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CSI Good News
(Church of South India Good News)
Vol. 6 / Issue 27 / August 12 2004
Contents of this issue
Editorial
Where is my Friend Adam?
Persecution in Madhya Pradesh, India
Reader's Mail
Prayer Request
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
Meneka Gandhi, former Minister of Environment in the Indian Government, who is widow of Sanjay Gandhi (the youngest son of India’s former prime minister, Indira Gandhi), loves animals and birds very much. Her great love and concern for animals and birds made her to work for the welfare of stray animals and birds which are caged and are in inhuman condition.
Once she was walking in the streets of New Delhi, India and saw a person sitting at roadside selling small birds. He had many birds over crowded in cages having limited capacity. When she saw small birds struggling to breathe fresh air without sufficient space to sit comfortably in the cage, she got very upset. She went near the bird seller and asked him how much she has to pay for all the birds he had in those cages? Then she paid the full price for the birds and released all the birds from the cages and allowed them to fly away in the open air. Then she said, "I am feeling so light as if I am myself breathing fresh air." That is the love of Meneka Gandhi for animals and birds that she wanted them to be happy and free, breathing fresh air, flying higher and higher. But the price of freedom is not cheap. It needs lot of sacrifice.
In the year 1947 India became a free country. The land which was under foreigners became a free and independent nation. But many laid their lives for the freedom of India and because of their sacrifice today Indians live as a free nation without fear and oppression.
But there is another type of slavery which most of the people do not bother about much. Many thousands of years ago we became slaves when our forefather sinned against God. Slave to sin. People have different kinds of addictions like alcoholism, sex, drugs, watching pornographic images or pornographic movies etc. Many try to come out of their addictions or sins but they are unable to, because they are slaves to that type of sin. But there is a God who loves us so much that He could not see us suffering because of sin and addictions. When He saw us in small cages stuffed, not having much space to freely breathe, He moved with compassion for us. He did not even bother about His precious life and came down to rescue us from that great bondage called sin. He gave His precious life for us and shed His blood on the cruel cross so that we could be loosed free and enjoy the freedom and blessings of God.
Bible tells us in Isa 61:1-3, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."
Yes, He came to deliver us from our captivity and from the prison. His soul rejoices when you come out of your sins and bondage and breathe fresh air. Today, He wants you to taste the freedom which He prepared for us.
Where is my Friend Adam?
By Sherly Isaac
Gen 3:8-9, "And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
Bible tells us the saddest story of all times. A man named Adam and his wife Eve were God's friends. Everyday God would come down and walk in the garden of Eden, talked with them and had great time with them.
We read in Prov 8:30-31, "Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men." God loved the fellowship of human beings, in fact it was his delight. But one day when He came to meet Adam and Eve, they were not in the meeting place. And God cried out, "where are you, Adam?"
Adam and Eve were hiding from God. Because of their disobedience they could not face God. Though God knew the mischief of their misdeed yet He loved them and tried to help them as His friend. He took an animal and killed it, shed its blood, took its skin and made tunics of skin for them so that Adam and Eve' shame could be hidden. Bible says in Gen 3:21, "Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them."
Though God lost a friend named Adam on that day, still His eyes are constantly looking for new friends who could love Him with their whole heart and He could have delight in them. Many years later when God saw a person named Abram, He found a true and trusted friend in him. God called Abram an idol worshipper and asked him to leave his country, his people, his property and possessions and follow Him. God said to Abram, "your name will no longer be called Abram but your name would be Abraham for I have made you a father of many nations." God also made an everlasting covenant with Abraham.
Then many years later He found David another faithful and trusted friend who loved God with all his heart. God blessed him and made covenant with him. Today also God is looking for trusted and true friends in whom He could delight and have fellowship with them. That's why He came down in this world searching for the lost just like He was searching Adam. He is looking to find a faithful and trusted friend in us. He told His disciples in John 15:13-15, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."
Yes, It is because of His love for us that He gave His life to redeem worthless creatures like us and called us friends. What a privilege it is to be friends of the almighty God. He is looking for trusted and faithful friends for fellowship. Are you one of them? Adam could not stand faithful to Him till the end but Abraham and David did. Will you become one of His faithful and trusted friend and remain faithful till the end? Come to Jesus and submit yourself in the mighty hands of Jesus who will make you His trusted friend.
Persecution in Madhya Pradesh, India
Frontline India's National Magazine writes in Volume 21 - Issue 04, February 14 - 27, 2004 that, "In the second week of January 2004 when armed mob systematically targeted Christians of Jhabua, MP, their homes were burnt, their property was looted and vandalized and their religious effects desecrated - with the primary objective of teaching the Christian community a lesson. As the looters ran amok, raising slogans, the police, in most cases, just stood watching."
Please pray for India where persecution is still continuing. There are 12 Christians in jail since January in Jhabua, a tribal district of MP. Still they are not released and not even given bail. Many Christian houses and properties were burnt down. Much has not come on the national news. Couple of weeks back, three preachers in Bhopal were arrested on charges of compulsory conversion and the next day the police arrested a Catholic priest on rape charges (cooked up). We need to really pray.
Reader's Mail
I just wanted to take moment to thank you for your dedicated work to spread the Gospel. Our Lord has blessed you with profound knowledge in the word Of God. May our Lord richly bless you for bringing the good news of deliverance to the lost souls out there.
Gideon Packianathan
The messages are very practical for life from the word
of God. Several of your messages increase the
knowledge of the word of God, to me.
V. C. Suresh
Prayer Request
Pray for me that I will find a full time job
Loh
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.
Download Articles in Handheld Computers
You can now download articles in Palm Doc format for your palm handheld computer. It will work with any devise that has Palm OS and Palm Doc Reader installed. To download click on the link named "Palm Doc Format" i.e. at the top of this page by the side of each articles.
Kids Page - Free Tutorials
Now you can learn Graphics and web designing online at Kid's page. These tutorials are free for kids who subscribe for CSI Kids Newsletter. Currently tutorials for Paint Shop Pro, HTML and Dreamweaver are available.
So please enroll your kids by going to http://kids.csinewsletter.org/member/join.asp
And visit CSI Kid's page at http://kids.csinewsletter.org
Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
Now you can read Bible in Hindi online at http://www.hindibible.org
in Malayalam online at http://www.malayalambible.org
in Tamil online at http://www.hindibible.org?ver=tamil
Your Spam Folder
If you are getting this newsletter in your bulk/junk/Spam folder please hit the "not junk" or "not spam" button so that you could receive it in your mailbox. Also adding news@csinewsletter.com email address into your contact list can avoid this email from ending up in your bulk folder.
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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