Newsletter

Hey, Howz it goin’? Whassup! Hello... Greetings are hurled at you from every side when you meet people at work, in the street or in the mall.

When I first came to this country I was surprised that strangers were so friendly! But I soon realized the truth. It was just a casual acknowledgement and all I had to do was nod back or smile and not tell them my life history!

This made me think of how, many of my actions are superficial. Is my daily prayer a ritual or a sweet smelling incense pleasing to God? When I listen to my friend’s problems am I being empathetic or apathetic? Is my heart cheerful when I give or do I do it out of a sense of duty? When my brother rejoices do I share in his happiness or paste a smile on my face till he leaves and then envy?

Am I writing to fill in the page or am I sharing my thoughts for the edification of others? I mean do we really mean what we do and say… I mean, mean well?!

Yours in Christ,
Preethi Samuel

It is another month and our God is good. We all experienced His goodness in some way or another. When the Psalmist experienced the goodness of God he was literally walking through the darkest valleys in his life. Some of us might have experienced the same in the last month. But our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I would like to continue on what I wrote in the last issue regarding conviction, which is the essential for salvation. Conviction is a work of the Holy Spirit and comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Conviction comes through the proclamation of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to reveal sin in a person’s life, which will bring conviction.

Conviction precedes Salvation/Revival. It is conviction that causes one to realize that he or she is separated from being in a right relationship with God. Unless a sinner repents, he will stand condemned before God and will be lost forever. "I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:5 (KJV)

Before there can be true repentance, a sinner must have an understanding and acknowledgement that he is guilty of sin accompanied by a godly sorrow. Conviction of sin brings a man to an awareness of this hopeless, helpless condition. There are two types of biblical conviction, the conviction of the lost and the conviction of the redeemed. In the conviction of the lost, the Lord draws the lost to the foot of Calvary and when the lost responds, he gains salvation. The Conviction of the Redeemed draws the believer back to Calvary and the believer regains fellowship with the Lord. When I say ‘Calvary’ I mean that, Calvary is the ONLY place for anyone to receive the benefits of the fellowship with our God. In Acts 4:12 Peter makes it very clear, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (KJV)

Revival always includes conviction of sin. In a true revival, Christians are always brought under conviction seeing their sinfulness and separation from God. "Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" Isaiah 6:5 (KJV).

Conviction is an awareness of your sinfulness, of God’s righteousness and the great gulf that separates the two. On the day of Pentecost, the people listening to Peter were convicted. They were washed in a sense of guilt and were ready to yield completely to God and so cried, "What shall we do?" to which Peter’s reply was to repent and come to Christ. Respond to God working in your heart today! Amen.

May the God of Comfort help us encourage one another to build His Kingdom on earth.

- Pastor Godwin

You should read "This Present Darkness" by Frank E. Peretti to fully understand the importance and need for this powerful ministry. The book deals with spiritual warfare and the necessity of prayer. Well, you could read the bible but…

Temple prayer was started in July of 2003 by Bro. Aram, Bro. Dorai and Bro. Kanagaraj. They started by praying for a couple of hours in the Lemont temple, a Hindu temple in the west suburb of Chicago.

When Paul went through Athens, he was distressed to see the city full of idols. He reasoned with the people in the market place everyday till a few became believers. When you meet non-Christians are you distressed to see them believing in a false hope? Do you feel the urge to tell them the truth? Is there a burden in your heart? Try visiting them in a temple. Watch them religiously perform their rituals as they go around their gods, chant mantras and offer coconuts. Are you anguished to see your neighbor living in darkness or are you smug?

We could do one of two things. We could thank God for his grace and get on with our life or we could start praying for our neighbors, some of whom truly believe that they are in the right path. You could pray for non-Christians at home but when you see them in person and see their sincerity you will need a heart of steel to not feel the pain. Well that’s what this ministry is about.

Below is a paraphrased version of the interview I had with Bro. Aram and Bro. Kanagaraj sometime back.

Preethi: For those of us who don’t know much about this ministry, what is "Temple Prayer"?
Aram/Kanagaraj: We used to pray on Saturdays in Aram’s office and then go to the Lemont temple and pray there. Now we go to the temple on Sunday mornings between 8 and 10. We pray that God will break the bonds of spiritual darkness that surrounds Chicago.

Preethi: What is the motivation for this ministry?
Aram/Kanagaraj: When the Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days the walls came crashing down at their shout. That’s our motivation. We believe we can break the wall that blinds the eyes of people through our prayer. We were also inspired by the Friday night prayer and words of encouragement from some visiting speakers.

Preethi: Have you faced any difficulties?
Aram/Kanagaraj: Not directly, but we went through job and financial stress around the time the ministry started. These drained us spiritually. Our biggest challenge is our spiritual strength. That’s why we fast and pray before we go to the temple.

Preethi: Have you seen any fruits in the ministry?
Aram/Kanagaraj: It is a spiritual warfare. The cost and benefit are spiritual. We believe that our ministry will be fruitful. As a side note, we were delighted to see the temple priest’s children studying in a Christian school.

Preethi: What is your plan for the coming years?
Aram/Kanagaraj: We plan to start prayer in more temples.

Preethi: Do you have any needs?
Aram/Kanagaraj: Prayer is our only need. Anyone who has a burden for lost souls can pray with us.

Paul after writing to the Ephesians about the Armor of God urged the believers to "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel" Eph 6:19 (NIV)

Long long ago, but not very long ago, sixty years ago to be exact; on August 15, 1947 India gained independence from its British rulers.

The freedom was won at the cost of many lives. I still remember the stories my mother used to tell me, as a kid, about the freedom fighters. When I was in school, I used to wake up early on Independence Day, to get ready for the NCC drill and march-past. I remember giving the salute of honor to the chief guests. I also have fond memories of eating special sweets and proudly wearing the tri-color flag of India on my shirt.

As a kid, I never realized what others had sacrificed, for me to enjoy that moment of happiness. Now as a grown-up, I realize and appreciate the sacrifices others have made for me. William D. Gann, a famous financial market trader says that new generation of human beings tend to forget what their forefathers did for them 30 years ago. Going by that statement, it is plausible to say that at least two generations have forgotten the sacrifices made 60 years ago.

As in all countries, there are still many in India who struggle for basic necessities, the very necessities Jesus tells us not to worry about! Will they be celebrating on this Independence Day? As a Christian, it is not only my duty to help others experience freedom from sin but also the much real economic and social freedom. Let us work, to bring about that moment of change, when earthly bondage disappears and freedom in Christ begins.

-K.Puliyaan

- Joe Kingsly

The writer of this hymn, Fanny Crosby, lived to be almost ninety-five years of age and during that time penned the staggering total of over eight thousand sacred songs and hymns including all time favorites like "Safe in the arms of Jesus", "Rescue the Perishing" and "Blessed Assurance'. What is even more remarkable is the fact that this great life's work was accomplished without the aid of eyesight.

The story behind the writing of "Blessed assurance" is simple, yet interesting. One day in 1873, Miss Crosby was in the home of her friend Mrs. Joseph F. Knapp. In the Knapp home was installed what was believed to be the largest pipe organ ever placed in a private dwelling. However, on this particular day Mrs. Knapp called her guest over to the piano to listen to a new melody she had just composed. After playing the tune a few times she asked, “What do you think the tune says?”, "Blessed assurance Jesus is mine", answered Crosby, and in a very short time a new sacred song was born.

"This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long"

Everyday, I see people around me longing to ‘belong’ to a certain group, longing to be like other people, longing to acquire material possessions. I have many a times found myself in this fragile struggle. This comfort in this hymn and the promise in Romans 8:35 brought me to a reality that the ‘real’ belonging that cannot be taken away is our relationship with ‘Jesus’. Being content with just ‘this sense of belonging’ is the greatest comfort that no human can provide. It surpasses all disappointments that come from friends, family and this carnal world. After all, you will never know you have Jesus until Jesus is ALL you have.

- Sujaya Robin

Girish, Bro. Mohan’s friend, passed away on July 24th. He is survived by his wife Swati and 5 year old son Rohit. Sis. Anandhi’s father also passed away last month. Please continue to remember these families in your prayers

Congratulations! Correct entries for Crossword No. 2 submitted by
Edith Andrews, Chennai, India
Hannah Daniel, Aurora, IL