Tinku Thompson

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.”

Joy at being forgiven!

2010-02-14T16:35:00.002-06:00

“Guilty!” everyone guilty? Guilty of what? Guilty of over-parking? Guilty of lying? Guilty of arrogance and hubris toward the one God? Guilty of “borrowing” not to say embezzling? Guilty of unfaithfulness to a faithful wife? Guilty only of evil thoughts – or evil plans? Guilty before whom? Is a police officer following? Did anyone see? Will they be likely to notice it? Does he know about it? But that isn’t technically illegal, is it? I can make it up. I will give it back. I’ll apologize. I wasn’t myself when I did that. No one knows about it. But I’m going to quit. It’s a dangerous habit. I wouldn’t want the children to see me. How can I ever straighten it out? What’s done can’t be undone.” - Karl Menninger

Many times believers go around carrying the guilt of their sins or wrong doings. In many cases people don’t confess their sin. Sometimes people get used to some sinful actions in their life to such an extent that they no longer feel like confessing it or asking God’s forgiveness. It becomes a habit in their life. But deep inside of their heart they will know that it’s wrong and that will make them feel guilty. There are also people who confess their sin but still carry the guilt in their life. They don’t trust God to forgive them

The result of such life style is that you will never be able to serve the Lord or worship the Lord with freedom. The guilty feeling will always pull you back. It will always be there as a hindrance in your relationship with God.

The theme of psalms 32 is the true joy which comes with forgiveness. We have to ask God to forgive our sins and then only He will give us real happiness and relief from guilt. David says that what a joy for those whose disobedience or transgressions are forgiven and whose sin is covered. Again David says about the joy of those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt and whose lives are lived in complete honesty.

But there was a time when David refused to confess his sin. He was silent about it. During those times his body wasted away and he groaned all day long. Day and night the hand of God’s discipline was heavy upon him and his strength evaporated like water evaporates in summer heat. Many times we can also have such times in our lives. We know it’s all going wrong but still we try to keep silent or refuse to confess our sin. When we read psalms 32:5, David says that finally he confessed all sins to God and stopped trying to hide his guilt. He took a decision or said to himself that he will confess his rebellion to the Lord. When he did this the result was that God forgave his sins and all his guilt was gone.

The key to receive forgiveness and lead a guilt free life is to confess your sins to God and stop trying to hide your guilt. There are people who say that you don’t have to worry about your sin and there is no need to confess it as Jesus has already died for you. There is no need to worry about the guilt as Jesus has already forgiven your future sins also. You just have to change your thinking. But it’s not a biblical teaching but a lie from the hell to destroy people’s relationship with God. Proverbs 28:13 says that “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” 1 John 1:8-10 says that “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

Let’s not deceive ourselves but rather experience the Joy which we receive at being forgiven.

Yours in Christ,
Tinku Thompson

Having a right Relationship with God!

2010-02-07T18:51:00.004-06:00

“Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.” Psalms 24:3-6 (NLT)

In psalms 24, David is asking a question. The question is who may climb the mountain of the Lord? And who can stand in the holy place. In the very next verse he gives the answer to this question. There are three things mentioned there. They are:-

Only those whose hands and hearts are pure.
Who do not worship idols.
Never tell lies.

Our God demands that our hands as well as our hearts should be pure when we come in to his presence. There should not be any activity which we do which can make our hands and hearts impure in the sight of God. In the sermon on mount, Jesus told that blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. We should not worship idols. Many times we think that idols are only the idols made of human hands. But when we carefully examine the word of God we can see that there can be many other things which can become idols in our life. Sometimes it can be a person whom we adore or love and give a place more than God in our life. Many times this can happen without our knowledge. Always make sure that you are giving first priority to God in your life. Never tell lies. We are living in a culture where it’s difficult to lead a life without telling lies. Sometime at our workplace or in order to get some benefit in our life we tell lies. Sometimes people tell lies with the intention of glorifying God’s name. They give false testimonies or add things to sound better and convincing. Make sure that you don’t fall into that trap. But only speak truth with love.

David continues and says that such people will not only climb or ascend to the hill of God but will also receive Lord’s blessing and have right relationship with God their savior. Many times we struggle to maintain our relationship with God. These verses tell us some of the basic things needed in our life to maintain a good relationship with our God. I want to encourage you to make sure that you have a good relationship with your God. That’s the most important relationship in your life. If you have a good relationship with God then all other relationship will fall in the right place. Without having a good relationship with God, it’s very difficult to have a good relationship with other people.
Sometimes we say that our circumstances are not allowing us to lead a life in close walk with God. A Christian should not permit circumstances to affect his relationship to God, but rather he should allow his relationship with God to affect his circumstances.
Above everything else in your life make sure that you have right relationship with your God!

Yours in Christ,
Tinku Thompson

Is Purity more precious than life?

2010-02-01T18:39:00.003-06:00

"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives" 2 Peter 3:11

Holiness is an important subject of the Bible. Bible clearly tells that our God is holy and He expects us to be holy. God says that “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lev 19: 2). Many times God asked his people to consecrate themselves before He did wonders among them.

When we read about the revivals which took place, one common thing we see is that people where confessing their sins and turning back to God and had a deep desire to lead a holy life. Some of the fiery preachers of yesteryear's where known for their preaching against sin. Exposing the lie of enemy and encouraging people to lead a holy life in the sight of God was one of the main subjects. But times have changed. Nowadays mostly we hear compromising messages. Preachers are concerned and focused about preaching what people want to listen. The attempt is mostly made to make people comfortable and make them feel that everything is going good and fine. Changing the word of God to suit people’s lifestyle is a big deception. The result of such practice is that disciples are losing their saltiness. Christians are no longer able to make an impact since there is not much difference between a believer and non-believer. Everything a worldly person does is done by people who claim to be Christians. Somehow we have gone so much into the world that world has got into us. That's why we don't feel any regret or feel anything when we are leading a sinful life. As long as we go to church once or twice a week we feel that everything is ok. Many Churches makes people comfortable. For some people spirituality has become a weekend activity. I want to put down a provoking statement here. If you are leading a sinful life and still feels very comfortable attending your church then its time you think twice. A church service and the sermon should lead you closer to God and for that to happen, your sinful life style has to go away. You can never get close to God if you continue in your sinful life.

God has called us to be holy. In everything we have to reflect the character of Jesus Christ through our life and holiness is an important area. You may ask why there is so much emphasis in our church on this. We are called to live holy and godly lives. Again 1 peter 1:15 says that "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;”

Few days ago I read some facts about Ermine which was taken from Our Daily Bread. I want to share it with you

“In the forests of northern Europe and Asia lives little animal called the ermine, known for his snow-white fur in winter. He instinctively protects his white coat against anything that would soil it. “Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait of the ermine. They don't set a snare to catch him, but instead they find his home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree. They smear the entrance and interior with grime. Then the hunters set their dogs loose to find and chase the ermine. The frightened animal flees toward home but doesn't enter because of the filth. Rather than soil his white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving his purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life”.

We are called to preserve our purity in the sight of God. In this world we are called to lead a holy life. We have a short time in this world when we compare it with eternity. Make sure that we are not compromising and missing the blessings of God in our life.
So be Holy since our God is a Holy God.

Yours in Christ,

Tinku Thompson

Minnesota Pentecostal Assembly & Some concerns

2010-02-01T18:27:00.003-06:00

It’s sometime since I wrote any blog. Lot of things kept me busy during the last few months. Some of you are aware of MPA but some of you may not be. We started a Pentecostal church in Minnesota. As far as I know, it’s the only Pentecostal church in the state which conducts service in Malayalam. We have services held in English and Malayalam. Right now I am giving leadership in this church along with few other brothers. So its keeping me very busy. Keep me in your prayers.

It's exciting as I have always enjoyed being part of something which is getting started or which is very small. It's not the first time when I am part of a ministry which is at its beginning stage. I trust in a God who gives growth and believes that if your motives and intentions are clear in the site of God then He will bless you. It's a different kind of challenge to stand for God when nothing is established. For about 1.5 yrs before MPA started I had been part of some big churches and enjoyed my time there in a different way. It was good to sit and watch. But fellowship factor is main issue. Christian life without fellowship with other people is just useless. Don't take me wrong. Fellowship is a big factor which I missed in churches. In this generation I feel that somehow the meaning of church is understood in a different way than the way it is in Bible. For many people, just attending a church for 1 hr on a Sunday or Saturday is everything. They think that's all it takes to be a Christian.

One particular incident is worth mentioning here for all the readers to understand some facts. I was at a Pentecostal church on a Sunday morning. Since the church belonged to a major denomination, I was expecting that there will be a good message from the Bible which will be my manna for the week. I will elaborate on manna for week sometime later if you haven't got it. Anyway I came crying out of the church. The preacher showed a clip from some movie. Explained the story of the movie. Explained how the hero and heroine got together in the end after going away from each other. I am not joking here. Not even a single verse from the Bible was displayed on the screen. If it was an evangelistic meeting or something of that sort then it would have made some sense. The point is somehow the world has got into the church in a big way. Hollywood has captured the church pulpits also. The word of God is getting pushed to back for making churches "SEEKER-FRIENDLY".

There are many incidents like this to share. But for now back to MPA. Few of us started meeting for prayer meetings and then as per the guidance of Holy Spirit went ahead with MPA. I don't want to go into to much of detail at this time. You can visit www.mnpassembly.org for more information. But we as a church are focused on three areas. They are

Worship and Prayer
Discipleship
Evangelism

Our mission statement is "To make disciples who will make disciples". Discipleship is a subject which is very close to my heart. Right now we gather every Saturday and Sunday for meetings. Saturday meetings are held at a church facility in Eagan, MN. Right now mostly the songs are Malayalam and English. Sometimes in Hindi also. Hindi is my favorite language anyway due to many reasons. If you are looking for growing in the Lord, looking for solid word of God which will challenge you against compromise and fellowship which is not intended to increase church attendance but to help you become disciples of Jesus Christ then feel free to join us. One more thing - we are bit conservative and not liberal. Hope you understand what I mean by it. At MPA we will not customize things to make you feel comfortable in the way you are from a spiritual perspective and from the point of standing for the word of God. At MPA we will pray and try to build each other so that we will grow towards perfection.

Weekly messages and bulletins are updated every week. Feel free to visit us if you stay or come anywhere near twin cities in Minnesota.

Do visit the church website for few more details. www.mnpassembly.org

God Bless You!

Worship - Some Thoughts

2009-11-24T19:14:00.007-06:00

I would like to add a post here about something I thought will be beneficial for everyone who reads my blog. In our church discussion group, someone brought these points and questions. I wrote a response to that. I thought of sharing it here so that it can be beneficial for many others. I was greatly blessed by reading it, thinking about it and by responding to it. So just thought of sharing it here. May be someone else can throw some more light in to it.

So the points or questions :-

1. Worship & Music - These days most Christians are confused between worship and music. For most of them worship=music. They can not even comprehend any other form of worship. As for me, being in the presence of the Lord, meditating in His goodness, mercy, love and grace is worship. For that, music is not necessary. When we sing a song, which is very familiar to us, there is a good chance of singing it without meditating upon its meaning.

2. Are we created to worship? - I hear this statement very often, but I can not find a scriptural basis for it. I believe that we are created for a purpose, which is to glorify His name through our life, and, of course, to spread the Good News.

3. Worship as a means to gain something - this is a new teaching. If you need something, worship the Lord. I don't think worship is supposed to be used to gain something from God. Those who are in favor of this idea are referring to the
deliverance of Paul from the jail. Let me ask you something: how many times was Paul imprisoned? Why didn't he just worship every time to release himself?

Ok here is my response:-

Dear Brother,

Your thoughts and insights are valuable and helpful in understanding about worship. I would like to add few things here quickly which I think will help in making few things clear.

Before responding to your individual points let me make few assumptions clear. When we talk about the subject of worship, it can be thought in different ways. Different people have different ideas. But I believe that truly from a Biblical perspective, worship is not confined to the singing of songs. For that matter it is not even restricted to the time when we get together or sit specifically for that purpose. Any act which glorifies God can be said as an act of worship. In another sense Worship is also defined as the activity of glorifying God in his presence with our voices and hearts. That's another way of looking at it. But all aspects of our lives are supposed to glorify God. Also in the Old Testament Sacrifice was an important part of worship. We can read Romans 12:1-2. Our life needs to be a living sacrifice. It's the big picture about the subject of worship.

But in this discussion for now I don't what to go in that scope. Praise and singing songs is also part of worship. We glorify God by doing it. I agree that worship is not equal to music in any way. But music and singing songs can be part of our worship. So everything you said like meditating and all can become a kind of worship.

Now from a laymen or from a common Christians perspective it's not that way. As a church when we address we need to keep everyone in mind. Because of the way few things are projected in churches as a whole, the people have got some wrong ideas. But it will take time to change that. People will have to come to maturity to understand it. Till that time we can only pray and work towards it.

Now about singing songs I agree with you that we can sing songs without mediating on its meaning. That's a kind of problem with us. I have personally found it. I think that's something we need to change at least when we sing songs with the intention of praising God. We sing for different reasons. One reason is to help us relate more to God. It depends on the lyrics of song. During my last message and in the past also I have said that we should try to meditate on the meaning and sing. It will become more meaningful and helpful if we can do that way. But many times we are disturbed by many things. So many thoughts pass through our mind. Some of those may have nothing to do with God. Even though we sing but we are thinking of something else.
The truth is not there. One reason for this can be that we are now experts with wording and we don't need to think too much about it. It's like the days we started driving for first time and how we drive now. With practice, our concentration level decreases in the main issue and we can focus on other things while doing the primary thing. It's like talking on phone while driving or listening to message or thinking about something else. We take the turns automatically. It's a human tendency. But the question is - Is it good?

I would say we should try that when we gather as a church, we should free our mind from everything and Worship God in truth. So if we are clapping our hands and have our eyes closed then to be true we should be meditating on God. Otherwise I think the first element of truth is lost. We are just acting. Let me tell you a personal thing. Sometimes when I am singing a song and everyone is clapping their hands and I find that I start meditating on the message I have to deliver during the service. At that time I try not to sing and pretend to be singing and praising. So we all can have that type of experiences. But the main point I think is to try to develop an attitude and habit in which you are doing everything with truth. I am not sure if it's only my struggle or there are someone else also who have this kind of experiences. That's my point in encouraging people to meditate on the meaning and then sing. From a personal experience I have felt that its more beneficial and helpful for us to do a meaningful worship. So I agree that worship is not equal to music or even singing songs.

At this point I would also draw everyone's attention towards a concept I will call as "hearts cry language". Everyone has a language in which they are most comfortable. You feel more secure and comfortable in that. Mostly it's a person's mother tongue. Let me explain. People
who came from Kerala ( a state in India. Malayalam is the language spoken by people there) and are used to Malayalam worship will feel happy and more at home when we sing Malayalam songs. But that may not be true for a person who was brought up in USA. That's why we see the language conflict. Nobody is to be blamed for this. Its a natural thing. Again singing songs in which language will have a big difference to the church attenders. I have done some study about it and found that its a problem which we cannot ignore. That's why mega churches start with services in different languages. We feel most comfortable in that language which I call as “hearts cry language”.

At MPA (that's my church) when we say we are a bilingual church then I would like to think from the perspective of 2 people. One who only knows Malayalam and one who only knows English. My test is to see if both can understand every part of service and message and can both enjoy to the same extend. If not then we calling a church as bilingual is meaningless. So we need to develop a framework in which both these person's can fit. I know it's a challenge but its worth attempting. That's just a side note to throw light on the issue of language in worship.

Regarding the question of are are we created to worship- its a good question which can be debated for a long time. But I don't think we can say an absolute No. A more appropriate statement would be - We are not created JUST for worship. Worshiping God is also one purpose. It holds true when we understand worship in the real sense and not just to singing songs. We do have a purpose in life. We should preach gospel and glorify God. But we cannot ignore the worship aspect. It's again an issue of balance. The Bible has so many verses which points or encourages people to worship God. There are many in support of praising him. There are so many verses in Psalms. Then Jesus himself said that a time is coming when true worshipers will worship God in truth and spirit. Hebrews 13:15 says that "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name." Then Ephesians 5:19 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord"

So without bringing too many verses at this point I would say that we are not created JUST for worship but worship is also a purpose. In eternity we will be worshiping our God for sure. Revelation too have references of people doing the activity of worship (Rev. 4 & 5). Again when I say this I am keeping the Worship in big context as every act we do which glorify God. We are not created just to sing. But worship to Creator God should be an important and integral part of a Christian's life. Otherwise we are missing a big part of our purpose in this world. I am willing to elaborate this point more if needed.

Finally worship as a means to gain anything is a wrong teaching. It will not be correct if someone says that you worship and you will get something. It will be similar to prosperity theology in some sense. I think blessing is a by product of worship in the sense that God is pleased or happy with true worshipers who seek Him with whole heart. God sends his blessing upon such people. It's supported by Bible. In the Old testament its very much there. Even in New testament we see that.

Paul's deliverance was an exceptional story and we can't make it as a doctrine for deliverance. But it can be used as an encouragement in regard to worship. There is a difference in taking some thing as a doctrine and using something from Scriptures for encouragement. We need to distinguish between these two things. There are many other morals or lessons to be learned from Paul being in prison. Then the other side is that there are other occasions in which God worked when people where praising or worshiping God. Again if you think worship from just singing and clapping perspective then it fails. But when you see it from correct sense then it hold true. I don't remember any time I used Paul's example just for supporting deliverance. If I had then I may be in my ignorance. May be for encouraging purpose. I think that anyone who uses it as a doctrine for deliverance is wrong. But anyone who uses it to exhort or encourage people can be accepted if the person is using it in correct context.

These where some of my thoughts. If God willing then one day I would like to take the subject of theology of Worship and talk about it. But I agree that worship is one of the most misunderstood subject in Christian circles today. It's in both ways. People who have praise and worship ministry emphasize it more and give an impression that it's everything. It's extreme in one way. Then there are many people whose ministry interest lies in something else like preaching or teaching and who focus on life's purpose and evangelism. They try to present this subject in a kind of negative way and focus mostly on their subject matters. In that situation its extreme in other way. As a result people do not sing songs during church service. They will not clap hands. They will start focusing on other aspects and kind of start thinking that its a the way to do things. I had a friend in India who was a very good Christian in the sense that he had a good knowledge about Bible. His clarity about scriptures and things -amazing. I could not get anywhere near. But one thing I have noticed was that during the church services when everyone will be singing songs and praising God, he will be reading his Bible. Most of the time he will be doing it. No respect to the worship leader who may be asking people for singing or praise God. Sometimes I feel that it's bit arrogance to do that in a church service. If someone does that occasionally then its fine. May be he is meditating or Spirit of God has revealed something to him. But doing it all time is bit odd. That's my personal view. I am of the opinion that we should respect and participate in everything which is scriptural. The main thing is that we need to strike a balance. We should not be so much influenced with one things that we start looking down on other things.

Again worship should be an important part of a Christian's life. But it should be in true sense and we should worship God in TRUTH and SPIRIT.

Sorry for being little long but hope that it gives a better view of the subject. Again thank you brother for bringing this subject up as it was a blessing for me also to think and it will definitely help me in studying about this subject in depth in coming days.

Mark Hitchcock on Dec. 21, 2012

2009-11-13T20:52:00.006-06:00

December 21, 2012 is a widely discussed subject. There are people who believe that world will come to an end or something will happen. Way back on July 6th 2007, I wrote a blog on it when this subject was not that popular. This blog was read by many people and even listed on a website on this subject. You can find it here http://tinkuthompson.blogspot.com/2007/07/biblical-response-dec-21-2012.html

You can see it on december122012.com at
http://www.december212012.com/articles/religion/Biblical-Response.htm

Mark Hitchcock has written a book on it. He gave a talk about it at Credo House@ Reclaiming the Mind ministry. If you are interested in knowing more about this subject then go to this link and watch the video.
http://vimeo.com/6990852