April 2013

Published by

Living Stones ChurchKalathilpady, Vadavathoor,

Kottayam - 686 010

Editorial Board

ContentsVolume : 1

Springs ofLiving Water

chemrubber@gmail.com+919446542079

(for private circulation only)free of cost

EditorialEditorialEditorialEditorialEditorial

Springs of LivingSprings of LivingSprings of LivingSprings of LivingSprings of LivingWWWWWaterateraterateraterBro. Jose Anathanam

My Church my HomeMy Church my HomeMy Church my HomeMy Church my HomeMy Church my HomeMathew Vellapally

TTTTTo Undersatnd God’so Undersatnd God’so Undersatnd God’so Undersatnd God’so Undersatnd God’sWWWWWordordordordordK.M. Jose & John Joseph

LLLLLaugh for Lifeaugh for Lifeaugh for Lifeaugh for Lifeaugh for Life

A WA WA WA WA Walk down Memoryalk down Memoryalk down Memoryalk down Memoryalk down MemoryLLLLLaneaneaneaneane

Healing THealing THealing THealing THealing Testimonyestimonyestimonyestimonyestimony

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live in a fast moving, touch screen age where everything is available at ourbeck and call. Nevertheless, the competition in living this hectic present daylife is so fierce that we lose our peace of mind, we become dejected , distressedand depressed when we come face to face with the day to day problems. We, attimes, come to a stage where we have nobody to resort to resolve the situation,or rather we do not see the real source of help we have before us .

Our Lord Jesus Christ who said to us “Blessed are those who hunger and thirstfor righteousness for, they shall be filled” (Matt: 5:6). When we hunger andthirst in our mind or body , there is an infallible solace for us in Jesus the Son ofthe living God.

When the Israelites camped at Rephidim while they were journeying throughthe wilderness, they came to a stage where there was not even a drop of water toquench their thirst. They were in utter distress. Lord our God asked Moses tostrike the Rock at Horeb. When Moses did so, a spring of water gushed outfrom the Rock (Exod: 17:6). The supply of it was enough to quench the thirst of600 thousand men, their families and their cattle. That is the provision TheLord our God made for them in times of utter distress. This wonderful provisionis available here with us even today. The scripture says ,” All drank the samespiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them andthat Rock was Christ”(1 Corinth:10:4) .That is exactly why Jesus said “Whoeverdrinks the water that I give him will never thirst. But the water that I give himwill become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John4:14). Jesus categorically declares that those who believe in him will be filledwith Holy Spirit and out of him will flow rivers of living water (John:7:38) andthat is the very Holy Spirit Himself. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit inus,we become strengthened in our mind and body. Jesus said “And I will prayto the Father and He will give you another helper that he may abide with youforever”(John14:16). Our Lord gives us never failing, everlasting source ofstrength and courage with which we are able to face any difficult situation inlife and to overcome them with courage. Strike the Rock with the Rod of Faith.

As we bring out the first issue of our magazine “Springs of Living Water” wehope and pray that all those read this will be inspired to seek the Rock fromwhere the of living water flows. Drink from it, for your life will be eternal andbe filled with Holy Spirit the unfailing helper in times of need whatever it maybe. Amen

Georgy and Roshini

EDITORIAL

We

2 April 2013

The Living Stones Church bringsout the first issue of our magazineby the name “Springs of LivingWater”, I am inspired to write thisarticle concerning the same basedon the Scriptures.

In The Gospel of John Chapter 7,we come across this emphaticstatement made by Jesus when Hesays — “He who believes in Me, asthe Scripture has said, out of hisheart will flow rivers of living water.”(Jn. 7/38). Then the scripture goeson to explain in the 39th verse saying— “This He spoke concerning theSpirit, whom those believing in Himwould receive”. In this Scripture, twowords have to be highlighted. Oneis BELIEF. The other is ‘SPIRIT’.

Let us begin with the word ‘BELIEF’.In this world, every person is abeliever of something or someone.He may believe in God or he maybelieve that there is no God. Manymay believe in God, but all of themmay not believe in Jesus. Among

those who believe in Jesus, all may notbelieve that He is The Christ, The Son ofThe Living God, or for that matter that Heis God Himself. That He is “The Great IAM”, who revealed His name as “I AMWHO I AM” to Moses in Ex.3/14 and laterin His discourse with the Pharisees, Heemphatically said to them, “ If you do notbelieve that I AM HE, you will die in yoursins”(Jn.8/24).

What could be more surprising isthat the scriptures reveal that even thedevil believes in God and he certainlybelieves in Jesus. They know who Jesusis. They shudder and tremble at HisName.

Many of the believers could behaving an intellectual belief about Jesus.Some of them may be having a historicalknowledge about Jesus; regarding Hisplace of birth, His life, His teachings, Hiscrucifixion, death, burial and resurrection.Yet, sad to say, they may not know thatHE is alive and is living amongst us andcontinues His Work through His Truebelievers who have become His disciples

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By Jose Anathanam

3 April 2013

4 April 2013

by living according to His Word, thosewhom the Scripture reveals came to becalled Christians. (See Jn.8/3 and Acts11/26). These believers are His discipleswho live according to The Word of God.When Abraham believed in God, he wascounted as righteous, for Abraham totallytrusted in God which enabled him to leavehis old life style that was modelledaccording to the tradition of his forefathersand obeyed God in fullness. Hence hewas called a friend of God. (See James2/23). Gal.3/7 says, “Only those who areof faith are sons of Abraham.” So whenJesus speaks of BELIEVING, He isspeaking of Trusting faith and notIntellectual faith as all may have. It isdefinitely by hearing that Faith comes.(Rom.10/17). But that faith should rise tothe level of Trusting faith. This becomespossible only through a personalrelationship with Jesus who is aliveamongst us. The Scriptures reveal thatwe should KNOW HIM, and knowing Himis Eternal Life. (Jn.17/3). Therefore it isto such believers that Jesus promises theRivers of Living Water.

The next word that we should focusis on SPIRIT. In the verses quoted fromJn.7/38-39, the scriptures explain that theRivers of Living Water that flow out of theheart of man is The Holy Spirit, which onlytrue believers in Jesus Christ will receive.

Now, we also notice in Jn. 6/63 thatJesus speaks of The Word as Spirit.Hence we can conclude that anyone filled

with The Word of God is filled with TheSpirit, because The Word is Spirit. Anyoneliving a life without total obedience to TheWord of God cannot be filled with TheHoly Spirit as The Word is Spirit. Eph. 1/13 also witnesses to this Truth when itsays —” In Him you also trusted, after youheard the Word of Truth, the gospel ofyour salvation; in whom also, havingbelieved, you were SEALED WITH THEHOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE.”

Anyone who lives according to TheTruth of God’s Word will be full of theLiving Waters that will flow out of him toothers.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman: -“Whoever drinks of the water that I shallgive him will never thirst. But the waterthat I shall give him will become in him afountain of water springing up intoeverlasting life.”Jn.4/14.

The nature of water is to flow. Thereis freshness and life only in flowing water.Stagnant water becomes repulsive andthere will be no life in it. Jesus comparingThe Holy Spirit to water says it becomesSprings of Living Water in a true believerof Christ that will flow out of him to otherswhich will give them spiritual life. Anyoneclaiming to have The Holy Spirit cannotbe dormant. Jesus said in Acts 1/8, “Youshall receive Power, When The Holy Spirithas come upon you; and you shall bewitnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in allJudea and Samaria, and to the end of theearth.”

“....the scriptures reveal thateven the devil believes in God andthey certainly believe in Jesus...”

“...believers that Jesus promisesthe Rivers of Living Water.”

5 April 2013

And this is what we have beenhearing throughout the centuries andseeing and experiencing in our generationright now as The Holy Spirit. Power isbeing manifested in the lives of truebelievers who have given First Importanceto The Word of God. This same powerseen in the first church is still manifestedin our midst today. The Springs of LivingWater is flowing right here in our midst.Healings, miracles, deliverances andconversions are taking place. In manyplaces even the dead are being raised.Yes........ Jesus is here...... Right in our

The nature of water is to flow. There is freshness and life only in flowingwater. Stagnant water becomes repulsive and there will be no life in it.Jesus comparing The Holy Spirit to water says it becomes Springs of

Living Water in a true believer of Christ that will flow out of him to otherswhich will give them spiritual life. Anyone claiming to have

The Holy Spirit cannot be dormant.

midst. The Holy Spirit is flowing. Jesuslooked at this generation when He spokeabout this, saying, “ Blessed are your eyesfor they see, and your ears for they hear;for assuredly, I say to you that manyprophets and righteous men desired tosee what you see, and did not see it, andto hear what you hear and did not hearit.”( Mt. 13/16-17)

I pray that The Holy Spirit will guideyou, dear reader, into a wonderful, joyfullife here on earth as you begin to tasteand see how good the Lord is.

Jesus turned people’s vision to their own sins rather than to sins ofothers. (Jn. 8:7)

Admission of personal guilt makes us not condemn others. (Jn. 8:11)

Jesus makes life’s darkness into light. (Jn. 8:12)

Human standards will never lead you to know God. (Jn. 8:15)

God, not human authorities, controls the important times and eventsof history. (Jn. 8:20)

Note:-

6 April 2013

Mathew Vellapally

attended my first retreat on 11/10/2001 organized by TheCovenant People Ministries atKanjirapally led by Bro JoseAnathanam and team. It wasa wonderful experience in mylife. For the first time I had avery personal encounter withmy Lord Jesus Christ,experiencing His tangiblepresence, His wonderful love,joy and peace that surpassesall understanding. And I haveonly one word to express thewhole experience “Too good tobe true”.

At that time I was goingthrough a rough period in mylife. Darkness covered everyarea of my life and there wasno ray of hope. On the outsideI put up a “made up” calmnessbut my inside was burning likea volcano. But when thepresence of the Holy Spirit

touched me like a cool breeze, greatpeace entered my heart and after a longtime I could breathe with ease.

During that retreat one beautifulsong captivated my heart and it’s first linewas “I was glad when they said to mecome to the house of the Lord”. Fromthat day onwards I began to know thatinside me the new life of Jesus wasbirthed. The Bible calls it one of the mostimportant mysteries (Col 1:26-27) “JesusChrist in you the hope of glory”.

After this encounter with the LordJesus, I began to experience changes inmy life. My whole approach towards lifechanged. Like a deer pants for the waterbrook I began to thirst for my Beloved andHis Word. And this led me to the prayermeeting of the Covenant People’sMinistries at Kottayam. For the first time Iheard the Kingdom of God preached byBro Jose Anathanam and the truth that Iheard struck me like a thunder bolt.

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I

7 April 2013

noted after my baptism was that my lovefor my Beloved Jesus, my family and mychurch became very strong. Secondly, theenemy stopped coming after me becauseI had become a citizen of the kingdom ofGod. Thirdly, I entered a new spiritualrealm where I began to experience thepresence of God in a very strong way.

Then I heard the preaching on theHousehold of God, that its pillar andfoundation is Truth and that Christ is thehead of the church and all the membersare the body of Christ. I was happy thatthe church the Lord placed me in was builtupon the firm foundation ofuncompromising truth. Then I began toknow why the Lord wanted me to be apart of the church.

Today my home church, which is theCovenant People Ministries, Kottayam,has become an inseparable part of mylife. My spiritual father and my shepherdBro Jose Anathanam has become a greatinspiration in my life.

Let me share with you some of theunforgettable truths I have learned frommy church. Firstly, that my God is myAbba Father and He loves me deeply andunconditionally. Today He expresses Hisdeep love through the different membersof the body because He is spirit. Many atime when I was down, the comfortingwords of love from the church and aptcorrections made by my pastor lifted meup from my negative thoughts. Secondly,I learned that the church is committed todo the purpose of God on earth. Thishelped me to find out the purpose forwhich I was created; which is to reflect

I learned that there are two spiritualkingdoms ie the kingdom of God andKingdom of Satan. Since our ancestorsAdam and Eve sinned, they wereseparated from God. Hence, spirituallybeing their decendent, I am also born intothe kingdom of darkness from where Ineed to be transferred to the kingdom oflight. That is why Jesus came and tookmy sin on the cross. He shed his bloodand paid the price for my soul and broughtme into His kingdom. I also understoodthat I am created in the image andlikeness of God in order to have arelationship and fellowship with God. Ialso learned that my purpose in life is toknow Him, love Him and serve Him andthat I am created to live inside theKingdom of God. It is inside the kingdomof God that I am blessed and outside thekingdom I am under a curse. Knowing thistruth was a great surprise to me. What agreat privilege!!

Then I was on the lookout as to howto enter the kingdom of God and be savedfrom this perverse generation. Then Iheard the word Repent and be baptizedand believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Itherefore accepted Jesus Christ as myLord and SAVIOR. As a result I have madea life- long commitment to My Lord JesusChrist. As an expression of my inwardcommitment, I had got baptized in water,testifying to the whole world that I belongto Jesus and that I am a heir of thekingdom of God. Certain things I specially

“I learned that there are two spiritualkingdoms ie the kingdom of Godand Kingdom of Satan.”

8 April 2013

sometimes it is very dark, painfuland hurting but the beauty is thatall my rough edges will besmoothened. Fourthly, Iunderstood that fellowship andunity with other members in thechurch is very important. Thedevil always attacks a lonebeliever who does not belong tothe body of Christ and not inunity. The Word of God says that

the gates of hell shall not prevail againstthe church. I cannot say I love Jesus andnot love His Body, which is His Church.The church is precious to Jesus. Theanointing of God will only flow when westay united. If we are disconnected fromthe local church we will waste away anddie spiritually and will not bear much fruitthereby not glorify God.

A few words about my shepherdand spiritual father. His lifestyle has beena great example and inspiration to me.Whatever he preaches he practices. Healways preaches the full truthuncompromisingly because he believesthat only the truth will set us free. (Jn8:31). He was absolutely right when Iheard the truth that I was set free frommy bondages. To him the Lord Jesus andhis word are supreme. His die hardcommitment to the cause of Jesus andkingdom of God has changed my outlookand perspective towards life. He dealsstrongly with all the false teachings anddoctrines. He never uses smooth talk toplease people. He is straightforward andspeaks with authority and boldness all thatLord wants him to say. He is very much

“I specially noted after my baptism was mylove for my Beloved Jesus, my family andmy church became very strong. Secondlythe enemy stopped coming after mebecause I had become a citizen of thekingdom of God. Thirdly I entered a newspiritual realm where I began to experiencethe presence of God in a very strong way”.

His glory and to be a priest, prophet andking of the most high God and also to bean ambassador of the kingdom and to dothe most important commission of God,which is to preach the gospel, cast outthe demons and heal the sick. The churchalso instilled in me spiritual discipline andgodly order in my life according to theword of God, like the unquestionedsubmission to my elders and to oneanother, bearing the weaknesses ofothers, maintaining perfect unity amongthe members, serving the Lord andchurch out of love for the Lord and withno other motives and also having a perfectblend between church, family and work.Thirdly, I understood that mysanctification is the will of God for this Ihave to be chiselled out and my roughedges smoothened so that God can useme to build His temple as a perfectly cutliving stone. For this I understood that Ineed to be in the shepherd’s bag eg Davidtook one smooth stone from theshepherd’s bag to fight the enemy Goliath.So it is important to be inside theshepherds bag rubbing with other fellowbelievers. Inside the Shepherd’s bag

9 April 2013

concerned about thechurch of God beingdestroyed by the devil. Hisconcern is that the bride ofChrist must be ready andspotless when Jesuscomes. Very often when He speaks thetruth, it disturbs me inside and sometimesI used to get angry with him for exposingthe unholy things inside me. It appearsas though he is reading my heart. But theHoly Spirit always convinced me andbrought about correction .When I amdown with some negativities I used to goand stand close to him. Because of thestrong anointing on him I would getdelivered and refreshed. So today I knowthat the words he speaks is the voice ofmy Eternal Shepherd Jesus Christ andthat his words carry power and authorityand has always brought deliverance,healing and comfort to me. So submission

“my God is my Abba Father and He lovesme deeply and unconditionally. Today Heexpresses His deep love through the differentmembers of the body because He is spirit.”

to his word has become a natural way oflife to me. Sometimes I don’t fullyunderstand what he means but I fully trusthim and believe that he is led by the Spiritof God and whatever he says is for mygood and well being and to protect mefrom the cunning and crafty plans of thedevil. Like a loving father he rebukes andcorrects me so that I could run the raceof faith looking unto Jesus and finish itwell to receive the crown.

Today I am greatly blessed beinga part of my home church with a shepherdwho has an uncompromising attitudetowards the truth with a great vision to belike the early church. Amen.

10 April 2013

understand God’s word it isvery important to have a veryclear understanding of theunderlying quality and ability ofthe word. Very often people arenot able to believe and trust inGod’s word because they arenot really aware nor do theyunderstand the power ofperformance that is behindGod’s word.

Scripture teaches us that God’sword is infallible in so far asMatthew 24:35 confirms that‘Heaven and earth will passaway, but My words will by nomeans pass away’. The aboveconfirms not only the certaintyof the word but also the truthcontained in it (John 17:17-‘My

KM JOSE& JOHN JOSEPH

word is truth’). Justas infallibility is thevery character ofGod’s word it isalso the nature ofGod’s wordbecause the onewho promised (Rev19:13 – His nameis the word of God)is also able toperform (Romans4:21). It is alsointeresting to notethat there are twoimmutable thingson which Godcannot lie

(Hebrews 6:18-20) which is the characterof God and the covenant of God. Thecharacter of God is that nothing isimpossible for him ( Luke 1:37) and thecovenant of God is that His word will neverreturn void but will achieve the purposefor which it has been dispatched and itwill prosper (Isaiah 55:11) .

All of scripture is not just to be readand understood in the intellectual realmbut to be believed and acted upon. James2:14-26 teaches us that faith withoutworks is dead. The works referred to inthis scripture is not any ordinary work buta work which is necessitated out of anexercise and demonstration of one’s faith.Abraham believed God and that beliefwas accounted to him for righteousness(James 2:23). One must have a clearunderstanding of the circumstances inwhich Abraham demonstrated his faith;that while a promise of a generationalblessing was to be materialized throughhis son Isaac was remaining to be fulfilled,

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11 April 2013

the Rhema word gets manifested in ourlives. There is a school of thought whichcanvases the view that the availability ofthe logos word to us in its present form isattributable to the effort taken by the earlychurch.

The above view would be in totalcontradiction to God’s word in John 1:1which teaches us, ‘In the beginning wasthe Word. And the Word was with Godand the Word was God’. God’s Word wasin existence even before the creation ofthe world and in God’s time and way itwas given to man as described in 2Timothy 3:16-17, ‘All scripture is given byinspiration of God, and is profitable fordoctrine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction in righteousness, that the manof God may be complete, thoroughlyequipped for every good work’.

Thus it is very clear that the wordwhich was in existence even before timebegan is the only benchmark for doctrinewhich should be the foundation of our faithand as the scripture says in 1 Corinthians3:11, ‘ For no other foundation can anyonelay than that which is laid , which is JesusChrist’. It would therefore be unscripturalto base our faith on any other like law,rules, rites, rituals, or traditions of man inaddition to the doctrine contained in thescriptures.

This is very clear since we aresaved only by the righteousness thatcomes by faith in Jesus Christ and not ofour works or any other. In this context itis pertinent to note that as the scripturesays in 1 Peter 1:18-19, ‘ knowing thatyou were not redeemed with corruptiblethings, like silver or gold, from youraimless conduct received by tradition from

God was asking Abraham to sacrifice thevery source of that blessing. As thescripture teaches us in Romans 4:20, ‘Hedid not waver at the promise of Godthrough unbelief but was strengthened infaith, giving glory to God’. It is this workof going to Mount Moriah (Genesis 22) tosacrifice his son Isaac in obedience toGod’s command is the work referred toin the scripture which makes his faithalive.

The scripture in Isaiah 43:7 teachesus that, ‘everyone who is called by Myname , whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have madehim’. This would very clearly indicate thatGod’s plan and purpose for each one ofus is that His glory should be manifestedin our lives. The manifestation of His gloryis only possible when His word becomesflesh in our lives and the glory of that wordis manifested. The scripture in John 1:14,(And The word became flesh and dweltamong us, and we beheld His glory, theglory of the only begotten of the Father,full of grace and truth), is not only inrelation to the birth of Jesus through Marybut is today very much relevant for thebirth of Jesus and the manifestation ofthe glory of His word, which is the seed,in the lives of each one of us.

Another truth which we all need tounderstand is that the glory of the Wordwhich is now available to us in the Logosformat which when we believe becomes

“He did not waver at the promiseof God through unbelief but wasstrengthened in faith, giving gloryto God”.

12 April 2013

your fathers, but with the precious bloodof Christ, as of a lamb without blemish andwithout spot’ . Thus the source of all sinand separation from God is due to theaimless conduct of man, the source ofwhich is traditions received from thefathers. Another interesting fact to benoted with regard to preservation to God’sword right from the creation of the worldand as codified and available to us in itspresent form is definitely not attributableto any effort on the part of man butbecause God willed it so . The scripturein Hebrews 1:1-3 teaches us that, ‘Godwho at various times and in various waysspoke in times past to the fathers by theprophets has in these last days spoken tous by his Son, whom he has appointedheir of all things through whom also hemade the worlds; who being thebrightness of His glory and the expressimage of His person, and upholding allthings by the word of His power, when Hehad by Himself purged our sins , sat downat the right hand of the Majesty on high’.

It is this God who created the wholeuniverse and including you, and inexercise of His glory and power was able

to make the sun and themoon stand still for 24 hoursto ensure the victory for Hispeople (Joshua 10:12-14)since He was the Lord andMaster of all creation andtherefore the effort requiredon the part of God to ensurethe preservation of His wordfor His children is too small athing for our great God.

The book of Joshua21:45 teaches us that, ‘not aword failed of any good thingwhich the Lord had spoken to

the house of Israel. All came to pass’. Inthe New Testament, in Luke 1:45, God’sword confirms that, ‘blessed is she whobelieved for there will be a fulfillment ofthose things which were told her from theLord’. In the Gospel of Mark 9:23 thescripture says that ‘If you can believe, allthings are possible to him who believes’.Further, in the Gospel of John 11:40 Jesussays that, ‘Did I not say to you that if youwould believe you would see the glory ofGod?”.

Thus when we listen to God’s Wordwe must receive and nurture it in faith andbelieve on it so that it will bear much fruitin our lives by the manifestation of theGlory of that Word in our lives. As thescripture says in Hebrews 4:2-3, ‘For

Thus the source of all sin and separationfrom God is due to the aimless conduct ofman the source of which is traditionsreceived from the fathers. Another interestingfact to be noted with regard to preservationto God’s word right from the creation of theworld and as codified and available to us inits present form is definitely not attributableto any effort on the part of man but becauseGod willed it so.

“Thus when we listen to God’sword we must receive and nurtureit in faith and believe on it so thatit will bear much fruit in our livesby the manifestation of the Glory

of that Word in our lives.”

13 April 2013

indeed the gospel was preached to us aswell as to them; but the word which theyheard did not profit them, not being mixedwith faith in those who heard it. For wewho have believed do enter that rest’.

Thus each one of us must have themind set to receive God’s word with joyand not be ashamed (or afraid) to put itinto action since as the scripture says inRomans 1:16-17, ‘For I am not ashamedof the Gospel of Christ for it is the powerof God to salvation for everyone whobelieves, for the Jew first and also for theGreek. For in it the righteousness of God

is revealed from faith to faith as it iswritten, “the just live by faith” ‘.

From the above it is very clear thatif you are prepared to diligently seek theLord and obey His Word He is a God whowill surely reward you for your faith anddiligence since the scripture covenants inHebrews 11:6, ‘But without faith it isimpossible to please Him, for he whocomes to God must believe that He is,and that he is a rewarder of those whodiligently seek Him ‘.

AMEN

Three year old Mary was being unusually naughty during Sunday worship, inspite of all the attempts by her parents to quieten her. Finally with grimdetermination, her father grabbed her hand and marched towards the foyer.Realizing what lay in store for her, Mary tearfully begged the congregation,“Pray for me, pray for me!”

Little Johnny was extremely attentive in Sunday school as his teacher told theclass how God formed Eve from Adam’s ribs. A few days later, his motherfound him lying on the ground with a serious expression on his face. Concerned,she bent down and asked, “What’s wrong Johnny?” “I have a pain on my side.I think I’m going to have a wife.”

A poor woman lived next door to an atheist, who was driven mad by her loudpraises. Everyday she would stand on the front porch and loudly praise thelord and thank Him for the flowers, the birds, her house and so on. One day,she said, “I thank you Lord that you see I have no food, but I am sure you willprovide.” The Atheist wanted to teach her that there was no God, and so hewent and brought a bag of provisions and left it on her porch, with a little notesaying, “God didn’t pay for this. I did” and signed his name. The next day, thelittle old lady found the provisions and note once again she praised the Lord,“Oh, thank you Jesus for the provisions and you got the devil to pay for them.”

14 April 2013

A Walk down Memory Lane

It is impossible to speak of the LivingStones Church without alluding to theman behind it all - Br Jose Anathanam,

the well known preacher.

Br Jose was born into a prominentfamily in Kanjirapally and began life as astaunch Roman Catholic leading thelifestyle common to the rubber barons ofhis area. What he didn’t realize was thateven while he was in his mother’s wombhe had been called to serve the LordJesus. His elder brother had died as ababy so his mother had dedicated hernext son to the Lord. However it was onlyat the age of 36 that Br Jose realized thecall of God. An encounter with a youngMuslim convert challenged him into adeeper relationship with Jesus.

The passion Br Jose had for Jesusled him to speak to small groups of family

members. He grew spiritually by readinggood Christian books and meditating onthe word of God. His zeal for Jesus keptgrowing and soon the Lord appointed himas a fully fledged preacher. He began toconduct retreats for those outside hisfamily and gradually this spread to variousparts of Kerala and other parts of India.

It was in 1996 that Br Jose first cameto preach in Kottayam. Until then onlyCatholics used to attend his retreats butnow people from various Christiandenominations flock to hear him. Theywanted his retreats more often inKottayam and to fulfil this need, weeklyprayer meetings were conducted. Thiswas the birth of the Living Stones Church.

In the early days the church used tomeet in various prayer halls, homes andeven open-air sheds. Once a week,

BOBBY PHILIP

15 April 2013

prayer meetings were held in theThadathil House on Shastri Road. It is withgratitude we remember Satish and Annufor opening the doors of their home.

In 1999 the church bought 35 centsof land in Kalathilpady and the very nextyear construction began. God’s handworked mightily and funds poured inthrough believers. In 2002 the buildingwas ready. This is how Solomon’s Portico,our prayer hall became a reality. All gloryto God.

This marked a turning point for thechurch. Obeying God’s command, BrJose and 72 others were baptized. He waspublically declaring his separation fromthe world and from the traditions of theCatholic Church. Obviously this resultedin his excommunication. The RomanCatholic Church thought they wereweakening him. They were drasticallywrong - he was reaching higher levels.

Instead of a couple of retreats a year,there are now retreats every two monthsand thousands from variousdenominations have come to receiveJesus as their Lord and Saviour.Moreover, Br Jose uses the TV as amedium to reach hundreds and thousandsall over the world.

The Living Stones Church meets inSolomon’s Portico. It has now more thanan acre of land and the hall is capable ofseating 500 people. The CornerstoneChurch and the Jesus Family Community,both from Ernakulam, the Holy GhostPower Fellowship in Kanjirapally theBethesda Church in Kattappana, PetraChurch Bangalore and the Breath of LifeChurch Trivandrum and many otherChurches throughout the country havecome into existance through their leaderswho were originally born again throughthe ministry of Br. Jose Anathanam.

“Great are the works of the Lord;they are pondered

by all who delight in them” Ps. 111:2

16 April 2013

For the past three years Ihad been battling against adeadly disease. HoweverGod intervened miracu-lously. On the 9th of Janu-ary 2013, during our Sundayworship Bro. Jose an-

nounced, “The grace of God is flowing rightnow for healing. Those of you, who are sick,pray for your healing.”

On hearing that my wife prayed, “Lord, pleaselet him call out a healing for Philip mentioninghim by name.” The very next moment, BroJose said, “God is healing two people.” Mywife Thankama, was in no doubt that I wasone of the two. And to confirm that, straightaway, Bro. Jose mentioned two names: “Oneis Philip and the other, Aunty.”

The next day, I got my blood checked. Whenthe doctor saw the results, he was amazed,as the blood count was NORMAL!! Hestopped all medication. I don’t take any now.Those used to be rather expensive medicines.The money which we used to spend on mymedicines is now given as an offering.

I give all glory and honour to my Lord Jesus.

Philip Neelettu, Kottayam

For quite some time I hadbeen suffering from a terriblepain in my knee. One Sun-day, all those who had painin their knees were called onto the stage for prayer.When Bro. Jose put hishand on my head to pray, I

knew the entire church was praying in onemind with him. Instantaneously, the pain leftmy knee. It was after I got home that I real-ized that even the swelling on my knee hadgone down.

Thank you, Jesus.

Jacob Thomas Thamarapally, Kottayam

I would like to testify abouta healing I received.Throughout the last sixmonths I had unbearablepain on my left leg. I couldn’teven stand for 10 minutescontinuously. In fact, I hadto sit during our worship ses-

sions. But something unusual happened on13-1-13.

During our Sunday worship, Joy, the brotherwho was sitting next to me, whispered into myear, “God is completely healing the pain in yourleft leg.” I received that in faith. To this day,that pain has not returned.

I praise Jesus and give him all glory andhonour.

Abraham Thomas (Kunju)

I just want to give glory toJesus for the healing He hasgiven me. The last threemonths I was in misery witha severe pain in my throatand a nagging cough. Inspite of that, I never missedany of our Sunday worship

services.

One Sunday when Bro. Jose was praying forhealing, he said, “All those who have throatpain put your own hand on your throat and askGod to heal you.” I did just as I was told.

Immediately, I felt an electric shock passthrough my body. After a while all the pain leftmy throat.

All praise and thanks to my Jesus.

Anuja Kunjumon