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SOULCONNECT # 7, Eden Rock Layout, Byrathi, Dodda Gubbi Post, Bangalore - 560077. Email: soulconnect2india@gmail.comWebsite: www.tafnet.in

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MY NATION, MY PASSION!

God's concern for the world in which we live cannot be over-emphasized. The Psalmist beautifully states,

“The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Ps 24:1). God's love and care

encompasses everything he created, not just mankind. Even the 'fall' has not affected his love and concern

for the world (Jn.3:16). If God is still concerned about the world and everything in it, should we be

indifferent? It is easy to condemn the world for its present evil and corrupted state, and keep ourselves

aloof. It is even easier to become too otherworldly and wash our hands off, saying, “that the world is

ultimately destined for God's wrath…so why bother about it!” Let us not forget that we have dual

citizenship. As we wait for our heavenly home, we cannot simply ignore our earthly home. Here and now,

God wants us to fulfill his will and purposes. Let our prayers be, “Our Father in heaven, reveal who you are. Set the

world right; Do what's best as above, so below.” (Eugene Peterson’s The Message).

We Christians in India must realize that God loves our nation. He cares for people who live here. All those

who claim to love the Lord must love this nation where God has put us! Our patriotism should not be

confined to cheering India to victory in sports. We should develop a passion for the welfare of this nation.

Someone said, “If God needs to touch the world he needs our hands.” We must become God's

instruments in changing our nation. Being a Christian means spontaneous active involvement in God's

business. That's our broad calling. Praying for the ministers and bureaucrats, staying in touch with the

happenings in our nation, responding to critical issues like corruption and poverty, leading by examples to

others on morality, ethics, integrity, honesty and faithfulness are a few things which we could do for sure.

Switching from passive mode to active mode will help our country experience changes in a big way.

It is important to understand that God's plan of redemption includes redeeming our nation from its social,

cultural and political evils, not just saving souls. The more we take our faith seriously; we can't stop but

plunge into action, from prayer to participation in the life struggles of people around us. Jesus went about

doing good. No custom of his day hindered his reach to the marginalized in the society - women, gentiles

and sick. He was so moved by seeing the needy people. Our country is all about people and people with

various needs - physical, mental and spiritual. Let our approaches be redemptive and holistic.

May God bless our nation!

John Jebaraj James. John serves with the UESI, based in Chennai. He is the editor of Campus Link magazine..

Joseph DevadasonShibu K Mathew

John Jebaraj James Ashwin Ramani Nalini Parmar

EDITORIAL TEAM

Editor

Sam K John

We are living in a world today that constantly tests

our loyalty to Christ. Staying true to our Christian

commitment is becoming more and more difficult

because of the temptations surrounding us. Some

are even tempted to turn back from their original

commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. In John

6:66-69 we see a controversy erupt over the

teachings of Jesus which resulted in many people

turning away from following Him. Their hearts

were hardened and they could not come to terms

with the teachings of Christ. The twelve disciples

of Jesus were watching this incident. They certainly

must have been saddened because of the majority

of the crowd turning away from their Master. The

people who turned away were far from being true

disciples in character.

It would have been an emotional moment for Peter

to watch the crowd getting angry at Jesus and close

their hearts to His teachings. At this point Jesus

looked at the twelve and asked them the moving

question, “Do you also want to go away?” (John

6:67). Because they were disturbed at the sight of

people compromising, Jesus wanted to know

whether they planned to do the same. Among all

the disciples, the question hit Peter hard. For a

moment Peter would have quickly run through his

mind his decision to follow Christ. The pain of

putting an end to this beautiful relationship would

have cut through his heart. He could not conceive a

life without Jesus even though it meant he didn't

have to suffer in a grueling ministry and sacrifice

the comforts of the world. Peter had an inner

obligation to follow the Lord who loved him so

much. He could not visualize a life without Jesus.

He probably said these words with tears in his eyes,

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words

of eternal life.” (John 6:68). These were not words

merely intended to please Jesus. Peter simply could

Not think of going back to his old life and he was honest in expressing his feelings.

The devil whispers in our ears to turn back from our faith because the going is tough. When we are going through the valley experiences in our Christian life we sometimes wonder whether it is worth all the efforts. Questions come in our mind as to whether we have chosen the right path. Do we have any other alternative other than following Christ? All we have to do is to think about our old life before coming to Christ. Void and emptiness filled our heart, sinful habits enslaved us, and we were squirming under feelings of guilt. Jesus picked us from the dust and brought meaning into our lives. He removed all our guilt and delivered us from the power of sin. He took all our mess and made something beautiful out of it. It would be so unreasonable to go back into that old mess again.

Let us make a commitment in our heart no matter who leaves the faith, we will not leave; no matter who stumbles and fall, we will not turn back. The famous Christian chorus “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back” should be our battle cry. Jesus demands our loyalty and we cannot flinch from our commitment to Him. When we walk away from the loving arms of Jesus we will bring untold misery on our self. On the other hand our faithfulness to Christ even during difficult times will bring manifold blessings. The words of Peter should ring in our ears we have nowhere else to go except to Jesus. We have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back!

Ashwin Ramani. Ashwin serves as a community pastor for the multi-ethnic ministry wing of the Centre Street Church, Calgary, Canada.

4 DEVOTIONAL

Christ, read the bible and are smart professionals

because of hundreds of missionaries who

gambled their lives.

Suffering, risk and death are part of a disciple's

life. John Piper explains it well. “Suffering was

not just a consequence of the Master's

obedience and mission. It

was the central strategy of

His mission. It was the

g r o u n d o f H i s

accomplishment. Jesus

calls us to join him on the

Calvary road, to take up

our cross, and to hate our

lives in this world, and fall

into the ground like a seed

and die, that others might

live.”

Kingdom economics is

different from the world.

In the world, you win by gaining, but in His

kingdom, you win by losing. Luke 9:24

He is no fool who gives what he cannot

keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.” These

gamblers were wise and not foolish, as they had

greater gains which would last

forever.

India needs gamblers. Even today, India has the

highest number of unreached people groups.

Twenty three percent of the world's unreached

live in India. If world evangelization has to be

. Gamblers

risk for greater gains. Jim Elliot who was one of

the five who were martyred among Auca Indians

said, “

set their minds on

5

Epaphroditus was a gambler. Some believers in

the early church were also gamblers.

Interestingly, they were esteemed highly. Paul

encouraged the Philippian church “to welcome

him (Epaphroditus) in the Lord with great joy,

and honor people like him, because he almost

died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to

make up for the help you

yourselves could not give

me.” Phil 2: 29-30 ESV

The phrase “he almost

died” in Greek literally

means 'to lay down a stake,

to gamble.' In the early

c h u r c h , t h e r e w e r e

committed groups of

b e l i e v e r s c a l l e d a s

Parabolani or gamblers.

They were wil l ing to

gamble their lives or risk

their lives by undertaking

the hazardous work of tending the sick and

burying the dead in times of deadly diseases. The

church esteemed them, as they were not

gambling for money, but gambling their lives for

the work of Christ and for others.

We see countless gamblers throughout church

history who gambled their lives for the work of

Christ. In 1832, Adoniram Judson wrote to

missionary candidates, "Remember, a large

proportion of those who come out on a mission

to the East die within five years after leaving their

native land. Walk softly, therefore; death is

narrowly watching your steps." Today we follow

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completed, India has to be reached with the

Gospel.

Country

Least-Reached

Ethnic Groups

India 2,301

Pakistan 448

China 427

Bangladesh 328

Nepal 317

Source: Joshuaproject.net

CountryLeast-reachedEthnic Groups

India

Pakistan

China

Bangladesh

Nepal

2,301

448

427

328

317So

urc

e: J

osh

uap

roje

ct.c

om

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7

Some 'end-time prophets' claim that our generation is in the last days. Are not the Tsunamis, the earth quakes, the bloodshed, the growing influence of the euro currency, barcodes on everything you buy, the signs of the end days? Recently, the Indian government rolled out an ambitious project of registering Indian citizens by collecting their biometric details. Now some say this will soon become the dreaded 'Mark of the Beast' clearly proving that we are indeed

in the last days. Other Christians refuse to believe that the last days have actually come. "Well, earthquakes and natural disasters have been happening in every generation, from time immemorial," they say. To say the least, Christians are divided on this vital subject.

Instead of taking sides with either of these two groups, I wish to just give our readers a Biblical perspective on the last days that will help you spiritually and motivate you. So let's begin our journey. We, living in this century, should remember that we live both in the best of times and the worst of times. Both good and bad happens. Hence, picking out only the bad, the harsh realities of life and seeing them as signs of the end is not wise. Yes, Tsunamis and earth quakes are frightening to say the least. But to call these tragic events 'the signs of the last days' is not helpful. You should just go the Internet and Google 'the last days.' And you will be amazed at countless predictions made in the past by innumerable Christians. Beginning from chicken pox to the recent swine flu, from the great London fire in the 18th century to the 9/11 terrorist attack, from the French revolution to the more recent Arab Spring revolution, almost anything has been thought of as signs heralding the end. Christians worldwide have taken those signs very seriously, only to get disappointed later.

Firstly, the phrase 'End Times' is nowhere in the Bible. However, the Bible speaks of the 'Last days.' Now the two are clearly different. By the phrase 'end times' people mean the last year/s of history. For instance, the year 2000 (Y2K) was expected by many as the last year in human history. The Bible never subscribes to that sort of an idea. So if you go hunting in the Bible for clues about which year will be the last, you will be terribly confused or you will only join the great club fondly called 'the date setters.' Instead, if we focus on the 'Last days' that the Scriptures talk about, we will come closer to the truth.

What does the Bible mean by the 'Last Days'? Many of the Old Testament prophets had prophesied about how God will end the present world and bring about a new world in the last days. In Acts 2, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter testified that the last days about which the prophet Joel prophesied has in fact come (2:17). This means that the last days began two thousand years ago! The same thought is conveyed in the epistles written by Peter, Paul, John and others - the last days not as

Are we in the Last Days?

QUEST8

something that was yet to happen in the future but as something that has already begun (). When Jesus appeared on the scene and

brought with him the kingdom of God, the new order has already come. For the Apostles, the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit informed them that the new creation has already come. In other words, the end has begun. Therefore, they gladly declared the final victory over death, sin and every other evil.

Now, we must add another perspective to our knowledge of the last days. While the last days of history have already begun, we are also waiting for this evil age to get over (Gal.1.4). It is true that we now experience the comforting presence of God, His saving power and sustaining grace, and the amazing blessings of God's kingdom. Yet, we are still confronted by the effects of this present evil age. We fall sick, fail when we are tempted, and understand God only in part, and together with God's creation, we yearn for that complete deliverance from the struggles of this evil age. However, we have a sure hope since the last days have already come. Our Lord Jesus Christ has experienced the final resurrection. The Holy Spirit has already been given to us as a mark of our inheritance and hope. Let us not be anxious about the end of the last days for it will surely happen according to His will and time (Matt.24:36). It's only a matter of time before this world together with all its things pass away. Amen!

Heb. 1:2; 9.26; 1 Pet. 1.20; also see 2 Tim. 3:1, 1 Tim. 4:1, 2 Pet. 3.3

Michael Thomasraj. Michael is a pastor-teacher and trainer based in Bangalore. He also hosts a Tamil TV show called “Veda Araichi Arangam.” Michaelthomasraj@gmail.com

Amy, a young Christian girl once traveled with her mother

to a large city. They stopped at a hotel for lunch. While they

were eating, the young girl noticed a poor little girl

standing outside. Her face was dirty and her hair was

untidy as she pressed her nose against the window. Her sad

eyes were looking for some kind person who could offer her

some food. Amy’s tender heart was so moved by this sight.

When she was back to her home again, she wrote her a

special promise. She gave it to God, since she couldn't

deliver it to the poor child.

When I grow up and have money,

I know what I will do,

I'll build a great big lovely place

For little girls like you.

Young Amy didn't know at that time, one day, God would send her all the way to India to

fulfil that promise. Amy Carmichael found her lifelong vocation in India in caring for poor

girls. In 1901, she founded a sanctuary in Dohnavur (Tamil Nadu) for little girls who were

rescued from Devadasi system. In her own life time, she cared for more than one thousand

girls who otherwise would have faced a bleak future. Indeed, Amy's heavenly father helped

her fulfil the promise she made to the poor little girl!

9

On a train journey, Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889 -

1929) observed, at a station, a Brahmin almost

faint due to the intense summer heat. The

station master ran to him with a cup of water but

surprisingly he refused to drink it. Soon, another

man brought water in the Brahmin's own brass

cup. He drank it immediately and was revived.

Struck by this, Sundar Singh learnt an important

lesson. The water that was given in the first cup

was no different than the water in the second.

What was most decisive for the Brahmin was the

cup in which it was administered. The Brahmin

was happy to receive the water as long as it was

from his cup. That water, Sundar Singh reflected,

was like the gospel; in fact Sundar Singh called

the gospel the 'water of life.’ For Indians to gladly

receive the gospel and be made alive by it, this

'water of life' has to be given, not in a Western

cup, but in an Indian cup, only then would they

accept it and be transformed by it.

Sundar Singh went on to use and teach this

theological and missiological principle: 'the

water of life in an Indian cup.' Subsequently,

Sundar Singh donned the ascetic's saffron robes

and engaged in an itinerant preaching ministry,

communicating to the people through simple

and easy to understand parables drawn from

everyday life. Reminiscent of an Indian sage and

indeed, not too dissimilar from his Master Jesus

himself, Sundar Singh's ministry proved to be

rather appealing to his Indian audiences and

attracted many to the Gospel.

It was after the creative accomplishments of

people like Sundar Singh and others from around

the world that terms like Contextual Theology,

Contextualisation, Indigenisation, Inculturation

were coined. This was done to refer to such

efforts that followers of Christ took to

understand and communicate the gospel in a

The water of lifein an Indian cup The water of lifein an Indian cup

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10 FOCUS

manner that local people from around the world

could really understand, appreciate and even

adopt for themselves. Contextualisation, one

may say, represents that colourful spectrum of

activities that Christians have undertaken to

speak the 'language' of the people they are

ministering to so as to enable them to

understand the gospel as easily as possible.

The Scripture Advocates itClose study will reveal that contextualisation is not so much of a luxury that the church can entertain when it so desires, on the contrary it is to be seen as a theological necessity, even an imperative. There are two basic theological assumptions behind efforts of contextualisation. The first is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for the entire world and it is not restricted to any one group of people. As we read in John 3:16 “God so loved the world.” The God of the Bible is a God of all nations and a God who loves all the people in these nations. This was clearly revealed even to Noah and later to Abraham. The gospel therefore is meant for all people groups. A second assumption is that people from different cultural, ethnic, linguistic and other backgrounds think of faith in God, religion and the supernatural in differing ways. In order to enable these people grasp the depths of the gospel one will need to translate it into their heart, thought, ritual, cultural and spoken languages. Indeed Jesus Christ himself did not shout out the gospel from heaven using a cosmic megaphone. On the contrary he became flesh; he incarnated himself into the world. As a real human being he lived and worked with people, demonstrating to them through his life, actions and teachings what the kingdom of God was all about; what God sincerely desired for his creation. Jesus revealed God from within his particular Jewish context to his particular Jewish audience. This principle was followed by the early church as well as it spread

across the world. While Jewish Christians continued with some of their rituals and practices in their worship of God as revealed in Jesus Christ; Gentile Christians, after a struggle with some Judaizers, and strongly supported by Paul in that tussle, began to practice their Gentile Christianity that did not adhere, for example, to Jewish circumcision and dietary laws. They developed a contextual expression of the faith for their own unique contexts, which was rather attractive to their compatriots. We will also recognise that the Apostle Paul also adopted contextualised approaches to those he shared the gospel with. The incident found in Acts 17 is one significant case in point. The scriptures attest that the early church was a contextually sensitive church. They provide an

stexample for us in the 21 century.

The Context Demands itSuch an internal, scriptural and positive motivation for contextualisation is to be complemented with an external negative challenge that we face and need to respond to. In many parts of India Christianity is seen as a foreign religion that the white man brought from the west as he went around the world on his colonial and imperial campaigns. Christianity is seen in a very negative light and is perceived as something that robs us of our culture and way of life.

In many parts of India Christianity is

seen as a foreign religion that the

white man brought from the west as

he went around the world on his

colonial and imperial campaigns.

Christianity is seen in a very negative

light and is perceived as something

that robs us of our culture

and way of life.

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JohnPiper Speaks...

For many in India, to be a Christian is therefore to wash ones hands off Indian culture and tradition and to look to the west in matters of faith, food and fashion, to name just a few.

One way in which that is borne out was brought

home to me recently when I learnt about the

results of a survey that was done among non-

Christians which enquired about obstacles

hindering them from coming to church.

Surprisingly their responses had little to do with

theological reasons, that is who Jesus was and

the nature of his claims. Rather they revolved

a r o u n d t h e c u l t u r a l

practices of the Christians in

the church buildings, which

for the most part were

inherited from western

missionaries. The fact that

Christians wore shoes in the

church; the way they

disrespectfully left the Bible

l y ing on the ground,

western-oriented patterns,

English music and songs

used in the church, and so

on and so forth were the

reasons many did not feel

comfortable with this kind of religion. For them

even if as basic a practice as worship was so

moulded by the west, then what hope is there

for the rest of that religion? It spelt to me that for

the most part, it is internal Christian practices

and patterns that are more of a hindrance than

the gospel of Jesus Christ itself.

Expressions of Contextualisation

Contextualisation has been expressed in

anything from formal theology that employs

local thought patterns and philosophies, to

expressing worship by an adaptation of local

music, rituals and concerns, to writing locally

meaningful songs in the vernacular, to creating

art that reflects on the faith in the God of the

Bible and the context of the artist, to establishing

local churches that are of the soil in every way

possible. For instance, an evangelist friend of

mine uses Yesu Khatha to share Jesus Christ to

those who do not know him. This friend sits on

the floor, uses the traditional paraphernalia that

a Sadhu would, sings bhajans in praise of Jesus

that follow an Indian musical style, and

dramatically narrates stories of Jesus' life. This

contextually sensitive approach has secured for

him a welcome into temples and other Hindu

settings where he is able to

share in a locally acceptable

a n d n o n - t h r e a t e n i n g

manner the life and person

of Jesus Christ.

T h o s e w h o w o r k a t

contextualisation seek to

demonstrate that Jesus can

be followed and worshiped

just as sincerely as Indians

following Indian ways of life.

In so doing they have sought

t o r e m o v e a s m a n y

obstacles that exist in the

way of people coming to know, love and follow

Jesus Christ. They have attempted to do what

Sadhu Sundar Singh so eloquently said

contextualisation was: to offer the water of life in

an Indian cup. Contextualisation is an urgent

challenge that we need to fervently pray about,

wisely think through and collaboratively work at

for the sake of the spread of the gospel in India.

Paul Joshua Bhakiaraj. Paul is a member of the

Tamil Brethren Assembly in Bangalore. He

currently teaches at the South Asia Institute of

Christian Studies . He was formerly the director

of The Mylapore Institute for Indigenous Studies.

12

It is a well known fact that Hinduism recognises

three paths to moksha, namely, the Karma

marga, the Jnana marga and the Bhakti marga.

Which path a person chooses is purely a matter

of one's preference. Interestingly, even though

all the three margas are considered valid paths

to salvation, most Hindus follow the Bhakti way.

So, we see the worship of hundreds of gods and

goddesses all over India irrespective of caste,

creed, sex, age, status, education, or level of

enlightenment. Hindus believe that their

devotion to deities, expressed in a myriad ways,

will help them attain eternal spiritual bliss. Only

a few choose the other two margas. The Karma

marga is the path of selfless action or good

works. In other words, a person who chooses

this path to salvation is expected to invest his or

her life for the betterment of society and service

of mankind. Whereas, the Jnana marga involves

intellectual pursuit of spiritual realities. It

requires years of mental concentration and

systematic contemplative training (yoga) to gain

a supra-intellectual insight into one's identity

with God. Obviously, most Hindus choose Bhakti

marga which is more convenient and less

demanding than the other two paths.

The Christian view of salvation is radically

different from Hinduism. The Bible proclaims

that salvation cannot be attained by any human

margas. Instead, it is a gift from God (Eph.2:8-9)

which is freely given to all those who believe in

Jesus Christ (Jn.3:16-18, Acts 16:31). There

cannot be any other opinion about this

foundational evangelical truth! Nonetheless, I

find a striking resemblance in the way most

Hindus and Evangelical Christians practice their

spirituality. Like majority Hindus, Evangelical

Christians are strong adherents of the Bhakti

tradition. Consider this - for most evangelicals

today - spirituality is all about devotion to the

Triune God which is expressed in many ways -

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FOCUS 13

Early morning prayers, daily Bible reading,

weekly Bible studies, Praise and Worship,

Church attendance, regular tithing, so on and so

forth. As long as someone is active in all these,

such a person is considered truly spiritual. Bhakti

is seen as the ultimate expression of one's

spirituality and the surest way to please God!

Undoubtedly, the Bible teaches the importance

of loving God and showing our utmost devotion

to Him (Deut.6:5, Rev.2:4). An on-going

devotional relationship with the Lord Jesus

Christ is not just imperative but indispensable

(Jn.15:5-6). The vertical dimension of spirituality

is the basis of authentic Christianity. Any activity

that helps a Christian to build his or her devotion

to God is praise worthy. Nevertheless, Christian

Bhakti which is devoid of Karma and Jnana is lop-

sided. Unfortunately, many Christians today are

so content with their devotional life. Concern for

the practical side of Christianity is either nil or

marginal. I'm afraid there are not many takers

for the Karma marga kind of spirituality among

Christians too. Conversely, the Bible places a

high value on good works or actions. We are not

saved by good Karma but we are saved for good

Karma (Eph.2:10, Titus 2:1-3:15). James shows

the futility of karma-less Bhakti, “What good is

it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to

have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save

them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to

them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but

does nothing about their physical needs, what

good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is

not accompanied by action, is dead.” (Jam.2:14-

20). According to James, true Bhakti always

results in good karma (Jam.1:27).

Social action and social service is not alien to

Biblical Christianity. Rather, it is right at the

centre of God's concern for the fallen world.

Throughout the Scripture, we see God

reminding his people of this (Exo.23:6-8,

Deut.15:7-8). In the book of Amos, God reveals

his heart for the poor and his concern for those

who are being mistreated unfairly in the world.

The empty Bhakti of the Israelites was despised

by the LORD and He refused to accept their burnt

offerings and grain offerings (Amos 5:22). We

live in a nation where poverty, social oppression

and injustices are rampant.Can we turn a blind

eye to people's needs and claim to be devoted to

God? We cannot afford to remain merely as

Bhaktas (devotees). As individuals and

communities, we need to pray and act so that

justice will roll on like a river and righteousness

like a never failing stream in our nation (Amos

5:23).

Bhakti without Jnana is blind spirituality. God

never expects his children to blindly show their

devotion and love to Him. Jesus said, “Love the

Lord your God with all your heart and with all

your soul and with all your mind.” Apostle Paul

stressed the importance of Jnana more than

anyone else in the Scripture. He taught the

FOCUS14

Thessalonians to use their minds to test every

teaching and hold on to the good (I Thess. 5:21).

Likewise, whenever he prayed for the believers

of various churches, prayer for knowledge and

wisdom topped his list (Eph.1:16-18, Col.1:9-

10). We live at a time when emotions are given

prime space in religious life. On Sunday

mornings, believers throng to those churches

where emotions are kindled through powerful

music and star cast preachers. While there,

many attain Bhakti Paravasam (spiritually

excited state) and return home saying, “Oh I had

a blessed worship time today.” Sadly, Jnana has

taken beat seat in many of our churches today.

Time set apart for imparting knowledge from the

Scripture has declined. And people are

encouraged to blindly follow whatever the

preachers/pastors say. In general, believers are

not encouraged to use their minds to test the

teachings like the Bereans. Perhaps, God's

lament for today's Church would be, “My people

are ruined for lack of knowledge.” (Hos.4:6).

Jnana marga must not remain as the choice of a

few selected Christians called the apologists.

Every professing Christian must be a thinking

Christian! We in India live amidst people of

diverse religious beliefs. Faith claims and truth

claims are plenty in our pluralistic society. In

such a context, we have a great responsibility to

make our faith reasonable to others (I Pet.3:15).

We need to show to the world that Christian

faith is not a leap in the dark!

Finally, Christian spirituality is essentially

holistic. It involves a person's emotions, will and

intellect; soul, spirit and body; Bhakti, Karma

and Jnana. Jesus epitomised this in his earthly

life and ministry. He did not choose one entity

over the other. He held Bhakti, Karma and Jnana

in perfect spiritual unison. Jesus' Bhakti towards

God the father was nothing short of a love-saga

(Jn.4:31, 6:36, 8:29, 14:30-31). And his Karma

remains unmatched in history until this day

(Lk.4:18, Acts 10:38, Jn.10:10), while His Jnana

amazed even those who hated him (Matt.13:53-

55, Mk.6:2). May God give us the grace to go

beyond mere Bhakti and emulate Jesus’ holism

in all our spiritual pursuits!

Sam K. John. Sam is an itinerant preacher and

Bible teacher. He also edits SOULCONNECT.

PARABLE 15

Ramesh was a new Christian. Till recently he was a person from one of the ‘lower castes.’ He was told by the evangelist who shared the good news about salvation in Christ to him that once he became a believer every Christian would treat him as his or her brother. Ramesh was thrilled, after a lifetime of discrimination and oppression he was finally happy. He was now a child of God and he belonged to a community that treated everyone equally. His identity was derived from his relationship with Jesus Christ. The problem started the Sunday he went to a nearby church for the first time. “You cannot come to this place. This church is not for people like you,” said the angry old man. “But sir, I am a Christian,” said Ramesh, not understanding what the old man meant. “So what?” the old man asked with a sneering voice, “It doesn't change your caste, does it?” “What, what do you mean?” asked a brokenhearted

Ramesh. “I thought that when I became a Christian I became a child of God. You and I are equal in God's sight!” “Never!” shouted the old man, “even your shadow is unclean to me! Get out and go to a church where people like you meet. But never come back here. This church is only for the high caste.” Ramesh ran out in shock and pain, his eyes blurred with tears as he stumbled away into the dusty lane. “It is a lie! Everything that the evangelist told me was lie! It was better if I had remained a non-Christian, at least there people don ' t say tha t I am your brother and then t rea t me l ike a dog. . .”

Are you angry? Is your face a mirror of disbelief? Are you saying, “This doesn't happen in the Indian Church?” Think again. The above story is a daily occurrence in the lives of people who come to Christ from ‘lower caste’ backgrounds all over India. The question is, “Can casteism and Christianity coexist?” The Bible is very clear about this Paul says, in Galatians 3: 28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." In other words, in this context, there can be no discrimination on the basis of race (Jew or Greek). What is casteism but a form of racism or apartheid? We just have to look at the matrimonial column in Christian magazines to understand the enormity of the problem. "Christian bridegroom (particular caste) is looking for bride from the same caste." Churches congregate on the basis of caste, pastors and office bearers are selected and elected on the basis of caste, even communion in certain churches is administered on the basis of caste. What about you? And what about me? Do we secretly hold to this practice that is dehumanizing and discriminatory? Is caste identity more important than Christian identity? This is not an appeal to abandon cultural identity; it is to abandon the practice of casteism because it is contrary to everything that Christ stands for.

Jaichand Sudershan. Jaichand is a pastor at the Bangalore Evangelical Free Church and is a freelance writer.

You are holding the fourth issue of SOULCONNECT. God has made this possible through the sacrificial involvement and financial contributions of a few mission-minded friends. We do not want this effort to go in vain. Can you spare a few minutes of your valuable time to send us your feedback about this magazine? Tell us what you liked and suggest us ways to improve. Email your comments to: meetskj@gmail.com or soulconnect2india@gmail.com. Editor.

A REQUESTA REQUEST

16 BOOK REVIEW

At a time when the

t h e o l o g y o f

suffering and pain

has taken back seat

t h a n k s t o

p r o s p e r i t y

preachers and faith

h e a l e r s , J o h n

Piper's Filling up

the Afflictions of

Christ presents a

thoroughly counter

c u l t u r a l a n d

thought provoking

thesis. This hard

hitting book is the fifth one in the biography series

titled “The swans are not silent,” by Piper.

To start with, the writer points to the sufferings and

death of Jesus Christ in bringing about Salvation to

the world. Following this, he picks up the

astounding statement of Paul in Col. 1:24 as the

basis of his main argument. Now I rejoice in my

sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what

is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that

is, the church. He interprets the verse as follows:

“What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ is not

that they are deficient in worth, as though they

could not sufficiently cover the sins of all those

who believe. What is 'lacking' is that the infinite

value of Christ's afflictions is not known and

trusted in the world…They must be carried by

missionaries. And those missionaries 'complete'

what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ by

extending them to others.” According to Piper,

afflictions are not merely the consequence of

taking the gospel to the world but they are a

strategic part of God's plan to reach the nations.

This to me is a revolutionary thought! The central

theme of the book is then illustrated from the lives

of three great men from the annals of Christian

history, namely, William Tyndale, John Paton and

Adoniram Judson.

Tyndale had to undergo afflictions to make the

Bible available for the common man in his

language. Eventually he suffered the ultimate. He

was burned alive, tied to a stake, and reportedly his

last words were, “Lord, open the eyes of the King.”

Tyndale's work set the spark for Reformation.

Paton's biographical sketch is one of great courage

and determination. A chain of islands called New

Hebrides was Paton's mission field. Within the first

year of his work among the cannibals, he lost his

wife and child. Paton had to dig two graves by

himself to bury them. Unfazed by the personal

loss, Paton determined to stay back. Paton's

afflictions for the sake of Christ did not go in vain.

He lived up to the age of eighty two and saw the

amazing transformation of cannibals to

Christianity. The third story highlighted is that of

Judson who was instrumental in taking the gospel

to Burma. He endured great opposition. Through

imprisonment, physical pain, bouts of depressions,

loss of two wives and children, Judson survived the

ordeal. He gave himself for Burma. Thanks to

Judson, Burma today has a vibrant church with

3700 Baptist congregations and over six hundred

thousand believers.

Piper concludes the book with the challenge of the

unreached people groups the final frontier (10/40

window). He says that many people groups will

remain as unreached if there are not enough

Christians to share in the afflictions of Christ like

Tyndale, Paton and Judson. He writes, “Reaching

the unreached, as Jesus commands, will be

dangerous and costly. Some of us, and some of our

children, will be killed.” In saying this, Piper is not

just talking about dying again and again but the real

possibility of martyrdom. Overall, I find the book

a great mission-inspiration.

Reviewed by Sam K. John

GUIDANCE 17

Well, that's how 'worry' is defined! 'Worry' and

'anxiety' cause a lot of suffering to people of all

ages, in all walks of life. Worry may stem from a

particular threat but anxiety is free-floating.

When these conditions persist it can lead to a

constant state of tension accompanied by sleep

disturbances and inefficient functioning. As the

persons become overly sensitive, it can even trigger off interpersonal conflicts and end up in nervous

break-downs.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE CAUSES

Insecurity: A person may have gone through lots of negative criticism, as a result, even before doing

something he/she looks for criticism and becomes anxious.

Negative Self-talk: Because of the fear of rejection, the interpretation of the responses also becomes

hay-wire. The anxious person says, “I don't know what's wrong with me. After sometime my friends will

avoid me” instead of thinking, “Well, this is the third time Mr. X is hurrying past me. Is he really busy or is

he upset over something I said. I should stop and ask him next time!”

Conflicting Expectations: When young people face inconsistent people at home/school they are at a

loss. One parent/teacher expects one thing and the other expects the opposite and this can confuse the

child a lot and causes anxiety.

Fear of Failure and Punishment: When a person is gripped by the possibility of failure, that can

trigger anxiety and worry. Likewise, young people worry a lot about committing mistakes and

subsequent punishments.

WHAT DO WE DO?

The human mind, very often, pictures God after the images of parents and parental figures. Hence the

mind of an anxious person knows that God loves, forgives, is just and never leaves us helpless. But the seat

of the emotions cannot take the leap of faith. As a result however much one prays, anxiety pops its head.

Here are some suggestions:

Try to do some introspection with the Spirit of God or with the help of an understanding friend.

Forgive parents or parental figures who would have unintentionally caused anxiety long before

adulthood and thus have contributed towards an anxious personality.

Intentionally change the negative thought patterns through positive self-talk.

Do personal Bible studies on the character of God and internalize the lessons you learn. If the image of

God you have is not Biblical, change it.

Take periodical breaks from your routine and learn to relax.

Dr. Adalyn George. Adalyn is a retired professor of English, Women’s Christian College, Nagercoil.

REFLECTION18

any years ago, during my college days in Delhi, I used to host a prayer meeting. A few of us friends would gather to M

basically read the Bible and pray for our needs. In that group a person (who shall remain nameless), used to talk about how God was leading every moment of his life. This included everything from what he should eat, whom he should meet and even what color t-shirt he should wear. That friend of ours made the rest of us very uncomfortable. He used to dominate the prayer meeting with his stories, which became more and more extreme. The last straw came when he told us that God apologized to him one day! His biblical proof? The KJV says in Jonah that “God repented.” At that point, I felt it was no longer appropriate for him to continue in the prayer group and told him to stop coming. Sadly, the way I handled the situation was wrong. But that expe r i ence l e f t a dee p impression. While I doubted that God had an intimate relationship with that friend of mine, I felt in my gut that God actually did have an opinion for all of us, even to the point of how we should live every aspect of our daily lives. Our main problem was, I felt, that we could not rightly discern what God's choices really were... so mostly we either guessed or ignored God choices for most of our decisions. The question of “calling” and “God's leading” became all the more urgent. I needed to know what God's plan was for me.

Several years later, when through a strange “coincidence” I landed in a Bible College for my MA, I was struck by a preacher who said, “If you want to know God's will, you need to pray every day that God will show it to you.” I really took that to heart and began to pray earnestly that God would reveal His plan for me. Then something happened. Over the course of my study, I began to see signs of God's leading. I felt that God wanted

me to be involved in “Christian” ministry (I came from a secular background). And I felt that God wanted me to take academics seriously. It's difficult to explain just how each of these messages was conveyed. All I can say is that I asked and I began to receive.

However, I was just not able to understand the full implications of all that I was hearing. And so, after finishing my MA in Christianity, I left for a job as a teacher in a Christian secondary school. I taught journalism, photography and some religious studies. It was there that God spoke even more clearly, with several signs, that He wanted me to teach not just anything, but Christianity. Two instances in particular clarified the “call”: a phone-

call from the Bible College where I finished my MA, to get trained in theology to become a teacher. Plus, my soon-to-be-wife shared her own leading that was compatible with mine. It was all coming together. And in 2003, I joined SAIACS (Bangalore) as a faculty in training program, knowing fully well that God called me to academics, and even to SAIACS, and to become a teacher of Christian studies.

When I finally agreed to this decision, I understood a little bit of what God's “calling” was. I noticed that while I'm still not sure if God had a plan for the mundane, I knew that God's larger plan for me was revealed in stages, over several years. God was shaping me not just to understand his call, but also getting me ready so that I could follow his call. I could go on about how God's enables us in our journey, about how God's call makes sense with the way he is leading us in our earthly life. Finally I will say this: God has a plan. Pray to Him, if you want to know it. Pray earnestly, daily even. And, if you are like me, through time He will make His will clear to you... his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Nigel Ajay Kumar. Nigel currently teaches Theology at SAIACS, Bangalore. He is married and has one daughter.

“I noticed that while I'm still not sure if God had a plan for the mundane, I knew that God's larger plan for me was revealed in stages, over several years. God was shaping me not just to understand his call, but also getting me ready so that I could follow his call.”

INTERVIEW 19

SURENDER GNANAOLIVU

V S Nair, a former RSS activist, is a Bible teacher and preacher today. He is passionate about training Christian leaders on how to face ministry challenges in hostile situations and developing new strategies for evangelism and mission through research in the context of persecution. He is also a member of the Fellowship of Indian Missiologists (FOIM). Specialized in Hindutva ideology and practices, he is widely used by Catholics and Protestants alike. He has a M.Th. from SAIACS Bangalore. He lives in Bangalore with his wife, Lakshmi,

They have two daughters, Archana (14) and Athulya (12).

a graduate from UBS, Pune who served with the UESI Karnataka for seven years.

Can you share with us your experience of encountering Jesus?It was in 1992, while I was working in Gurgoan as a site in-charge of civil construction, I accepted the Lord Jesus as my personal Saviour. With my father’s unexpected demise (he was my visible god), I lost interest in life. I was completely depressed and wanted to end my life. At that time I seriously started to search for a divine power that could console and comfort me. When all other hopes were lost, I turned to a Bible that was gifted to me by somebody, and my eyes fell on Is.43:5 ‘’fear not: for I am with you.” This led me to Christ.

How did your family and friends respond to your

conversion?

My family members could not accept this change in

me due to two reasons. Firstly, most of themwere

highly religious. Some were very active RSS

personnel. Secondly, they felt that it affected the

social status of the family. Since my father was a state

executive member of Nair Service Society (NSS), the

change in my religious perspective had a negative

impact on them. Most of them stopped having any

contact with me and even today avoid me from

important family functions. But I always approached

them with Christ’s attitude, never gave them the idea

that accepting Jesus would separate me from my

family.

Tell us about your ministry experiences.

What is your current passion in ministry?

Four months after my encounter with Jesus, while I

was doing my personal meditation on Isaiah 6, God

convinced me for full time ministry (v.8) “Whom

shall I send ,and who will go for us.” So I committed

my life to serve Him and resigned my job in April

1992. After my Theological studies from UBS, Pune

in 1999, I went to Mussorie in Uttarakand. I took

charge as the Vice-Principal of Leadership

Instruction and Training (LIT) and as the Associate

Pastor of Happy Valley Fellowship. In 2001, we

moved to Delhi-Haryana border as church planting

pioneers among the Jat community. My wife, Lakshmi

has been a great support in my ministry.

We conduct seminars on “facing ministry challenges” and modern Hinduism, training program for persecuted pastors, workshops to challenge Christian leaders to evaluate contemporary methods of evangelism and mission, and also pulpit ministry under ‘HIGH TOUCH.’ It is my vision to establish a centre exclusively for training the persecuted Christians and for research in order to develop contextually appropriate strategies to reach out to the people of other faith.

Inhightouch@gmail.com

Rabindranath Tagore

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their

governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.

This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

Apostle Paul

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.