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CSI Good News
(Church of South India Good News)
Vol. 13 / Issue 34 / September 22 2011
Contents of this issue
Editorial
Why John MacArthur is Wrong! - Part 19
Join us in Facebook
News Items (Common to all issues) :
Through the Valley of Death & other Books
Download Articles in Handheld Computers
Kids Page - Free Tutorials
Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
Your Spam Folder
Your Feedback
Editorial
By Sherly Isaac
In the Bible we read that God is Holy or God is the God of holiness. Not only is He holy, but He wants us also to be holy. In Lev 11:45 God says, "For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."
If we look into the life of David we can see that he tried to walk in the ways of God and that from his childhood he tried to live a holy life. He tried to please God and he had a heart to do whatever God wanted from his life. God told about him that, "He is a man after His own heart". What a great testimony that God Himself testified about him! But how could he achieve this testimony? How could he live a life pleasing to God?
In Psalms 119:9-11 David says, "'How can a young man cleanse his way?' By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!"
Here we read that he had hidden the word of God in his heart and he sought God with all his heart and that was the reason why he could live a holy life and was able to please God.
Getting forgiveness of our sins is the first step towards holiness. God says in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool."
God says that, "No matter how bad your life is, no matter how many sins you have committed, Come to me and I will remove your sins and make you whiter than snow." What a promise, God has for us! We can get forgiveness of our sins and we can get holiness.
Bible tells us that Jesus came in this world to save us from our sins as we read in John 3:15-17, "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Today forgiveness of our sins is possible through the shed blood of Jesus and by the great sacrifice He did on the cruel cross for you and me. If you have not yet received the forgiveness of your sins, this is the time, this is the moment to come to Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. When you will do this, He will not only forgive and forget all your sins but also will give you a holy life and eternal life. If you want this wonderful life, if you want a forgiven life, if you want to have access to heaven, you need to come to Jesus and ask Him from the bottom of your heart to come into your heart.
Please pray this prayer with me: Lord Jesus I am a sinner, please forgive and forget all my sins and wash me with your precious blood. Today, I invite you in my heart and I promise that I will try to walk in your ways and please you. Please help me God. Thank you Jesus for hearing my prayers and giving me eternal life. Thank you Jesus for forgiving my sins. I give you all the glory and honor to you. In Jesus mighty name I pray, Amen.
Why John MacArthur is Wrong! - Part 19
How did you become a Christian?
By Sherly Isaac
To read previous parts or next parts please click on these links:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19
John MacArthur writes in his book titled, "Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus" (Chapter 2, page 22, Title "The Hard Truth") where he relates his talk with a popular "Christian counselor" who asked about how John MacArthur became Christian or got saved and it was a surprising reply from him. Here it is from his book, 'then she asked, "How did you become a Christian?" I started going briefly through the gospel. She stopped me and said, "Oh, come on! You don't have to go through all that, do you?"
Reading further never gives you a clue that how John MacArthur became Christian. And after reading the reply of John MacArthur I am convinced that he never got saved or never came into a relationship with Jesus or never accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. If he is really saved or born again then he would have clearly spoken from his own experience how and when he became a Christian rather than telling about the gospel and so on.
Once Jesus was talking to a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. And in the conversation Jesus clearly spoke and said that unless a person is "Born Again" he/she cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus never said that some people are elected and that only those people will enter in heaven. But He made it clear that every person has to be born again. They have to take action in getting the forgiveness of their sins.
Here is the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3:3-7, Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Jesus made it clear that we all have been born once in flesh but the second time we have to be born in spirit and if we failed to do so, hell awaits. No matter what you are, you need to get forgiveness of your sins which is only possible through the blood of Jesus shed on the cruel cross.
Further Jesus talked and made it more clear to Nicodemus how a person can get the born again experience. He said in John 3:14-21, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
At times people trust in their own ability too much so that they even ignore Jesus and His saving grace. They think that by hard work, self-denial and so on they can achieve heaven but it is a false gospel which is preached by people like John MacArthur who think that by their own efforts they can enter into heaven. But there is no hope that by our own good works or by our righteous deeds we could enter into the kingdom of God unless we come to Jesus and fall at His feet realizing that we are sinners and that our sins cannot be blotted out by any other means than through the blood of Jesus.
And that is what Jesus told Nicodemus who was a religious guru of that time and a person who knew scriptures, who had learned and studied the scriptures. But Jesus made it clear that no amount of studying scripture is enough to enter into heaven. Unless you are born again you cannot enter into heaven. This is the simple message of Jesus the true Gospel of Jesus that "Come to me and live forever".
Yes, my friend, Come to Jesus, repent from your sins and accept Him as your Lord and Savior so that you could enter into heaven. Jesus came for this very purpose to give us eternal life and He will gladly give you eternal life.
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Through the Valley of Death & other Books
As many of you know that in the year 2005, our dad was very sick even unto death. God miraculously healed him. We have compiled it in a book form. I sure believe that it will inspire you and encourage you greatly.
This book is available for purchase at JasmineCorp Store
Also read these two books by Sherly Isaac "Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God" Available at JasmineCorp Store, and "Is Jesus God?" Available at JasmineCorp Store,
Both books compares the Bible and the Quran and read eye opening facts about Jesus, God of the Bible, Allah and Islamic faith. I am sure that you want to read this.
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Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
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Your Feedback
Your feedback and comments are Welcome. Please send your Parish news & articles to Editor (Sherly N. Isaac) at this address News@csinewsletter.comThe messages submitted will be checked whether they are correct according to the word of God. Editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit the messages. The writers are responsible for the contents of their writings.
 
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