Front Cover€¦ · Note: Only Biblically sound articles are accepted for publication in “Vineyard Echoes”. However, Vineyard Echoes does not necessarily endorse or hold responsibility

Front Cover

Single Copy: Rs.5/-

A monthly Magazinefor the Ministry of the Word

and tidings of the Lord’s Work in India

THE SEED IS THE WORD

THE FIELD IS THE WORLD

VOL.8 DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE- 12

PRAY FORThe Gospel Fellowship Trust of India

(Regd. Society No.183/1968)(Legal Jurisdiction: Madras)

No.1, Bethesda Centre, Kodungaiyur P.O, Chennai-600 118 India.Phone: 044- 2555 0598

Email: [email protected]

Objectives of the ministry of GFTI1. To encourage the preaching of the Good News of Salvation

throughout India and elsewhere.2. To encourage the planting of New Testament based Christian

Assemblies.3 To act as a channel to pass on to the Lord's Servants (enjoying

current commendations of their home assemblies) the voluntarycontributions of God's people. We now serve about 1050 brethren.

4. Assistance to those in distress through natural calamities etc.5. To support those in extreme need such as widows, the poor

and those parents in difficulty to educate their children.6. Evangelism through Literature, Special Conferences etc.7. To Support Assembly-based Bible Education.

Note: Only Biblically sound articles are accepted for publication in “Vineyard Echoes”.However, Vineyard Echoes does not necessarily endorse or hold responsibility for theviews expressed by the authors in their articles and the material information furnished bythe brethren for the Vineyard News column.

Cover Page:2

Subscription

For Indian ReadersSingle Copy:Rs.5/-

VineyardEchoes

For Overseas ReadersU.S. $ 10 (Annual)

Rs.60/- (Annual)

Articles, Subscriptions or gifts for the ministry may be sent to: GFTI,No.1, Bethesda Centre, Kodungaiyur P.O, Chennai-600 118, TN, INDIA.

In this Issue1. Living by faith..............................................................................Koshy Zachariah..12. Ephesians (22)..........................................................................................Cliff Jones...43. Exposure to Christian Basics (VII)...............................................Koshy Zachariah..84. Facts from the Field................................................................Vineyard News.... 125. Know your friends in SBC...............................................Elisha Kujur.....cover.. 36. “It is ”...................................................................................Dr. Titus Thomas..cover..4

mailto:[email protected]

DECEMBER - 2014 VINEYARD ECHOES1

Koshy ZachariahEditorial

In a few days from now, theyear 2014 shall become part

of history. Every Christian believershould seize opportunities to reflecton the goodness of God to him. Thenhe should see how effectively he hasutilized that opportunities for the gloryof God. This part of the year is onesuch opportunity. We are before aholy God by faith and faith alone. TheLord Jesus Christ, the Son of Godhas redeemed us with His preciousblood to present us holy, spotless andblameless before His Father. Nomerit of our own is counted on this;the scripture says “There is nonerighteous, no, not one; there is nonewho does good, no not one; for allhave sinned and fall short of the gloryof God” (Rom 3:10, 12b, 23). TheApostle Paul beautifully puts in hisepistle to the Ephesians, “our stateand condition” before we wereaccepted in His Son Jesus Christ byfaith. In the same breathe, he alsotells us how we were saved to standbefore Him, in holiness.

“And you, He made alive whowere dead in trespasses and sins,in which you once walked accordingto the course of this world, accordingto the prince of the power of the air,the spirit who now works in the sonsof disobedience, among whom also,we all once conducted ourselves in

LIVING BY FAITHthe lusts of our flesh and of the mindand were by nature children of wrath,just as others. But God who is richin mercy, because of His great lovewith which He loved us, even whenwe were dead in trespasses made usalive together with Christ (by graceyou have been saved) and raised uptogether and made us sit together inthe heavenly places in Christ Jesus,that in the ages to come, He mightshow the exceeding riches of Hisgrace in His kindness toward us inChrist Jesus. For by grace you havebeen saved through faith and that notof yourselves; it is the gif t ofGod”(Ephesians 2: 1-8).

Our reckoning (I mean Christianbelievers) in this World, is our faith inChrist Jesus. So, we should be “livingby faith” the caption of this editorial.“THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY HISFAITH”. This is emphatically stressedin Habakkuk Chapter two verse four:Paul, the inspired apostle quotes thisin three of his epistles namelyRomans, Galatians and Hebrews. InRomans 1:17, the point isrighteousness attributed to a personby his faith – to the Jew first and alsoto the Greek; and the just shall liveby faith. In Galatians Chapter threeverse eleven justification is attributedto everyone, not by the law but by


faith – and the just shall live by faith.In Hebrews Chapter ten verse thirtyeight, the believers are exhorted tohold fast their confidence – and thejust shall live by faith. Let mereproduce the verses 35 to 38a“Therefore do not cast away yourconfidence which has great reward.For you have need of endurance, sothat after you have done the will ofGod, you may receive the promise:And yet a little while, and He who iscoming will come and will not tarry.Now the just shall live by faith” (NKJV).Here we have faith presented not onlyas the ground for righteousness, notonly as the ground for justification, butalso as the ground for holding fast toour confidence in Him. “Faith is thevital principle by which we are to live,day by day, from the starting post tothe goal of the Christian courses.There is no other way ofrighteousness, no other way of living,but by faith. It is by faith we arejustified and by faith we live. By faithwe stand and by faith we walk”(C.H.Mackintosh).

Let me quote C.H.Mackintoshagain. “Now this is true of al lChristians and all should seek to enterinto it fully. Every child of God iscalled to live by faith. It is a very gravemistake indeed to single out certainindividuals who happen to have novisible source of temporal suppliesand speak of them as though theyalone live by faith. According to thisview of the question, ninety-nine out

of every hundred Christians would bedeprived of the precious privilege ofliving by faith. If a man has a settledincome; if he has a certain salary, ifhe has what is termed a secularcalling, by which he earns bread forhimself and his family, is he notprivileged to live by faith? Do nonelive by faith save those who have novisible means of support?. Is the lifeof faith to be confined to the matter oftrusting God for food and raiment?What a lowering of the life of faith it isto confine it to the question oftemporal supplies! No doubt it is veryblessed and a very real thing to trustGod for everything; but the life of faithhas a far higher and wider range thanmere bodily wants. It embraces allthat, in any wise concerns us, in body,soul and spirit. To live by faith is towalk with God; to cling to Him; to leanon Him; to draw from His exhaustlesssprings; to find all our resources inHim; to have Him as a perfect coveringfor our eyes and a satisfying objectfor our hearts – to know Him as ouronly resource in all difficulties and inall our trials. It is to be absolutely,completely, and continually shut upto Him, to be undividedly dependentupon Him, apart from and above, everycreature confidence, every humanhope and every earthly expectation”

There is nothing less or more,to the truth reproduced above from theinspired writing of the learned servantof God, as my heart is fully with himon this. This is the life of faith; it mustbe a reality or nothing at all. There is


no point in talking or writing about thelife of faith; we must live it. How dowe live it? We should know Godpractically; we should know Himintimately in the deep secret of ourown souls. Full dependence on Him.Our only source shall be Him, just likeSimon Peter acknowledged “Lord towhom shall we go? You have thewords of eternal life. Also we havecome to believe and know that youare the Christ, the son of the livingGod”. Though we profess to be livingby faith, yet we may be looking tosome creature resource. I seek yourindulgence that I may quote

“How often do people speakand write about their dependenceupon God to meet certain wants andby the very fact of their making itknown to a fellow-mortal, they are, inprinciple, departing from the life offaith. If I write to a friend or publish tothe Church, the fact that I am lookingto the Lord to meet a certain need, Iam virtually off the ground of faith inthat matter…. To make known mywants, directly or indirectly, to ahuman being, is departure from thelife of faith and a positive dishonor toGod. It is actually betraying Him. Itis tantamount to saying that God hasfailed me and I must look to my fellowfor help. It is forsaking the livingfountain and turning to a brokencistern. It is placing the creaturebetween my soul and God, thusrobing my soul of rich blessing, andGod of the glory due to Him”(C.H.Mackintosh).

God deals in realities. Henever fails His trusting servant. Goddelights in full dependence. Thelife of faith is realty in the reckoningof God and all those who believe andcling to Him, He will never forsakeand leave them alone. “Oh how greatis your goodness which you have laidup for those who fear you, which youhave prepared for those who trust inyou, in the presence of the sons ofmen! (Ps. 31:19). How is it with usin reference to this great question?Do we live by faith? Will we be ableto say “the life which I now live in theflesh, I live by faith in the Son of God,who loved me and gave Himself forme” (Gal 2: 20b). It should be sothat the whole range of our soul’svision should be filled with the livingGod. For time and eternity, one’sbody, soul and spirit should trust inHim for everything. Definitely not bymaking our needs known to man –the habit of turning to the creaturefor sympathy. This does not meanthat God does not use His people tohelp us – on the contrary He doesconstantly. But we should look toGod alone, who in time makes Hispeople to support the needs of Hisservant.

May God help and strengthenus to live by faith, as in a month’stime we shall be in the New Year, if itis His will.

Ve


Epistle to the Ephesians 4:25-32 (22)Cliff Jones

GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT

v.25 “Wherefore puttingaway lying, speak every mantruth with his neighbour: for weare members one of another”

A believer’s way of living,his behaviour and his testimonyamong other believers and beforethose who have not been saved,should be consistent with thetruth of his salvation and with thefact that the old man has been putoff (v.22), and the new man puton (v.24).

Practical instructions aregiven and specific sins arementioned in Chapter 4, lyingbeing referred to in v.25. The oldman was characterized by liesand deceit (vv.14,22). The Lordsaid of Satan, “there is no truthin him. When he speaketh a lie,he speaketh of his own: for he isa liar, and the father of it”(Jn.8:44). The believer should tellthe truth without ambiguity, atall times and in all areas of hislife. Every man should speak“truth with his neighbour”. Totalhonesty is required of believers.

A believer should speak thetruth to all people, and theparticular reason for him to speakthe truth to other believers is that

“we are members one of another”. Weare all members of the one Body,the Church of which Christ is theHead (Rom.12:5; 1Cor.12:27). Thebeliever is not to lie but to speakthe truth (Col.3:9), for we areinterdependent members of onebody (Eph.4:16), and if I lie to abeliever it is as if I lied to, anddeceived, myself. Being Christ-like involves telling the truth(Jn.14:6; Eph.4:21,24; Tit.1:2;Zech.8:16). Lies cause trouble inthe world and among believers(Acts 5:1-11). Included among thethings the Lord hates are “a lyingtongue” and “A false witness thatspeaketh lies” (Prov.6:16-19). Ourspeech should be characterized byboth grace and truth and weshould always speak “the truth inlove” (Eph.4:15).

v.26 “Be ye angry, and sinnot: let not the sun go downupon your wrath”

If a believer becomes angry,then, as a result, he may sin. Abeliever might well be upset andangry against that which is eviland sinful, but that is differentfrom being angry against theperson committing the sin. Onone occasion, the Lord JesusChrist looked at the Pharisees in


the synagogue “with anger, beinggrieved for the hardness of theirhearts” (Mk.3:5). If one is angrywith a person rather than upsetby evil, then malicious, bitterthoughts can arise, leading todesires for revenge. The resultcan be a dwelling on such thoughtsfrom day to day. If a believer isangry, then the matter should betaken to God in prayer, bringingpeace to the soul so that thebeliever does not let “the sun godown” while he is still angry.

A believer can berighteously angry against evil, butcare must be taken to ensure thatsuch anger does not develop intoevil thoughts against a person,involving resentment and bearinggrudges. Such thoughts are sinfuland will hinder fellowship withGod and service for Him. Suchthoughts must be confessed toGod and forgiveness sought. Abeliever must not become angryquickly (Ecc.7:9): he should be“slow to wrath” (Jas.1:19), butquick to pray and forgive,remembering that we are told,“Stand in awe, and sin not:commune with your own heartupon your bed, and be still”(Ps.4:4).

v.27 “Neither give place tothe devil”

Outbursts of temper andoccasions when anger is cherishedand nursed, “give place to the devil”,that is, give him opportunities to

fill our minds with evil thoughtsand intentions. The believer whois guilty of such behaviour willsuffer spiritually, will experiencemental stress and may even sufferphysically if anger and sinfulfeelings toward another personare retained for a long period.The spiritual lives of all in theassembly, and the testimony andwitness to those who are notsaved, will also be adverselyaffected.

v.28 “Let him that stolesteal no more: but rather let himlabour, working with his handsthe thing which is good, that hemay have to give to him thatneedeth”

The practical instructionscontinue, and the believer is toldto “steal no more”. God said, “Thoushalt not steal” (Ex.20:15).Stealing involves taking oracquiring anything which belongsto another without that person’sconsent. Theft can take manyforms. A person might, forexample, steal another’s propertyor an employer’s time or funds,or he may not pay amounts dueto others.

A believer should “labour,working with his hands the thingwhich is good”. We read in2Thessalonians 3:10, “if any wouldnot work, neither should he eat”,and so a believer must not be lazy


but should, as long as he is able,do honest work for the benefit ofhimself, his dependants andsociety. Apart from providingresources for his own use, thebeliever should work “that he mayhave to give to him that needeth”.The motivation to work goes farbeyond providing for one’s needsor the accumulation of wealth, butinvolves working to be able tohelp others. We are told to “dogood unto all men, especially untothem who are of the household offaith” (Gal.6:10).

The believer should be acareful, honest, conscientious andreliable worker, remembering thatwe read in Colossians 3:23,“whatsoever ye do, do it heartily,as to the Lord, and not unto men”.

v.29 “Let no corruptcommunication proceed out ofyour mouth, but that which isgood to the use of edifying, thatit may minister grace unto thehearers”

The things we say and theway we say them reveal ourspiritual condition (Lk.6:45). Thethings we say can have a profoundeffect on those to whom we arespeaking. The things we talkabout can be worldly, foolish,without spiritual value andcapable of corrupting listeners.On the other hand, we can speakabout “that which is good to the useof edifying”, and help to build up

the listeners spiritually. Ourwords should be chosen carefullyand be appropriate to the presentsituation, suited to the occasionand the needs of the listeners.What we say should “ minister graceunto the hearers” and be a blessingand benefit to them.

v.30 “And grieve not theholy Spirit of God, whereby yeare sealed unto the day ofredemption”

Corrupt speech and evildeeds grieve the Holy Spirit, andbelievers are to “put off all these;anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,filthy communication out of yourmouth” (Col.3:8). Such thingsinjure and harm the listeners andgrieve the Holy Spirit. In1Corinthians 6:19, we read“What? know ye not that yourbody is the temple of the HolyGhost which is in you, which yehave of God, and ye are not yourown?”. We can offend and grievethe indwelling Spirit who loves usand to whom we owe so much.We can resist (Acts 7:51), andquench the Spirit (1Thess.5:19).When a person is saved he is sealed.The indwelling Holy Spirit is theseal and the guarantee of thesecurity of the believer’ssalvation. We “were sealed withthat holy Spirit of promise”(Eph.1:13), and we can grieve theOne by whom we “are sealed untothe day of redemption”, when our


Ve

Ve

bodies will be redeemed(Rom.8:23). The Holy Spirit is aPerson and He will not leave uswhen we sin and grieve Him, butuntil a believer repents andconfesses his sin and is forgiven,his blessing, witness and servicefor God will be hindered.

v.31 “Let all bitterness, andwrath, and anger, and clamour,and evil speaking, be put awayfrom you, with all malice”

The old man having been“put off” (v.22), the believer is toput away evil. A number of sinsagainst people are specificallymentioned in this verse, and eachof the sins mentioned can easilylead to the next in the list.

All bitterness must be putaside. Bitterness is a broodingresentment that will not forgive,and harbours grudges: it warpsand corrodes the mind. Wrath isthat state of mind which canmanifest itself in anger and a badtemper. Clamour is a loud andnoisy expression of anger. Evilspeaking is a result of anger whichhurts and damages other people.All malice is to be put away. Malicehas to do with a vicious, wickedand evil habit of thinking andspeaking which results in themalicious person being glad whenothers suffer and sorry whenthings go well for them. Malice isa source from which come all sortsof animosity and evil.

v.32 “And be ye kind oneto another, tenderhearted,forgiving one another, even asGod for Christ’s sake hathforgiven you”

The sins mentioned in theprevious verse should be putaway, and the new man havingbeen “put on” (v.24), believersshould be “kind one to another,tenderhearted, forgiving one another”.God is kind. To be kind meansbeing prepared to help oneanother, to do good to otherseven if it involves sacrificing one’sown comfort and well being(Lk.6:35). To be tenderhearted is tobe sensitive and sympathetic toothers, having pity and beingcompassionate. To forgive othersmeans to pardon offences andwrongs, not looking for revenge.We must remember always thatGod “for Christ’s sake” has forgivenus. He has been able to forgiveus justly and righteously becauseof the completed work on thecross of the Lord Jesus Christ(Rom.3:26).


Ve

EXPOSURE TO CHRISTIAN BASICS-VIIKoshy Zachariah

SEEKING FORCOMMUNION WITH GOD

A time of devotion is themeeting point with God forsweet communion with Him.For a Christian believer this isone of the most blessed moments;it provides and presents himwith opportunity for a deepappreciation of Him and also fordeepening his roots in Him. Themind, the soul and the body seekto merge with Him. That sort ofexperience is reflected in thewords of the Psalmist “Iearnestly search for you, my soulthirsts for you; my whole bodylongs for you” (Psalm 63:1). Thetime with God in communion,takes one to higher realms ofglory and it is only the privilegeof one who belongs to Christ.The desire for divine engagementwith God is compared to the“vehement craving of the deer asit wanders through the parchedcountry side, it sides throbbingand its breathing quickened as itlongs for the brooks” (WilliamMacDonald on Psalm 42:1). The

truth is that if someone sincerelyloves another, he will spend timewith him. We, the believers, havepersonally realized and thentasted the great love of our Lord,and therefore can seldomdispense with our longing tospend time with Him. In John’sgospel, we read “For God soloved the world that He gave Hisonly begotten son (3:16). TheApostle Paul writes “who shallseparate us from the love ofChrist…..For I am persuadedthat neither death nor life norangels nor principalities norpowers nor things present northings to come, nor height nordepth nor any other creatureshall be able to separate us fromthe love of God which is in ChristJesus, our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39). If God’s love toward us isunfathomable, our love for Himcorrespondingly should beunquestionable. That is what wesee in John 3:16 and Romans8:35-39.

The rush of our daily livingrelentlessly, deters theappreciation of God’s love andthe expected response from our


side. The “busy-ness” deprivesus of opportunity to lay hold ofour riches in Christ. Butdeliberately setting apart certainfixed time to be with God willresult in communion andfellowship with Him. God looksforward to this fellowship; andthe desire shall be mutual.Communion and fellowshipwith God help us immensely todeepen our roots in Him. Thetime spent for this is anopportunity for appreciation,sweet moments and a warmingof our hearts. At this time ourhearts are flooded with great andwonderful thoughts about God,realization of His will for ourlives and the manifold blessingsthat accrue to us…Someone said“Fellowship with God is a two-way street. When we meditateupon the word of God, He speaksto us. When we lift our hands inprayer, we speak to Him. Both,are a part of time with God. Evensilent waiting upon Him can behelpful in hearing His voice”.

GOD SPEAKS TO US:God speaks to us through

His word. The word of God is alamp for our feet and light forour path (Ps 119:105). That is

why the Lord said, it is written,“man shall not live by breadalone but by every word thatproceedeth out of the mouth ofGod” (Math 4:4). We shouldgive opportunities to God tospeak to our souls. We shouldbe conscious of the fact that Godexpects us to conform to thecharacter of Christ; “He chose usto become like His son” (Rom8:29 LASB). This objectiveshould be kept in front, as onereads His word; he should ask“what does the verse or passagesay?”. The devotional time,firstly, should be for spiritualgrowth since the world deters usfrom this. The Apostle Peter, inhis epistle says “you must cravepure spiritual milk, so that youcan grow into the fullness of yoursalvation. Cry out for thisnourishment as a baby cries formilk” (I Pet 2:2 LASB). Secondly,spiritual cleansing is essential asthe wicked world around usprompts us to get intouncleanliness. The Lord’s prayerto His Father was “They are notpart of this world anymore thanI am. Make them pure and holyby teaching them your words oftruth (John 17:16.17 LASB). ThePsalmist also, talks more or less


in the same vein. “How can ayoung man stay pure? Byobeying your word andfollowing its rules” (Ps 119:9LASB). Thirdly, the word of Godcounsels us. We read “Allscripture is inspired by God andis useful to teach us what is trueand to make us realize what iswrong in our lives. It straightensus out and teaches us to do whatis right (2 Tim 3:16 LASB). Soalso the Psalmist speaks. “Youwill keep on guiding me withyour counsel, leading me to aglorious destiny” (Ps 73: 24LASB). Fourthly, the word ofGod steers clear us in ourspiritual conflict. That is whatwe read in Eph 6:17 “Put onsalvation as your helmet andtake the sword of the spirit whichis the word of God” (LASB). TheLord encountered Satan thisway; three times He quoted theword of God – the appropriate(rather apt) verses which theHoly Spirit gave Him for thatoccasion- Luke 4:1-13" (WM).The Holy Spirit helps us also withthe right verses if we readchapters and books of scriptureconsecutively. We should resortto reading the word of Godslowly, seeking the meaning of

those verses which speak us. Forthat, reading such verses two orthree times and meditating atthe same time on the thoughtsthat emanate, will do a greatdeal of help. God opens the eyesof those who are obedient towhatever He would show them(Ps 119:18).

WE SPEAK TO GOD:Earlier a quote from

someone stated “When we liftour hands in prayer, we speakto Him”. When the Holy Spiritfills and controls you “Then youwill sing Psalms and hymns andspiritual songs amongyourselves, making music to theLord in your hearts. And youwill always give thanks foreverything to God, the Father inthe name of our Lord JesusChrist” (Eph 5:19-20 LASB).This verse speaks of the methodof speaking to God. We shouldspeak to God in praise andadoration of God’s greatness,His marvelous grace, Hiskindness and mercies, theexcellence of His glory etc. etc.One may say that this is nothingbut worship and worship is in away talking to God. Thecollective worship of the saintsis one such moment where we


Ve

speak to God. We read inMalachi 3:16 “Then they thatfeared the Lord, spoke often oneto another: and the Lordhearkened and heard it, and abook of remembrance waswritten before Him for them thatfeared the Lord and that thoughtupon His name”. When we prayfor others, that intercession isalso one way of speaking to God.“Confess your sins to each otherand pray for each other, so thatyou may be healed. The earnestprayer of a righteous person hasgreat power and wonderfulresults. Elijah was as human aswe are, and yet when he prayedearnestly that no rain would fall,none fell for the next three and ahalf years! Then he prayed forrain and down it poured” (James5:16-18 LASB). Elijah spoke toGod. This is recorded in I King17:1 to 19:10. From this passageit is understood that confessionis another way of speaking toGod. Daniel did this while inBabylon – he confessed forhimself and his people (Dan 9:3-19). Further, prayer is nothingbut speaking to God; theprayerful life is nothing butspeaking to God continuously.

CONCLUSION

Ask God to speak to us.Let the request always be themanifestation of His presence.Draw closer to Him, as childrendraw to the father. God is ourFather and we are His children.Have full faith in Him. Speak toGod through regular Biblereading, collective and personalworship, confession and prayer.Schedule one’s time for regularBible reading, memorising versesand meditation on His words.The word of God will continuallyspeak to us. Love the brethrenas love covers multitude of sins.If not in iniquity, the Lord Godhears and speaks to us. To sumup, the quote from Oldford willbe apt. “That devotional timewith God is absolutely ritual to alife of sustained spirituality,effectiveness and love. It is thebarometer of the Christian life”.


The news items are dated to helpthose who pray regularly for thoselabouring in the Lord’s Vineyard.

Vineyard News

ANDAMANS

01/12/14 P.Phinehas, C’bell BayHe requests us to pray for theassembly activities and ministriesof Gandhi Nagar, Joginder Nagarand Campbell Bay assemblies. Prayalso for those who heard the Gospelthrough the Gospel outreachconducted by these assemblies from19th to 22nd July 2014 (Speakers: Bro.Mohan and Bro. Sridhar).

ANDHRA PRADESH

02/12/14Vasudeva Rao, Srikakulam

He requests us to continue to prayfor his daughter’s health as she wasnot well and hospitalized for a fewdays. He also mentions in his letterthat their assembly hall constructionis completed but requests us to praythat they may also be able to buildtoilets, a compound wall and gate,etc.03/12/14 Paul Gopal, BetamcherlaHe mentions in his letter that theministries of the seven assembliesthat come in the Betamcherla area

are going on well by the grace ofGod, and he requests us to continueto pray for the growth of theseassemblies. In the recent past, theyhad an outreach that covered 13vil lages in and aroundBetamcherla. Pray for those whoheard the Gospel through thisministry.

04/12/14 Prakash Raju, KurnoolIn the recent past, they havecompleted outreach ministries intwo mandals, Belgal and Gudur.Pray for those who received tracts,booklets and New Testamentsthrough this ministry. BrotherPrakash Raju has also been a partof the special meeting at Mullapaduin July. Thirty-two people acceptedthe Lord as their personal Saviorduring these meetings. Please prayfor their spiritual growth.

05/12/14 T. Yakobu, UtukurHe requests us to pray for a ministrythey have recently started in a placecalled Dinne-ST Colony. Pray alsofor those who heard the Gospelthrough the Gospel OutreachProgramme they had in August (28–30 August 2014).


BIHAR

06/12/14 Jitendra Kr,DalsinghsaraiHe requests us to pray for theirvarious ministries, including theregular Bible studies happening atvarious places, regular tractdistributions and Gospel meetings.Three believers obeyed the Lord inthe waters of baptism on 26 July2014. Please pray for their spiritualgrowth. Their assembly hallconstruction is going on. Pleasepray for their needs in this regard.07/12/14 Yunus Mandal,JamalpurHe requests us to pray for the new‘contacts’ they have in theirassembly. Most of them are fromnon-Christian backgrounds. Prayfor their salvation. He also requestsus to pray for his son VikasJonathan Mandal who got engagedto Princy (daughter of Evg. RudalMandal) on 24 October 2014. Prayfor his marriage and married lifethereafter.

CHHATTISGARH

08/12/14 Robinson Roat, RaigarhHe requests us to pray for a family(from a non-Christian background)who heard the Gospel (throughtheir ministry) a few months agoand have accepted the Lord as theirpersonal Savior. They are nowready to obey the Lord in the watersof baptism. Please pray for theirspiritual growth and that they may

remain strong in the faith in themidst of opposition from relatives.He also requests us to pray for hisfather’s (Harison Roat’s) health andfor their ministry catering to theB.Sc. Nursing students of a collegein Raigarh.09/12/14

Atulya P.Masih, RajnandgaonHe requests us to pray for the newbelievers in their assembly who areready to obey the Lord in the watersof baptism. Pray also for theirtranslation ministry. They havetranslated a few books into Hindi.Please pray that they may be able toget them printed in suff icientnumbers.

HARYANA

10/12/14 Samuel Kutty, HissarIn the recent past, they had anoutreach in a place called Soniapet,which is about 150 Km from Hissar.Pray for those who heard the Gospelthrough their meeting in this placeas they have now started havingregular meetings in this place. Herequests us to pray for his health ashe is suffering from diabetic andurological problems.

KARNATAKA

11/12/14 A. Joseph, RaichurPray for their village ministries.They visit a few villages on a regularbasis and conduct meetings there.Pray also for the salvation of


Ramappa, Thimmappa, Baswarajand Hanumanthappa, their new‘contacts.’12/12/14 A. S. Sabu, ArasikereThey conduct regular Bible studiesin different places in their endeavorto reach out to people. As a result,five such individuals are now areready to obey the Lord in the watersof baptism. Please pray for theirspiritual growth. Prayers aresolicited for their need to have theirown assembly hall.13/12/14

Victor Ebenezer, BangaloreHe requests us to pray for theirministry catering to children. TheirSunday school is attended by 35–40 children, mostly from non-Christian families. Pray for theirsalvation. He also requests us topray for five believers who are readyto obey the Lord in the waters ofbaptism.14/12/14 Heskel Jacob, BelgaumHe has mentioned the following forpraise and prayer: ‘new comers’attending the Bible study at AutoNagar; need for the establishmentof an assembly testimony in Haveri;youths of their assembly involvedin village outreach ministry andpersonal evangelism; those whoheard the Gospel through recentministries in Kollgal (28–29August), Bangalore (30–31 August),Nagapattinam (2–5 September),Tiruvalla (2–6 October) and TataNagar (23–26 October 2014).

15/12/14 Samuel John S, BelgaumAs a matter of praise he mentionsthat an assembly testimony wasestablished in Bijapur in April 2014.Please pray for the members of thisassembly. Pray for six believers whoobeyed the Lord in the waters ofbaptism in June (2014). Pray also forthe new ministry started in a villagecalled Kotabagi and for the ongoingconstruction of the SankeshwarChristian Assembly building.16/12/14 Simon A., BhadravathiHe has mentioned the following forpraise and prayer: they hadconducted specia l meetingsrecently (speaker: Benarji Raj,Andhra Pradesh); a new family hasjoined their local assembly; they areplanning to do outreach/ministryin a few new places in the days tocome.

MAHARASHTRA

17/12/14 Gaikwad Anil, PimpriIn a special meeting held in March(speaker: Albert Sunil) , eightbelievers accepted the Lord as theirpersonal Savior. Seven of themobeyed the Lord in the waters ofbaptism in August. Please pray fortheir spiritual growth.18/12/14 N.S. Borde, NagpurHe mentions that he has shifted toNagpur (from Durg) in April 2014.Please pray for his ministries inNagpur. His new address forfurther correspondence: N.S .BORDE, FLAT NO. 301, 3rd FLOOR,


" PEBBLES -B" PLOT No. 74-75,NARMADA COLONY, KATOLROAD, NAGPUR-440013 (MS), Mob.No.- 07756955337

ODISHA

19/12/14 Bibhisan Suna,GadigudaPray for their ministries inGadiguda. They have started doingoutreach ministry in Dumuriguda,Borigumma and some other areas ofKalahandi District. Please pray forthis ministry and for their need tohave a prayer hall. He also requestsus to pray for his health and otherregular activties.

20/12/14 K. C. Thomas, LamtaputHe requests us to pray for thefollowing matters: Villageministries going on in 14 villages;ongoing one-year Bible trainingprogramme; ongoing constructionwork of the Bible school hostelbuilding; his health – he is sufferingfrom shoulder and neck pain andtaking treatment for it.

RAJASTHAN

21/12/14 T. J. Joseph, AlwarHe requests us to pray for their BibleSchool ministry. Also, they hadconducted the Rajasthan YouthCamp in Alwar (2–5 October 2014).Pray for those who did attend andthat such camps may produce thedesired results.

TAMIL NADU

22/12/14 Akshaya Naik, ChennaiHe requests us to pray for theirministries among the Hindi-speaking people of Chennai. It is ahuge challenge for them as there aremany in Chennai who speak onlyHindi, especially in the labor class,and there are very few Hindi-speaking evangelists to attend tothem. Pray that God may give themthe needed grace and strength.23/12/14

A. Singaraj Victor, VirudhunagarHe requests us to pray for those whoheard the good news through theministries they had from 13th to 17th

October (2014), covering areas fromVirudhunagar to Shengottai. Praythat the literature given out mayhave the intended effect. He alsorequests us to pray for those whoheard the Gospel through hisministries in Punjab.24/12/14Daniel Asirvatham, NagapattinamHe requests us to pray for theirministries as they face someopposition from the RSS. Pray forhis health as he is suffering fromdiabetes. Pray for the YMEF (NE)ministry he is associated with. Prayfor Sister Jothi who is sufferingfrom cancer.

George Manesa, CoimbatoreHe had a hernia surgery isSeptember. He thanks all those whoprayed for his surgery and recovery.


Ve

He requests us to continue prayingfor him and his ministries inCoimbatore.25/12/14 P. Anthony, ErodeHe requests us to pray for theministries of the Aralavadiassembly in Erode, especially fortheir tract distribution and villageministry, Bible study for youngpeople, Sunday school and otherministries catering to children.26/12/14 R.Jeyapal, SankarankovilFour people, who are from non-Christian backgrounds, obeyed theLord in the waters of baptism on 27July 2014 (at Vadamalapuram).Please pray for their spiritualgrowth. Pray for those who heardthe Gospel through the one-dayGospel outreach they (20 believers)had on 20 September 2014. BrotherJeyapal also solicits our prayers forhis health as he continues to taketreatment in CMC Hospital, Vellore.27/12/14 Madasamy, ManaparaiBy the grace of God, an assemblytestimony has been established in aplace called Vaiyampatti (15 kmfrom Manaparai) on 27 July 2014.They also had a one-day outreachat Vaiyampatti on 8 September2014.

UTTAR PRADESH

28/12/14 Sanjeev Joel, PilibhitPlease continue to pray for hisministries. His new address forfurther correspondence: Sanjeev JoelNath, House No. 453, Avas Vikas

Colony, Pilibhit – 262001, UttarPradesh.

WEST BENGAL

29/12/14 Jayanta Das, KolkataPray for his ministries and hisfamily. His new address for furthercorrespondence: Jayanta Das, C/o.Shamoly Mondal, Near RavindraSanga Club, Tatultala, Narayanpur, R.Gopalpur, Kolkata – 700136, WestBengal.

Proabal Dafadar, AsanolHe mentions in his letter that he isnow back in Asanol and is residingthere as his mother is quite unwelland needs his care. Please pray forhis mother’s health. His newaddress for further correspondence:Proabal Dafadar, Gospel Home,Ushagram, T. P. Road, Asanol –713303, Burdwan District, WestBengal.30/12/14 Samuel Das, AdraThe Bangladesh Training Program(for students from Bangladesh) hasbeen postponed to January (2015)as the students are facing someissues with their visas. Please praythat the issues may be sorted out atthe earliest.31/12/14 Rakesh Roy, LapariaThey were able to conduct VBS inthree villages. A total of 400 childrenattended, most of them from non-Christian families. Please pray forthem. Pray also for the 50 peoplewho attended a Gospel meetingthey conducted during this time.

Cover Page-3

KNOW YOUR FRIENDS IN SBCELISHA KUJUR

DETAILS OF BANK ACCOUNTS

Account NameThe Gospel Fellowship

Trust of India

Indian Remittances A/c.No.57001901274

Foreign Remittances A/c.No.57001901728

Bank Details

Stewards BibleCollege Trust

Bird MemorialChildren’s Home

57001901387

57001901310

57001901536

57001901321

State Bank of Travancore, Kilpauk, ChennaiIFSC Code: SBTR0000297, Swift Code:SBTRINBB 644

FCRA Number 075900390075900285 075900391

I come from Gadchiroli inMaharashtra. I was born and broughtup in a Christian family. I used to hearthe Word of God from my childhood. Butas I grew up in life, I had no peace in mylife. One day a brother came and sharedthe Gospel of Jesus Christ to me andabout the need to be born again to getpeace and also to go to heaven. I cameto know that Jesus Christ shed Hisprecious blood to save me from hell andtake me to heaven; that day this message touched my heart,although I had heard it many times before. I understood that Iam a sinner and needs to be saved by placing my trust in Christ.That day, I confessed my sins to the Lord and accepted JesusChrist as my personal Lord and Saviour in 2008. Then I receivedthe peace of God and the assurance of being a child of God. LaterI was baptized and joined the fellowship of the saints at ChristianAssembly in Pakhanjore.

Then I began to grow spiritually, knowing more about Christ.The Lord gave me a great desire to know more deep things fromthe Bible. So I applied to Stewards Bible College and joined for athree years course. Now I am studying in second year. Pleasepray for me that I may successfully complete my studies and servethe Lord as He leads.

Cover Page-4

Published by Mr. Shaji Varkey Philip,on behalf of Bethesda Bible Chapel from Plot No.876, “J” Block,Vaigai Kudiyiruppu, Anna Nagar (W), Chennai-600 040. Printed by Paul Aravamuthan at Bapuji Printers,5, Kurban Ali Street, Woods Road, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002. Editor : Mr. Koshy Zachariah

Postal Reg: No. TN/CCN/304/2013-2015LICENSE No.TN/PMG(CCR) WPP-269/2013-2015

RNI-Regn. No. TNENG/2007/20153Date of Publication: 20th of every Month

“IT IS..”THE THREE “IT IS “THAT SPEAK ABOUT

THE PERSON OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Matt.4:4, “It is Written..”Mk. 6:45-51, “It is I..”

Jn.19:28-30, “It is finished”,

Our Saviour used it in confronting the devil,in comforting his disciples,and after the completion of his duty.

“It is written” resulted in Satan fleeing,“It is I” resulted in calm and peace,“It is finished” resulted in the veil of the temple being split.

“It is written” speaks of the Son in obedience to the Father, the eternalWord in subjection to the written Word.“It is I” speaks of a Shepherd addressing his confused and frightenedflock, the great “I AM” in the midst of his creation. (I am that I am meaning,I will continue to be and will be that which I continue to be and will be.)“It is finished” speaks about the Servant who has completed to perfectionthe work given to him.

The sufficiency of the Word of God in our life……The sufficiency of the Promise/ presence of God in our life….The sufficiency of the Work of God in our life….

It addresses three areas of our spiritual life.“It is written” helps us in our Warfare“It is I” helps us in our Worries,“It is finished” helps us in the Work for the Lord.

(Dr. Titus Thomas)

HOME CALLBro. K.M Paul, Orissa, went to be with the Lord on 13th Nov-2014.

He served the Lord faithfully for many years in Similiguda, Orissa. Hewas suffering from lung cancer for some time and was under treatment inCMC Vellore. It pleased the Lord to put an end to his earthly service andsuffering and enter his rest. The funeral took place on 18th November inKoipuram, Kerala.He is survived by his wife sister Jessy and children Christopher andFeba & husband Rony. Let us remember the bereaved family in prayers.

Documents

Front Cover€¦ · Note: Only Biblically sound articles are accepted for publication in “Vineyard Echoes”. However, Vineyard Echoes does not necessarily endorse or hold responsibility