world but being transformed by the values that are given to us in the Scriptures. If you are to be at a meeting of the Board of Directors of a corporate office, follow the dress code – be there in your executive best. But if you are at a sea side resort on holiday it goes without saying that you would choose casuals. We must be dressed such that our dress doesn't catch special attention – either by being too outlandish or by being too inappropriate. If no one takes special notice of you – then, it is probably the best indication that you are truly dressed for the occasion. On the other hand if many are taking special notice of what you have chosen to wear – then maybe you have made a mistake!

Third, we must be careful to ensure that our dressing does not lead others to sin: You may never have intended that the dress you have chosen to wear should lead someone else to sin. But the purity of your motive does not cancel the effects of your appearance. In Luke 17:1-2 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come.’ In other words, the world being what it is, the human heart being what it is, occasions of stumbling are almost inevitable. ‘But woe unto him, woe unto her through whom they come. It were well for him, for her, if a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were thrown into the sea rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.’ The little ones are those who believe in him. Romans 14:13 says: ‘Let us not, therefore, judge one another anymore, but judge this rather, that no man, no woman, put a stumbling block in his brother’s way or an occasion of falling.” That is what we are to judge. Am I in any way in the manner of my dress putting an occasion of stumbling before one of my brothers or sisters in Christ?

Fourth, the Scripture (Deuteronomy 22:5) clearly forbids transvestism - the practice of wearing the clothes of the opposite sex. So we must make sure that the male-female distinctive is not lost in what we choose to wear.  

Finally, we must welcome controls: Seek genuine feedback on the modestly and appropriateness of your dress from godly others, your parents or your spouse. Parents must know that they have every right while their children are under their roof to insist on modest dressing. They must stand the ground and tell the son or daughter, ‘While you are under our care, this is simply not permissible. No discussion. End of the issue.’ This generation of young people cannot stand against the tremendous pressure on them to compromise and be insensitive to the biblical standards of modesty. They may have to learn to simply tell their peers, that certain styles are just not permitted by their parents.

We must cultivate a sensitive, well instructed conscience before God concerning the choice of your dress and our stitching styles. If you realize that you have made mistakes in the past in the inappropriate choice of your dressing styles, repent and bring forth the fruit of true repentance. Make the necessary changes in your wardrobe.

Lest I be misunderstood: I am not trying to rob you of your Christian liberty. I am not advocating that you go out dressed covered from head to toe in a robe with only two eye holes for you to see. But I am determined that we need to be decidedly modest for the glory of God. Let me also make it clear that in our outreach meetings and cell groups we will not say to those whom we invite: ‘You can’t come in here and listen to our gospel dressed like that,’ No. We would welcome them exactly as they show up, but that doesn't mean that we need to compromise on the biblical principles ourselves in order to win them.

Post Script: A more detailed article on the subject of drawing lines on modesty in dress can be seen at the author’s blog: http://maturityfoundation.blogspot.com (Blog Post dated: 8^th June 2010)