Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas
Wish you a Merry Christmas! Whether you are a new or old visitor, if you do not know much about Jesus, read Good News Friday - you will learn a lot about God. Also visit a wonderful site called All About God - most of your questions about God will be answered there. If you want all questions to be answered, proceed from that side to pick up a Bible for yourself; because we speak to God through prayer, but God speaks to us through His Word - the Bible. God bless you!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Is Healing in the Atonement?
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. - 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20
Today I want to start a series on one of the most controversial topics in the Church - whether or not healing is in the atonement of Christ. To start with, re-look the above verses and study them. In fact, from my study of the Bible (and indeed of life) so far, I have come to the conclusion that healing is in the atonement. Let me explain why I think so…
Note: This is not a discussion about whether or not the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still in operation. This series deals primarily with whether bodily and soul-level healing are the (new) birth right of every born again child of God.
We have been bought with a price. The first part of this verse says that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. By all accounts, it means our physical body and not the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is in us - God gave Him to us. So we do not belong to ourselves. We are purchased with a price. If our body were not purchased with a price, how could it be God's property? It would still have to be Satan's property or our own. But it is God's property. Next point… If the body is the temple, can sickness dwell in the house of God? Jesus said:
"It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " Matthew 21:13
So clearly, sickness (symbolic thief) does not have a right to dwell in the temple of God. What should you do if you spot a thief where he should not be? Evict him, or call the police and throw (cast) him out. Well, then, if there is sickness in the body or mind of a born again Christian, it needs to be thrown out in the name of Jesus Christ or have the police (pastor, elders etc.) cast it out through prayer and/or commands, again in Jesus' name.
And if you think sickness - a state of 'less than perfect, divine health' - can legally be in a believer's body (other than as a result of sin), it means imperfections can be tolerated in the house of God. Then even a handicapped lamb (or a sinful Jesus) could be offered as a sacrifice in the temple. Then the very basis of our Christian faith would be voided! People would say, "Why get cleansed of sin - you would anyway make it to heaven!" So if you believe that bodily healing is not in the atonement, do you know what it implies?
Ahead in the series, we will look at other sensitive issues like:
Today I want to start a series on one of the most controversial topics in the Church - whether or not healing is in the atonement of Christ. To start with, re-look the above verses and study them. In fact, from my study of the Bible (and indeed of life) so far, I have come to the conclusion that healing is in the atonement. Let me explain why I think so…
Note: This is not a discussion about whether or not the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still in operation. This series deals primarily with whether bodily and soul-level healing are the (new) birth right of every born again child of God.
We have been bought with a price. The first part of this verse says that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. By all accounts, it means our physical body and not the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is in us - God gave Him to us. So we do not belong to ourselves. We are purchased with a price. If our body were not purchased with a price, how could it be God's property? It would still have to be Satan's property or our own. But it is God's property. Next point… If the body is the temple, can sickness dwell in the house of God? Jesus said:
"It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " Matthew 21:13
So clearly, sickness (symbolic thief) does not have a right to dwell in the temple of God. What should you do if you spot a thief where he should not be? Evict him, or call the police and throw (cast) him out. Well, then, if there is sickness in the body or mind of a born again Christian, it needs to be thrown out in the name of Jesus Christ or have the police (pastor, elders etc.) cast it out through prayer and/or commands, again in Jesus' name.
And if you think sickness - a state of 'less than perfect, divine health' - can legally be in a believer's body (other than as a result of sin), it means imperfections can be tolerated in the house of God. Then even a handicapped lamb (or a sinful Jesus) could be offered as a sacrifice in the temple. Then the very basis of our Christian faith would be voided! People would say, "Why get cleansed of sin - you would anyway make it to heaven!" So if you believe that bodily healing is not in the atonement, do you know what it implies?
Ahead in the series, we will look at other sensitive issues like:
- Does God sometimes allow sickness to come upon believers for His glory?
- If Jesus is not the answer to our sicknesses (that is, if Jesus is not enough to heal us), should we worship another 'god' to get healed?
- Is sickness totally unconnected to sin (despite being the result of sin)?
- Are medicines to be avoided if you believe in diving healing (consult your doctor!)?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Don Moen's India Tour a Big Hit
O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. - Psalm 96:1
Gospel music star Don Moen's tour of India this year was a big hit! He conducted a concert and a 'Worship Seminar' each at Chennai, Shillong and Mumbai.
I attended the concert at Mumbai since I live in Mumbai. It was a "Wow!" experience for me right from the time I reached the venue to the time I got back into my car. The stage, the sound, the choice of songs and the audience participation - all were of a very high level. To top it all, Don Moen and Team's performance was excellent! The best part though, was that Jesus Christ was glorified throughout - a great practice session before we worship him forever into eternity. I often feel that one of the reasons why eternal life is eternal is because eternity is what we need in order to thank, praise and worship the Living God! Anything short of that simply wouldn't do.
Coming back to the event, the tour was organised by The Friendship Club (TFC). TFC is a charitable trust that conceives and manages events surrounding the projects they undertake, like the current Project Friend.
A bit about Project Friend…
Project Friend is an initiative to help cancer patients cope up with tough times. It is not restricted to Christians. It covers cancer patients irrespective of religious affinity. TFC believes that cancer patients, especially the terminally ill, have multiple needs. Not all of these can be met by their families. What use are family members if they cannot support the patient emotionally simply because they are forced to look for funds to treat their loved one? TFC solicits charitable donations for Project Friend from various sections of society (in return for an annual membership to TFC) so that the funds collected can be used to arrange for day care nurses, medicines and other such needs. The TFC team can also periodically visit the patient and pray for them as well as counsel them. Who knows - some or all of them can actually recover completely and may even get saved in the process!
I request you to keep the TFC Team and Project Friend in prayer so that precious human souls on the road to an eternity in hell are saved and spend that eternity in Heaven instead - in the presence of God our Creator. I know how important it is, because just December last, I had lost my first cousin - my best friend - to leukaemia. After all, those other cancer patients too are somebody's first cousins - somebody's best friends!
Gospel music star Don Moen's tour of India this year was a big hit! He conducted a concert and a 'Worship Seminar' each at Chennai, Shillong and Mumbai.
I attended the concert at Mumbai since I live in Mumbai. It was a "Wow!" experience for me right from the time I reached the venue to the time I got back into my car. The stage, the sound, the choice of songs and the audience participation - all were of a very high level. To top it all, Don Moen and Team's performance was excellent! The best part though, was that Jesus Christ was glorified throughout - a great practice session before we worship him forever into eternity. I often feel that one of the reasons why eternal life is eternal is because eternity is what we need in order to thank, praise and worship the Living God! Anything short of that simply wouldn't do.
Coming back to the event, the tour was organised by The Friendship Club (TFC). TFC is a charitable trust that conceives and manages events surrounding the projects they undertake, like the current Project Friend.
A bit about Project Friend…
Project Friend is an initiative to help cancer patients cope up with tough times. It is not restricted to Christians. It covers cancer patients irrespective of religious affinity. TFC believes that cancer patients, especially the terminally ill, have multiple needs. Not all of these can be met by their families. What use are family members if they cannot support the patient emotionally simply because they are forced to look for funds to treat their loved one? TFC solicits charitable donations for Project Friend from various sections of society (in return for an annual membership to TFC) so that the funds collected can be used to arrange for day care nurses, medicines and other such needs. The TFC team can also periodically visit the patient and pray for them as well as counsel them. Who knows - some or all of them can actually recover completely and may even get saved in the process!
I request you to keep the TFC Team and Project Friend in prayer so that precious human souls on the road to an eternity in hell are saved and spend that eternity in Heaven instead - in the presence of God our Creator. I know how important it is, because just December last, I had lost my first cousin - my best friend - to leukaemia. After all, those other cancer patients too are somebody's first cousins - somebody's best friends!
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