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                                                                                                                                        - P. J. K

Persecution has come as a blessing in disguise, uniting the entire Christian community to work from a single platform. Amidst the ever-increasing persecution on the community, We stand united as one body of Christ, thus breaking the shackles of the denominational and ideological barriers in the process. But for how long can this unity stand, achieved amidst the fear of persecution?

When God delivered His chosen ones from the bondage in Egypt, they were united for the privileges and luxuries of the Promised Land.

Impatience grew, the grumbling started and a heavy price had to be paid before the chosen few could reach the Promised Land. Let us not be disillusioned, a mere 2.34% cannot flex its muscles under any circumstances. Hence, with prayer and retrospection we should make every move, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to fulfill God's plan through this persecution.

Yours in Christ
- P. J. K

 
   
 
 

 

- Joseph D' Souza

Do you know that life at the top is lonely? If you find yourself saying "yes, that's right" then this piece is for you. Not because you will find some simple solutions but because you will find that like you many others find life at the top lonely.

I was looking for a term that would capture the inner world of leadership where there are stresses, problems, tensions, pain and also real joy and satisfaction. I came up with a term, 'Hard-Joy'.

The Joys in leadership is down there at the fundamental level because Christian leadership is essentially obedience to the service God has called some to. But these joys are paid for in pain, tears, illness and loneliness. And they come hard.

CONSIDER CRITICISM

Once you are in the leadership ring the criticism punches are bound to surprise, jolt, knock and hurt you. Whether right or wrong the punches come, and often when you just feel you are doing well in leadership. How does anyone turn this into a 'hard-joy'? This is the tough stuff of leadership. As the one who is called to serve through leadership you have to be gracious and forgiving those who launch those punches. You are their shepherd and you have to guide them. Their Criticism of you may be innocent, ill - informed or deliberate. But you have to lead them, serve them and carry them forward in Christian life and ministry. You accept the punches not out of a martyr complex but with the knowledge you have to guide and lead them forward in faith. Deliberate wrongs are accepted for what they are, the pain understood and forgiven because leadership is service. You experience from God a 'hard-joy'. You are blessed because you are servant of God. The servant's privilege is to know a 'hard-joy'.

How about failure? Do leaders fail in their jobs? I have done dumb things as a leader. Sometimes my failure has been serious. Failure is a curious thing. It turns you inward and there is a sense of discouragement and guilt. And on the other hand the outside world focuses it" attention on you often with a magnifying glass. You have to live with failure itself and with others perspective on your just wonder when you will get out of the tunnel.

But failure is a 'hard-joy'! In the first place you would not have failed if you did not have the job to lead.

Good leadership is hard fought and hard won. It involves sweat, strength of character and bruises of failure. Do they teach this in Christian Leadership Schools? You know to get up after a failure, to wipe the dust of a blunder, to walk tall, to get yourself together and believe in God's help and to take up the yoke of leadership and again is a hard-joy. You are doing it for God and that is hard-joy.

SUCCESSION

This is the land mine of leadership. It has blown up of many a leader and organisation. You cannot think placidly about a work you have built and carried. After all who knows the heart ache you have endured. The sleepless nights and the energy spent.

You have to now hand it over knowing well enough that things will not be just the same once you are out of the picture. You might think that those 'Presidents-for-Life' the Pope, and all those gurus have a better deal. Succession becomes an issue after you have left this world. You don't have to bother about the pain, question and loss of authority or influence. The succession process is not clean. Sometimes it is messy and leaves people with hurt. How soon should you announce who should take over? Peter Drucker advises not to announce the name until you actually do it. Often the one you think might be your successor does not turn out to be the successor. Someone else may arrive on the scene and be the right man to take over the leadership. Succession is a hard-joy. It is the acceptance of one's limits in this present world and the knowledge that what you have laboured for is conserved in the best possible way. It is the season of life when you experience more and more 'loss'. The loss is positive and healthy because to signals you have completed things, achieved some results, loved somebody for a long time and it's time to wind up.

HARD-JOY

What kind of success should you have so that you know you have done well? I love cricket. In test cricket if you are a batsman and achieve a career average of 50 odd runs per test, you are a great batsman. In one day cricket if you average over 35 runs per match you are a good batsman. If you approach an average of around 100 in test match like the one and only Don Bradman you are super great and the one and only one.

In Christian leadership if your batting average is about 50 you are simply great and any thing above 35 is good and something to be really happy about. To carry the metaphor further the bouncers of criticism, failure and succession if handled correctly only trigger hard-joy.
Enjoy your 'hard-joys'.

- Executive Director,
Operation Mobilisation India.

   
 
   
 
 

 

- Rev.Dr.Elia Pradeep Samuel

One of the first major problems of guidance usually faced by young people is knowing what vocation God wants them to take up and where they should work.

God's perfect will in vocation needs to be sought not only by those contemplating full time Christian Service, but by every believer. God has planned a vocation for each of his child. It is essential then that we seek to find out what it is. If God's calling for you is to be a teacher in a school, you would be disobedient if you became a Pastor. Do not be an evangelist if God wants you to be a doctor. Likewise, don't take up a Secular Vocation if God wants you in an exclusively Christian Service.

How should a believer go about the matter of finding God's will in this realm? Where the opinion of choosing a career is still open before him, he should consider his intellectual aptitude and seek to study for the vocation most fitting to him. He should however select a vocation only after much prayer. They should never, in any case allow themselves to be pushed into a vocation selected for him by someone else. Throughout their student days a believer should be much in prayer that God will give right information about job, opportunities, and contacts with right people so that on completion of their studies, they will be able to go to the place of God's choice. They must seek the advice and prayer fellowship of mature believers.

Man's greatest honour and privilege is to do the will of God. This was what the Lord taught his disciples. He once said, that only those who did his Father's will would to enter the Kingdom of Heaven - Matthew 7:21. Peter declared that God sets men free from sin so that they can do His will. - 1 peter 4:12. Paul asserted believers are created anew in Christ Jesus, so that they can walk in a path God has already mapped out for them. He therefore exhorted the Ephesians, Christians not to be foolish, but to understand what the will of the Lord was for their lives - Eph2:10,5:17. He prayed for the Colossian Christians that they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will. The apostle John taught that only those who did the will of God would abide forever - 1 John 2:17

This emphasis is unfortunately rare in our day and generation. Hence the shallowness and powerlessness of the average believers today. People are urged to come to Jesus merely to receive forgiveness.

David himself tells us elsewhere that he delighted in doing God's will - Ps 40:8. He was not a perfect man. He committed many sins, some were very serious ones, for which God had to punish him severely. Yet God forgave him, because David wanted to do all of God's will. This encourages us to believe that inspite of all our imperfectness, shortcoming, gone far ahead the road against his will remember there is always a U-turn available. If only our hearts are set on doing His will. The guiding principle of Jesus' entire life and ministry was to do the will of his Father.

As men crave for food to nourish their bodies, He craved to do the will of the one who has sent Him. Every believer should have a similar hunger to fulfill the will of God. How easy it is to pray, "Thy will be done" and then to do just as we please, without seeking God's guidance in our lives.

1 - GOD'S PLAN IS THE BEST

We sometimes come to crossroads in our lives, where we have to make decisions, with far-reaching consequences, decisions such as the choice of a career and of a life-partner affect our entire future. How are we to decide at such times? We know nothing of the dangers and the hidden pitfalls along each path. We know nothing of the snares Satan has laid for us. And yet we have to decide which path we have to take.

It would therefore be necessary for us to have someone beside at such times whom we can trust fully, who knows the entire future, and that is Lord Jesus Christ, who is ever-ready to guide us along the safest and best path.

Eph 2 :10 says, "God has a specific plan for each of our lives".  He has planned a career for us and even planned where we should live and what we should do each day.

In each case, His choice must be the best, for He knows us so well. It is wisest then to seek His will in all matters.

Many have made shipwreck of their lives by failing to seek the will of God right from their youth.  - Lam 3:27 says,"It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."
- Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to take His yoke upon us. What does it mean to take the yoke? Oxen that are used to plough fields are kept together by a yoke upon their necks. When a new Ox is to be trained to plough, it is yoked together with an experienced Ox. This is what it means to take the yoke of Jesus upon us. We shall have to walk with Jesus in the path that pleases Him. The Ox is forced by its neck. But Jesus invites us, "Come unto me - wear my yoke and you shall find rest for your souls.

We read of Enoch that he walked in God's appointed path for 300 years. As a result, God testified that he was pleased with Enoch's life - Heb 11:5. This is the only way to be able to stand before Him without regret when He comes again.

MISSING GOD'S PLAN

It is possible for a believer to miss God's perfect will for his life. Saul was chosen by God to be King over Isreal, but because of his impatience and disobedience God had to reject him, he missed God's will for his life. Solomon is another example. He pleased God in his earlier days but fell away.

Many of us have similarly missed God's perfect plan for our lives through disobedience and compromise - often in our marriage or in the choice of a career.

If you have disobeyed God in some matter, turn to him in repentance now, before it is too late. It may yet be possible for you, as in Jonah's case, to come back into the main stream of God's plan for your life. Each one of us has but one life. Blessed is the man who like Paul, can say at the end of it, that he has finished his God appointed task.
- 2 Tim 4:7

"The world and all its passionate desires will one day disappear. But the man who is following God's will is part of the permanent and cannot die. - 1 John 2:17

"Live life then with due sense of responsibility. Make the best use of your time- despite all difficulties. Every believer irrespective of his vocation is called to be a full time witness of the LORD JESUS CHRIST."

- By
Rev.Dr.Elia Pradeep Samuel Pastor,
District Superintendent.
Methodist Church In India,
Hyderabad - 500 001.

   
 
   
 
 

 

The Holy Shroud, kept in Turin Cathedral since 1572, is believed to be Jesus Christ's winding sheet as it bore the faint outlines of His body.

It was photographed in 1898 and a clear imprint of the face and body of a man emerged. The cloth shows the outline of a naked man, 6ft tall, with shoulder length hair and beard. There are marks of several flogging and wounds where nails were driven through the wrists and where a single nail fastened both feet. There is also a wound on the right side, between the fifth and sixth ribs.

There are bruises on the shoulders, which could have been made by carrying a heavy log, lacerations on the knees from heavy falls and blood from scratches on the forehead which could have been caused by the crown of thorns.

It even shows the imprint of coins placed on the eyes of the dead man. Later in 1980 they were figured out to be those minted between AD30 and AD32, when Pontius Pilate governed Palestine. Everything clearly confirms that he was severely tortured and crucified.

All the wounds are consistent with the description of Christ's crucifixion in the Holy Bible. Medical evidences puts the age of the dead man between 30 and 45 years. If so, who else could be this except for Christ.

SCIENTIFIC PROOF

Despite all claims for and against its authenticity, it could neither be confirmed nor proved fake by the series of scientific tests made on the cloth. As there is no evidence of pigment it could not have been painted. Analysis of the cloth has shown that it is of ancient Middle-Eastern origin and that some of the pollen it contained came from the plants normally found around the Dead Sea in Palestine. It is still a mystery as to how the image came to be imprinted on the fabric so firmly that it has survived the centuries. It may have been caused by gas, probably ammonia, from the skin mixing with the ritual burial spices or by a violent burst of radiant heat. But still, why this particular shroud retains such unique clarity and detail is still a mystery. The photograph on the cover page is a computerised image developed from the original imprint on the Turin cloth.

WHO IS THIS JESUS?

Governor of Judea's Report to Caesar on Jesus Christ

Thus described Publius Lentulus, Governor of Judea in a report written in Aramaic on stone found in an excavated city, addressed to Tuberous Caesar, Emperor of Rome.

"There lives, at this time, in Judea, a man of singular virtue whose name is Jesus Christ, whom the barbarians esteem as a Prophet, but His followers love and adore Him as the offspring of the immortal God. He calls back the dead from the graves, and heals all sorts of diseases with a word or a touch.

He is a tall man, and well shaped of an amiable reverend aspect; His hair of a colour that can hardly be matched, the colour of chestnut tree fully ripe, falling in waves about His shoulders. His forehead high, large and imposing; His cheeks without spots or wrinkle, beautiful with a lovely red; His nose and mouth formed with exquisite symmetry; His beard thick and of a colour suitable of His hair reaching below His chin. His eyes bright blue, clear and serene, look innocent, dignified, manly and mature, In proportion of body, most perfect and captivating, His hands and arms most delectable to behold.

He rebukes with majesty, counsels with mildness. His whole address, whether in word or deed, being eloquent and grave. No man has seen him laugh, yet his manner is exceedingly pleasant, but He has wept in the presence of men. He is temperate, modest and wise; a man for His extra-ordinary beauty and divine perfections, surpassing the children of men in every sense.

Jesus and His disciples were real, honest-to-goodness, flesh and blood, breathing, eating, men as well as spiritual giants. Their divinity was expressed through humanity. In fact, if Jesus were not man, there is little hope that any of us could follow Him - and He never seemed to have any doubt that we can follow Him".

   
 
   
 
 

 

- Soprano

Despite all our vociferous claims to be a true Christian, we fall short in His sight by our unchanged ways.

We tend to judge others, supposed to be sinners- When God clearly warned us not to do so.

We even profess that the wrath of God would come upon the unspiritual- Our God is a loving God; He showed His love to the entire humanity irrespective of their spiritual status but not His wrath.

When we feel threatened by others presence, we wish they were dead- How dare we do this to the person for whom God had shed His very blood?

Sometimes our current behavior does not measure upto our claims and we cannot defend our authenticity of a true Christian.

The first step towards success in life is to stop acting as spiritual policemen and look towards the seven chinks on our armor through which Satan has been frustrating us.

UNHAPPY WITH GOD

Though we do not admit, we know we are unhappy and dejected. Even the eternal faith we express does not cheer us up. In our view God seemed to fall short of our expectations. Then how can we ask others to follow God, if we ourselves are unhappy? Despite the countenance betraying us, we make put a clean image before men, but God cannot be deceived by our hypocrisy, He has the last say in this issue - Matt. 7: 21-23. Though we Love God, we sometimes may be unhappy because we did not expect things to be thus. - Num 14:1-4

UNCHANGED LIVES

When we stop living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God
- Galatians 5: 16-26
, we are pulled down to our original self. At this stage we are no better than non-Christians - Romans 7: 14-25. Thus the decision made to serve the Lord lose their direction in the struggle with self.

SELF - DEPENDENCE

Sometimes we boast of our commitment and the desire to follow Jesus despite all trials and tribulations but fail very miserably as the tough-minded Peter failed on the night of Jesus' arrest - Luke 22:33,34. God wants us to trust Him on His terms alone and use our best judgement and reason in doing so. Once we forget the principle of God- dependence we fail in our desire to stand as true Christian

UNGUARDED

King David was a man after God's own heart - Acts 13: 22, with a great love for the law of God who was committed to avoiding moral and Spiritual failures - Psalm 119:11. Despite all this he became an adulterer and murderer in an unguarded moment.
- 1 Corinthians 10:12

UNSEARCHED HEART

With self-deception we boast of our Love to God and commitment to His work. But our unchecked motives can wreck havoc in others as the Prophet Jeremiah aptly Said,"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?"
- Jeremiah 17:9.
 Thus before the judgement comes lets pray, "search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting". - Psalm 139: 23,24

UNACCOUNTABILITY

Many of us have developed a spirit of self-righteousness and declared independence, which is contrary to Christ's plan for His Church. We as a body of Christ should be one, accepting inter-dependency - 1 Corinthians 12. We cannot be a mature Christian with our natural talents and assets. Even the strongest Christians were never meant to go it alone, hence let us love one another and lead a life of purpose.

OVERCONFIDENCE

Satan is fighting a war of attrition. It can confuse and neutralize any Spiritual giant and add to its list of casualties. It is cleaver beyond human comprehension and can render a true Christian ineffective. Thus we should know our enemy who is looking for chinks in our armour to launch an attack and make inroads into our lives. Be prepared
- Ephesians 6: 10-20, for the predator is on the prowl. - 1 Peter 5:8

   
 
   
 
 

 

- C.R.Prabhakar

God had a great plan for Saul and the persecutor turned out to be one of the greatest apostle. Miracles are for everyday, they are not restricted to the days of the early Church. The testimony of Bro.C.R.Prabhakar follows, wherein by divine intervention, a Christian persecutor who burnt the Bibles, destroyed Gospel tracts and harassed the evangelists turns to the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He was a sorcerer and a recorded criminal who was twice imprisoned in the Warangal Central Jail. Can you believe?, today he is a full time evangelist serving in the Medak region for a divine cause.
Praise God..

"I, C.R.Prabhakar, was born and brought up in a non-Christian family. I was a rebellious child and an anti-social element during my youth and was imprisoned twice in the central jail of Warangal. After the sentence I joined the Indian army as Havaldar. I later, learnt the art of black magic and started using it against the society.

I persecuted Christian evangelists by harassing them, destroying their Gospel literature and some times I even burnt the 'Holy Bible'. My evil deeds had no limits. As I was using black magic against some villagers, near Narsapur - Medak, they gathered in large numbers and armed with deadly weapons, they attacked me and almost killed me. They left me thinking that I was dead.

Then as I was lying in the pool of blood, I heard an audible voice of God, saying "I am the Lord Jesus Christ, believe in me and you shall be saved". Thus I muttered a prayer and accepted Him. It took me six months to come out of the hospital and after I was discharged, I again started scheming against the villagers to exterminate them. Thus on the night I planned to attack the villagers, God spoke again in an audible voice.

He warned me to leave the village the very moment else I would die for sure. Hearing these warnings repeatedly, I panicked and ran away along with my family members. During the same time the villagers planned to kill me fearing that I would seek vengeance.

Thus God saved me again from the jaws of death.

Later after landing in Hyderabad, I met the pastors whom I persecuted and asked them about the voice of Jesus Christ, that saved me. After experiencing God personally, I dedicated my life to serve the Lord who is a living God.

Later God started using me miraculously at various interior villages in the Medak district. Kindly pray for my ministry and for my family members."

   
 
   
 

 

 

- Ch. Bhagyalatha Joseph

To deliver the mankind from the curse of Adam, Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the Son of God incarnated as a son of man. He humbled himself and ministered to mankind what God wanted from us. Finally, He laid down His life on the cross and became a sacrifice for our sins. As God said "My hands have made thee and shaped thee".

After creating the earth and finding it good, God created Adam or Man in His own image and planted him in the Garden of Eden. - Gen 2:7. Later, when God found that man was alone, He created Eve or Woman and gave them both authority over the whole earth. The only thing that they had to do was to believe God and obey the word of God to remain in blessed condition. Satan, the arch angel of God, who was thrown out of heaven as he rebelled against God, entered the Garden of Eden and tempted Adam and Eve to commit sin. Upto that moment the devil had no authority on the earth. Adam and Eve chose to reject the word of God and chose to listen to the devil instead, they bowed their knees obeying him and disobeying the word of God. Hence, they were separated from God. Death lodged in their spirits and hence, the nature of sin and death was born in all men.  - 1 John 3:4 clearly records  "the wages of sin is death".  Earth under the dominion of Satan is cursed. Health, abundance and freedom was brought under the influence of God, but under the dominion of the evil one was brought forth sickness, poverty and bondage. So, remember that it was Adam and not God, who opened the door to the curse.

Our first parents, disobeyed God and committed sin, this is the reason why they lost their garment of glory, and became naked, - Gen 3:7. According to Philip 2:5, Christ came to uplift us as per the wish of God and in Rev. 1:3 it is recorded that the son of man is back in His glory. Even though Satan deceived Adam by tempting him to eat the condemned fruit, God was still considerate and wanted His people to be fruitful, - Gen 3:11. However high might be the spirituality of an individual, Satan has the power to deceive him. Jesus Christ compares deception with a fig tree. - Matt. 24:32, Luke 13:6. Jesus curses the fig tree that does not bear the fruit. Let us examine ourselves if we are deceiving people by our hypocrisy and God by not following His commands. Christ has reserved a place for his people who follow him. - Rev. 22:2

Adam and Eve had such a communion with God in the Garden of Eden, that God Himself came to fellowship with them in the cool of the evening. All the needs of man were abundantly fulfilled. Adam a perfect Husband and Eve his perfect wife, together had authority over the whole earth. When they obeyed the devil, they were deceived and lost the most beautiful fellowship with God, - Genesis 3:9. In the dominion of the devil there is confusion. So Adam, who had to confess his sin with God started blaming God for creating Eve, who gave him the fruit. As we walk in our daily needs let us examine ourselves, if we are confessing our sins to Christ or blaming our neighbour for the faults we do. As this confusion is from the evil one, God wants us to look at Him but not the world.  "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you". -Matthew 6:33. The door of this curse which was opened by Adam was given deliverance by God Himself, who lost the fellowship of His only Son who was sacrificed for our sins, to act as a mediator for the lost fellowship of God with mankind.

God blames mankind of two evils. One that the mankind had forsaken Him, second that His people do their own will. - Jer 2:13. We pray and ask God to help us without knowing His will. - Ps. 22:1, Matt 19:5. But Jesus Christ forsaked the Heavenly abode came to the earth lived like a man, stood in front of Pilate with folded hands for no crime committed by Him and was crucified for our sins to keep from the guilt of the crime that mankind has done by betraying God. - Is. 53:5.

Let us examine ourselves and see whether we are also guilty of the same crime of doing our own will than that of the Master. Christ came to redeem us of this curse and make us acceptable in the sight of the Father. The curse started with Adam and the deliverance came from Jesus Christ, - Rev. 22:3. Christ also gives a promise to all those who walk in His ways, - Rev. 2:17

For every crime there is a punishment. Adam was accused by God to be guilty of the sin of eating the forbidden fruit. Three characters were involved to bring mankind under the punishment of the crime of sin viz; The serpent, the first woman and the first man. The Bible records that because of these three the entire mankind was punished, - Gen 3:15-17,19

Our first parents who were punished by God were still considered and loved by Him,
- Gen. 3:21
. Mankind never realised the influence of the evil one in their lives, so God took the initiative and the son of God came down from heaven and was crucified. The crucification of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross had broken the partition between God and us, - Eph 2:13,14. With this act He became worthy in the sight of God and mankind, - Rev. 5:12

The act of crucification made a way for the mankind into salvation. God, who knew that man can differentiate between good and evil wanted man to look up to Him and not the World, - Gen. 3:22. But the mankind was completely taken by the spirit of the air. So, when Jesus was ministering he says, - John 10:7-9, "Verily, Verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door : by me if any man enter in, shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture". He made a way to the mankind on the cross,
- John 10:30

Let us all examine our lives and see if there is any nakedness or deception by which we might be losing our fellowship with God. If we find that we are empowered by the spirit of darkness, let us confess our sins to the Lord Jesus Christ, who was punished by His own creation, and accept the sacrifice what He made for us on the cross to release us from the curse of Adam to eternal life, ( Rev.21:23,24. "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nation which are saved shall walk in the light of it : and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it".

Thus the restoration was complete through Jesus Christ.

   
 
   
 
 

 

Bangalore, Jan 3:
"Rather than paying a lip service to the plight of the minorities under attack in Gujarat, the Prime Minister and Home Minister should initiate concrete measures to stop atrocities in the home state of Mahatma Gandhi".
- Jayalalitha, AIADMK.

Hyderabad, Jan 6:
"No country need to tell us what we should do".
- Vasundhara Raje, Union Minister of State for External Affairs on protests in the USA and Pakistan over the attack on christians.

Hyderabad, Jan 7:
"Sininster forces were making lame excuses to justify their vandalism by stalling that Churches were indulging in fradulent conversions and anti-Indian activities".
- Archbishop Henry D'Souza
President, Catholic church Bishops of India.

Ahmedabad, Jan 8:
"My impression is that everyone here seems to be in fear, there have been attacks on them and they don't know when the next attack is going to come.
- Sonia Gandhi, Congress President.

Hyderabad, Jan 20:
"I am convinced that destitute children are getting better care here than at their homes".
- Mrs. Haripriya Rangarajan,
Wife of Governor.

Bhubaneshwar, Jan 24:
"That someone who has spent years caring for patients of Leprosy, instead of being thanked and appreciated as a role-model, should be done to death in this manner is a monumental aberration from the traditions of tolerence and humanity for which India has been known".
- K. R. Narayanan, President of India.

Bhubaneshwar, Jan 24:
" I have no hatred for anyone.  I have no anger."
- Mrs Glades Staines,
wife of slain Australian Missionary.

New Delhi, Jan 25:
" I have known these organisations for a long time and they do not have criminal elements."
- L. K. Advani,
Union Home Minister on the involvement of Bajrang Dal in the murder of Staines.

Hyderabad Jan 27:
" It is most heinous and the country needs to restore its sanity."
- C. Rangarajan, Governor of A.P.

Chennai, Jan 28:
" If the Prime Minister himself restores to a fast instead of protecting society, there is something wrong with our democracy".
- G. K. Moopanar, Tamil Manila Congress Leader.

"Our heads hang in shame, no mercy would be shown to the perpetrators of this inhuman crime".
- Atal Behari Vajpayee,
Prime Minister of India.

New Delhi, Jan 31:
"So what ?.  This sort of thing had happened in the past and nobody raised a hue and cry then. This is an international conspiracy to discredit India.
- George Fernandes, Union Minister.

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 2:
"Conversion meant a change of heart in response to God's call irrespective of religion and caste".
- Archbishop Rev. Cyril Mar Baselios.

New Delhi, Feb 2:
" I am not prepared to accept that Christian schools and colleges are forcibly converting anyone. I am also a student of a Christian college and the moral education classes I attended have played an important role in my life".
- Madan Lal Khurana, former Union Minister.

Hyderabad, Feb 9:
"Christianity had committed several blunders earlier, including mixing religion with culture. A new thinking had been emerging within the community which disowns the theory that only Jesus can help attaining salvation".
- Archbishop S. Arulappa.

Hyderabad, Feb 1:
"There has been long-felt impression among Christians and secular forces that the Archbishop Arulappa has been leaning towards Hindu fundamentalists for mysterious reasons".
- All India United Christian Movement for Equal Rights.

Hyderabad, Feb 11:
"It is most unbecoming on part of Archbishop S. Arulappa, head of the Catholic Church in A.P., to issue a perverted statement against the Christian religion and community.  It is a total heretic and blasphemous statement wherein he cannot call himself a defender of Church".
- Catholic Action ORganisation.

Hyderabad, Feb 11:
"If the Archbishop does not refrain from issuing provocative statements, the Christians would launch an agitation against him".
- National Congress of Indian Christians.

New Delhi, Feb 12:
"The myth of mass or forced conversion is being spread to create ire among the different tribal groups.  Neither the state government nor the fundamental groups could produce specific proofs of their conversion claims to the NCM probe team".
- James Massey, National Commission on Minorities member.

New Delhi, Feb 14:
"We hang our heads in shame for attacks on Christians by some people".
- Mr. I. K. Gujral.

New Delhi, Feb 17:
"The attacks on Christians are unfortunate and they are some kind of aberrations which have brought bad name to the Indian Civilisation".
- Mr. Venkatachalliah, National Human Rights Commission Chairman.
 

 
 
   
 
 


                                           
'Miracle Gospel Festival'
, was conducted at the Imperial Garden Function Hall, Secunderabad, from February 2 to 5. The Gospel meetings were conducted by Rev. Benjamin Komanapalli.

An evening of worship with Bob Fitts was organised jointly on February 15 by YWAM and CBN India, at Rail Kalarang, Secunderabad.

Gospel Association of India conducted a Leadership Conference on 'Peace and Human Values', at Taj Residency, Hyderabad, on Feb 16th. The Chief guest Sri.A.Madhava Reddy, Hon' Minister for Home and Cinematography, lauded the services rendered by the Christians to the community and assured condemned the attacks on Christians in various parts of India. He further assured to extend all help and protection to Christians in the State of AP. A United Prayer and fasting of Ministers and Lay leaders was organised on Feb 19th at Methodist English Church, Secunderabad, by Rev.John Sabdam for the protection of Christians in the Country and for the unity of the believers.

Friends Missionary Prayer Band, AP, organised 'Missionary Evening' - attended by missionaries from Dangs, South Gujarat, on Feb 20th at Centenary Baptist Church, Secunderabad, to express solidarity to the missionaries.

The regional branch of The Global Outreach(India), was inaugurated in the twin cities on Feb 20th.

RZIM, Life Focus Society, Hyderabad, conducted a seminar on 'Thirsting for Truth', at the conference hall, Hotel Swagath, Hyderabad, on Feb 20th, with Dr. Michael Ramsden and Mr. L. T. Jayachandran.

RZIM in co-operation with the Churches in Hyderabad East, conducted Good News festival with Dr. Prakash Yesudian from Feb 20th to 22nd, at Baptist Church, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad.

'The Way to Salvation', meetings were conducted by Rev. P. Sajeeva Rao, Director, Bible Mission Youth Gospel Team, from  Feb 23rd to 25th at Bhadrachalam, AP.   The main speaker for the event was Rev. Dr. J. John Selvaraj, President, Bible Mission - Guntur, AP.

All India City Intercessory Prayer Penetration meets were conducted from Feb 22nd to Feb 27th by United 'Prayer Movement for Nations', Bangalore, for Peace and Unity in the Nation at various places in the twin cities.

   
 
   
 
 

March 1999


PERSECUTION CONTINUES

Pastor Threatened

Hyderabad, Feb 1:
Police protection has been provided to pastor M. S. Prabhucharan, a Christian priest at Dilsukhnagar, who complained to the police that his family has been receiving anonymous calls, threatening them to reconvert into Hinduism.

Protest in Mizoram

Aizwal, Feb 2:
Christian community in Mizoram took out a  silent protest march here against persecution of their counterparts in other parts of the country.

Pastors Attacked

Three people, including two pastors belonging to the Indian Pentecost Daiva Sabha, were attacked by miscreants at Kumbazha district, Kerala.

Missionary School Attacked

Muzaffarpur, Feb 5:
A missionary school was attacked by a mob during the bandh called by the BJP - Samata combine. The mob indulged in heavy stone throwing, smashing window panes and chased away the teachers and students.

Census of Criminal Christians

Gandhinagar, Feb 5:
The Gujarat government issued a circular asking the police to gather details about missionaries and their foreign sponsors, the dossiers of "criminally-bent Christians" and the "tricks" employed by missionaries in proselytisation activities.

Nun Raped

Baripada, Feb 5
A Christian nun, an inmate of St. Mary's Convent in Baripada, was allegedly raped in a running car by two men disguised as females.

Silent Procession

Bhubaneshwar, Feb 6:
A large number of Christians including women and children took out an impressive silent procession under the auspices of the Bhubaneswar Christians Community, in Bhubaneshwar to register its protest against what it described as the continuing, unprecedented violence against Christians in several states, particularly in Orissa. They later submitted a memorandum to a senior official of Raj Bhavan, addressed to the President of India.

Two Tribal Christians Killed

Bhubaneshwar, Feb 7:
Two tribal Christians , a teenaged girl and a boy were beaten to death by unidentified assailants in Orissa's Kandhamal district. The assailants attempted to rape the girl before killing her and the boy was killed when he tried to resist their bid to rape the girl.

Church Burnt in Assam

Guwahati, Feb 7:
A Church was destroyed by the Adivasis in the Gasaigaon subdivision in Kokrajhar district. One of the inmates was injured in the attack.

Parking Complex on Cemetry

Visakhapatnam, Feb 7:
A controversy is raging over the move by VUDA to convert a 17th century cemetry in the city into a parking complex, with Members of Christian Cemetry Board and several others threatening to take to the streets against the plan.

Converted Dalit Returns Scholarship

Chennai, Feb11:
Mr. Vasagan, a Christian Dalit working in the Indian Navy at Mumbai, who converted to Christianity from  Hinduism, has returned to Tamil Nadu government, Rs. 6000/-, he had received as scholarship while studying in school. He felt it was improper to accept the scholarship after his conversion.

Catholic Dispensary Ransacked

Gandhinagar, Feb 16:
A dispensary run by a catholic institution was ransacked by unidentified persons in Dakor, Kheda District.

YMCA blames anti-Christian lobby in MCH

Hyderabad, Feb 23:
The MCH sends a notice citing 'serious deviations' in construction at the north-east corner of YMCA, Secunederad, and takes up demolition on  the north-west part, much to the despair of YMCA. Mr. B. S. P. Sadanand, senior secretary, said that the demolished wall was constructed by MCH itself after YMCA gave it 15 feet for road widening without seeking any compensation and questioned how it had realised the mistake after 16 years.

Solidarity Peace Rally

Hyderabad, Feb 27:
Christians representing 10 Churches in the City took out a 'Solidarity Peace Rally', on Feb 27th, to Indira Park against attacks on Christians. Special peace prayers were conducted at the venue. A delegation led by Archbishop S. Arulappa later met Governor C. Rangarajan and submitted a memorandum highlighting the attacks.

   



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