Friday, January 30, 2009

GRACE TIMES February 2009

from the pastor

Dear People,

In January all of us were witnesses to the biggest change the world has seen in decades. Though Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, racism stayed on in America. Jesse Jackson wasn't even nominated and after that no black even tried till last year when suddenly Obama's names surfaced. At that time no one thought that he could even get nominated over the charismatic and popular Hillary Clinton. But it has happened and Obama in in office.

And now the whole world appears to think that somehow he is the ultimate solution to all the problems of the world. Some religious fanatics will see him as the Antichrist, as though he is to blame for what people think of him.

Obama is not the hope of the world. Let's face it: there will be wars and rumours of wars (Matt. 24:6). That's what Jesus said. He also said that there would be famines (result of exploitation and recession?) and epidemics (in spite of medical advances, new diseases—like AIDS—are spawned and prevail: Luke 21:11). But Jesus didn't say that to fill us with doom. He said that all the terrible things would be a prelude to His return to establish His rule of equity and peace.

By all means, rejoice that the black man has reached the White House. But keep on praying, "Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!"

Love,
Kuru

JOYS & CONCERNS

Ajay Prakash married Kusum Henry and they are living happily ever after.

Usha Antin is on a month's leave so that she can recover fully after her accident. Manohar to have checkup after treatment for kidney stones. Usha is also being treated for stones that showed up in an ultrasound scan.

Poonam Modwell away in Rampur with her family searching for Rahul who has been missing for weeks

Geetu & Gary are with Suseela and all of us for two weeks on their first holiday after their wedding in Canada and starting work in China

Most church families
wre able to join in the church picnic on Sunday, January 25th. (See the report below)

Cindy Khan has left her job in precaution and anticipation of the baby's arrival

Shwetha, Beenu Lal & Supriya were saved miraculously from all harm when their car hit the carcass of a buffalo on their way back from Nainital. Car badly damaged. Who cares/ They're safe.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Grace Bible Church in village


On Sunday January 18th, ministry elder J T Raja, who runs a school for village children, started a morning service in one of the classrooms of the school. The service is in Hindi. About 15 persons are attending right now in spite of the severe cold (note that room has only walls that go up half-way and the cold air can come into the room). Raja asked for the authorisation to name the effort "Grace Bible Church." Yes, we now have a second congregation under the Grace Bible Church banner.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Ah! Food!

Since this blog won't allow more than four pictures at a time, to read about our picnic you will need to start at the bottom with the first post entitled "Picnic Day 2009" and read the blog posts in reverse order. For all the picnic pix please go to http://picasaweb.google.co.in/kuruvilla.chandy/PicnicDay?authkey=hDzB-5-Tg3k#
Pastor Kuru had only one thing on his mind as soon as we reached the picnic spot. When the question was asked, "What shall we do now?", his response was, "Let's have lunch." Everybody just "laughed him to scorn" (acting very biblically). He tried to argue that we should get the job done and out of the way, but he was outvoted. Not forever, though. In the end they did have to eat. When all the food was laid out, what a variety there was.






How quiet the kids are!

After lunch, a game that encouraged the group dynamics of cooperation was played . Everyone playing had to stand on a large bedsheet and then they had to turn the sheet over upside down without anyone getting off. It took a while, and some help, but in the end they managed to do it.

Fun For All

The young people loved walking around and talking.

There were games for all ages. The old favourite "musical chairs" was played with music blaring from a car radio.


"Queen of Sheba" was another favourite that was played with lots of confusion, noise and argument between the two teams.
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Our Kids Have Fun

The rest house had large grounds.
It was great for our kids to be able to run around freely and play








































What's going on here? Aren't they a bit young to start dating?

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Picnic Day 2009

We had a brief service of 45 minutes. It was a family service and so Jürgen Eisenberg brought his puppets and got the children involved in the service,

after which Indu Eisenberg talked about bearing the fruit of the SpiritInstead of the usual picnic spots, Nalin Phillips arranged a very nice government rest house 15 kms outside the city.

We were glad for the facilities of the bungalow as the day was not just not sunny, but misty and cloudy to start with. Later the sun did come out mildly and we had a great time there.

We had been promoting the picnic as an extended communion outside the sanctuary walls. Spending time and talking together, relaxed without having to rush off was a wonderful experience. [In the picture above on the extreme left are Geetu and Gary on a holiday from their jobs in China]

The place had the bust of the dead-and-gone politician in whose name the rest house stood. The kids had a great time climbing all over the bust. They thought it was great fun.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

PLAN 2009 WITH PRAYER

Message preached on Sunday, January 11, 2009
English language has the idiom "How goes the enemy?" It means, "What time is it?" The idiom was popularized by Charles Dickens in Nicholas Nickleby (chapter 19). But it was coined by Frederick Reynolds in the play The Dramatist (1789).

To answer the question for ourselves, the year is 10 days old. But it isn't so old that we still can't do some preparations for the rest of the year. It is well for us to pay attention to the wisdom of Proverbs

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
Learn from their ways and become wise!
Though they have no prince
or governor or ruler to make them work,
they labor hard all summer,
gathering food for the winter.
But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
When will you wake up?
A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber (Pr 6:6-11, New Living Translation)

Verse 10 sounds so much like some people on Sunday mornings who beg for a little more sleep time, doesn't it? Have you ever noticed that kids will wake up without any trouble on a holiday, but on a schoolday it is so hard for them to get out of bed? Well, they are that way, because we are that way. We know how to get out of bed early (no matter what) for the things we care about. But on Sundays, we feel we need the sleep because we have worked so hard all weeklong.

The Apostle James' letter gives us some pointers on how to plan the year with prayer. But first pay attention to what he has to say to those who make plans without God:
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. (4:13-16, NLT)

What was 2008 like? There were moments and acts of stupidity, times of suffering, occasions of satisfaction and periods of sickness.

First, pray against stupidity

Some of our troubles are caused by our own foolishness. We need to ask for wisdom:
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (1:5-8, NLT)

Now wisdom is not something you get by getting one more university degree. It is not being street smart or worldly wise. Wisdom does not lie in thinking that we can fix things by juggling, scheming, manipulating...James defines wisdom:
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness (3:13-18, NLT)

In summary, what James is saying is that wisdom does not consist of being a smart alec or a conniving rogue. The essence of wisdom lies in goodness and humility.

Second, pray about suffering
The next time James asked his readers to pray was in 5: 13. Eugene Peterson's paraphrase The Message says, "Are you hurting? Pray."

Suffering or trouble is inevitable because we live in a broken world. Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed, the coordination of the world was broken. Now when something is broken, we think, "Let's fix it." Face one thing: you can't fix a broken world. You can fix a broken toy or gadget. But you can't fix a whole world.

When we face our trouble and refuse to pray there can be only one of three reasons: first, we haven't understood the situation or faced the reality of our trouble, that the source of our trouble is not small, but the brokenness of our world.
Second,we have pride in our own ability to fix things. We're too proud to pray. We're too proud to ask for help--though it is help from God that we need.
Third, some don't pray about their troubles because they know that they themselves have brought it on themselves through their sin and feel quite unrepentant about it. They don't feel sorry about what they've done and can't pray asking God to forgive them and save them from their trouble. James advised such people: "If you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (5:15-16, NLT)

Third, pray when satisfied

James said, "Are you feeling good? Sing"

The songs we sing are just prayers set to music. We pray about needs and problems. But when we have got answers from God, do we go back to Him in prayer. And I'm not talking about private, silent prayer. How about public acknowledgement that God has answered and blessed? We are quick to ask people to pray. Are we as quick to announce being answered?

Ten people suffering from leprosy were healed by the Lord Jesus. Nine rejoiced in being healed and went on with their lives, but didn't think of returning to the Lord and thanking Him. Only one out of ten was truly thankful. Only one decided that he couldn't just go on with his life. His life changed. His attitude changed. He turned his whole life around to return to the Lord.

Living gratefully is more than just saying you are grateful. The writer of Hebrews says:
So through Jesus let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise, coming from lips that speak his name. Do not forget to do good to others, and share with them, because such sacrifices please God. (13: 15-16, New Century Version)

If you say you are grateful, then you must show it. Blessings cannot be stopped up. When you stop them and let them stagnate, they stink with staleness and lose their power to bless, just like spring water if it is not allowed to flow freely will become undrinkable. Share the blessing. Pass it on. Give as it was given to you.

Fourth, pray away sickness
During the year some of you will fall ill. Some of the illnesses will be passing. Some will be hard and stubborn. James told his readers,
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord (5:14, New Revised Standard Version)

You may be wondering about why James prescribed a ritual service. The reason was that as time went on and the Church grew in maturity, the number of miracles were growing less. If you recall, when the Hebrews entered the Promised Land, the manna stopped. Though the Promised Land was to flow with milk and honey, the newcomers discovered they had to work hard make the land produce its milk and honey (see Josh. 5:12 - The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan, NIV).

As the Church matured God didn't always answer them with miracles. Paul, though a person with a gift of healing, on a number of occasions had to leave people unhealed (Phil.2: 26-27; 2 Tim. 4:20). Instead of praying for healing, he gave Timothy medical advice for his stomach ailments (1 Tim. 5:23).

I'm not saying God doesn't do any miracles today. He does. But somehow spectacular miracles are reserved for the simple and illiterate, the primitive and the backward, because they need visual demonstrations of what God says, whereas we have the written Word and know the value of the word put into black and white. Time and again, i have heard of simple people getting miraculous answers while the sophisticated do not.

Today, with all the scientific and medical advances made, God is giving us miracles mediated through them. But even then it is the work of God. Without the building blocks of life supplied by God none of the scientific advances would be possible. Every root, oil or mineral used to compound medications, every surgical instrument has been made from raw materials created by God. The brains behind each discovery and advance are also the creation of God. To top it all, without God commanding healing none of the medical products or techniques can be effective. Haven't you noticed that after doing everything they can, doctors say they cannot guarantee the end, that we have to wait and see. The same things are done to two patients. One lives, the other dies. What is the difference? In one case, the sick body or mind heard the divine command to heal. The other didn't.

So here is James telling the church, even when there is no one with the gift of healing in a community of believers, a sick person can ask for a special service of healing. Elders of the church can anoint sick people with oil, symbolising the power of the Holy Spirit of God, and when the elders pray for healing miracles do happen.

Quite early in my ministry in Lucknow a college student was diagnosed with cancer affecting his testes. His family asked me to find out from the doctor what the future held for him. The doctor told me to tell the family that they should make no plans ever for his marriage. I communicated that to the family, but I told them about James' instructions. I gave the young man some books to read and told him that if he believed what God's Word said I would ask a group of believers to come together to anoint him with oil and pray for his healing. After a week the young man told me he was ready. We prayed as James directed. I told the young man that this did not mean that he should discontinue any prescribed treatment. R--- finished college, fell in love, got married and is the father of two teenagers today.

So during 2009, when you come down with an illness that is harsh and stubborn, ask for your church elders to come and anoint you and pray for healing. Of course, we can't be calling elders for every headache or stomachache. This is for those illnesses which make you housebound for long or bedridden.

2009 can still be planned for. It is not too late to pray against your stupidity taking over your life, to pray about all your sufferings, to pray thankfully when satisfied and to face your illnesses knowing that the prayer can blow away your sickness. Have a happy year for the rest of the year.

Grace Times, January 2009

from the pastor

Dear People,

Another year dawns. We start the year with this full assurance:
the past is forgiven, and
the future is secure

because God will be there for us.

The Bible is full of promises, and all of them are affirmatively ours in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). Claim all God’s promises. Only one way to do that. Take the Word of God in.

If the Word takes root in you, be prepared to bear fruit (2 Peter 1:4-8). A tree’s fruit is never for itself. Similarly you will need to bear fruit for others. So spend the year looking outward from within yourself. Don’t be self-centred, but loving and caring.

Grace to gratitude: that is the journey we need to make constantly. No time like New Year’s Day to resolve to do that. 2009 can be a year of happiness. It is entirely up to you. It depends on your having a two-way relationship with the Lord Jesus. Be blessed. Be happy.

In Christ’s love,
Kuru

JOYS & CONCERNS

Shireen Revis’s brother passed away in Allahabad after a month of being ill.

Benjamin Mall fainted at the service on Dec 14th, but
providentially recovered within moments.

Usha, Manohar Antin and Jerusha were all involved in an accident when an auto hit their scooter and dragged Usha for a few feet. Usha has recovered well. Meanwhile Manohar’s checkup on hold.

Shwetha and Supriya spending Christmas holidays with Beniah Lal, while Whtisy, Johnson and Nehem are visiting their families in Tamilnad.

Our Sunday School Children excelled all earlier performances of the Christmas Play . There was also an outreach performance at the Epiphany Church for all the residents of the compound.

Manji and Nalin celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. Nalin’s siblings Rajan, Ajit and Sonia with her sons Nicky and Kunal attended, along with cousins on both sides of the family.

Bunny says his exams were positively mind-blowing.

Fizza and Nishal are preparing for Confirmation.

Ajay Prakash
getting married to Kusum Henry of Daliganj Methodist Church.

Geetu and Gary
coming for their first holiday after their wedding.

Cindy and Ashish
are expecting their first baby in July.
Martha and Stanley, along with Sandy went to visit them in Banbasa. They bring the news that Cindy has completed her thesis for her M Phil.

The Budget & Pledges for 2009

Our budget covers three areas:

Pastoral support 32.81%
Missions 44.27%
Establishment 22.91%

To keep our giving to missions at the present level, your giving needs to keep pace with income levels and increments. Don’t take your increment home without giving the Lord thanks and a token of appreciation. Support your church to be the church and function as a church?
God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame. —Elizabeth Barrett Browning
It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.
—Richard Braunstein
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
—Winston S Churchill

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Christmas Play 2008

The Sunday School children under the direction of Indu Eisenberg and her team performed CHRISTMAS ON MAIN STREET.


This year the performance was right in the neighbourhood of our sanctuary. The stage was makeshift, the number of our kids had gone down with a few families moving out of Lucknow, but the kids did a fantastic job.




As in the last few years, there was an opportunity to do an outreach performance this year again.


Undoubtedly, the kids excelled the performances of all previous years. If you double click on the pictures you can see larger images. For all the pictures of the play please visit http://picasaweb.google.com/kuruvilla.chandy/Christmas08?authkey=Q3dJTjNKPB8#