One Thing Is Needed (Lk 10.41-42)

And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Lk 10:41-42 NKJ)

Chores and cares occupy much our of lifetime. Sometimes, we begin to wonder if time cannot be stretched a bit more longer as the day was stretched for Joshua. As night draws in and another day comes to an end, we wish we could have done a bit much more, especially a bit much more for our Lord. But, what does our Lord say: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

He cares more for us to be at His feet and learn from Him than to think that we must be out somewhere doing things for Him. Does it mean that we need to be doing nothing? Of course not. But, it certainly means that we need to learn to sit and learn at His feet even when we are doing something.

Our worth doesn't come from our working for Him. Our worth comes from our being with Him. Satisfaction in life do not come from incessant working or acting. Satisfaction comes from our relationship with Him, when He reigns as the Master in our heart and gets all our reverential attention. Jesus made this clear to the Ephesians:

"I know your works, your labor, your patience...and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (Rev 2:2-4 NKJ)

The saddest part of a Christian's walk will be that when he gets so busy working for God that he fails to understand that he has actually really stopped serving Him; that he has actually grown distant from Him. In order to serve the Master, one must be sensitive to His voice, to His call, to His command. But, how can one hear when the mind is worried and troubled about many things?

May our hearts learn to rest in His presence and be attentive to His voice even in the midst of the most intensive and perspiring labor; that we don't find worth in work, but find worth in worshiping the Lord and Master of all things!

Leonard Ravenhill On John Wesley

John died in 1791, converted at 35. Turn that round, it makes 53. Add them together, it makes 88. Because he was saved at 35, preached for 53 years, and you know what he left when he died?

He left a handful of books, a faded Geneva gown that he preached in all over England, six silver spoons somebody gave him, six pound notes - "Give one to each of the poor men that carry me to my grave." And that's all he left: six pound notes, six silver spoons, and a handful of books, a Geneva gown.

And ..., there was something else. What was it, the other thing? Oh, I know something else he left - the Methodist church.

He could have died as rich as ...famous TV preacher someday. Sure, he made money, and he built orphanages. Sure, he made money, he printed Bibles. Sure, he made money, he compiled with Charles the Methodist hymn book, and they built orphanages. And he died worth about 30 dollars.

He printed Bibles. He printed hymn books. He financed missionaries to go across the earth. That's the way to use your money.

You think of the reward. Why in God's name do you think it says, "Don't lay up treasure on earth, lay up treasure in heaven."

Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994)[

The Inclination Towards "Filling In The Blanks"

Gestalt psychologists have pointed out the interesting tendency of human brain to fill in the blanks in order to achieve an understanding of the world or sense data. Humans are incessant interpreters. They are all the time trying to figure out what something means.

One sees a CIRCLE and a BOX. However, these are just lines that could possibly not even be related. But, the brain makes a figure out of them.

This quest and inclination has a helpful hand in enabling man to make a sense of things he cannot understand. He inputs data from his own previous experiences into otherwise seemingly meaningless data. Man is a puzzle solver and his attempt through hypothesizing and associating data with other data has given rise to a plethora of philosophies and ideologies. Especially, when the conjectures appear to be pragmatic and working well, the interpretations usually become sealed for posterity until someone is able to find a loophole in it.


The negative aspect of this inclination could be false suspicion and negative doubt. This process has been illustrated in many a novel and play of tragedy in literature. It also follows from a desire to make a sense of things happening; however, bad data and a wrong process of reckoning lead to false conclusions.

This is even more important in the context of spiritual faith. The spiritual man compares spiritual matters with spiritual matters. The natural man is not able to make any sense out of spiritual things. The Bible does not encourage blind faith; however, without faith one cannot even know God at all.

Résumé of Jesus (AD 28)

Jesus Ben Joseph, Eternally Ben Elohim

Address: Nazareth, Judaea. Mob: N/A. Email: N/A

Summary

Served as carpenter (Mark 6:3) in the family business (Matthew 13:55).
Eternally, the Son and High Priest of God after the order of Melchizedek (Heb.7:17).

Objective

Among many,

• To do the work of the Father (John 6:38; 4:34; 17:4)


• To glorify the Father on earth (John 17:4)


• To bear witness to the Truth (John 18:37)


• To bring grace and truth (John 1:16)


• To be God's sacrifice for the sins of the world (Matthew 20:28)


• To save people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)


• To make all things new (Rev.21:5)


• To proclaim good news to the poor


• To proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind


• To set the oppressed free


• To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18-19)


• To rule as Lord and King over all creation (Isaiah 9:6,7)

Professional History

• Carpentry - 10+ Years, Joseph's Business, Nazareth


• In truth, the Maker of the world (John 1:1-5)


• Since being baptized, traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed every kind of disease and illness (Matthew 4:23)

Educational Background

University/Academy : Nil
Seminary/Rabbinical School : Nil
Professional Training: Carpentry in Family Business

Chiefly educated by God the Father and learnt from Him (John 8:28; 12:49; 10:37).
Anointed by the Holy Spirit to do the work of the Father (Acts 10:38)

Tests

Tested by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11)

Languages Known

Aramaic, Hebrew...

References

The Law and the Prophets (John 5:39)
Works themselves (John 5:36)

Any Other Information

If this resume sounds too improbable, why not invite for an interview.

‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." (Rev. 3:20)

"without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5)

Employee Exploitation - What Does The Bible Say?

One of the greatest evils prevailing among job sectors is the evil of injustice against employees. Some examples of employee exploitation are:

1. Not paying salaries or wages in time.


2. Overtasking them and not providing time for necessary rest (Sabbatical Injustice).


3. Drawing them into unjust employment contracts with terms that are selfish and indifferent towards the employee.


4. Paying the employee less than what is justly his/her due.


5. Abusing them and dehumanizing them or treating them in an inhumane manner; humiliating or treating them as inferior.


6. Blackmailing or forcing them to do things against their conscience.


7. Placing them in situations which they are unprepared for and would certainly fail (Uriah's Predicament: David arranged for him to be placed in a position where he would certainly be killed).


8. Demanding directly or indirectly illegitimate and illegal conduct from the employee.


9. Enslaving them.


10. Not relieving them of job with provision when they leave the company or organization.

God is against employee injustice and will hold accountable any employer who fails to do justice to employees. Following are some scriptures by which God declares His law of Justice and how He deals with the workers of iniquity:

Lev 19:13 ' You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob [him.] The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.

Deu 24:14-15 "You shall not oppress a hired servant [who is] poor and needy, [whether] one of your brethren or one of the aliens who [is] in your land within your gates.  Each day you shall give [him] his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he [is] poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the LORD, and it be sin to you.

Jer 22:13 "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, [Who] uses his neighbor's service without wages And gives him nothing for his work.

Mal 3:5 And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien -- Because they do not fear Me," Says the LORD of hosts.

Jas 5:4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

The Lord of Sabaoth is the Lord of all work and wages of righteousness on the earth and will hold accountable all who oppress those who are placed under them.

Mat 24:45-51
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed [is] that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat [his] fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for [him] and at an hour that he is not aware of,  and will cut him in two and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

God is especially very serious about providing times of due rest to employees so that they are not burnt out.

Exo 23:12 "Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed."

The sabbath day was for refreshing and recovery and healing, quite contrary to what the Jews began to think- they opposed even healing on that day. Sabbath was made for man and not man for sabbath.

Providing a proper leave and rest system is binding on employers.

Now, the employer certainly has the right to give to workers more than they deserve. This would be just an act of Grace.

Mat 20:15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?'

However, a just and righteous employer will never find a way to give to employees less than their day's wages of labour (The denarius mentioned in the Parable was a laborer's daily wage).

Regarding provision on relieving from job, God specified laws:

Deu 15:13-14 "And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. [From what] the LORD has blessed you with, you shall give to him.

Col 4:1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

4 Facts of Life (Psalm 90) - Notes

 



1. The Shortness of Life: 
Life is Like Grass That Withers, Like A Sleep

Psa 90:5-6 They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up. In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.

Psa 90:10 The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years...

2. The Struggles of Life:
Life is Full of Struggles

Psa 90:10 their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

3. The Seriousness of Life:
We Are Accountable To God For The Way We Spend Our Time Here

Psa 90:3 You turn man to destruction, And say, "Return, O children of men."

Psa 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

4. The Satisfaction of Life:
True Fulfillment Is Only In God

Psa 90:14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!

Psa 90:16-17 Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.

Stand, Walk - Poem

You rise, you falter, you fall.
You rise, make a move, then a fault-
You steady up, then slip and fall.
But, nothing can make you halt:
You stand, you walk.

---

Now,


You rise, you falter, you fall.
You sit, hesitate, moan the fault-
You lie down, slip away, give up all.
But, what has made you halt?
Stand! Walk!

---

Don't give up when your faults overcome you!
Don't give up when your thoughts fail!
Don't lose heart, keep pumping on!
You may falter, but you will rise,
Stand, Walk, Run!

The Abomination of Casteism

IN HIS ground-breaking book, Annihilation of Caste, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar diagnosed the caste-problem as being fundamentally religious in nature and proposed the only cure to be a rejection of the Shastras or Hindu scriptures; for, he observed, "the acts of the people are merely the results of their beliefs inculcated in their minds by the Shastras, and that people will not change their conduct until they cease to believe in the sanctity of the Shastras on which their conduct is founded." He proposed inter-caste marriages and inter-caste dinners as a plan of action; but, in response to Gandhi's response to have a rational approach to the Shastras and reject only interpolations rather than reject them altogether, he replied that the "masses do not make any distinction between texts which are genuine and texts which are interpolations. The masses do not know what the texts are. They are too illiterate to know the contents of the Shastras. They have believed what they have been told, and what they have been told is that the Shastras do enjoin as a religious duty the observance of Caste and Untouchability." Towards the end of his indictment, Ambedkar begins to hint at a deeper problem than that of the Shastras:

For one honest Brahmin preaching against Caste and Shastras because his practical instinct and moral conscience cannot support a conviction in them, there are hundreds who break Caste [[e.g. when a Brahmin sells shoes instead of practicing priesthood]] and trample upon the Shastras every day, but who are the most fanatic upholders of the theory of Caste and the sanctity of the Shastras. Why this duplicity? Because they feel that if the masses are emancipated from the yoke of Caste, they would be a menace to the power and prestige of the Brahmins as a class. The dishonesty of this intellectual class, who would deny the masses the fruits of their [=the Brahmins'] thinking, is a most disgraceful phenomenon. [Text in double parenthesis, mine]

Ambedkar had noted that there are intellectual Brahmins who do not care for the Shastras but care much for caste. In other words, he had in a way acknowledged that the rejection of Shastras is the not real solution. Already in the discourse, he had noted that "Caste is no doubt primarily the breath of the Hindus. But the Hindus have fouled the air all over, and everybody is infected—Sikh, Muslim, and Christian." Was he referring to the permeation of casteism into Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity in India? If so, as is also the fact, the very phenomenon invalidates the argument that rejection of Shastras is the cure for caste-communalism. The Sikhs, the Muslims, and the Christians do not accept the Shastras.* Then, how is it that casteism holds a grip on many of them?

Though Ambedkar had tried to show in the treatise that castes among Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians is different from that which is found among Hindus, modern facts show that, on the contrary, the caste-system, regardless of religion, has permeated even these faith-groups. In fact, for a long time there have been movements among Christians that sought emancipation through various expressions in what is studied in Seminaries as dalit theologies. The question is raised whether identification with caste is a class problem or a religious problem. It is notable that converts from the different castes of the Hindu-fold continued to carry forward their caste-identities. See the following entries:

Caste System Among South Asian Muslims
Caste System Among Indian Christians
Caste System Among Sikhs in Punjab

Though "untouchability" is not always very obvious, casteism plays a big role in issues of marriage and association. In fact, there are, sadly, some "Christian" denominations in South India that are heavily caste-oriented. The author has personally heard of cases where some "upper caste Christians" wouldn't partake of the Lord's Communion because it was being administered by a Pastor who they regarded as being a "low caste". How repugnant?

Ambedkar had noted it well that it is easier for some "saints" to preach the equality of men in the eyes of God. There were examples of such preachers in the history of Hinduism. Ambedkar noted: "They did not preach that all men were equal. They preached that all men were equal in the eyes of God—a very different and a very innocuous proposition, which nobody can find difficult to preach or dangerous to believe in."

Utilitarianism is the king. Mammon or worldliness bears the scepter over these men who make adulterous liaisons with the devil for the sake of earthly profit. They sell their faith for a pot of pottage and betray their Lord for 30 pieces of silver. They would secretly create false certificates and adopt false surnames of the lower caste in order to avail of jobs or privileges reserved for the latter. Then, they would proudly bear about their ancestral surnames and rejoice in their being a special species of men. How corrupt! How corrupt still that the abomination is placed in the Holy of Holies!

Is there a cure? Of course, there is: Repentance! Men are only slaves to what they submit to in their mind. Nothing can enslave them. Casteism is not just a social problem. It is SIN! It is the most irrational and superstitious concept to ever occur to human mind and the most self-dividing and self-destroying notion. Religion IS NOT THE ANSWER. If it was, why are there still castes among different religions. Why was there the division between nobility and the common man in the West? Why was there such persecution against the freedom of conscience?

God calls humans to repent of their sins against their fellow men. And, unless they are willing to treat their neighbors as themselves, they have no place in the Kingdom of God.

See Also:
The Origin of the Four Castes According to Manu

---

* Though it is an undeniable fact that casteism has its theoretical basis in the Vedas and the Hindu scriptures, including the Manusmriti, while converts to other faiths try to retain their caste-status in opposition to the doctrinal basis of their faith. For instance, when a Christian practices caste discrimination, his practice is not in conformity to the teachings of the Bible. However, for a Hindu to observe caste is not in any way a contradiction of the teachings of the Shashtras. [Sat 5 Aug 2017]

Ten Shekels and a Shirt - Paris Reidhead

This message by late Rev. Paris Reidhead was delivered during a Bethany Fellowship Summer Conference in the mid sixties. Since then, this recording has been a continual blessing to many. The sermon picks up its theme from Judges 17 and 18 where the story of a young levite is mentioned during the days of the Judges. This levite sells his ministry to Micah, a self-invented religious man, for 10 shekels and a shirt; but when the Danites come with a greater offer, he opts for them. Reidhead, with the prophetic unction, condemns this form of utilitarianism, that uses God as a means to an end, as sin. He parallels it with modern day humanism in which the happiness of man is regarded as the sole end of existence and even God and religion are instrumentalized. "This is selfishness! This is sin!!" says Reidhead, and challenges Christians to come back to right terms with God. A very challenging sermon.

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Dealing with Rejection the Jesus Way

REJECTION must not touch our spirits, because God has already accepted us in His Son Jesus Christ, and no matter how we are being treated by anyone, the eternal fact is that we are the children of God.

Dealing With Rejection

TO BE REJECTED and to FEEL REJECTED are two different things. The former is an event; the latter, an experience, a choice. Every choice involves a selection and a rejection. Because somebody has made a choice not to select us in some kind of a relationship (society, job, friendship, marriage, etc) doesn’t mean that the rejection is universal. You are not universally rejected. There are still some who accept you. And, even if there is nobody, you are the choice of God, because it was His choice to create you as you are. He didn’t create you for anybody else so much as He has created you to be His child and beloved one; and our relationship with others only must proceed out of our relationship with Him.

Leah: Human Rejection is Not Divine Rejection

We know of Leah in the Bible who was, in a way, rejected by her…

View original post 1,131 more words

Anti-Conversion Bill Passed In Jharkhand

The draft of the Jharkhand Freedom of Religion Bill 2017 has been approved by the Raghubar Das Cabinet.¹. The Bill prohibits religious conversion by means of force or allurement. It states:

No person shall convert to attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any person from one religion/ religious faith to another by the use of force or by allurement or by any fraudulent means, nor shall any person abet any such conversion.

The Bill further prescribes that any religious conversion must only follow prior permission from the District Magistrate:

(1) Whoever converts any person from one religion/religious faith to another, either by performing any ceremony by himself for such conversion as a religious priest or takes part directly or indirectly in such ceremony shall take prior permission for such proposed conversion from the District Magistrate concerned by applying in such form as may be prescribed by rules.
(2) The person who is converted shall send intimation to the District Magistrate of the District concerned in which the ceremony has taken place of the fact of such conversion within such period and in such form as may be prescribed by rules.
(3) Whoever fails without sufficient cause, to comply with the provisions of sub-section (1) and (2) shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine which may extend to rupees five thousand or with both.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India responded immediately:

We note that similar laws already exist in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. They were made in Rajasthan, and were made and withdrawn in Tamil Nadu.

Although such laws existed in some Hindu principalities in colonial India in early 20th Century, since Independence, the Union or state government have not been able to define the terms inducement, coercion, force or fraud in the context of religion. The Government and in fact the Supreme Court have not given a definitive definition of the term ‘religion’ specially when it relates to faiths other than Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, or Buddhism and also has not yet explained, after 70 years of being a Republic, indigenous faith and belief systems of hundreds, if not thousands of small communities across the country, and especially in what are called tribal areas, are not listed separately but are lumped together under the majority religion.

The government has also not been able to adduce any proof or evidence over half a century of aggressive implementation of such laws, of any forcible conversions by Christians against whom such laws are essentially targeted. There are hardly any convictions in courts to sustain police and political allegations of forcible and fraudulent conversions. As a matter of fact, the Himachal Pradesh High Court, a few years ago, struck down efforts by the government to force prior approval, after the Evangelical Fellowship of India moved a petition along with other parties.²

Religious conversion is a burning issue in India. During the Independence Movement, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, had concluded that there was no dignity for the depressed classes as long as they identified themselves with the Hindu caste religion. He converted to Buddhism. He strongly opposed Gandhi's decry of religious conversions of the depressed classes. Gandhi regarded the "Harijan" (a term he coined) as not possessing the calibre for freedom of religious decision. Ambedkar opposed that. The concern of most leaders has been that the masses are incapable of decision making in matters of religion. However, these political leaders were elected by exercise of the freedom of decision by the same masses. Or was it that lure and force were used to conjure votes? Why not pass a Political Freedom Bill that requires any citizen voting for a political party to obtain prior permission from the Magistrate? Of course, this is unimaginable. The idea of prior permission is antithetical to the idea of freedom. Of course, these laws will not prevent citizens from exercising religious freedom. Religious conversions will continue to occur though many may not find it necessary to report their matters of conscience to the state.

One thing is positive about such laws, however. They prove that religious conversions that take place in spite of such laws cannot be called as inauthentic and false anymore. Faith conversion (a better word) cannot be challenged when one has genuine grounds for his/her personal belief.

See Also

Anti-Conversion Laws In India

NOTES
¹ Jharkhand Cabinet Clears Anti-Conversion Bill, Indian Express, Aug 2, 2017.
²Jharkhand Bill Ignores Himachal Lesson - (Download Bill copy)