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BLESSING / April 2011

Mark16:1-3 tells us that very early on that

first Easter morning, a small group of women

made their way to the garden where the tomb

was. As they walked along, their minds were

seized of a great problem. They had gone into allthe trouble of preparing the spices, but how would

they anoint the body? Wasnt there a heavy stone

rolled against the entrance to the tomb? None of

them was strong enough to move it. They

discussed the problem among themselves,

wondering who will solve it for them. You can

speculate on the suggestions that would have

come forth. Lets find the gardener, May be

one of the soldiers on guard will be kind enough

to help us, Shall I go back and get my son?.there would have been umpteen options

considered in those few minutes. As they went

closer, the tension and confusion in their minds

would have been sky high.

Those of us who know the end of the story

know that their anxiety was absolutely

unwarranted. There was no need for a giant pair

of hands to roll away the large stone, for it had

already been rolled away. There was no need

for the fragrant spices, for Jesus body was not

there.

It seems amusing that the women got so

worked up and spent their money, time and

mental prowess on a problem that did not exist

anymore. Yet, how often we do the same thing!

Looking back, I tried to make a list of the things

I have worried about over the years. It made me

sincerely wonder why I had agonized so much

over some things that turned out so well in the

end! I realized that most of my worries were

because my feeble mind had greatly exaggerated

the problem on hand and made it appear much

bigger and more ominous than it actually was.

Anxiety is a fertile breeding ground for imagination

and soon the matter assumes monstrous

proportions in the inner eye. There is a nagging

W

stomach pain and the doctor advises an

endoscopy. Instead of just waiting for the result,

the mind conjures up situations where the verdict

is a terrible disease! Sleepless nights follow

considering the implications of the supposed

result. By the time the report comes in that it is

only a treatable inflammation, the blood pressure

goes up to new heights!

Luke 24:13-35 describes a scene that

happened later that Sunday evening on the road

to Emmaus. Here, we encounter two disciples

discussing feverishly about the heart-wrenching

happenings of Thursday and Friday. They were

totally oblivious to the earth-shattering miracle

that had alreadyoccurred on Sunday morning

and were too fatigued to realize that they were

joined by the Subject of their conversation. How

often I too am on that Emmaus road! When thereis a problem, I am frequently on the telephone,

discussing situations that I, with my finite

understanding, think, are beyond redemption.

Little do I realize that my Infinite, Living God has

already solved the problem for me! It is only a

matter of time before my eyes are opened and

I see Him having worked it out far more

beautifully than I could have asked or imagined

(Eph 3:20). Parents with children of

marriageable age often find themselves on this

road. We fret over every proposal that doesnt

click because we do not see Him working

behind the scenes. We do not realize that He

is very much on the job, moulding and

preparing both our child and the person He

has ordained for him/her. The veil will be lifted at

WWWWWho will rollho will rollho will rollho will rollho will roll

aaaaawwwwwaaaaay they they they they the

stone?stone?stone?stone?stone?Mrs. Haema Henry, Chennai

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exactly the right time when both become uniquely

suited to receive each other.

When Jesus met the women in the garden,

He greeted them and said, Do not be afraid.

Thats the command He gives each of us as well.

Many of us are unable to lead the victorious life

that the Victors children ought to lead because

we worry about all kinds of things. When the

Bible tells us Do not be anxious about anything

it doesnt stop there ( Phil 4:6). It also tells us

what to do about it. The verse continues, but in

everything, by prayer and petition with

thanksgiving, present your requests to God. It

is followed up by the promise, And

the peaceof God, which transcends all understanding will

guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (v 7).

The and is the connecting word between the

two statements. The peace of God fills our hearts

only when we stop worrying over the problem

and focus instead on the Lord whos greater than

any situation. The secular world advises us not

to worry, because, we cannot change anything

by worrying. The Living Word from the Author

of Life tells us not to be anxious about anything,because, our times are in His hands, He is in

control of all things and all things work together

for good for those who love Him.

Just as He greeted the anxious women that

early morning, the Risen Christ wakens me each

morning whispering Greetings(Is 50:4). When

I open my Bible, He breaks the word to open

my eyes, just as the eyes of the two men were

opened when He broke the bread (Luke

24:30,31). He reassures me that because Helives, I can face today and tomorrow; Because

He lives, all fear is goneLife is worth the living

just because He lives!

(The author is a housewife, Mob:

09003131177)

Fortyfive years ago

when I had just turned to

the Lord, three of us

brothers used to go to the

seashore to pray. The

owner of the coconut grove

where we bent our knees was the local

postmaster belonging to the fishermen

community. He was an atheist.

Whenever he found us in his grove hewould stop for a chit chat. Now and

then we would lovingly share the

gospel with him and give him books

to read, like the history of Sadhu

Sundar Singh and other saints. In a

short while he accepted the Lord Jesus

Christ as his personal Saviour.

He was very burdened for his

community and opened the doors for

us to preach the goodnews to them.During their important festivals we

wo uld in vi te pr eachers to comm

unicate the gospel to them and thus

sowed sack loads of seeds among them.

We also started to pray regularly for

them. After 45 years, on the same spot

where we knelt down, stands a church

and along with the same postmaster

and around 100 fisherfolk who turned

to the Lord and were baptized. We

worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

I feel my heart would burst with joy

when I think of this small start and a

beautiful beginning!

S. Wilson, Kanyakumari

How I won a soul

A SOUL AND AA SOUL AND AA SOUL AND AA SOUL AND AA SOUL AND A

CHURCHCHURCHCHURCHCHURCHCHURCH

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Prayer - The breath of Life!Prayer - The breath of Life!Prayer - The breath of Life!Prayer - The breath of Life!Prayer - The breath of Life!Mrs. Margaret Manuel, Dindigul

THird

prize

One of the most beautiful and heart-warming

experiences in life is watching an egg

hatch. As the eggs are gathered under the

mother birds wings, they receive warmth, and

lo, and behold, a baby emerges from it! Its the

genesis of a new life! Similarly, when the

spirit of prayer is lit in a nation, its heat begets

and revives countless new lives. When

the Apostle Paul saw the inscription to anunknown god on an altar in Athens, his

heart was seared. Everyday, we witness people

in our country going to great lengths to

propitiate numerous gods and goddesses. Does

this affect us? Or do we just go about our

business unconcerned?

Praise : As the sun dips into the horizon each

evening, the skyline is filled with flocks

of birds returning to their nests. When the first

rays of the morning pierce through thedarkness, their loud chirps add to the magic of

the breaking day. Praising God with all

their might in the language of their heart, they

challenge you and me. We humans ought

to be on our knees even earlier than them, lifting

up our hands and voices to the God who

created day and night. He who feeds the birds

of the air cares much more for us. It is also

our duty to teach this to our children. Do you

see your neighbour worshipping the sun

reverentially every morning? If you dont speak

to him about the God who created the

sun and rules over it, how can you stand before

Him on Judgement Day ?(Matt 12:41,42)

We search glossaries and dictionaries before

we choose a name for our child. Why not

adore the Lord using one of His attributes every

day? The Lord says, the people I

formed for myself that they may proclaim my

praise. (Is 43:21)This is His longing and

expectation from us. May we remembereveryday Paul and Silas who sang praises in

One of the most

beautiful and heart-warming experiences inlife is watching an egghatch. As the eggs aregathered under the

mother birds wings, they receivewarmth, and lo, a baby emerges fromit! Its the genesis of a new life!Similarly, when the spirit of prayer islit in a nation, its heat begets andrevives countless new lives. When theApostle Paul saw the inscription To

an unknown god on an altar in Athens,his heart was seared (Acts 17:23).Everyday, we witness people in ourcountry going to great lengths topropitiate numerous gods andgoddesses. Does this affect us? Or dowe just go about our businessunconcerned?

Praise : As the sun dips into thehorizon each evening, the skyline isfilled with flocks of birds returning totheir nests. When the first rays of the

morning pierce through the darkness,their loud chirps add to the magic ofthe breaking day. Praising God withall their might in the language of theirheart, they challenge you and me. Wehumans ought to be on our knees evenearlier than them, lifting up our handsand voices to the God who created dayand night. He who feeds the birds ofthe air cares much more for us. It isalso our duty to teach this to ourchildren. Do you see your neighbourworshipping the sun reverentiallyevery morning? If you dont speak tohim about the God who created thesun and rules over it, how can youstand before Him on Judgement Day?(Matt 12:41,42) We search glossariesand dictionaries before we choose a

name for our child. Why not adore the

Lord, using one of His attributes everyday? The Lord says, The people Iformed for Myself will proclaim Mypraise (Is 43:21).This is His longingand expectation from us. May weremember everyday Paul and Silas whosang praises in prison in the middle ofthe night!

Petition: The first step is the taxcollectors prayer (Luke 18:13). A goodmodel is Jonah, who accepted hiscircumstances and called out to God

from the belly of the fish (Jon 2:1-9).Nehemiah shot off an arrow prayerbefore he spoke to the king (Neh 2:4)and God caused Nehemiah to findfavour with the king (2:6). When Estherfasted and prayed along with hermaids, she found courage and wisdomto stand before the king and gainvictory (Esth 4:16). Prayer warriors arethose who stand boldly and ferventlyon their knees for the redemption oftheir land. We are accountable for the

hundred and thirty crores of people Hehad placed in our land. There will be abountiful harvest if only we intercedeearnestly like Elijah (James 5:18).Theprayer offered in faith will raise thesick (James 5:15). While on ministry,I once met a girl who seemed to beabout 13 years old and had theopportunity to talk to her of Christslove. As she spoke, I was shocked toknow that she was 24 and had beenmarried for four years, but childless.She was visiting her grandmother. Weprayed with her and left. She wasdelighted. When we went there againthe next week, she brought herhusband to us and said she was goingback home. She had told her husbandabout us. We prayed again and gave

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them a New Testament. Weeks passed.One day, her grandmother rushed tous with the news that the girl Iswarihad conceived, adding You made pujafor her! (prayer). We were amazed bytheir faith. The door opened for us toproclaim the true God. When theanswer to our prayer is No, Jesusteaches us to submit to the Fatherswill by His own example in the gardenof Gethsemane (Matt 26:38-44). Thatis the climax of prayer. Lifted up onthe cross, He prayed to His last breath.May we follow in His footsteps!

Vows: When you make a vow toGod, do not delay in fulfilling it (Eccl5:4-7). Hannah is a good example here.

There are many who make vows to Godby the dozen like politicians before anelection! Not surprisingly, they areunable to fulfill them. Our God is agreat and awesome God. The sight wasso terrifying that Moses said, I amtrembling with fear (Heb 12:21). So,we need to be careful with our words,unlike Jephthah who regretted,Oh!....I have made a vow to the Lordthat I cannot break (Judg 11:35). Ourwords should reflect the fear of God

and be uttered after respectfulconsideration. Our Lord has warnedus not to babble like the pagans (Matt6:7). How do we describe Jephthahwho made a rash vow and his daughterwho offered her life to honour herfathers commitment? Have you heardof the mother who dedicated her littleson for ministry when he was very sickand almost dying? When he grew up,he asked her how she could make thecommitment without consulting him!

I wonder if she had brought him upprayerfully telling him of hercommitment as he grew up! Prayeralone brings victory.

Thanksgiving: Where are the othernine? (Luke 17:17). Thats the heartcry of the God who created and rules

over the entire universe. He desiresthat the human race would have anattitude of thankfulness. The discipleswho had received so much from Himover 3 years just vanished from sightat Gethsemane! Even Peter, whofollowed at a distance claimed he didnot know Him. What a longing therewas when Jesus looked at Peter!(Luke22:61). Dont our eyes well up whenwe read this verse? After the Lorddelivered Mary Magdalene of devils,she remained one of His most devotedservants and played a crucial role inpublicizing the goodnews of theresurrection. What a great expressionof thanksgiving! Thats what the Lord

expects from each of us. Recently, anon-Christian family attended ourchurch. The lady had a beautifultestimony to share. She said, For thepast three years, I have been visitingthis place from a village 57 km fromhere. Every time I come, I step intothis church and pray. Also, I used totake out a small offering, wrap it inpaper and keep it in my purse. At thattime, my husband was very ill and bed-ridden. As I kept praying, he got better

and better and started walking. Iprayed for a job for him. He got a job. Ihave also found employment. Mychildren are going to school. I praiseGod. Please accept this offering. Sheopened an old, worn out purse andemptied it on the altar. It was full ofmoney. It was her token ofthanksgiving collected over the years.

The Pastor was spell bound. I am sureheaven would have rejoiced. There maybe many of us who have experiencedsuch deliverance from acute needs.

May we pray for thankful hearts aswell. That would be our sacrifice to ourdear Redeemer.

Let our every breath be a prayer!Let it become the rule of our life!

(The author is a retired teacher now servingthe Lord. Mob: 9894449874)

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Because He Lives...!Because He Lives...!Because He Lives...!Because He Lives...!Because He Lives...!Dr. Mrs. Lilian Stanley

Many years ago I had invited a 50 plus

professional to give the Christmas message in theRemand Home for juveniles, where we were

regularly ministering. He explained excellently the

birth of Christ and movingly His crucifixion. Jesus

died for you he said, Jesus died for you. AcceptHim as your Saviour. Then he sat down. The

boys squirmed. Why would they accept a dead

man as their Saviour? The room fell silent. I didnt

know what to do. I didnt want the boys to thinkthat the death of Christ was the end of His history.

So I mustered enough courage to break the

impasse by getting up and tactfully concluding

with the resurrection and Second Coming ofJesus. We got the happy ending. All faces lit up

like fireworks and the room began to sing again.

What a great difference it made! It is the pivotal

point in the history of Jesus and the hinge eventin the history of our planet itself. Because He

rose again, because He lives, my life is changed

cent percent. What appeared to be the end was

really a new beginning. Lets see how our lives

are influenced by Christs resurrection.Because He lives, our preaching is

fruitful.If Christ has not been raised, our

preaching is useless (1Cor 15:14). The death

of Christ put a damper on the hopes of the

disciples. Why would they preach? What would

they preach? They huddled up behind closed

doors. With their leader gone their self-esteem

hit rock bottom. But when He rose again they

were ready to kick into action. What is the point

in proclaiming someone whose life was cut short?

He will be one Mahatma Gandhi or Buddha orConfuscius. Our preaching will bring little more

than a yawn. Now we preach the risen Lord in

no uncertain terms and thats why our preaching

is the power of God to bludgeon sinners into

submission. It has made us powerful crusaders

for ridding the world of injustice.

Because He lives, our faith is alive

(1 Cor 15:14). There is no monument built for

Jesus. Think of putting our faith in dead idols

which can neither see nor hear nor speak. We

believe in a living God whose eyes are on us,

whose ears are open to our prayers and who

answers prayers. Why do Christians risk social

ostracism and even die as martyrs? Repeatedly

gunned down, beaten and arrested, they have

never been completely vanquished. Why is it so

difficult to shake the faith of Christians? It isbecause Jesus lives! Resurrection makes us cling

to our faith even when every other reason for

doing so is yanked away.

Because He lives, we have the hope of

eternal life.Man will live for evermore, because

of Easter Day! Easter is the death blow to death.

Occassionally a feeling of utter hopelessness

overwhelms me. I become paranoid and cry,

Lord, Your sea is so big and my boat so small!

Then the thought of Job flashes across my mindwho had a prophetic revelation of Jesus and in

his desperation uttered, I know my Redeemer

lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the

earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet

in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him

with my own eyes I, and not another. How

my heart yearns within me! (19:25-27). It is as

if someone had suddenly gripped my heart and

given it a squeeze. At the graveside of Lazarus

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in Me will live, even though hedies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will

never die (John 11:25). The hole in the heart

left by the death of Lazarus was healed when

Jesus resuscitated him. The spectacle of

resurrection unfolds before my eyes and I hear

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the rustling of grave clothes. Hope surges within

me and with a spring on my feet and bloom on

my cheeks I go ahead with life. As Marcello

Marcheri put it: May death find us still alive and

life find us not already dead!

Because He lives, we have a clear

objective for our earthly existence.If there

is no resurrection...why do we endanger ourselves

every hour? I die every day... If I fought wild

beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what

have I gained? If the dead are not raised, Let us

eat and drink, for tomorrow we die says Paul

(1Cor 15: 29-32). If there were no resurrection

we just exist and disappear into oblivion. The

days and nights will follow more days and longernights, all empty, dreary, meaningless. But Paul

says, He died for all, that those who live should

no longer live for themselves but for Him who

died for them and was raised again (2 Cor 5:15).

There is an urgent need to live for Him and proclaim

Him. It is an itch I have to scratch. It drives me

hard to live for Him and die for Him. It makes me

a get-up-and-go-person. It consumes my thoughts

every moment and my life is full and crowded

because He rose again. It gives us the zest to beat

the odds and survive.

Because He lives, we are delivered from

our sins.The three hours on the cross pass by in a

maddening blur. A gloom envelopes the earth for

three days. And then like a lightning across a black

sky comes the announcement, He is not here; He

is risen. The doom of sin is past. If Christ has not

been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your

sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ

are lost (1 Cor 15:17,18). It is our faith in the

risen Lord that lifts us out of our sins and thosewho died in Christ are absolved of their sins. The

sting of death is sin. Because of the absolution we

find in the risen Christ we can challenge, Where,

O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your

sting?... Thanks be to God. He gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:54-

57).

Because He lives, we will see our loved

ones and will be united with them.The breaking

away process was hard on those left behind. But

when Christ made His debut after resurrection

what a happy reunion it was. The Spirit of Jesus

is palpable even for us. I think of my parents, in-

laws, my two little brothers and friends who are

with the Lord now. Sometimes my heart aches

for them. But the Bible says, For as in Adam all

die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in

his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He

comes those who belong to Him (1 Cor

15:22,23). Christ rose first and therefore others.As Paul wrote in 1Thessalonians 4:13,14,

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant

about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the

rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that

Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that

God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen

asleep in Him. What a relief! The thought of

resurrection slays the demons of depression. I find

myself grinning ear to ear and singing.

Because He lives, we are acquitted and

face no charges..No one can condemn us.

Who will bring any charge against those whom

God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is

He that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died

more than that who was raised to life is at the

right hand of God and He is also interceding for

us (Rom 8:33,34). Do not trample yourself for

your past sins; God has justified you. Dont allow

your friends or anyone like Jobs friends to

trounce you. Jesus rose again and is interceding

for you from the right hand of God. Never allowSatan, the sly accuser to lambast you. God has

chosen you and satan cannot bring any charge

against you. We are guilt-free because Jesus rose

again!

Jesus Christ Zindabad!

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Ashamed of the Gospel?Rose Allen, Missionary. Rajasthan

If a survey is done to know who is the most

favorite person of born-again Christians,

doubtlessly the survey report would reveal Jesus

to be the most desired person, irrespective of their

denominational background. Its quite natural that

sooner or later after our conversion we deliberately

pack off our heroes, icons and superstars to give

way to supernatural, supreme Jesus. Is it not? Of

course, He is our most preferred man on the face

of the earth. In our songs, in worship, in prayer

and in fellowship very often without any

reservation we declare Jesus to be our only

favorite. It gives us a good feeling and we are

pleased about it. But thats not the case when we

are outside our prayer closet or fellowship. Just

hang on. When was the last time you talked about

Him to a stranger? When did you last go out of

your way to witness to an unsaved friend? When

was the last time you shared your faith with

someone while traveling in a bus or train? Howwould God be delighted if He is not your favorite

when you are in the outside world? You talk about

sports icons with your colleagues and friends. You

chat about T.V serials and politics with your

neighbors. You engage in conversations with

strangers about day to day issues. But barely there

was anytime you were bothered to talk about your

faith in Jesus as you move and mix with people.

We are very much comfortable talking about

people to God. But we find it extremely difficultand uncomfortable to talk to men about Jesus.

All born-again Christians know that Jesus

Christ is the Way and the Truth and the Life and

no man comes to the Father but by Him (John

14:6). Also without a shadow of doubt they claim

that the Gospel is the power of God to salvation to

everyone who believes (Rom 1:16). Nevertheless

their lips are tightly closed when it comes to sharing

the goodnews with strangers. Are you ashamed

of the gospel of your Lord and Savior? Jesus

forewarned, If anyone is ashamed of Me and

My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of

him when He comes in His glory (Luke 9:26). If

the love of God dwells in us, how can we not be

horrified by the fate of the lost? Many professing

Christians today are so locked into worship (with

the volume turned up high) that they seem to give

little or no thought to the fact that all who die in

their sins will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev

21:8). Did you know that if you allow another

human being to die when its within your ability to

save him, you are guilty of something called,

depraved indifference? Depraved means that

its as low as you can get, and indifference

means that you couldnt care less. If you are notseeking to save them with fear, pulling them out

of the fire, hating even the garments defiled by

the flesh you are guilty of the serious crime of

depraved indifference (Jude 1:23). Are we doing

all we can to rescue the lost, or are we sitting

passively in the pews while people perish? Oswald

J. Smith said, Oh, my friends we are loaded down

with countless church activities, when the real

work of the Church, that of evangelizing and

winning the lost, is almost neglected. We havebeen gazing to the Heavens while sinners are

sinking into Hell.

When we look back to the book of Acts, we

dont find the Church consumed with worship

although it is the highest calling of every Christian

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as we see in the book of Revelation. Instead, we

find the Church was obsessed with the lost, to the

point that they willingly gave their lives to preach

the gospel. Suppose, God offers Rs. 1000/- every

time you share the gospel with one person, with

how many people will you be sharing the gospel

in a day? Im sure the entire Church would be on

the streets busy sharing the gospel with strangers

forgoing their worship services, parties,

entertainments and worldly affairs. Shame on us!

Lets repent of our lust for money and

lukewarmness of our hearts. Please re-evaluate

your priorities, take off your earphones, unlock

the doors and demonstrate the depth of your love

for God by rescuing those who are about to perish.

One of the common reasons for a Christian to

put aside evangelism is because of the erroneous

understanding they have about evangelism. People

take evangelism as a gift and consider it as assigned

for a special group of people in the church. Hence

they expect the so called gifted and chosen

ones to do it. But as for the early Church it was

a matter of obedience or disobedience and not amatter of gift or calling. Evangelism was in their

very breath. Had it not been for evangelism, the

early Church would have ceased to exist. Their

right perspective about evangelism was the key

to their commitment in evangelism. They took it

as an art and not as a gift. Of course it was their

simple obedience to the Master coupled with

passion for souls resulted in evangelism explosion.

Were they skillful and competent in evangelism

when they went about sharing the goodnews? No!

They became experts simply by the process of

doing it. Practice makes one perfect goes the

saying. It is very much true even for evangelism.

Just like you learn prayer by practice, you learn

evangelism too by practice. You know, every time

you share your faith with someone, you are

practicing. And the more you practice, the better

you get at it.

When you share your faith with someone thereare only three things that can happen: 1) The person

surrenders to Christ, or 2) Your plant a seed, or 3)

The person rejects you. The first one of course is

a winning situation. And most of the time you are

planting seeds when you share the gospel which

is also a winning situation. But, what if someone

rejects you? Is rejection OK? Well, the Bible says

in 1 Peter 4:14 that every time you are rejected

for the name of Christ, the Holy Spirit will rest

upon you and comfort you. Also, Jesus said in

Luke 6:22,23 that when we are persecuted or

opposed for the sake of His name there will be

great reward in Heaven. Is it not a winning

situation? Yes, it is! WINNING! WINNING!

WINNING! So, you are always on the winning

side whether you win a soul or plant a seed or

face rejection. You just cant lose! The only time

you lose though, is when you are NOT sharing

your faith. Thats the only time we lose as the

Church of Jesus Christ.

By the way, what is the worst thing someone

can do to you when you tell them about Jesus?

They can kill you and send you to heaven. Is that

a bad thing? Let the slogan of the Apostle Paul,

For me to live is Christ, and to die is a gain be

our slogan too (Phil 2:21). Evangelism is one thing

that you cannot do in Heaven. Do you realize when

you take your last breath on this planet you willNEVER be able to witness to a lost person for all

eternity? So, if that is true, how can you be

ashamed of this glorious gospel?

(Allen and his wife Monica work among

youth. Mobile : 9828378411)

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Hard Work, the Hard WordSugirtha Livingston, Missionary, HQ

I was talking to a 13 year old. With his faceplunged into his hands he asked, How do I know

what the will of God is for my life? Will I become

a professional or serve God fulltime? I am

confused. As I chuckled in my heart I remembered

how I was plagued by such questions as a

teenager. I told him whatever it might be, the will

of God for him right then was to study to the best

of his abilities. Our conversation continued for

another fifteen minutes.

Fulfilling the will of God in life is a state rather

than a step. Yes, as students, working hard to

excel in studies is the perfect will of God. For everynew generation, the word hard work is becoming

more loathsome. Reading through the night before

the examination and spilling over the answer sheets

those few concepts retained in short term memory

and exulting over the results achieved by a nights

work has become common place. In other words,

systematic study grasping the concepts, putting

it into application and entering the examination

hall with a thorough idea of the subject is limited

to a handful.

Do you think, after deciding not to defile

themselves with the Kings food, Daniel and hisfriends sat for a chat? They had so much to talk

about... their country, their friends and relatives

left behind, the new country and so on. But they

worked hard to graduate with special distinction.

Ofcourse, God gave them knowledge and skill in

all learning and wisdom (Dan 1:17). But they

worked hard to show a 10 fold excellence. Even

before Jacob met Laban, God promised to bless

him. But Jacob worked hard to inherit the promise.

While he took care of Labans flock, the ewes and

she goats did not lose their young ones. He

protected the flock from the wild animals and never

brought a carcass to Laban. He said, ...by day

the heat consumed me and by night the cold, and

I could not sleep (Gen 31:40). When Laban said

that the streaked ones shall be his wages, he kept

watch and put the peeled poplar rods when the

strong animals bred and removed it when the weak

bred. The blessing did not come as a result of a

nights work. He laboured for 20 years in thisfashion.

You may not be a brilliant student who could

understand the concepts at a wink or who could

memorize theories at a reading. But you also have

to realize that you are not inept. May be you will

have to read again and again, read aloud, write

what you have learnt to retain it in memory. This is

hard work and it really pays. It doesnt matter if it

is mathematics, science or language, hard work

will help you raise a notch above, then another

and another. Even if you are a brilliant student,

working hard will make you one among the creamof achievers. If not you should be satisfied with

your mediocre performance.

Long hours of study can be tiresome. You can

keep your mind fresh and active by taking 10 or

15 minutes break to peer at the night through the

window and let the fresh air dash against your face.

You can also munch a slice of apple or a piece of

chocolate. Difficult portions and easy ones can

be studied alternatively.

When the Ammonites and Syrians came

against the Israelites, Joab saw that the battle front

was against him both before and behind. He dividedthe people and put them in array against the

Ammonites and Syrians. After he did all that he

can do he said, ...let us play the man for our people

and the cities of our God. And may the Lord do

what seems good to Him (2 Sam 10:12). The word

hard work will cease to be a hard word if you

have the right kind of drive behind the work. It would

be harder if you think you are working to fulfill the

expectations of your parents or just to get a seat

in the desired course or the institution.But only if

you understand that you are Gods child and your

achievement is directly proportionate to God beingglorified through you in your school / college,

society and family you will be able to bring the

best out of you. When you do your best and leave

the rest to Him, in Joabss words, May the Lord

do what seems good to Him.

(Mobile : 9488234526)

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Feed OrissaAn update by Biswanath Samal, Missionary, Bargarh

Dear Friends of Feed Orissa,

Every surgery camp turns out to be a melafor the poor people here. When we hold ourbreath praying that every surgery would bea success, God is faithful in helping each ofthe patients come out unscathed and fullyhealed after the surgery. Yes! 92 patients wereoperated in 4 days (9-12 February) and all thesurgeries were successful! Who else can makesuch things happen? As we pen these wordsour hearts are filled with gratitude for God.

Dekunja Paik of Khenedsara village is a

poor weaver who gets thread from thegovernment and gives back the product. Hemanages his family of five with the meagreincome. Two years back due to a growth onhis right brow, he felt intense pain and slowlyhis vision got impaired. But what he earnedwas hardly enough to feed his family andhence he could not get operated. Dekunja wasoperated in this surgery camp. He was excitedwhen we met him after the surgery. He said,The pain is gone and my vision is alsoalright. So were every x, y and z who never

thought that they could be ever relieved ofthe pain and agony they were going throughuntil they were operated in this camp.

Our heartfelt thanks to Medivision,Nagercoil who have been sincerely involvingin this ministry of coordinating doctors and

paramedics in conducting Eye, Medical andSurgery camps in the mission fields in orderto give a boost to the missionary works. Weappreciate the team: Dr. Stephenson, Dr.Gnanamani, Dr. Litta, Dr. Berrylson, Dr.David, Dr. Chandra, Dr. Lisha, sisters Ruth,Nancy, Pattukumari, Vasanthi and Shoba andbrothers Pushparaj, Christopher and Julian.Besides putting up with the minimal comfortsavailable in the fields, they had to work hardperforming atleast 24 surgeries a day. But theyhave left an indelible impact in the lives ofthe patients and their families. We also thankthe Catholic Mission Hospital, Bargarh foropening their doors for us to conduct thecamp.

Many of you have been praying towardsthe success of the camp and have contributedtowards the surgical expenses. Surely, yourreward in heaven is great for bringing backthe lost smile on the faces of the poor. MayGod bless you all.

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NEWS FROM THE FIELDS

The Blessing Youth Mission has stationed 333

missionaries in 15 States of India, namely Andhra

Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat,

Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttar

Pradesh and West Bengal, for reviving Churches

and missionary evangelism leading to church planting

in churchless places. The news of various fields is

compiled here for PRAISE and PRAYER.

ANDHRA PRADESH

A Christian Officers Meet was planned inWarangal. As against the expected hundred, 115

officers from different walks of life made their

appearance. As Bro. A. Lionel, Spiritual Overseerof BYM brought the challenging Word for the

changing times they sat with rapt attention from

9.30 a.m. - 1.30 p.m. How to Work for God in the

office & How to be a witness for God in the office

were the two messages. For the glory of God 50%

responded through the Feed Back forms. Many hadexpressed their desire to have another such meeting.

Eight have pledged to support missionary work and17 wanted missionaries to visit them.

Bro. Lionel shared Gods Word in the eveningYouth Retreat at Revival Christian Centre, Kazipet

to 60 youth on the theme In Pursuit of Happiness.

Many engineering graduates rededicated their lives.

Bro Lionel shared the Word in Manna Church,

Warangal and in the factory of Mr. Konningston, to

the workers. All the expenses for the meetings were

met locally and Rs. 7000/- worth literature passed

into the hands of people.ASSAM

Church planting ministry was started in Assam

in Jorhat Districts Majuli (Asias largest river

Island). This is the main Vaishnavite site and home

to the Mishing tribe who are basically animists(worshippers of spirits). 6 are now ready to make

a covenant with God. Pray for missionarySomasundaram and family who are based there and

doing the Lords work enthusiastically. As direct

evangelism is not possible here, through tuition

classes children and their parents are reached. Prayfor Mridul pegu who is doing his 10th exams now.

The Lord enabled our missionaries to minister

in the CNI Upper Assam Deanerys Womens

Conference on the theme, Where Are You? (Gen

3:9). The Spirit of the Lord moved the hearts of the

women to examine where they stand. Missionary Dolly Joel shared Gods Word in

the Womens Fellowship of Iswar Prem Baptist

Church, Jorhat. Missionary Leence Joel shared the Lords

message in the Immanuel Prayer Fellowship.

One day Youth Retreat was organized in theLokmi Baptist Church. BYM missionaries ministered

to the 26 youth.

Missionary Leence Joel shared on Preparations

for the Second Coming in the Sunday Service of

the Borbheta Baptist Church on 30th Jan and again

on 27th Feb. Nine youth attend the Sunday Bible Study.

House visiting is done systematically.

Missionaries Somasundaram and his wife

Saritha shared the Word in the Upper Assam Deanery

Conference in Dibrugarh. The Conference was well

attended and the Word well received. Pray for our contacts who will be writing their

exams: Arjun, Audrey, Mridupan, Ranjit, Gopalsingh,

Aditya, Rajhee, Bruce, Liza, Jyoti, Porinita and

Nehali.

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Please pray for the safe delivery of Dolly Joel,

Benita Nag, Diana Murmu and Chitra Nath.

GUJARAT

Service was conducted in Pampalapada, Hatta

Kandi, Beda company, Moti Fokidi, Sakrali, Rosarand Navijamuni.

In Sabarkantha Distirct (North Gujarat)

congregations have came up in 10 villages. Praise

the Lord! Praise God for the new Child Sponsor in

Vadodara who has joined the galaxy of sponsors.

Blessing Readers in Vadodara, Navsari, Anand

and Ahmedabad were visited.

Bro. A. Lionel ministered the Word of God in

the three day Staff Fasting Prayer and RevivalMeetings. 150 gathered for the revival meetings and

were richly blessed.

Marathi Sangat was conducted for the Marathipeople of Vadodara. Missionary Kailash Mane

ministered to the 25 participants.

Jolly Meet was conducted in Nadiad and Bro.Sallins Roy challenged the 32 youth who

participated.

A One-day Youth Meeting was conducted in

the Salvation Army Church, Vansol. Missionary

Esther Robin shared the Word to the 75 participants.

A new Girls Prayer Cell has been started inCTM area of Ahmedabad and the Monthly Partners

Prayer renewed.

Night meetings were conducted in 9 villages inwhich 600 heard the Goodnews, 19 committed their

lives to the Lord and 42 are in touch with our

missionaries. Praise the Lord! Three obeyed the Lord and joined the church

in Boripetta village.

Mrs. Sumen, Mr. Mukesh and Mr. Chawdha

of Sakrali village were delivered from demon

possession after our native missionary prayed.

A one-day Ladies Retreat at Ponayee, a Sozoat MTI, Vadodara and Exam Goers Meets at

Vadodara and Salvation Army Church, Jashodanagar

are planned.

Voluntary workers for Vadodara andAhmedabad and a Youth Worker for Nadiad are

needed. Pray for the healing of Mrs. Bhaju Rathan

Vasava (Chronic headache), Mrs. Lucky (severe

loss of vision), Mrs. Punu (stomach tumour), Mr.

Suresh (mental problem).

Missionary Kailash Mane met with an accident

and underwent knee surgery on 5th March. Pray

for the expenses of more than a lakh to be met.

Pray for the safety of missionaries.

KARNATAKA God performed a miracle after the prayer of

our missionary for Gurunath Seethavva who is

pregnant after 10 years.

Raju (12), Nijama and Mahaboobi weredelivered from demon possession.

A new village Bijikuppa was visited and 6

families showed interest.

Missionary Shakuntala Sadamal visited new

villages Odrahathi and Mudalagi and conducted

prayer. 13 attended the Gospel Meeting in Chilumur.

Missionary Albert shared the gospel.

Bro. Regunathan shared the Goodnews to 50who attended a house-warming ceremony on Feb

8th.

Bro. Solomon from Hubli, brother ofmissionary Myla John gave two talks on intercessory

prayer to 80 people in Alnavar.

Missionary Saravanan and his wife Suganthini

addressed the 24 youth who participated in the Youth

Retreat in Alnavar on Feb 12 & 13.

Lady Staff of Karnataka gathered in Alnavarfrom Feb 22 to 24 to fast and pray. Mrs. Beulah

Newton and Mrs. Grace encouraged them through

the Word. One-day Prayer Retreat was conducted in

Bagalkot. 150 attended. Missionary Ramanathan and

Pastor Ashok Naik from Udipi led them. Localpeople met all the expenses.

Fasting Prayer for partners, conducted in Hubli

was attended by 40. Missionaries Albert and Sadamal

encouraged them.

A new prayer meeting has been started at

Thoppalakatti (Hubli). 10-15 regularly attend. Four backslidden families were restored to

faith.

Missionary Ramanathan and his wife Latha

shared the Word in the Love Feast at Biliki. Missionaries Sadamal, Subash Nalavade and

Bro. Bennith shared the Word in the two day BlessingRevival Meet in Pandraval. 130 people from Hosur,

Kegadal, Kalaiginakoppa, Sambrani, Haliyal and

Dandeli attended and were blessed.

Missionary Mohanakrishnan preached in the

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New Covenant Church , Bethel Full Gospel

Assembly (Bangalore), Shalom Prayer House,

Kadumane Estate, Zion AG Church, Hassan and

Hassan Wesley Church.

Exam Goers Meet was conduted in Ramdurg.Teacher Sowmini Daniel and missionary Ruth

Manivannan exhorted them.

Missionary Manivannan addressed the 150

youth in Welcome 2011 in Hubli.

100 youth attended the Tarikere Sozo.

Missionaries Arun, Mohanakrishnan and Catherineexhorted them.

25 attend the Tuition Centre in Chunchalakathi.

Teacher Rekah Rathod is in charge of the centre.

A new Tailoring Project has been started in

Kattur.

100 Kannada Better Everyday have gone into

the hands of people in one month. Prakash, a fruit of our Sunday Class ministry

in Jamakhandi joins us as a native worker. Praise

the Lord!

Pray for missionary Victoria Albert suffering

from Migraine.

Our missionary Mr. Joseph (48) in Bijapur had

his homecall most unexpectedly on 4.3.2011 when

he had a massive brain haemorrage. His eldest

daughter is married to our missionary Subash

Nalavade. His wife and two other sons need yourearnest prayers.

UTTAR PRADESH

Exam Goers Meet was conducted in Kanpur

at the CNI Christ Chruch premises. 85 students

and some parents attended the same. It was amazingthat 50% were from other faith. Missionary Allen

from Jaipur gave practical tips. Mr. Victor Kumar,

Campus Coordinator of BYM shared the Word and

challenged the students to seek Gods blessings in

all they do. Dr. Samuel Dayal, City Coordinator of

Kanpur coordinated the programme.

TAMILNADU

Our believer Kandhamma, a widow gotwidows pension and Mary got a Government Job

as cook. Both dedicated to God their first income.

Believer Pasuvammal was praying for an oil engine.

God enabled her to purchase one and improve

plantation work.

43 believers from Aladipatti, Pungamaduvu and

Chitling gathered for a day to fast and pray for

ministries.

School children Valarmathy, Ilavarasi, Anita,

Radha, Amudha and Augustine read the Bible from

cover to cover, memorize verses and take active

part in the church service as future pillars.

Missionary Ebenezer Dhinakaran was

diagnosed for tubal pregnancy and surgery at the

right time saved her life.

Believer Ravi of Pereri Pudur passed his B.Ed

exam.He also wrote the exam for Sub Inspector of

Police and has received the appointment order.

A Medical team of 13 from MEDIVISION

stayed in Palamalai for 3 days and treated patients

with eye and other diseases in Palamalai, Ramanpath,

Pullampatti, Pathiramaduvu, Padiangadu,

Kadukkamarathukkadu and Thalaikadu villages.

Partners from Nazareth trekked through

Kannamoochi, Moolapanangadu, Kattuvalavuvillages for three days. they treated 450 sick,

distributed 1200 tracts and 700 New Testaments.

Our believer Kasthuri married Sakthi in

Aladipatti Church.

Pray for Angel, Arunodayam, Revathy and

Elsan who have made a committment to serve the

Lord, to find like-minded life partners.

A youth Retreat for the young people of Chitling

and Arnoothu was conducted by our partner Mr.

Ponpandi. News awaited.

The lands of believers Subramani, Duraisamy,

Danapal, Kulandai Rajammal, JeyaramanKandhamma (widow), Stephen and Singaram were

encroached upon by neighbours. The cases are

pending in courts since many years. Pray for justice.

Ammapalayam, Gandhinagar and Porasakkal

House Churches are growing. We need to buy land

to build churches here. Pray.

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Pray for the salvation of Krishnan, Pushpa,

Elumalai, Kanmani, Masilamani, Govindan, Senthil,

Thiruppathi, Thangamani, Selvam, Sangeetha,

Vijayan, Annakkili, Pandu-Rajamani, Devan-Mythili,

Senthi, Santhosh, Saravanan, Selvam, Duraisamy,Subramani, Madhaiyan, Kapilan, Raman, Palani,

Vijiya, Sridhar, Palaniamma, Ponni, Sudha,

Nandhini, Palani and Chennamma.

WEST BENGAL

20 youth prayer cells have been formed in NorthBengal over the last few years. Prayer Cell Leaders

Training Programme was conducted for 30 leaders

from these prayer cells from 18-20 February. Bro.

Anand Daniel (GEMS, Bihar) was the resource

person.

GENERAL

Pray for Mrs. Lilian Stanley as she will be

ministering in Bangalore, C/o The Faith Baptist

Church on the 14th and in the First IEM Women

Missionaries Conference to 250 lady missionariesfrom 15th-18th of May.

Pray for the preparation of the book The

Dream that did not come by Night (The History of

Feed Orissa) by Mrs. Lilian Stanley as the Feed

Orissa Project Celebrates the inauguration of the

Second Decade. Your contributions welcome tocover the printing cost of 2 lakh rupees.

The Editorial Committee of Blessing Magazine

met on the 26th of February to discuss the various

aspects of it. Around 100 key persons of Tamilnadu gathered

in Tiruchy on the 26th Feb to pray and plan theministries of BYM.

Send off function was organised for missionary

E.L. Mathansingh in the Headquarters office as he

retired in February.

Pray for missionary Devanesan who had a

IIt is an Indian custom to give a gift onbehalf of the bride and groom to all whoattend the wedding. Why not give a Blessingbook? I thought. When I approached myfriend Prabakaran in Sivakasi, whosedaughters wedding was on February 28thhis response was not too enthusiastic. Wesent him five Blessing Books. After a fewdays he called me and said, Super.What? I asked. The books you sent he

replied. We can give books useful forfamilies he said and decided on Jolly Familyand World of Youth. We presented 250 setsin the wedding. Some sets were given to theleaders of his church prayer cells.Prabakaran called again on March 3rd. Itseems some non-Christians who attended thewedding complained that they did not getthe books. We heard that the books werevery good. Atleast xerox and give us theyhad said.

December 2010 we approached some

textile shops in Chennai and suggested theycompliment their customers with books.Jeyachandran Textiles decided on HerDecisions and 2000 copies have beensupplied to them. May Gods Word pervadeevery nook and corner.

D. Ilango, NeyveliI

stroke 3 years ago and was completely paralysed.He cannot talk or eat. He is bed ridden and fed

through a tube put in the stomach. He was a hard-working and sincere missionary. His wife Ida, aheart patient is taking care of him faithfully. Please

pray. He is in Thanjavur (Tel: 09786719523). Pray for Saravanan and Suganthini who will

be shifting to Jhansi (U.P) from Hq by the end ofApril with their two children (13&9).

Pray for Dr. Jaisankar and Florence who willbe shifting from Hq to Sagar (M.P) by the end ofApril with their two children (12&5).

Pray for the coming Elections that the Lordmay give us a favourable Government.

Let Gods Word Go!Let Gods Word Go!Let Gods Word Go!Let Gods Word Go!Let Gods Word Go!

Gifts of the Spirit

Beginning with 14 April 2011,every Thursday, 9.30 to 10 pm,

Brother Stanley is givinga Series of Talks on

How not to operate Gifts,English-Tamil, in Tamilan TV.

A vital subject for the day.You can also watch it online:

tamilantv.com

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