History is full of downfalls. We have seen the downfalls of empires, individuals and families. Babylonian, Greek, Roman and Mughal empires have crumbled. Even the British empire 'where the sun never used to set' does not exist any more. So many royal families that existed in the past have now vanished. More than 600 royal families ruled small territories in India before independence in 1947 but now none is heard of. Once upon a time great men like Alexander the great, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Barnard Shaw, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru were known all over the world. Modern generation may be unaware of them or their work.

It was Great Britain in the days past, but now it is only United Kingdom. Once there was Soviet Union (USSR) which terrified the world. USA became the world power overseeing the affairs of nations after the fall of Soviet Union. USA is now on the decline and India and China are believed to be the rising powers.

What happened to Germany of Hitler, Italy of Mussolini and Japan of Hirohito. All of them fell down and disappeared. However, some dictators are trying now to play the same role. But we know what happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Some others are smouldering to flare up and eventually fall.

Nations rising against nations, famines in Africa and other countries, widespread earthquakes and Tsunamis, etc. are occurring quite often. What are these if not the beginning of the birth-pangs! When we see all these things we have to lift up our heads because our Lord is near at the very gate. Are we the faithful and wise servants the Master set over His household or are we still seeking worldly power, wealth and position like the wicked servant who said, the master is delayed, let us eat, drink and squabble around with fellow servants for the crumbs and pieces?

We proclaim from pulpits that the world, flesh and Satan are against us and hence not to pursue after the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life, but do exactly the same thing! If it is not hypocrisy, then what is it? Love of money is the root of all evils, advised Apostle Paul to Timothy. But in the greed for money, to use false words to exploit others, if it is not sin, then what is it?

Therefore dear readers, leave all the unrighteous and dishonest ways of life and get ready to receive the Bridegroom.

Rev. Dr. Paulson Pulikkottil heads the Department of Biblical Studies at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune and pastors 'The Community of the Redeemed' Church, Pune. He presents Bible Studies on 'Power Vision TV' under the title 'Vachanavum Lokavum'. His blogs can be read at http://paulsonp.blogspot.com/

Steve Jobs, as Rick Warren rightly tweeted was "the Thomas Edison" of his generation. Steve Jobs changed the way we look at the world just as Edison did or more than him. Steve Wozniak, Jobs' friend and colleague from the very beginning of his career remarked in his "tearful" interview with Associated Press that, "We lost something that we will never get back!" Steve Jobs was so unique! Everyone shared that sense of loss but will still remember Steve Jobs for the way he changed the world.

Like thousands of others, Apple computers made my life different. The first work I ever did on a computer was on an old IBM PC way back in 1986-1988 during my student days in Bangalore. It had no hard disk, it used two 5" floppy disk drives. One of the floppy disks had the Operating System (OS) and the word processing program. The other was for saving the documents to. The computer had no memory of any sort, we had to enter the time and date at start up. We did not know what we were going to get. I mean, the screen and the printout did not match exactly. If you forgot to close the code for bold font (which was invisible on the screen) then the entire document from that point will be in bold!

However, two years later, I was introduced to an Apple Macintosh Classic computer with a black and white screen. It had a mouse, what I saw on the screen was I what I got in the printout (WYSWYG). It could type Hebrew and Greek, the two languages that I had to use besides English. It was a great leap for me! Then a few months later, I had my own Apple - a Macintosh LC with color monitor! Nineteen years now, I still keep it; it is still functional though I don't use it! I had to part my ways with Apple. I could not travel with Apple any further as my iBook crashed a few years back. I changed my loyalties to Linux run on PCs. Apples turned out to be expensive. Moreover it was difficult to keep pace with the speed at which they updated the hardware and the software - every six months something new rolled out of Steve Jobs mind to the market. However, I still am an Apple fan and hold no hatred for iPhones or iPads!

The world of technology and business hail him for his inventions; iPhone, iPad, iCloud and all that preceded these. However, I think his greatest achievement was not an invention but a discovery that he made. I would like to call it iDeath!

He disclosed that discovery when he went public after being diagnosed for pancreatic cancer in 2005. That is his discovery of the significance of death for him. He said, "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure, these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important". However, even before that, from the very beginning of his career he had death in view. Steve Wozniak who knew him from the very beginning of his life as a computer genius and business man made another revelation about Jobs in his interview with AP. He said that Jobs told him around the time he left Apple in 1985 that he had a feeling he would die before the age of 40. Because of that, "a lot of his life was focused on trying to get things done quickly", Wozniak said.

This discovery of the significance of death for a human being defined Jobs' life-style and his impatience for achievements. He was rude and impatient with his colleagues. Colleagues remark that he fired people if their answer did not satisfy him. He had no time to waste, he was on a rush. The secret seems to be that he always saw death before him, he had the end in view; he had to achieve all that he could before he reached that point.

I would like to use the metaphor of a ship on collision course to understand Steve Jobs view of life and death. He seems to have imagined that his ship will not survive the collision and will sink deep down never to raise again. Seeing the immanent death (though he lived longer than he thought he will) he was on a hurry. He was bent on achieving as much as he can before the collision happens. That is what made him brash and impatient. That sense of urgency is the secret of his achievements as well.

However, that is not the only perspective on life and death that is possible. Saint Paul saw death every day in his life. He lived a very dangerous life which he described as "we die every day" (1 Cor. 15:31). Death was an every day possibility for him. He had survived shipwrecks, snake bites, robbery attempts, had fought with animals in the arena. He knew that he may drop dead any time! Though death was a daily reality for him, his view on death was very different from that of Steve Jobs.

If he saw his life as a ship, he would have seen death as a thick fog through which his ship has to pass through and not as an iceberg that it would crash on to. While Steve Jobs could not see the other side of death, Saint Paul could see through the fog the other side of life beyond the grave.

The other side of the grave (the fog) as the Bible presents it is beautiful and radically different from one the one that we have now. The Bible describes it as a life where the perishable is turned into imperishable, and the mortal turned in to immortal. It is a life without limit: no limit on its time and no cap on its quality. That limitless length and quality is what qualifies it to be described as Eternal Life or eLife borrowing Steve Job's language! One of his flops was eMac!

This eLife is not a life of passivity; spent waiting for the other life. It has the same urgency that Steve Jobs maintained but for two different reasons. The first reason is that the passing through the fog is to a place from where there is no return. Whatever to be achieved in this world has to be achieved before the ship enters the other side through the fog. The second reason is that we can only predict the possibility of the fog but can't predict how far we are from it. One day our ships will meet the fog, but none knows when. That demands that every moment has to be redeemed. There is urgency that fuels our life to achieve.

Steve Jobs has been a great achiever. His achievement was prompted by the certainty of an imminent death from which he cannot escape. That great discovery of death made him rush and gained a place with the greatest minds of our times. But he could have had the same urgency and achievements that follow from that sense of urgency with another view of life and death as well. He could have held a view which would have given him hope not only in this world but also in the world to come. It seems that he missed that perspective.

Steve Jobs' greatest achievement is the discovery of iDeath on which he could not put any controls. He missed eLife - eternal life that Jesus offers to all who put their trust in him. If Steve Jobs had read that Book which talks about it, he would have discovered eLife.

Pastor Shibu Joseph, Mumbai, establishes the two dimensions of the Church as related to God and as related to human beings.

The origin and beginning of the Church

God established the NT Church to be the vital part of the life of believers according to His eternal purpose. It is therefore important to have a proper understanding about the Church of Jesus Christ.

It is true that the church had a beginning. In the first part of our study we have seen the various concepts regarding its beginning. However we have scriptural limitations to establish all such theories. For example, the concept that is related to the call of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-4). If the Church began at the time of Abraham, or back to Adam, the natural question is, then what is the need of another Church? Why Jesus must come and identify with sinners? There is no place for a "Genetic Code" in the majestic inception of the Church. The same view perhaps is applicable to all other theories.

In order to have a clear understanding, one has to differentiate between the terms 'origin' and 'beginning'. These two have certain linguistic differences: 'origin' signifies, a derivation, a source of starting point, ancestry etc. - something which leads us to know the point of creation; ''beginning' shows a particular time - as impressed in time and space.

After understanding this difference, we need to realize the origin of the church. According to St. Paul, Church was a "hidden mystery" in the past eternity (Eph. 3:1-10). It is therefore not an error say that the Church originated or derived from the heart of God or in the mind of Christ. The ancestral source is the Divine Himself for a considerable period and this was not revealed to anyone else till the time of Jesus Christ. Even if the Old Testament prophets spoke in the 'Spirit of Christ' (1 Pet. 1:11) they could not be the recipients of this revelation (Eph. 3:5). Truly, they were looking ahead to see the 'Age of Messiah' and the restoration of the nation Israel. This patriotic expectation was even reflected in the words of apostles on Mount Olives where Jesus stood for the final encounter (Acts 1:6). In short, the idea of the Church was in the heart of God in past eternity. and hence, Church is not a new discovery that God instantly found out from somewhere.

Thus the NT church has two dimensions:

(1) Related to God - a divine mystery (Eph. 3:10,11). Until Jesus Christ shed His blood for humanity, the Church was not manifested to us.

(2) Related to human beings (Matt. 16:16-18, Acts 20:28): In response to the inspired reply of apostle Peter, Jesus exposed the hidden mystery to His disciples in the historical location of Caesarea Philippi - establishing the Church in geographical perspective. That is, the hidden mystery of eternity now gets ready be revealed on the earth - moves from eternity to the historical scene. Four scriptural events must take place:

1 Crucifixion - the Savior must die for humanity.

2 Resurrection from the dead - victory over sin & death.

3 Ascension of resurrected Christ to heaven - to sit at the right hand of the Father.

4 The promised advent of the Holy Spirit - to inaugurate the Church. (This will be explained more clearly later)

Therefore regarding the formation of the Church, we may conclude that the Church originally was a plan of God in His heart as a hidden mystery, but has now been revealed in the history of mankind on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), by the out pouring of the Holy Spirit.

Of course one cannot neglect the typological significance of the Church in the Old Testament (OT). At least four types of the Church can be seen in OT. They are: The Tabernacle (Exo. 25:40), The temple at Jerusalem (1 Kings 8), The people of Israel (1 Cor. 10:1-10) and Ezekiel's ideal vision of the Temple (Ezek. 43:1-6). But we cannot see the complete and true meaning and position of the Church in these types. In Jewish theology, salvation belongs to them alone, Yahweh is their own God, Gentiles have no role in the salvation history of Jews, even though God's boundlesslove and concern reached Ruth the Moabite, or Naaman, or Assyrians through Jonah etc. However, Church is a new community consisting of both Jews and Gentiles. This is the mystery revealed to Apostle Paul.

- To be continued

"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God" (Heb. 11:5)

Reading passage: Gen. 19:23

Usually, we only speak good of departed souls. Once, a filthy, arrogant and wicked miser died. Not wanting to hurt the sentiments of the bereaved with the 'truth', everybody at the funeral praised him as generous and compassionate. Listening to all the false appraisals, the widow beckoned to her son and said; "son, did you hear what they said about your dad? Go to the casket, watch closely and make sure it's your dad indeed!"

If you live a good life, people will certainly praise you when you die. The real testimony you get for your life, however, is not at death but while you are still alive. Enoch lived a life of faith. What does it mean? He lived a life totally surrendered to God. He was always pleasing God. Somehow, he wanted to bring a smile upon God's face! He always sought God's will and obeyed. He pleased God by keeping himself holy enough to walk with the holy God. This doesn't mean that everyone was pleased with Enoch. I am sure Enoch displeased many of his contemporaries. You cannot please God and men at the same time. ('Men', here, means people with human understanding ... people without Godly insight!) Even when people disliked Enoch for his piety, he stood alone and pleased God. However, even people who did not appreciate him attested to one thing from their heart: "This guy only has one thing in his mind ... somehow to please his God!"

May be people of his time considered Enoch crazy, a misfit for earthly living ... Yes! May be that's the reason why God said, "come on boy, I will put you in a place fit for you!"

Do you want to live a life that will bring a smile upon the face of your God? That would be costly, but worth it. Will people around you ... your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, fellow travellers in a metro, grocery shop attendant. .. attest your life as one pleasing only your God?

Prayer: Lord, help me bring a smile upon your face, Amen.

For further reading: Job 1:1-8, Luke 7:2-11

Rev. Dr. P M Johnson discusses the 'Thone of Grace" installed in the Most Holy Place of the Old testament Tabernacle and its significance to New Testament believers. Here is the first part of the 2-parts article.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16)

The new testament believer is asked to approach the throne of grace boldly, which means with freedom, confidence, and liberty. The throne of grace was the covering of the ark of the testimony or covenant, at each end of which was a cherub, and between them the shechinah, or symbol of the Divine Majesty, which appeared to, and conversed with, the high priest. What is in the ark? The testimony which Moses received from God (Exo. 25:16). Here the apostle shows the great superiority of the privileges of the new testament above those of the old; for there the high priest only, and he with fear and trembling, was permitted to approach; and that not without the blood of the victim; and if in any thing he transgressed, he might expect to be struck with death.

We can come boldly unto the throne of grace. It does not mean, we simply ignore God and the His pattern given to Moses. Just because of children of God, we cannot change them. Even Jesus did not do that. He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matt. 5:17). If we think this wisely, we will understand that our Lord, made the way easy for us by fulfilling the requirements which was difficult for us. Without the help of Jesus still no one can approach the throne of grace.

When we think about the Throne of Grace, first we have to come to the tabernacle which was carried by Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. Tabernacle means "tent", "place of dwelling" or "sanctuary". It was a sacred place where God chose to meet His people, the Israelites, during the 40 years they wandered in the desert under Moses' leadership. It was the place where the leaders and people came together to worship and offer sacrifices. It shows the presence of God in their midst. (Exo. 25:8). What a wonderful race they were! God was moving with them in a tent! Dear children of God, do you know how much blessed you are? The Lord is with you. Not in a tent, but in you: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). The tabernacle consisted of a tent-like structure covered by rug-like coverings for a roof, and an external courtyard of 150 feet by 75 feet. The whole compound was surrounded by a high fence with only one entrance. A person could not simply come from any direction into the tabernacle as he pleased - he had to enter through the one gate which was always located to the east (so that people were facing west when they entered the tabernacle - a direct opposition to the pagan sun worshippers of the day who always faced east). Our nominal Christian friends are still turning to east when they pray. This is a continuity of pagan worshipping. Upon entering the gate, we will reach the outer court and we can see the brazen altar, where the people bring their animal offering, and then hand the reigns over to the priests, who make atonement and intercession for them in the tent. This setup informed the Israelites that they could only come to God in the way He prescribed. There was no other way. People are always trying their own methods to please Him. As we will see even more clearly in the following sections, God is using the Old Testament tabernacle to tell us that we, too, must come to Him only through the way He has provided for us - Jesus Christ.

The gate was 30 feet wide. It was located directly in the center of the outer court on the east end. The gate was covered by a curtain or screen made of finely twisted linen in blue, purple and scarlet. The one and only gate is a representation of Christ as the only way through which one could fellowship with God and worship Him. Jesus said in His famous "I am" statements: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6) and "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved" (John 10:9). Those who accept Jesus Christ as the only way, must also acknowledge the way of gospel. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him, must worship in Spirit and in Truth" (John 4:24). That is the reason He came down to church on Pentecost as Spirit. In order to do this, He had to taste death. Also He defeated death and Satan and resurrected. This is gospel. In brief, receiving the gospel is to receive the Holy Spirit. The hearers of the Pentecost realized this fact and asked Peter, "brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). What was the answer of Peter? "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). This is the gospel. This is the way Lord has kept for everyone for their salvation. Once we put this basic foundation, what to do next was also explained in the chapter of Acts 2. We have to keep ourselves holy from this generation, We also have to keep the doctrine and fellowship of apostles. There is no other way except this for salvation. For many, still this is very difficult because of their community, family, culture, practice, attachment to the world etc.. That is why our Lord declared very clearly that : "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matt. 7:13-14). Dear believer, make sure with every effort, that you are going through this gate. Do not look at the majority who are looking for the wide gate. Suppose, a person looks for another gate of the tabernacle, then he will come back to this same gate after making a round of tabernacle, or the devil will divert him to some other wide gate and he will not come back. So you do not need to wait for others. Please enter.

The act of entering the gate to the tabernacle was significant to the Israelites. By entering, one could find forgiveness of sin and fellowship with God. The first thing that one saw upon coming through the gate was the brazen alter, which served as a reminder of man's sinfulness and his need for a blood sacrifice in order to be in fellowship with God. One needed to repent and offer sacrifices for their sin. Those who did not repent were not allowed further. It is sad to say from my experience that today many so called believers who received gospel have still not repented. Gospel was preached to them by someone, but repentance was either not preached to them or it was ignored. Repentance must come first, then gospel: "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). God sent first John the Baptist to preach repentance before sending Jesus with gospel (Matt. 3:2). I really do not think some one without repentance will be saved. Gospel will be ineffective without repentance.

The brazen altar of sacrifice was situated right inside the courtyard upon entering the gate to the tabernacle. The Hebrew root for altar means "to slay" or "slaughter". The Latin word 'alta' means "high". An altar is a "high place for sacrifice/slaughter". The altar stood raised on a mound of earth, higher than its surrounding furniture. This is a projection of Christ, our sacrifice, lifted up on the cross, on a hill called Golgotha. The altar was the place for burning animal sacrifices. It showed the Israelites that the first step for sinful man to approach a holy God was to be cleansed by the blood of an innocent creature. "He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him" (Lev. 1:4). The first step of our spiritual life begins here. Without looking at Calvary, no one can go further. When we are going ahead sanctifying ourselves, our enemy will try his level best to discourage us reminding our past sins. Never be discouraged. Just look back to our altar where our Lord was crucified, and be comforted because "he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5). Dear child of God, if we remember this always, how can we turn to sin again?

Although the blood of the sacrifices covered over the sins of the Israelites, they had to perform them year after year, for they were not freed permanently of a guilty conscience. However, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, came as the ultimate last sacrifice for mankind when He offered up His life. As Isaiah prophesied, the Christ would be like a lamb that is led to slaughter and pierced for our transgressions. His blood was poured out at the cross for us. The Bible says much about this: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." (Mark 14:24). "For you know that … you were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18-19). "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Heb. 9:13-14). "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. …By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. …And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin." (Heb. 10:10,14,18). "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21).

Calvary is the final solution for our sin. Once we realized this, enjoy in this. Do not turn to commit sin again. We have to go further for more blessings. There are horns on the four corners of altar. The victims were attached to these horns.

Horns were a symbol of power and strength in biblical times. When the sacrifice was made, blood was dabbed on the horns of the altar, signifying the power of the blood to atone for sins. In the same way, there is mighty power in the blood of Christ. "Jesus is the "horn of our salvation" (Psa. 18:2, Luke 1:69). But this blood atonement will take place only after the sacrifice. If not ready for sacrifice, then no blood atonement. If no blood atonement, then no power on sin. If we died with him, we will resurrect with him (Rom. 6:5). Many people are expecting resurrection. They are familiar with the words 'power, deliverance' etc.. But they are not ready to die and suffer with him. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). If anybody is following today's's new generation preachers who preach only about blessings and prosperity, let them know that they are the followers of another gospel, and of another Christ and another spirit is working in them (2 Cor. 11:4). With this another spirit, they will not be resurrected. Resurrection is possible only with the Spirit of Jesus (Rom. 8:11). So let us receive the Holy Spirit and be subject to him till our death or our rapture, as we do not know which is going to come first. If we are not subject to the Holy Spirit, our rapture is in doubt because "grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30).

The animal sacrifices bore reference to the Passover lambs which the Israelites slaughtered to save their firstborns from the last plague of God's judgment on Egypt (Exo. 12:1-13). Similarly, as the Passover lambs were eaten after they were slaughtered, so Jesus' body was sacrificed and "eaten". It was no coincidence that on the night before the Passover, He "took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body'" (Matt. 26:26). Earlier Jesus had taught His disciples: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. --- Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." (John 6:53-56). Let us remember this when we take part in the communion service always.

Without accepting and believing the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, no one can find salvation. So let us boldly look at the devil and say: "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7).

- To be continued

The following is an adaptation of an article written in Malayalam by Mathews Plamootil, Lecturer, Govt College, Chavara, Kerala, and published in "Good News Weekly". It is being reproduced as it has contemporary relevance!

Present day society has learned to dress up with the minimum clothing material! Walking around scantily clad has become the fashion. The body which is the 'temple of the living God' is being converted into an exhibition piece! Unfortunately this trend is rapidly flowing into our Christian churches too. Sad to say, in comparison with nominal churches, this epidemic has affected Pentecostals the most. It appears that this dirty trick is employed to compensate for the lack of jewelry!

Some wear the minimum possible clothing to attract other people's attention. Some others wear body hugging, eye catching clothes to reveal their curves. Some, on the other hand, find pleasure in wearing transparent clothes - more like displaying merchandise in glass cases!! Nobody seems to be ashamed to wear low-cut (front and back) tops. Girls have conveniently forgotten the purpose of a 'dupatta' (shawl). 'Dupatta' is slowly shrinking in width and getting wrapped around the neck!

Some young ladies appear in public like an extensively decorated Christmas tree! Their dresses have frills and coloured beads stuck all over. (I think, it is more prudent not to describe the wedding gowns of some Pentecostal brides!) Some people take pride in behaving so shamelessly!!

The blame for this trend creeping into our churches must be placed squarely at the door of the parents. Parents have no qualm in exhibiting their immodestly dressed children in public just like decorated elephants are brought out during festival time! Part of the blame may also be attributed to peer pressure in schools and colleges, influence of the media, influence of people living around and workplace environment.

Pentecostal youth should dress modestly and avoid tight clothes. Keep the 'dupatta' where it belongs. Avoid very expensive, decorative dresses. Dress properly to cover your body and not to arouse the interest of the opposite sex. Spiritual people must look in the mirror after they dress up and evaluate for themselves whether their appearance will ruin or enhance the spirituality of the on lookers!

Pastors, evangelists and Sunday school teachers should take the responsibility of instilling discipline and wisdom into the minds of their members. They must utilize occasions like youth meetings and Sunday school classes for the purpose. Most of all, parents of young children should train them to dress modestly right from the beginning so that they grow up as examples to others.

The writers emphasize that while interpreting the Books of the Bible, we must give special attention to understand the literary style of the passage as the Holy Spirit has chosen to deliver His Word to humanity through several human auhors in various writing styles.

A third way in which we misinterpret Scripture is by ignoring the literary genres. This means that we take passages in the Bible and interpret them in a manner that does not coincide with the writing style of the passage. This is not how the Scriptures ought to be read and interpreted. The Holy Spirit, through several human authors, chose to deliver His Word to humanity through various writing styles or literary genres. Each book or passage must be read through the lens of its own genre.

We would not read the fortune out of a fortune cookie with the same attitude that we would read a police report. In the same way, we would not read a comedy with the same tone or mindset that we would read a tragedy. They are completely different genres and are meant to be approached according to their own styles. In the same way the Bible is a library of genres, each meant to be read in a specific fashion. Neglecting to approach the Biblical text in light of its genre will result in distorted interpretations and much confusion. It would be like reading a phone book as if it were a novel.

Far too often we attribute literal meaning where a passage is to be understood figuratively. We attribute universal application where a passage is to be applied only in particular scenarios. We read descriptions of what took place among people in the Bible and treat them like prescriptions for all believers for all times, or vice versa. Imagine if we treated other pieces of literature this way, such as poems, history books, or instruction manuals. History books should not be read like poems, and poems should not be read like instruction manuals. The instruction manual for a computer cannot be used to build a diesel engine, and the instruction manual for a diesel engine cannot be used as a recipe for cake. To suggest that anyone would behave this way sounds absurd, but it is often in this manner that we handle the Scriptures.

One way in which we do this is by over-allegorizing. For example, a speaker might consider the five smooth stones David picked up from the stream before confronting Goliath and attribute five themes or meanings to each stone. This was not the author's intention in giving us this information. This passage fits into the Historical Narrative genre, and is to be read like a historical account or a story book. The author is recording this information in order to provide an accurate account of events and to be a good narrator. To move out of this framework is to move away from the literary genre, and the author's intended meaning. Imagine if we treated other pieces of literature this way.

A second way in which we neglect the literary genre is by interpreting descriptions of events as prescriptions for all believers for all times. For examples in Acts 3:1 we read that Peter and John went to the temple at the ninth hour, probably 3:00 pm. We certainly do not believe that we are acting in an unbiblical manner if we do not hold our church services at three o'clock in the afternoon, yet we often treat descriptions of events, sometimes within the same chapter, as prescriptions for all believers for all times. There are countless descriptions of events in the Bible and though we can learn many principles from them we cannot always apply the practices they describe directly to our lives. Our job as intelligent readers of Scripture is (rather than be lazy and not take seriously and thoughtfully the importance of God's written Word) to attempt to discern what the authors (the human author and the Holy Spirit) intend to be descriptive and what they mean to be prescriptive or applicable to all believers at all times.

The Bible is without a doubt the most important Book ever in the history of the world, and it will remain that way. It is God's written communicative Word to His people and to the world. Hence, it is of the highest importance that believers not just read the Bible, but also understand it and interpret it properly. And when we do not do this, we run the risk of misinterpreting the very words of God. We say things that He did not intend to say, and we put words into God's mouth, which is a very dangerous path to tread down upon. Which means readers of Scripture should always be asking questions like, "Who was the original audience of this letter or book?" "When and why was this book written?" "What genre is this book? Is it poetry, is it historical narrative, etc?" "Did the author mean this to be descriptive or prescriptive?" Because if we really believe that the Bible truly is the most important communicated word ever written, we can do nothing else but devote our whole minds and hearts to truly interpret and understand its meaning.

- Concluded

Indian Jews return to their homeland

A report has appeared in Times of India that the ministerial committee on immigration and absorption, headed by foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman of the Israeli government has approved the immigration of more than 7,200 Indian Jews from the north-eastern states of Manipur and Mizoram. They were identified as members of the "lost" Manasseh tribe. Local Evangelical Christian groups view it as fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and have pledged financial support for the move. More than 1,700 members of the north-eastern Indian Jewish community, referred as Bnei Menashe (sons of Menashe), have immigrated to Israel over the last decade, but their immigration was subsequently halted in 2007 over the issue of their "Jewishness", even though the Israeli Chief Rabbinate had earlier recognized the community as "descendants of Israel". The community claims descent from one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel, who were sent into exile by the Assyrian Empire more than 27 centuries ago. Their ancestors are believed to have wandered through Central Asia and the Far East for centuries, before settling in what is now northeastern India, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh.



Biblical prophecies are being fulfilled as our Lord's return is getting nearer and nearer! Jews scattered in different parts of the world are returning to the land of Israel. The Lord's people should remain ever ready and vigilant to meet the Lord in the clouds when the trumpet sounds (1 Thes. 4:16)!.

'California student punished for saying 'Bless You'!

'The Christian Post' reports that a high school student in California was punished by a teacher who claimed the student disrupted the classroom with the words "Bless you". Health teacher Steve Cuckovich took 25 points off the student's grade. Following outrage from some parents, the school principal agreed that Cuckovich made a mistake: "He realizes there is better way to do that. We don't condone that type of punishment". However, there is no report that the punishment has been revoked.

It is reported that a 14-year old high school student in Texas was recently suspended for a day for mentioning to a classmate that he thought homosexuality was wrong. He said his comment was only directed at his friend, who was sitting behind him, but his teacher overheard and sent him to the principal's office. The school authorities later agreed to revoke the suspension so that he could play in a football game, but his mother is fighting for the suspension to be completely eliminated from his record.

Another report says that a Christian husband and wife from California have been fined by their city council for holding Bible studies and prayer meetings in their home without permit. Since June 2010, the couple have been conducting a Sunday morning Bible study due to renovations at their normal place of meeting. They say they have been careful to maintain low noise levels inside the house. They are appealing to the court against the fine: "We want to be able to use our home and backyard … We should be able to be hospitable in our home. Imposing a heavy-handed permit requirement on a home Bible study is outrageous"!

Can you believe these are happening in USA which was founded on Christian principles and ethics? So-called secularism is being stretched out to a ridiculous extent! The devili is certainly working hard to remove the fear of God from the minds of people because he knows he has very little time left before he is bound! Jesus wondered whether there will be any faith left when He comes!

BBC stops referring to years as B.C. and A.D.

The state-funded British Broadcasting Corporation of England has decided to replace the terms B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini or Year of the Lord) in historical date references with B.C.E. (Before Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era)! In an official statement, BBC said since it was "committed to impartiality, it is appropriate that we use terms that do not offend or alienate non-Christians". Christians are outraged. They say: "These changes are unnecessary and they don't actually achieve what the BBC wants them to achieve. Whether you use Common Era or Anno Domini, the date is still the same and the reference point is still the birth of Jesus Christ".

Christian missionaries usd to be sent out to different parts of the world from England for evangelizing those areas. Now who will go to evangelize England?

Google and Israel Museum publish 'Dead Sea Scrolls' online

'Dead Sea Scrolls', dating from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D., were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near the Dead Sea. Five of the eight Scrolls - including the famous Isaiah Scroll - were photographed at extremely high resolutions and are now available online for viewing at a level more detailed than the human eye can provide. The Isaiah Scroll was also translated line by line, allowing viewers to search in regular search engines in English for specific phrases or verses in the scrolls. The Scrolls were photographed column by column and then the photos were stitched together to make a continuous scroll. The five Dead Sea Scrolls that have been digitized thus far include the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, the Commentary on Habakkuk Scroll, the Temple Scroll, and the War Scroll. Only the Isaiah Scroll is searchable by verse in English.

The scrolls can be accessed at: http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night ooo" (John 3:l,2)

Nicodemus was the prototype of today's lukewarm believer.

His soul recognized and acknowledged Jesus, but his mind urged caution. It told him: you are a man of influence and position in your community, but this Man is a vagabond. You are learned in the laws of the synagogue, but this Man speaks of a kingdom beyond the law and beyond life. If you are seen among His followers, will you not be compromised in the eyes of your associates? So Nicodemus went to Jesus by night. He wanted to be a secret disciple, never called upon to defend publicly the faith he professed privately. "Rabbi", he said, "we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that I thou doest, except God be with him".

Jesus replied that "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". These words puzzled the aging Nicodemus. He asked Jesus, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and, be born?"

Nicodemus, the man of discretion and worldly wisdom, did, not understand the meaning of spiritual rebirth. Later, When the chief priests and Pharisees gathered in council to plot Jesus' death, Nicodemus had only enough courage to suggest that, according to the law, no man should be judged without having an opportunity to defend himself.

But he quickly retreated into silence when the other members of the assembly turned on him. He was afraid to declare himself openly on the side of Jesus. He lacked the zeal and courage to use his influence to demand, rather than merely to suggest, justice.

As Papini observes: "When the man of his admiration was martyred and killed and His enemies were satisfied, and there was no more danger of being compromised, then he comes with balsams to pour into those wounds which were inflicted partly by his cowardice".

- Selected

Jacob and Vicky were best friends. They studied together and played together. They helped each other and shared all their joys and sorrows. Jacob was a born-again believer. He had godly parents who taught him to have a close relation with Jesus. He daily spent time in prayer and meditation of God's word. He talked to Jesus all that he felt - his fears and joys. He also enjoyed reading and studying God's word. His friend Vicky was a good boy. But he also had other friends who went in wrong ways. Vicky slowly went with them and got into trouble. Vicky started taking drugs. One day Vicky shared his troubles with Jacob. Jacob lovingly helped Vicky get out of the trouble he was into. Jacob prayed for Vicky to be delivered from his wrong ways. Jacob shared the love of Christ with Vicky and led him to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Dear children, let Jesus be your best friend. Share with Him all your fears and troubles, for He loves you just as you are. Read His Word daily, so that you will know what He wants you to do. Then you will be able to be a good friend to others who are in need. And you will be able to influence others with the love of Christ and be a blessing to them just like Jacob was for Vicky. Read 2 Cor. 2:15. God bless you.