Tinku Thompson

Lessons from Ministry Trip

2013-05-10T07:37:00.000-05:00

Last week I came back from a ministry trip to India. Wanted to share few lessons I learned which I also shared with my church.

Hindrances cannot stop you from accomplishing God’s purpose.
Give your best to God and you will enjoy God's peace and joy in your life.
Challenges are there but God is in control.
Prepared for Ministry in Jail? You should to go and do ministry in any place God sends you.
God uses weak people also for His glory.
God works beyond our imagination. There are works which are just beyond human understanding and explanation.
Secret of Success - Prayer, Faith & desire to see hand of God moving among us.

I spoke about it in church and audio link is http://mnpassembly.org/messages/05052013.mp3

God Bless You!

Thought - Christian Holidays Sidelined

2013-04-01T21:08:00.001-05:00

Let me start by saying that I am not writing this to start any debate on this issue since it has many aspects and I don't think we need to waste our time looking into all aspects.

Last weekend was Easter weekend and many sites today had news items related to how Easter holidays are changed into Spring Bunny. On Easter Sunday, Google chose to honor an iconic figure on its front page –called the "doodle"– which of course is viewed by millions around the world. Many would have expected that figure to be Jesus, or perhaps something related to Easter.

"Merry Christmas" is no more valid and its "Happy Holidays". I heard a story that someone who came to US from a different country was asked to go for counselling because he was again and again using "Merry Christmas" and its offensive. Good Friday is no longer a holiday. It's a holiday in a country like India but I worked on that day in US. I don't want to elaborate on these points since it's a well known fact and my focus in this post is something different.

So as a Pastor and as a Christian what should I do? Am I concerned? Am I worried that when my son grows up, Easter and Christmas will not be a holiday?

Before I answer all these questions let me share something here. When I became a real Christian, I was in a place where Christianity is in minority and it still is. Also my church was against celebration of Christmas and Easter. They argued that these two holidays has pagan origins and it was not celebrated in first century church. There are lot of materials on this subject and I don't want to elaborate here. I still believe that its true. Then I used to observe these days for others. It was a good time to share the message and love of Jesus with others. I just wanted to inform my readers that every Christian in the world does not celebrate it the way it is shown in television and other places.

So what should I do if Christian holidays are taken out from public life? I think this will do good for Christianity in long run. We will have to emphasize the gospel and resurrection every Sunday. I believe that's important since Sunday worship concept has its origin with resurrection day. As a Pastor I will have to make sure that important aspects of gospel is proclaimed through out the year and not only on some occasions. When church started on the day of Pentecost, there was no holidays to mark any event. Holy Spirit had a big part to play and church grew. You take any nation where there is persecution and opposition, churches grow and quality is really high. I have personally seen that quality of churches under persecution and opposition is much better than churches in prosperous environment. Commitment level of people is different. Miracles and demonstration of God's power happens more often since people are hungry and they can't depend on government or anyone for safety.

I still remember the day when I was in India and an uneducated village women came to me after a meeting and asked me to pray so that God will give her grace to get up early at 5:00 AM so that she can pray. In US, no one has asked me to specially pray so that they will grow spiritually.

I think gospel message becomes very dangerous and effective when it is opposed. Opposition brings a different dimension which cannot be explained but can only be experienced. History is witness to that and I believe it is because it is the 'Word of God' and no man can challenge or stand against God.

No political or man's agenda can stand against God's agenda of saving man through His son Jesus Christ. The Bible says that God so loved that world that He gave his son Jesus Christ. Holiday or no holiday, gospel message will continue to penetrate nations and people's heart. If name is changed or not, the message of cross will still appeal sinners.

So am I worried? No way! When apostasy and opposition increase, I believe God's time is coming to show His power. I can look forward for the move of Holy Spirit in this land also.

I am not worried if Easter and Christmas holiday will remain when my son grows up. My concern is to make sure that I pray and teach him the importance of the message of cross so that he will be a disciple of Jesus irrespective of circumstances. With the current situation, I believe that opposition and persecution for faith will make him more committed and strong Christian, provided the gospel message makes an impact in his life.

I believe opposition and persecution will increase the quality which we badly miss now. We won't have any namesake believers who use God's name to justify their life style and compromise in every aspect of life.

So looking at the bigger picture, I am hopeful and excited!

MPA Bible Study 2013 Day 3 Conclusion

2013-04-01T20:01:00.001-05:00

Summary of Day 3

God uses ordinary for extraordinary work. Example Moses, David etc
Your background doesn't matter for you to serve God. He can change you life.
Be an over-comer of the circumstances that stand against you.
When we take a step of faith, God will work in advance.
You have to move forward even when obstructions are there.
Be an over-comer of disappointments in your life.
Be an over-comer of doubt in your life.
Be a witness.

I can conclude that it was a great time sitting in God's presence and listening from the word of God.

MPA Bible Study 2013 Day 2 Conclusion

2013-04-01T19:52:00.001-05:00

Summary of Day 2 Session 1

You attitude in welcoming others and Jesus will make a big difference.
Going to church or meeting people won't change anything. Jesus coming in your life bring supernatural work of God in your life.
Sitting and listening at Lord's feet makes a big difference.
You presence at Lord's feet is more important that what you give.
Many have Jesus at home but their life is distracted.
Complaining shows our distraction and lack of sitting at Jesus feet.
When somethings ends in joy then God takes glory and victory.
When something end in fight and strife then enemy has taken victory.
Jesus will never become a problem after being invited. If you feel so then Jesus has the solution.
Sometimes God allows situation in our to reveal himself. Martha and Thomas only knew as a healer. But death and resurrection of Lazarus proved that Jesus can raise the dead.
People who have experienced resurrection power should be different.

Summary of Day 2 Session 2

Resurrection is fundamental to a Christian.
We should have hope of resurrection in our life.
After resurrection we will have glorious body.
Just like the birth of a person, resurrection will also be a display of the supernatural work of God.
We have a bright future
We should ask God for wisdom before reading the Bible.
God observes and listens to our speech.
We need to believe in God irrespective of our circumstances.
God gives promise and fulfills them.

MPA Bible Study 2013 Day 1 Conclusion

2013-03-30T09:16:00.002-05:00

This weekend we are having a Weekend Bible study at our church. Pr.Biju Mathew from Oklahoma is with us and yesterday night we had a wonderful session. I wanted to post the summary of what we learned yesterday since I felt that the message had lot of things to meditate and learn from God.

Summary of what I learned:-

If God knows me and if I am in the center of God's will and if I am led by the Holy Spirit then God will take care of everything in my life.
We need to display the character of God in our lives.
Prayer alone won't work when it comes to saving people, we also need to speak to them when we get a chance.
It's not based on number of people we have. We need to sow the seed and God will help us to reap at the right time.
We say God did not answer my prayers. In reality God answered many things which we did not even ask him. How many ways God opened which we did not expect.
We need God to visit us because when God visits our church, people will visit us.
We cannot depend on the belief we had yesterday, we need to rely on God every day and walk with faith.
Yesterday's testimony is not going to help us today. We need to have faith in God today.
Many times we think God's work is over, but we never know. God works in His time and in His ways.

May God Bless You!

Self-Promotion contradicts Jesus' teaching

2012-05-26T09:31:00.003-05:00

We are living in an age where promotion is important. You take any discipline, without promotion, it won't be successful. Events are promoted, films are promoted, TV shows are promoted and even churches are promoted by advertisement and other media. Promotion is not bad in itself. I also promote by blog or website by adding a link as signature to my email.

In this article I want to deal with an issue which has crept so much into the Christian world that sometimes we get frustrated with it. I want to call it as self-promotion. Sometimes it is done under the cover of preaching gospel and other times it is done to bring glory to God. What a contradiction it is! The creator God gets glory through the cut out poster or promotion of a preacher. Have you ever thought about it?

Nowadays almost all organizations have what they call publicity coordinator. They are needed, but sometimes we stretch it too far. Few years ago an incident happened. A sister was looking at the song book of a conference and initially thought it is a photo album. It was for the first time she saw a song book of that type. The outside title said it is a song book but less than 25% pages contained songs. Now you may think I am ignorant about why we need advertisement and all financial things attached to it. I am well aware of it and I will explain why I am highlighting such things here.

At another time I saw an advertisement about a small camp attended by about 35 people. The advertisement came in many leading papers and newsletters with the photo of all officials involved and also the preachers. When I asked someone about it then they said we want to let outside people know that we also conduct such meetings. Other official of an event told that it is just a show of strength of their church. I came across a newsletter which had the photo of an official twice on the same page. We see advertisements about meetings with photos of all preachers. It may be 10 days meeting, but you will find 15 photos. 10 preachers and 5 organizers. Sometimes I feel that it is too much of a show.

Another thing is with mission reports. Sometimes it is the testimony which people give about what they do. I am not saying it is wrong every time. Many times the motive is not correct. Sometime ago I was in a church and a person came forward to give testimony about his mission trip. He said everything about what he did. It sounded like he was glorifying his efforts and not God.

I see this trend on Facebook. People think they are really smart. They pray for 5 minutes and they want the world to know. They do if for the sake of encouragement but is that the real motive?

The big question is how much should I advertise what I do or did for the Lord? Should I go around and tell people what I did. Many times we say we are telling what God did but are we really saying that or promoting our-self. By now I am sure that you got a good idea of what I am trying to convey.

Let’s look at what Jesus said in Mathew 6:1-4

1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (NIV)

Jesus was not talking about ministry here but about charity. There is an important principle we need to learn out of it. In simple language - Do not show off to others.

I feel anything which is done to show off or promote a person deprives God of the glory which belongs to him. Any action which is self-exalting should be stopped in our life. Even if I pray and move a mountain, it should not be advertised since it’s not I who did it but it is God. Then a question can be raised. If I don't tell people then how will they know that God can move mountains? There is a very thin line. If this testimony makes me humble and at the end leaves people focused and praising God then I am on the right side. Contrary to that if at the end focus is on me then I have failed to convey it in a way which brings glory to God. How many times I heard about such and such man or woman of God praised by people. Some people are so trapped or addicted with this problem that they praise people more than God.

I can write many more things about it but I want to focus on the scriptures.

Mathew 6:5-6

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (NIV)

Mathew 6:16-18

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (NIV)

I want to conclude by giving some practical advices. I am not saying you should do it but you should think about in the light if the issue I raised in this post.

Avoid all kinds of self-promotion in life.
Avoid and doesn’t delight when your photo comes up in someplace where you know that it should not have some.
Do not enjoy and rejoice at fake exaltation or praise you receive.
Be careful that your testimony does not end up being a promotion for yourself.
Check who was in spotlight and who took maximum appreciation through what you did. It could be a message or preaching.
Have the boldness to reject and correct if people say things about you which are not true.
If you give charity then make sure they do not publish your name.
If someone asks you to give personal advertisement in a songbook then if you want to help them then give money and avoid the advertisement part.
Make sure you do not do anything to show off yourself, your family or your church or your ministry to others. No one will get saved seeing how great you are. If someone comes to Christ like that then they won't stay long since only Jesus can attract and bring people to his kingdom.
Never start or do any ministry to show others that you are doing something or to promote your name among others.

May the Lord help you to reflect and think about this issue and I want to conclude by saying that self-promotion always contradicts with Jesus teaching.

God Bless You!

Wycliffe and contextualization issue in Bible Translation

2012-03-13T20:54:00.001-05:00

Recently I heard about a Wycliffe Bible for Muslims which has been contextualized for Muslims. What an idea! So what did they do? They just changed few things.

For example, these so-called translations change Matthew 28:19, the Great Commission given to us by Christ, from this: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”
to this: “cleanse them by water in the name of Allah, his Messiah and his Holy Spirit.”

Just imagine if this was done with some other religious books. Just imagine if this happens with Koran or Bhagwat Gita. I can't imagine the uproar which it could have caused.

You can read about this from the lings below:-

http://www.americandecency.org/archives/wycliffe-baptizing-them-in-the-name-of-allah/
http://biblicalmissiology.org/press-releases/
http://www.wycliffe.org/TranslationStandards.aspx
http://www.wycliffe.org/SonofGod/QA.aspx

If you do a search you will get lot of information.

I wish Christ comes before more contextualization comes and there will be Bibles for different religions and may be different other things based on people and language. Don’t want to write more about this since it’s a sad news which people of God should be aware of. It's for readers to read and see if Wycliffe people are justified for the reason they give.

How far will this generation go before judgment comes?

OT Teachings: Restitution

2012-03-13T20:35:00.001-05:00

Numbers 5:5-10

5 Then the LORD said to Moses, 6 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people—men or women—betray the LORD by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty. 7 They must confess their sin and make full restitution for what they have done, adding an additional 20 percent and returning it to the person who was wronged. 8 But if the person who was wronged is dead, and there are no near relatives to whom restitution can be made, the payment belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest. Those who are guilty must also bring a ram as a sacrifice, and they will be purified and made right with the LORD. 9 All the sacred offerings that the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him. 10 Each priest may keep all the sacred donations that he receives.” (NLT)

During OT times, saying sorry or confessing to God was not enough. You betray or deceive someone. What should you do?

Step 1 - Confess the sin.
Step 2 - Make full restitution + 20%. Example you deceived $100 then its $100+$20=$120/-
Step 3- Return it to the person

If the person is dead, what to do? - Give to relatives of person who can accept or receive it.

Step 4- If no one is there then give the money to priest + also bring ram for sacrifice (more expensive). So it goes to God.

So a simple sorry was not enough and restitution was needed.

Few things from NT:-

Luke 19:8
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”(NIV)

What did Zacchaeus do? For cheating $100, he gave back $100 * 4= $400/-. God asked 20% in OT but he gave 300%.

So what should we do? Just say sorry to God and be assured that Jesus paid it all on cross so I don't need to worry about whom I actually cheated? Is it fine if I give some money to poor or send a check to a third world country as mission support? That's what most people do. Is it enough to receive Christ and take baptism or become a church official while restitution is not made?

Again it’s the issue of restitution when someone is cheating or doing wrong to other people.

May God help you to think about this in your practical life!

What is OT Teachings?

What is OT Teachings Series?

2012-03-13T20:23:00.000-05:00

OT teaching series is a collection of specific teachings from Old Testament to reflect on the way God dealt with people. Lot of these things has different meaning in the New Testament age but my focus will be to understand how it worked in OT times.

It's not to say that we should do like this now it will give us an insight on how things worked during those times under the Old covenant (I am referring to Old Testament times and not to a convent theologian’s old covenant).

Note:- this is a reference post to many OT Teachings post I will add.

May God Bless You!

Thought - Two Options in front of a preacher of gospel

2012-01-24T22:21:00.000-06:00

If I had to go to Babylon and start a church among the captives who came from Judah then I will have two options.

Option 1 - Start a conservative Jewish church which has all God's law in its statement of faith and which follow everything law demands. This church preaches against sin and call people to repentance and genuine spiritual life. Then I will have only four members in my church. They are Brother Daniel, Bro.Shadrach, Bro.Meshach and Bro.Abednego.
Option 2 - Next option is to start a seeker friendly church (I can name it like Babylon Jewish Community or Nebuchadnezzar Assembly or something which does not reveal what the church is all about). It only has few things in its statement of faith and it accepts everything. Mostly preaching will be about prosperity and giving people hope that captivity is going to end soon. You will get to hear things like this often -Get ready for something amazing, unexpected, Babylonian power will break because of you, God is going to use you etc. Only condition is come once in a week. I don't care if you bow down to king and worship or what you eat and wear. Come once in week and don't forget your offering. This church may have hundreds in attendance.

Which one is better? Starting and maintaining a Jewish church in Babylon is not easy. There will be so many challenges. Then the challenge and pressure of number of people. Today everything is measured in quantity and not quality.

If I hold Calvinistic view then I don't need to decide, whatever I choose does not matter since I will choose what was predestined by God. If I hold Armenian view then I need to decide on one option. Option 1 seems more aligned with Bible but Option 2 looks more aligned to and desirable in today's world. You may say Option 2 is what we need today to reach the world. What to do?

It’s a challenge which a conservative minister of gospel may faces daily in ministry!

Thought - My Past and My Attitude

2012-01-09T20:36:00.005-06:00

There are times when it is really difficult to keep past things out of our mind. If it is about bad things others did to you and if it is something which can be compared as Reuben and other brothers roaming around free at their father's house when poor Joseph is in prison, then it gets tougher. Only revenge and wrong idea comes to your mind. You may feel helpless. If you find yourself in a similar situation then you need to remind yourself of the story of Joseph and decide that real forgiveness will allow safe passage to people even in your mind, even to those who did to you what Jacob did to Esau (deceived).

What should I do? If I am a child of God then I need to behave and react like Joseph and not like Cain. Sometimes this will require intentional prayer and seeking God's help.

God changes us through Holy Spirit

2011-12-14T20:58:00.000-06:00

I was very angry. I had a genuine reason to be angry and wanted to shout. I wanted to say all things which a worldly man would say when he gets angry or mad at someone or something. I barely managed to keep my words to a limit and boundaries of the ethics I follow. At times I wanted to speak out words which I normally don’t use or speak but I know are used by people when they are angry. After this I could stand in front of anyone and justify the reason for me being angry and argue that I was correct and there was nothing wrong. I was sure at I would win my case in any court which may put me on trial for getting angry.

Then came the difficult part. I went to God to pray knowing that I did nothing wrong. I could not pray with my heart, with my lips I could, but my heart and my conscience was wandering. What I knew in theory started arguing with me. I knew theoretically that I should not get angry or shout rather I should always be sober and kind and patient. But the situation made me to overcome all those things and justify my action. What my flesh wanted to do was trying to prevail over what God wanted me to do. The way my flesh wanted me to react was overpowering how God wanted me to react. Finally I had to surrender and confess that I was wrong in what I did and asked for forgiveness and more grace and strength to react and behave better next time. I could sense and experience the peace of God. Fake lip service to God changed to heart felt service. I could understand that I was wrong. None of my justification or law points could stand against the word of God which was working in my heart. Holy Sprit was reminding me everything I have read and I knew theoretically and asking me to make it practical in my life. I gave up and said, “Lord have thine own way."

You may ask what it was. It was God working through the Holy Spirit in a person’s life reminding him of Scriptures to transform him into his likeness. It was the Holy Spirit at work to change me so that I can be transformed more into the image of God and reflect the character and attitude of Jesus Christ through my life. I am glad God works even today through the Holy Spirit in our lives. We can resist that work easily and lose our sensitivity. We should try not to lose in and make sure we are reaching out toGod with our hearts and not only with lips.

Some people may question the need of confession and reconciliation for such matters. The Bible is clear on these things and I believe that the beauty of a Christian life is not only in having theoretical knowledge of different terms like justification, grace, sanctification, dispensation etc. An important aspect is walking with God and hearing His voice and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives resulting in transformation.

God Bless you!

Thought - Theology and Confusion

2011-12-13T21:37:00.000-06:00

Completed a paper on Wesleyan and Reformed theology and tradition. My conclusion - I finished it by grace alone. I reasoned and experienced that it is complete because traditionally people who finish and submit it have completed it. But only my paper can validate if it’s complete or not. In order to validate, you will have to read it and understand. Then your method of reading and understanding may not be same as the way I wanted you to read and understand. So you may read in a different way than I wanted you to understand. I wrote in based on my culture, education, understanding and by circumstances.

If you are confused then I am sorry and you are like me. But if you understood what I just wrote then you are a theologian.

Note:- This is my way of appreciating people who spend countless hours dealing with theological issues.

Thought - Close to God with Heart or Lips

2011-12-09T20:01:00.001-06:00

You may say that you prayed today. What about your heart? Did you reach out to God with your heart or just with your lips? In Mathew 15:1-20, Jesus stated what is more important. If we reach out to God only with our lips and not with our heart then we should go on our knees. It is a serious concern which needs to be resolved on our knees. We should not allow fake spirituality to prosper in our life. We should seek God in prayer and meditation of his Word and arrest the growth of fake spirituality and cultivate and nurture true spirituality. What is the test of true spirituality. One simple test is to check if you are close to God with your heart. What dominates your thought life?

Thought - Balance in Theology

2011-11-30T19:59:00.000-06:00

Can we embrace love of God and reject His justice? Can we embrace justice of God and reject His love? Can we embrace mercy of God and reject his judgement? Can we embrace judgement of God and reject his mercy?

Thought - Dealing with others bad behaviors

2011-11-29T19:54:00.000-06:00

Every day you hear things which makes you upset or spoil your mood. What to do? Be upset thinking why you can't do anything or just trust in God that He is in control and enjoy the day as a gift from God. Well I am not going to spoil my day because of someone’s actions or word or thought. I will trust more in God and rejoice in Him. Is it easy? No. It becomes easier as you trust God more and believe that He is in full control.

Changes in TNIV and NIV 2011 Versions

2011-06-17T20:20:00.005-05:00

Last time I wrote about why Bible versions matter for a student of the word of God. Every believer should be a student of the word of God. Our taste and convictions should be biblical. For that to occur we should spent more time in studying Bible than other things. If you spend more time with TV or internet then you taste buds will be developed for that and your convictions will be based on that. Many people struggle to enjoy God's word and find it very difficult to focus and read it for even ten minutes. There are so many distractions in our life that many times we feel comfortable being busy and spending time on things which feed our flesh and give pleasure to us. So it’s very important that we develop a taste for the word of God if we intend to grow in our relationship with the creator God.

I want to share with you some concerns which will help you to think and guide you as you select a Bible for yourself or for your family. I do not claim to know everything about this but just want to share the things I found out.

New International version (NIV) is one of the most common used Bible versions. I have used it for a long time now and I have a Study Bible and Life Application Bible of NIV. Wikipedia says that "The New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history." One thing which NIV tried to do and continues to do is that they try to make language easy and appealing to modern culture. Most common version is the 1984 one. In 2005 they came out with another version which was called Today's New International Version (TNIV). Among other differences from the NIV, the TNIV uses gender-neutral language to refer to people. Confessional terms for this kind of language are such as gender-inclusive. Two examples of this kind of translation decision are found in Genesis and Matthew.
Genesis 1:27 reads: "So God created human beings in his own image." Older translations use the word "man" to translate the word ’adam employed in the Hebrew language, the same word used as the proper name of the first man married to the first woman, Eve.

Matthew 5:9 reads: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Here, the Greek word huioi is translated "children" rather than "sons" as found in other modern English translations such as the New American Standard Bible[8] and the Amplified Bible.[9] However, the 1611 Authorized King James Version also renders this passage as "children" rather than "sons". Masculine references to God, such as "Father" and "Son", are not modified from the literal translation in the TNIV.

The original Hebrew of Psalm 1:1 has the word ’ish (man). This is translated in the TNIV: "Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers."

This year they came out with a new version which is much based on TNIV. It’s called NIV and they have discontinued older version. So if you go and buy a NIV bible today most probably you will get a NIV 2011 version.

Note this difference in three versions.

NIV(1984) Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

TNIV(2005) Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me.

NIV(2011) Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

NIV also has the issues with words or verses deleted. Some claim that they have deleted about 40 verses. See here http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/nivdelet.htm .

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Today%27s_New_International_Version

http://www.biblewebapp.com/niv2011-changes/

Why Bible Versions Matter

2011-03-29T18:05:00.004-05:00

All Christians read the Bible daily or they are supposed to read for growing in their spiritual life. There are many languages in which we do not have a full Bible. There are many in which we only have one version. In English we have many versions. I have 3 or 4 with me and can access more than twenty five online. Bible Gateway has about 25 versions as I am writing. Many times we wonder which one is the best. There are professors of theology who prefer one over another. Some of them even hate other versions. My first Hermeneutics class is next week. So just thought doing some research about it.

My first Bible in English was a NKJV given by my parents. At that time it was kind of luxury for me. Later one person from my church gave me a NIV Bible because he was not using it and gave it as a gift to me which I still have. At that time I knew that there are some study Bibles available but I could not afford one. So I borrowed one NKJV Study Bible from a family which I used to study. Later they asked me for it because I kept it with me for a long time. I badly wanted to buy one but was not able to.

Later I purchased many Bibles and few as gift from people. I have NIV study Bible, NIV Life Application Bible, NLT Life Application and ESV Study Bible. I also have a Malayalam and Hindi Bible. I use it all at times for study and sermon preparation. Nowadays I use ESV more for personal study. I am very comfortable with NIV since I am reading it for many years now. I also use other versions which are available online sometimes.

Now the question is- does it matter? Initially I was of the opinion that you should read what you feel most comfortable. In my case it is NLT since its very easy. Now is that the correct way to decide? Now I would say NO. I want to bring to you attention one of the most famous verse. Its John 3:16. Let us see it from few Versions.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (NLT)

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. (Amplified Bible)

For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (HCSB)

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (NET Bible)

All bold effect is my addition to bring clarity.

Do you see any difference? For serious students of the word of God there is difference. Is it "God So much loved the world" or "God loved the world in this way" or "this is the way God loved the world" ? Where is the focus? What was the reason for sending the son? Was it his "love for the world" or is it that sending his son demonstrated his love for the world? Who is the focus? Son coming or God's love? I know that both are important but I just wanted to show you an example of how this can change focus and meaning at times. Sometimes it can promote misreading of important facts.

People who use another language do not have much option but those who use English have many options. There are many custom made bible's available in the market. We even have a PG13 Bible. You should be very careful when you buy new Bibles coming out in market. I will be writing another article about problems with NIV 2011 version later. When you want to buy a Bible for your children do not go with the easiest and most fancy one available. Go with the one which does not distort the message.

We can see many examples like this. So you may ask me which one is best. I don't know since I am not a scholar yet to advice you on that. I will definitely recommend that you use more than one version for your study. When it comes to important passages, make sure you read it from different versions. Again this is for serious students of word of God. This is not to say that there is contradictions between Bibles but language and style can make a difference.

If you have some suggestions then let me know. I will be more than happy to research on it. Any way remember - EASY IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST.

God Bless You Bible Study!

New turn in my Life

2011-02-09T07:57:00.005-06:00

In our life we see many turns. Some turns are very sharp but some are just another diversion. One question we should ask ourselves before we take is turn is - "Am I in God's will?"

Many times turns can be new chapters in our lives which we never expected to start. With every new chapter there is an expectation and anticipation. This week I started a new chapter in my life. I started with Master of Arts in Theological Studies at North Western College in St.Paul, MN. It all happened so quick that I could see the blessing of God in this matter.

It was a promise which God gave me many years ago, around ten I think. He said you will study in a Bible college in USA. At that time I couldn't imagine that I will ever study in a Bible College. But years have passed and times have changed. He has finally opened a way for me to study.
It was great to start this program. Some times we think if its necessary for men of God to study to serve the Lord. I now think that to effectively teach others you should learn first. I can write many points in support of that. I don't want to do it now.

So lot of challenges are ahead as lot of assignments and reading and research is awaiting me as I go through this program. I am excited as well as nervous. Going back to class room after so many years was great. But it was a fulfillment of God's promise. I want to say it again - My God is faithful in fulfilling all his promises. I know its tough with my job and taking care of a growing church and then to do this program. But I remember what Paul said, "I can do all things through the one who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13).

Keep me in your prayers!

Monk Habits for Everyday People

2011-01-13T23:12:00.006-06:00

Last week I completed reading my first book this year. I didn't buy it but picked it up from Public Library. When I saw the title i.e. - Monk Habits for Everyday People: Benedictine Spirituality for Protestants by Dennis Okholm, I was curious. I started reading it and I can tell you that after a long time I found a book which was so interesting to me that I finished reading it in a few days. I am not a bibliophile or bookworm. I can't read all books and can see it to completion only if its awakens my interest.

I just thought of writing few things about it here. Firstly, if you are a person who gets scared or maybe you feel old fashioned with the word "Monk" then this book is definitely for you! The book is very good in making a person understand what Benedictine Spirituality is and other things which is practiced in monasteries. You will get a very good idea about why monks do certain things. The intent and the reason behind many things can be understood easily.

Evangelical theologian and educator Dennis Okholm offers this spiritual memoir of his pilgrimage into monastic culture in an era when a chorus of evangelical voices are crying out for changes in their branch of the church. Various evangelical writers are arguing: The movement's become stale. It's been hijacked by political operatives. It's turned Christianity into an easy-bake recipe for prosperity. And, where many of these writers wind up trying to take us is back into centuries-old Christian traditions that once were considered exclusively "Catholic." And, when evangelicals said that word in the past, they often sneered.

Don't mistake Okholm's book for one of those angry evangelical books trying to shake up the movement from its foundations, but not offering much of a pathway through the resulting rubble. No, this is a thoughtful, careful, mature memoir. He admits that, at that time, he suspected monastic life was a tired old "relic of the Middle Ages."

He suggests how Benedictine spirituality can overcome the star-power trend he sees in many Protestant churches. He suggests that if more pastors held obedience, balance, and listening at the heart of their ministries, the dissent that strikes many congregations could be kept at bay, and the Gospel of Christ better served in our mission fields.

He has chapters on listening, poverty, obedience, humility, hospitality, stability, and balance; he gives Protestant readers a perspective on the values of Catholic spirituality. I especially liked and appreciate a final chapter on why the Protestant reformers, made a break from monasticism, as it can help to set Protestant perspectives on monasticism in historical perspective.

Who was Benedict? Born around 480 C.E, he was first a hermit (A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society) who later gathered a community of followers. He apparently didn’t intend to establish a community but when he did, he developed his Rule.

If you ask me if I learned anything from it then YES! It helped me to evaluate my life with many teachings of the Bible and if I am it following in the right sense.

If you are a person who comes from a protestant or evangelical or Pentecostal background then you should read it. I don't think it will encourage you to become a monk but it will definitely help you to evaluate and understand many things in your own lives which you are supposed to do but don’t. It will help you in looking at your own life if you don't read it from a critical view.

As humans we can always learn from different people and culture. Monk habits have lot of things for a Christian to learn from. You may think I am impressed by Monk habits. Yes I am by the intention behind many things they do as they correspond to what Jesus taught us. I don't want to mention more here. I want to conclude this post by saying that if you get a copy of this book or get a Chance to read it then go for it. You will learn a lot.

After writing about it I found this link which has a presentation about this book. If you don't read the book then at least read this Monk Habit Presentation .

God Bless You!

Happy New Year 2011 and Message

2011-01-04T23:18:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year 2011!

I wish you all a blessed new year. Another year has gone by and we are in a new year.

Whenever a New Year starts, people take decisions and we see fresh energy as people hope to do things in a new way. Sometimes it is the decision to read the Bible or pray regularly. Sometimes it is about giving more to charity or going to church regularly. It could also be things like exercising regularly. But if we are not disciplined then the enthusiasm dies in 2-3 weeks and we get back to our previous lifestyle. But the New Year always presents us with an opportunity to start or plan things in a new way. It

encourages us to take some new decisions.

At our church (Minnesota Pentecostal Assembly), on New Year eve, I spoke about getting genuine or real in this New Year. Getting real is important to have a consistent relationship with God. Many times people are either thinking or acting below what God has given to them or where God has placed them; sometimes they are thinking above what God has given to them. Either way it prevents us from fully realizing God’s primary call and purpose in our life. Few important points I shared during the message was -

1. Phil 3:16: “Let us live up to what we have already attained.” – Know the purpose of your life, forget the past, and live in reality

2. Acting below what one is could be in the form of underestimating God’s primary purpose and call in one’s life, pride in the form of false humility, making excuses about having to learn more, to name a few.

3. Acting above what one is or where God has placed them could be in the form of fake spirituality, not realizing the reality, acting out when one is actually struggling, to name

some.

You can listen to this message at MPA Website http://www.mnpassembly.org/Resources.aspx

May God Bless You!

Settle you Eternity

2010-12-03T21:40:00.003-06:00

The world view Christianity as another Religion. When we read the message of the Bible, we can understand that Jesus didn't come to make a religion but to establish the relationship between God and man.

Let’s look at the earth in which we are living. We see a creation. This creation demands a Creator. We see everything around us designed perfectly. Now this requires a designer. We follow some moral laws as we live in society. This requires a moral law giver. We have a life. This life demands a life giver. Have you ever thought about it? There is a God who is the Creator of this earth. He gave us this life. Bible says that God created man in His own image. But sin separated man from God. God is a holy God and cannot tolerate sin. The wages of sin is death.

But God provided a way so that the relationship between God and Man can be restored. He sent his Son Jesus Christ in to this world. Jesus Christ died on the cross but rose again on the third day. He has promised eternal life for those who believe in Him and accept Him as their personal savior. There is a life after death. Jesus Christ gives hope and peace not only for this life, but also for life after death. We all will have to go from this world one day. Some people think death is the end of everything. It is only the end of our life in this world. There is eternal life after death and where we spend our eternity depends on the choice we make today. Jesus Christ promises you to give an eternal life in heaven if you accept Him. This is the good news.

What I wrote till now is plain Gospel. It's simple but difficult for people to understand or accept. People think accepting and following Jesus is an option. Let me tell you it’s not an option. It is a matter of our eternity. It will decide where you will spend your eternity. It is written in the Bible that every man has to die once and then stand in front of God’s judgment throne. If you are reading this and have not accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, then I request you to look at your own life and find the truth.

Settle your eternity before you leave this world. After you die you won’t have any option!

Do we obey Out of Love or Out of Duty?

2010-06-14T09:51:00.004-05:00

The question asked by a person goes like this :-

I came across this post which quotes John MacArthur.

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2010/06/do-we-obey-out-of-love-or-out-of-duty.html

God Bless You!

Final Instruction to Christians in Rome

2010-04-19T20:02:00.002-05:00

Romans is a letter written by Apostle Paul to the church in Rome. Paul writes about basic gospel and God's plan of salvation for all people. Salvation is available to all, regardless of a person's identity, sin or heritage. We are saved by grace through faith. Paul also talks about freedom from power of sin, freedom from the domination of the law, freedom to become like Christ and discover God's limitless love. Paul also gives some practical advice as to how a Christian should behave. Paul almost concludes this letter by letting the church know about his plan to visit them and by giving his personal greetings to many people.

But just before the end he gives a final instruction to the church, Paul says that he is making one more appeal. I want to bring out few things out of that here.

Romans 16:17-18
And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. (NLT)

In these verses Paul is making an appeal. In NIV version it says "I urge you". He is making this appeal to everyone. What is Paul’s appeal? His appeal is that watch out for people who cause divisions and teach things contrary to what you have learned. These types of teachings not only upset people but also put obstacles in the faith of people. We are living in times when Christianity has been highly commercialized by people who claim to be teachers of Bible and in reality they are not. They earn millions by selling their books and other things which they claim to be biblical in nature but they are not. Lot of books and sermons comes on our way which looks too good to be avoided in the first place. But we should check what the content is and make sure it goes in line with what is taught by Jesus Christ.

Now we see lot of people like this. What should we do? Paul’s instruction is simple- Stay away from them. They are not serving Christ our Lord; but they are serving their own personal interests. Paul gives identification about such people. By Smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. In NIV version it says that they deceive the minds of naïve people. How true it is. Mind manipulation has always been a strategy which Satan has used from beginning to deceive people. He will try to manipulate the minds by bringing ideas and thoughts which are completely contrary to the command of God. They will sound good. They use smooth talk, flattery or glowing words to make people think that it’s true. In the Garden of Eden also similar thing happened. We have to careful to avoid any resources which can corrupt or manipulate our minds.

Acts 17 talks about the church in Berea. It says that they searched the scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth (Acts17:11). We should be people who search the scriptures on a day to day basis and make sure that we are following the truth as it is revealed in the word of God. When it comes to the truth of word of God remember that Ignorance is not bliss.

May God Bless You!

Forgive- Any upper limit? To what extend?

2010-03-01T18:59:00.002-06:00

A group of Christian missionaries met in Delhi, India, with representatives of other religions to discuss their beliefs. In the course of their talks a member of a major non-Christian religion said to a missionary, "Tell me one thing your religion can offer the Indians that mine can't." The missionary thought for a moment and replied, "Forgiveness! Forgiveness!"

Forgiveness is an important teaching of the Bible. Jesus in his teaching stressed the need of forgiveness very much. During the sermon on mount, Jesus taught about forgiveness. At one point of time Peter came to Jesus and asked an important question. Peter wanted to have a numerical number as to how many times he should forgive someone. Peter also had a suggestion for Jesus. Is it seven times? You can find this in Matthew 18:21-35. I guess that since Jesus stressed on forgiveness many times during his teaching and since forgiving someone is not an easy thing, Peter wanted to know the upper limit. How many times? Till what extend should I tolerate. Till what point should I wait before I give up? Rabbis taught that people should forgive those who offend them three times. Peter was trying to be more generous and suggested the perfect number seven.

Jesus gave an interesting answer and continued with the parable of unforgiving debtor. Jesus said seventy times seven. It means four hundred and ninety (490) times. It’s not easy to count or keep tract of 490 times. Jesus was meaning that we shouldn’t even keep track of how many times we forgive. To say that I forgive is easy but to forget, it’s very difficult. That’s why we keep history and remember exactly the number of times someone has offended us. One story which I read recently was interesting and it clearly exposes our problem.

Eunice, a former missionary to Liberia, told a story about forgiveness. An African man worked for her, and one day she caught him stealing clothes from her house. "Please forgive me," he pleaded. “I did wrong. I promise not to do it again." She forgave him and allowed him to continue working for her. But less than a month passed before she caught him stealing again, "Look at you!" she said. "You've stolen again!" The bright fellow stared at her and yelled back, "What kind of a Christian are you?" Eunice, dumbfounded, had no idea how to respond. "If you forgave me, you do not remember it." the man said. "If you did not remember it, such a thing did not happen."

How true it is. I have seen people bring all the old historical events and problems when they discuss some issues. They have already asked forgiveness and said that they have forgiven. But our human nature tends to keep old things and its shows lack of genuine forgiveness from our side. Now in the parable, this man couldn’t forgive his servant who owed him much less compared to what he had to pay to the king. In the end the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. Jesus concludes the subject by saying that “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”(Matthew 18:35) It’s a strong warning for us. It’s very important that we forgive people from our heart. It’s also important that we forget what we have forgiven. It’s difficult. At least make a conscious effort not to speak about or argue about the matters you have already forgiven. Don’t dwell on the issues you have already forgiven. Just imagine if God brings back all our sins and put it in front of us every time we ask him forgiveness. We were sinners and we are saved by the grace of God and when we asked forgiveness he accepted us and forgave all our sins. Remember that our king has cancelled all the big debts when we asked him. Can’t we forgive the small things which other people may do against us? Let’s be genuine disciples and develop the habit of forgiving and forgetting.

Augustine once said - "if you are suffering from a bad man's injustice, forgive him lest there be two bad men.”