ON HOLLYWOOD

The following article was written by my brother Sumit Dasgupta.

Now there have been movies which blaspheme the name of Jesus. First it was Dan Brown's "The Da Vince Code" which show Jesus that he married Mary Magdalene and had descendants who are scattered in Europe. Then Harry Potter which promotes witchcraft is nowadays becoming more popular among young children. Then there's also rumors that the bones of Jesus have been found, but they were proved false later. Now a new movie is being released that claims Jesus travelled to India during the missing years of the Gospel (when Jesus was aged between 13 to 30). It shows that he learned many principals of Christianity from the Buddhists, etc. This movie is directed by Drew Heriot. Would anyone explain just how he found out about Jesus' travels to India? It seems he cooked up the story (most obviously). Anyway, nowadays most Hollywood movies are truly degrading Christianity's name by such false ideas about Christ. We should all keep in our prayers that Hollywood stops promoting such false images of Christ and help this generation to acknowledge true Christianity of the Bible.

CORRECTING ZAKIR NAIK: The Issue of Genesis

In one of his lectures Dr. Zakir Naik, founder of the Islamic Research Foundation, stated that there was a contradiction in the Bible. He read from the book of Genesis about the appearance of vegetation before the creation of light. His point was that how could there be vegetation before light. Thus he concluded that the Bible is in error with science. Let me point out that Mr. Naik, founder of the IRF, actually thinks like an infant.
Sure... all of us know that vegetation requires light to take form. But let us all consider in what manner did creation occur. Did light just "appear" or did it travel in straight lines as Mr. Naik assumed. Is Zakir Naik correct in his presumption of light's paths at creation? I'll leave that answer to you because everyone know that light travels in particles.
But on the other hand doesn't the Koran say that with Allah anything is possible? According to Mr. Naik God "needs" light for vegetation to grow. If that were the case then would Mr. Naik care to explain the countless miracles in the Koran from a "scientific" point of view? Unlike Mr. Naik we, Christians, do not hold God's miracles in association with science because with God anything is indeed possible.
(credit to Bro. 'W' from Mumbai Church of Christ for this article)

THE LOSS OF AN IDENTITY

For an Indian, the thought of converting to Christianity often means the loss of identity. Being in Christ, for an Hindu, often means giving away the very things that makes him/her Indian. The Roman Catholic churches of India have modelled itself after the churches of western countries. Catholicism is one vivid example of how man-made religious institutions have trouble blending into different cultures. The canons, decrees, bulls, blessings and cursings of Catholicism are all in Latin.

It is because of these examples of the Roman Catholic religion that Indians are given the impression of Christ as a foreign God.

True Christianity of the Bible is indeed universal. The religion was picked up at first, among the gentiles, by the pagan Greeks and Romans. The apostle Paul did well in interpreting the Gospel to the Greeks in a contextual way (Acts 17:18-34). In Christianity one does not need to use Arabic, Latin, Greek or Sanskrit during prayer or reading the Scriptures. He/she can use any language in interpreting God's word. Likewise a Christian is never told to exhibit certain types of dresses, hairstyles, eating habits, etc. Christians have a responsibility of preaching Christ as the universal redeemer of all. In Acts chapter 2 people from various races and cultures repented and were baptized into Christ. In the Lord's church of the first century there was a common bond existing between the believers. The common bond is that all Christians worship the same divine Father and the same Savior. The Holy Spirit dwells in us regardless of our skin, tongues, etc.

In the entire canon of the New Testament not one racial or cultural barrier is given as qualifications for becoming a believer. Jesus Himself freely interacted with Samaritans and Romans despite the blunt arrogance of the Jewish priestly order. Jesus once gave a parable to the Jews - the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) - telling them to love their neighbours despite their cultural and religious differences.

SCIENCE & RELIGION

Most currently an upsurge of protests sprang forth from the extremist Hindutva parties in India. This was provoked by statements saying there were no evidences to support the mythological epic of the Ramayana. The only possible "evidence" which supported the Ramayana story was the Adam's bridge which lies between India and Sri Lanka. The bridge was supposedly built by the armies of Ram when he was preparing to invade Sri Lanka. Scientific research showed that this "bridge" is actually a naturally developed long cluster of coral reefs and nothing more.

In recent years we have learned that Christianity is also not spared from these kinds of scientific allegations. An oxford professor by the name of Richard Dawkins authored the bestseller "The God Dellusion". In his book, Dawkins questions the beliefs of many religions; Christianity in particular, and the belief in God. Dawkins spreads his atheistic beliefs with missionary zeal among Christians, telling them how deceived they are in their faith.

Similarly another man, Sir William M. Ramsey, wanted to prove the historical inaccuracy of the book of Acts and the Christian faith altogether. He travelled Asia Minor as an archaeologist and began his research to discredit Luke - the writer of Acts. Finally his research ended and he came to the conclusion - that Luke made not one single historical or geographical error in his book. This surprised Sir William Ramsey and caused him to convert to Christianity. He has written some outstanding books on Christianity and the journeys of Paul the apostle. The message should be made clear to scientists and sceptics who think that the Bible is scientifically contradictory. The example of Sir William Ramsey can be told or the fact that Luke, in his gospel, used more medical terms than Hippocrates - the father of medicine.

LOVE OF GOD

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16

The above sentence is used numerous times by Christians all over the world. Why? Because it summarizes the whole message of the Gospel in one sentence.

Below we that there are three qualities of God that are two amazing for us. Of course there are more but I have picked just three because in my opinion they are most important than the rest.

i) His Forgiveness: 2 Corinthians 7:14; Psalm 103:8-12, Luke 15:3-7
ii) His Faithfulness: Psalm 65:2,5; Matthew 7:7-11
iii) His Love for us: John 3:16; 15:9, 13; Isaiah 54:10

In this article we are going to discuss mainly God's undying love for us. You may ask the question: "Why does God love us so much?" It is because God is our creator and He has molded us like a potter molds a claypot. He has made us in His image and has breathed into us life.

God has both the qualities of Father and Mother and these qualities He bestows upon us. He nurtures us, disciplines us, educates us through His Word, and most of all He loves us.

God's love for us far exceeds: the love of a mother for her son; the love of a man for his brother; the love of a husband for his wife; the love of a child for his parents; and many other earthly examples of love.

1 John 4:19 says: "We love His, because He first loved us."
We did not put ourselves on the cross for God but God did it for us. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is God's primary example of love.

"... His banner over me was love" - Song of Solomon 2:4b

Since God loves us so much, and has proved it by giving His Son as an atonement for our sins, how should we react? Jesus said the greatest commandment of God is to love God with "all your heart, soul and mind" (Matthew 22:37). He gave another commandment: "You shall love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:38)

We are to love him with the fullest of heart, soul and mind.
Heart: Our love for Him should exceed our love for anyone else. We should completely devote ourselves to loving Him.
Soul: Our love must be only towards Him and not anything earthly and man-made. This is for the good of our own soul.
Mind: We should be engulfed in the warmth of His teachings. This is another way of loving Him: "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." - Psalm 37:4.

John is a role model for those Christians who want to love the Lord more than anything else in the world. In John's gospel he always regarded himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". John was also known as "the beloved disciple" and his love for God was ablaze throughout his writings.

"He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love." - 1 John 4:8

John pleaded with the early church to "love one another". We are to glorify Christ in ourselves by loving each other. Why? Because God is love. Jesus said this was the second greatest commandment. We should not do it as if we are doing a favour but we should do as if we were obeying a command from God.

God's act of creating us, in His image, itself is an act of love.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." - 1 John 4:18

If God loved us so much why then should we fear the world, the flesh, or the devil. Take that fear out of you and your love will be made perfect.

When I lie on the stone cold floor;
at night I think what will befall me.
Then my mind meditates on heavenly things galore;
Surely my Lord Jesus will save me.

Vicious people encircle me like savage hounds;
wanting at every opportunity to tear me away.
Assuredly my Lord Jesus- whose hands knows no bounds;
will deliver me time and time again on this very day.

O Lord your glories are magnificent;
like the reverence of Your name.
Your brand of justice is more than efficient;
putting your enemies to shame.

The benign voice of the Lord assures me;
"weep not my child, my sheep,
For I will come hither and gather thee;
to love so precious and so deep".

TRINITY

The most widely misunderstood part of the doctrine of Christianity is the Trinity. Most non-Christians (especially Moslems) consider that we worship three gods - The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is incorrect and should not be taken lightly by the church.

It is very clear that the basis of Trinity of one of the most important fundamentals of the church of Christ. Trinity is a Greek for "three united". The triune nature of God is clearly given both in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament the plural word "Elohim" is used mostly for the Godhead. First of all let me clear the misconception of the Trinity meaning three gods. It's clear that Christians worship one God. But we proclaim the threefold nature of God. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. All three parts of the Trinity play a vital role in the salvation of mankind. The Father is the Creator of heaven and earth. The Son is the Redeemer of man. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter of the church. All three are God and all three are One. They may be three distinct personalities but they are part of the same and only Godhead. This is one of the main reasons why Jesus commanded us to be baptized in the name of the Trinity.

Denominations like the Jehovah's Witnesses claim that Trinity is not biblical. If that were so then the Bible would be full of contradictions. Here is one vivid example of the Trinity found in Matthew ch. 3:

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

It is because of God's pure and holy love for us that He has chosen to reveal through His Son one of the greatest mysteries that had been concealed from wise men throughout the ages.

The story behind Amazing Grace

Hope all of you are encouraged by my articles. I'm very sorry that I have not given enough time to writing the past couple of weeks.. I hope to make up for the lost time by sharing with you all a story behind the most popular hymn of the church.

You most probably are familiar with the recent movie "Amazing Grace". The movie traces the history of the antislavery movement led the William Wilberforce. This movement was the first of it's kind. It began in 1787 in London with a meeting of 12 deeply religious men. It took them 20 years for these men to finally end the slave trade.

What was amazing was that these men, Wilberforce in particular, was driven not by secular but by resolute Christian morality. Wilberforce's friend was John Newton, a former slave trader, who wrote the hymn Amazing Grace. John Newton, following his conversion to Christianity, repented and devoted the rest of his life serving others in an attempt to atone for his contribution to the slave trade. John Newton was no doubt an inspiration for Wilberforce.

Thus secularists and atheists would do well to note that slavery was halted not by anything other than pure Christian values. Jesus Christ himself said that "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve".

However the tragedy of slavery still continues today in the form of human trafficking. In the African continent children are the biggest victims. They are forced into slavery, recruited as child soldiers or sold into prostitution. The prophecies of trading in the souls of men are clearly given in Revelation 18:12.

Clearly the world is long overdue for another William Wilberforce. We, the church, can set up an example to the secular world and to remind them with Wilberforce's story that nothing can be accomplished without the Amazing Grace that Christ posseses.

THE FOLDED NAPKIN

1The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
3Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
4So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
5And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. (John 20:1-7)

The burial napkin was not thrown aside, but it was neatly folded and left where His head had been.
When someone died in those days, it became the duty of the son or a friend to close the eyes of the dead, then kiss the cheeks. When Jesus died, this was the duty of Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus. They took Jesus' body from the cross, washed the blood and dirt from the body of the One they loved so much and laid it in a new tomb.
They wrapped the body in clean white linen. They placed a linen napkin around His head, took one long look at Jesus, then walked out of the tomb.
At sunrise, Mary Magdalene came running to Peter and John and told them that somebody had taken the Lord away. They ran to the empty tomb. John looked inside and saw the linen clothes lying there. The napkin which was placed around the head was neatly folded.
Back in those days there was a Hebrew custom that was used among the Jews. The servant had to make sure that everything was perfect when his master dined. There was a verbal silence that was strictly maintained. But there was a way to communicate.
When the master had finished his meal he usually left the napkin aside by the plate and went away. This was a sign to the servant that he start taking away all the plates. But when the master left the napkin "neatly folded" it meant something else. It meant "I'm not finished yet. I'm coming back".
When John saw the napkin folded neatly, he knew what it meant, for God spoke to his heart,"I'm not finished. I'm coming back".
Peter went in next and saw the napkin as well. Jesus was not finished. He came back to His disciples and lived with them for forty days more.
He still isn't isn't finished. He is still saving souls. He is not finished saving sinners or sanctifying saints or sending out servants. The napkin is still folded. "If I go...I will come again."

(Thanks to Dr. Clyde Box for writing "The folded napkin".)

GIVE THANKS FOR ALL THINGS

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28
What does the above passage mean? Does it mean that we are to thank God for everything that happens to us?
A man parks his car under the coconut tree. A coconut falls from the tree right onto the windshield and breaks the glass. The man comes up and says “Thank you Lord for breaking my windshield.”
Now surely we are not supposed to react like that!
Wait a minute and look closely. The saying “All things work together for good to them that love God.” All things work together for the children of God. For those who have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. For those who have risen in the name of our Lord. Let me give you a vivid example of what really makes Romans 8:28 one of the most impressive and truest verses in the Bible. It is the true story of a missionary who injures his leg badly in an accident. That missionary is rushed to the hospital immediately after the accident. He was in great pain and his condition was severe. The doctors examined him and saw how severe his injury was. Nevertheless that missionary came out through all that anguish and years later he was on a ship sailing towards China. A great storm came across and no sooner they were stuck on an island inhabited by cannibalistic people. The entire crews of the ship, including the missionary, were surrounded by hordes of cannibals. The leader of the cannibals came forward and said to the missionary, “I want all of you to know that you will be killed and eaten.”
The missionary said, “If that is the case then I’ll gladly give you a sample of how we taste.” He cut off a piece of his right leg and give it to the chief. The chief tasted the piece and no sooner spat it out. “You’re free to go”, he said and left them alone.
The crew repaired the ship and set sail. As they were sailing the puzzled captain came to the missionary. “Pardon me preacher but I still don’t get it! How are we still alive?” The missionary told him about the accident that he suffered a few years back.
The doctors told him that his right leg had to be amputated. At that time the missionary fell in grief. “What could you possibly gain from all of this?” the missionary cried to God for an answer. They cut off his leg and replaced it with a cork leg. He gave that cannibal a bit of cork!
“All things work towards good to those that love Good.” Read about Joseph and see Romans 8:28 in full blaze. He was beaten and sold off as a slave. In Egypt he rose from being a slave to a noble and royal man. Because of him the Hebrews found refuge in Egypt from a famine. Read about the apostle Paul. He was beaten, stoned, whipped, and shipwrecked. Yet because of his unwavering will the Gospel spread throughout the Mediterranean region and made thousands of disciples.
The most vivid example is none other than that of the crucifixion of Jesus. Even his disciples didn’t know what He would gain from the brutal death of crucifixion. Yet He was resurrected and His death made way for the salvation of many. By His blood we are cleansed from our sins. We gain salvation by His blood. Christ showed that His love for us knew no boundaries…not even death.