Roman road and Greek language

F & D

Have you felt like life's on a pause? Ever felt like walking away from life, and from God? Have you thought of ending your life but have no guts to do it? Have you felt like you don't want to read the bible or pray? Ever wanted to hide your head in the sand? How about running away to a place where there's no people, or at least no one who knows you? Have you felt cheated, frustrated, disappointed? Ever asked why life has dealt you a bad deck of cards? Have you gone on silent mode?

I have.

But, all my negative thoughts would not stand against the enemy that I deal with in my clinical practice - cancer. I'm glad I am a cancer doctor. Maybe God made me one, so that I don't end up in a permanent state of disarray. He loves me. That I know. 

തിരുമേനിമാര്‍ വിവാഹ ശ്രുശുഷകള്‍ക്കും മാമോധീസയിക്കും വരേണ്ടിയതുണ്ടോ?

മാര്‍ത്തോമാ സഭയിലെ തിരുമേനിമാര്‍ വളരെ ദുഷ്ക്കരമായ ഒരു മിഷ്യനറി വേലയത്രേ നിര്‍വഹിക്കുന്നത്. എന്നാല്‍ പലപ്പോഴും അവര്‍ക്ക് തങ്ങളുടെ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനം അതിന്റെ പൂര്‍ണതയില്‍ എത്തിക്കുവാന്‍ സാധിക്കുന്നില്ല. വളരെ അധികം സുവിശേഷീകരണ അനുഭവ പരിചയമുള്ള അവര്‍ക്ക്, തങ്ങളുടെ സമയത്തിന്റെ ഒരു പ്രധാന പങ്കും വിവാഹ ശ്രുശുഷകള്‍ക്കും മാമോധീസയിക്കും മറ്റും ചിലവിടേണ്ടി വരുന്നു. ഇതിനു ഒരു മാറ്റമുണ്ടാകേണ്ടത് കാലത്തിന്റെ ആവശ്യമാണ്‌.

തങ്ങളുടെ അനുഭവപരിചയവും, പരിജ്ഞാനവും ക്രിയാത്മകമായ കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് 

ഉപയോഗിച്ചാല്‍ അത് സഭയ്ക്കും സമൂഹത്തിനും വളരെയധികം ഉപകരിക്കും. ഇങ്ങനെ ഒരു 

തീരുമാനം ഒരിക്കലും സഭാജനങ്ങള്ളില്‍ നിന്നും ഉണ്ടാവുകയില്ല. മറിച് സഭാ 

പിതാക്കന്മാര്‍ ഒരുമിച്ചു ദൈവവചനത്തിന്റെ വെളിച്ചത്തില്‍ ഉചിതമായ ഒരു തീരുമാനം 

എടുക്കണം. അങ്ങനെ ഒരുമിച്ച് ഒരു തീരുമാനം എടുക്കുകയാണെങ്കില്‍ സഭാ ജനങ്ങള്‍ 

അത് സ്വീകരിക്കുകയും, അത് സഭയ്ക്കും സമൂഹത്തിനും ഒരു അനുഗ്രഹം ആവുകയും ചെയ്യും. 

ഇങ്ങനെ ലഭിക്കുന്ന സമയം mentoring, ഹൌസ് വിസിട്സ്, പ്രാര്‍ത്ഥന,writing 

എന്നിവയ്ക്കായി ചിലവിടുകയാണെങ്കില്‍, അത് സഭയില്‍ ഒരു പുതിയ ഉണര്‍വിനു തുടക്കമാകും. 

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Is Judging Always Wrong?

By their fruit they will recognize them. — Matthew 7:16 Is Judging Always Wrong? by Lee Strobel, from Today's Moment of Truth   Do not judge, or you too will be judged. — Matthew 7:1 Few things are as politically incorrect these days as saying that other people are wrong about their religious beliefs. Such a claim smacks of judgmentalism, which should be avoided at all costs. “Aren’t you judging other people when you say they’re wrong? And didn’t Jesus say in Matthew 7:1, ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged’?” I asked Christian author and apologist Paul Copan. He was undaunted by my challenge. In fact, the mere mention of that verse brought a smile to his face. “That passage has replaced John 3:16 as the favorite verse that people like to quote,” he said. “Unfortunately, though, many of them misinterpret what Jesus was saying. Jesus wasn’t implying that we should never make judgments about people.” “How do you know?” I asked. “Because in John 7:24, Jesus said, ‘Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment’ [RSV]. He was clarifying that it’s all right — in fact, it’s a good thing — to make proper judgments about people. What Jesus condemned is a critical and judgmental attitude or unholy sense of moral superiority. “The Bible says in Galatians 6:1 [RSV] that if a fellow Christian is caught in a sin, then those who are spiritual should seek to restore him or her ‘in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted.’ God wants us to examine ourselves first for the problems we so readily detect in other people. Only then should we seek to remove the speck in the other person’s eye [Matthew 7:1–5]. So judgmentalism is the ugly refusal to acknowledge that ‘there but for the grace of God go I.’ ” “So the key issue is our attitude?” I asked. “Yes, that’s right. We can hold our convictions firmly and yet treat people with dignity and respect even though they disagree with us. We can have a spirit of humility while at the same time explaining why we believe someone is wrong. Ephesians 4:15 talks about ‘speaking the truth in love’ [RSV]. That should be our goal.” Reflecting on this, I also realized Jesus said, Watch out for false prophets. — Matthew 7:15 Unfortunately these people don’t wear False Prophet labels! So how will we know who they are? Jesus continued, They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. — Matthew 7:15-16, emphasis mine So, without using the actual word, Jesus was telling us to judge prophets by their fruit. Truth for Today As Christians, we must judge with the wisdom and discernment God provides us. But we must always avoid a critical, judgmental spirit.

Excerpted with permission Today's Moment of Truth by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg, copyright Lee Strobel.

Crossway MTC Dallas

There is hope!

I have been to several Marthoma churches around the World, in various continents. Whenever I travel, I make it a point to visit a Marthoma church. On a recent trip to Dallas, my wife and I decided to check out the new Crossway Marthoma congregation in Dallas. I had heard about it through the Sabha tharaka and through Manoramaonline.com.

The congregation met in a small Spanish church premise. It appeared to be in a dilapidated state - but fully functional. There was beautiful, sincere rendition of Christian music by three young women. The congregation joined the singing in genuine praise. The worship was followed by a small prayer led by a lady - it was sincere, genuine and really an expression of heart's prayer. The sermon followed this - it was really one of the best sermons I have heard in the last year. A lay member of the church spoke from Elijah's story in 1 Kings 19 - facing life's disappointments. There were several great thoughts to ponder on. I could see that the congregation was, for the most part attentive. At this juncture, let me state that I had attended a prominent church in Trivandrum in March of this year. I literally counted the two rows ahead of me and two behind, including mine. Out of the 20 people I counted, 75% were dozing away or completely distracted. In comparison to that, this was a refreshing change.

The congregation started as a result of the persistent prayer and dedication of a group of young families who were burdened about youngsters leaving the faith. They expressed a desire to start a congregation and the Bishop was extremely generous in granting that request.

I believe that Marthoma church is God's own church (among several such churches in the World). We have a unique calling and unique ministry that only we can accomplish. I believe that a church needs waves of revival when it may be slowly losing it's calling. We are at a critical time. Our church is vast enough to allow such experiments. Let's not be threatened by such congregations and rather let us encourage it. I appreciate the bishop to have permitted this new method of worship, which is totally different from the existing Marthoma church worship. We are a big church. Certainly, we can accommodate various ways of worship. Let a new wave of revival sweep out of Dallas into rest of North America, and eventually into Kerala.

I hope that the congregation does not lose it's vision. I hope that they steadfastly pray. I also hope that such groups spring up wherever it has a relevance and a spiritual need. Indeed, there is hope in the church.

Thoughts on Holy Spirit

Few points on the Holy Spirit:

1. If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit reigning in you. There cannot be more or less of Him in you. It's either - you have the Holy spirit or not. If you proclaim that Christ is your savior and master, you have the Holy Spirit in you. If you are more obedient, you don't get more of the spirit; if you are disobedient, you don't get less of the Holy Spirit.

2. So what does people mean when they say filling of the Holy Spirit? The person will give greater control to the Holy Spirit in his/her life.

3. We have to learn to hear the voice of the Spirit. To interpret the nudges of the Holy Spirit. We don't hear the audible voice of the Spirit. So how do we grow to be sensitive to hear the Spirit speaking?

4. The basic spiritual discipline is part of that. God's word is a recording of the Spirit. The Word of God was written through inspiration by the Spirit. When I read the word, I am hearing the Holy Spirit. 

5. The Spirit does not need to repeat what is written in the Word of God - it is a public record. He has already put that in writing. So, when I read the Word of God, I am learning many of the essential things that I need to know. I am also learning how the Spirit thinks and how the Spirit views things. Therefore, the Word of God is a critical starting point to learn to listen to the spirit's voice.

6. The next method - Prayer. I do two things. I speak to God and I listen from the God. It's a two way conversation. While I spend time in prayer expressing my thoughts, the Holy Spirit speaks through my intellect. He speaks through my thoughts. When I pray, I focus - to listen. As I pray, I am giving the Spirit opportunity to shape my thoughts about God.

7. Third, look for the Holy Spirit to speak or express His thoughts through my thoughts. So, you have to practice it - expect the Spirit to speak to you; keenly listen to his thoughts. It could be through your situations, through your conversations with other people. If you are not looking for the Spirit's response, you may miss it. Pray that you recognize the nudging of the Holy Spirit. If you are well grounded in the word, you can eliminate things that you hear that are not from the Holy Spirit. If it is from the Holy Spirit - he will sustain it, strengthens it, affirms it. Once that happens, you run with it. Each time you hear and obey, next time you are at a better position to hear next time.

8. It's a conscious doing. If you don't consciously do this, you will lose the nudging of the Holy Spirit in your life. He still speaks, but you don't recognize it.

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