Brown's Daily Word & India update10-21-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Praise the Lord for He is mighty and merciful. We live in a broken world. Our Lord God still loves the world. There is so much beauty and splendor in the world. This world is also filled with gross injustice . We long for justice and fairness. The Bible declares the Jesus is coming again as the Righteous Judge. “He has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). We will be on trial for how we have used our lives and whether our relationship with Jesus Christ was real or hypocrisy. We will not be standing before an earthly judge who is subjective, biased, yields to pressure, or is ill-tempered, but the Judge of all the universe who “judges with justice” (Revelation 19:11). Yet, all the more reason to take the final judgment seriously, because this is a sobering truth. The Apostle’s Creed states that we believe Jesus Christ: “will come again to judge the living and the dead.” The Bible says, “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31). The Bible says, “God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34-35). It also says that, “God does not judge by external appearance” (Galatians 2:6). His judgment is absolutely fair. In one of Michelangelo’s powerful paintings, which are so rich with emotion, there is a man at the last Judgment who is being dragged down to hell by demons. He has a hand over one eye and in the other eye there is a look of alarmed awareness of personal failure and exposure. Looking at the painting, you see that he understood, but too late. In fact, he knew the truth all along, but ignored it, denied it, postponed it. William Sloane Coffin says, “Hell is truth seen too late.” I believe that at the judgment there will be the kind of alarming comprehension which will fully recognize the truth and the fairness of God’s judgment. We will agree with the truth and fairness of God’s evaluation of our lives. The judgment, for many, will bring one great regret: they ignored and refused the grace of God and lived their lives for themselves. Karl Barth, the great theologian says, “Whether the achievement of a man’s life is great or small, significant or insignificant, he will one day stand before his eternal judge, and everything that he has done and performed will be no more than a mole hill, and then he will have nothing better to do than hope for something he has not earned: not for a crown, but quite simply for gracious judgment which he has not deserved. That is the only thing that will count then, achievement or not.” So it would be more accurate to say that the judgment is MORE than fair. For if we belong to Christ, we will not receive what we deserve, but something far better — a gift of grace. The Bible says, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:8-12). All will be judged — the living and dead, great and small, rich and poor, good and bad, church member and pagan, genius and mentally challenged. No one will avoid the judgment, and God will fully take all things into account. Nothing will be passed over. Jesus said, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” (Luke 8:17). For those without Christ, nothing will be hidden of all the things they have done wrong. It will be there for all to see. But on the other hand, for those who have received Christ into their lives and experienced his forgiveness, nothing good they have done will be hidden, it will be shown to all. It will be a full judgment. It will be a time when the first will be last and the last will be first. I am so glad I don’t have to be God and figure all this out. What will he do when there is someone who has never heard of Christ who is standing next to someone who has had the advantage of the church all their lives? What will he do about those who do not have the capacity to fully understand? I don’t know, but I know who God is. He is fair. He judges justly. He takes all things into account and weighs all the evidence. Whatever he does will be completely fair and equitable. Most people think of it as being a simple matter of going either to heaven or hell. What many people do not understand is that there will be degrees of reward and punishment. Jesus said, “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:47-48). If you have been given great privileges then you are accountable in ways that other people are not. “But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). It is a full judgment because not only will every thing we do be taken into account, but every thought, every motive, every intention. Listen to the fullness of the judgment as described in the book of Hebrews: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). The Bible says, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5). It is a full judgment because not only will punishment be handed out, but rewards will be given. This is time of rewarding those who do well, as well as punishing those who do wrong. Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:1). The Bible says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). The judgment will be final. There are no second chances. There are no reincarnations where some people get to come back and try it again. But you can do something now. You can make a mid-course correction. You have the opportunity to give your life to God and begin to live for him productively, but the day will come when your opportunities will be over. You will think your last thought; you will sing your last song; you will make your last decision; you will take your last breath. Time will be no more. The Bible says that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus said, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). All of us were created to live forever, and there is nothing we can do to change that. We will live forever, either with God or without him. We cannot change the fact that we will live forever, but we can change where we will spend forever. The Bible says, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10). Little wonder Paul said, “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). But this is a response of love, not fear. We read in the book of Matthew: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left” (Matthew 25:31-33). The final judgment is a time of great blessing for those who know Christ and faithfully live for him. It is a home going and a time of reward. According to a recent USA Today poll, the top five things people put off until the last minute are: House chores/yard work: 47%; holiday gift shopping: 43%; making doctor/dentist appointments: 35%; calling relatives: 31%; changing oil in the car: 29%. I think there is one thing the people taking the poll missed: putting off getting our lives right with God. Somehow we think this is something we can put off until another time, a later time — perhaps the last minute, and yet this is the most important decision we will ever make. It is possible to put it off until there is no more time. But why give God the leftovers of our lives? Why not give all the time we have left? Why not do it now?
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV9jiqS-74g


Tue, 21/10/2008 - 8:34am The Hindu Right fears not conversions but equitable society-Dr Udit Raj
RIGHT-WING HINDUS never had any issue with Christians or with conversion when it came to using — and exploiting — Christian institutions. They have had no problem in availing Christian medical facilities. No abhorrence has been evinced toward convent schools, where the so-called upper castes were taught the English that got them jobs abroad and enabled them to articulate their views at global forums. That changed around 1998, when the BJP came to power.
posted in: Current Issue, Morality, North India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 20/10/2008 - 10:57pm Sister Emmanuelle, France's 'Mother Teresa,' dies aged 99
PARIS (20th October) — Sister Emmanuelle, France's answer to Mother Teresa, who has died aged 99 was an unorthodox nun who spent 20 years helping the poor in a Cairo slum before returning to France to defend the homeless.The diminutive Roman Catholic nun, whose real name was Madeleine Cinquin, was best known in France for her frequent appearances on television to campaign passionately for the poor and homeless.She came to media attention with her work with some of the world's poorest people, the residents of the Ezbet El-Nakhl slum in Cairo who eke out their living by scavenging in the garbage produced in the giant city.
posted in: Current Issue, Religion, Other Countries
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 20/10/2008 - 10:35pm Christian believer killed in priest's Noida complex in Delhi
New Delhi-20th Oct-08A 25-year-old Christian believer was killed by unidentified assailants in the residential compound of a priest here, police said Oct 19th.
"Conrad Dominic Xavier was butchered to death by the assailants, who barged inside the residence compound of the priest in the early hours of Saturday night," Senior Superintendent of Police R.K. Chaturvedi said.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 20/10/2008 - 10:01pm Hindu outfit swears reconstruction of houses and churches destroyed
Bhubaneswar (Orissa) : RSS backed Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram on Sunday announced to protest strongly against reconstruction of churches in Kandhamal destroyed by VHP and its allies .
The RSS’s tribal affairs body however came down heavily on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s move to contribute for the reconstruction of churches.“Certainly, we would protest, if anyone construct or reconstruct churches on the lands of Kandhas,” VKA State general secretary Dr Laxmikant Das said at a Press Conference here.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 20/10/2008 - 4:32pm Taliban kill Christian aid worker in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban gunmen on a motorbike killed a Christian aid worker in the Afghan capital on Monday, and the militant group said it had targeted the woman because she was proselytizing.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Other Countries
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 20/10/2008 - 3:01pm State Governor Recommends Dismissal of Navin Pattnaik
State Governor Recommends Dismissal of Navin Pattnaik, CM of Orissa on Communal Violence Issue and related reports1.The Governor of Orissa Mr. Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare in his detailed confidential report to the Center mainly on Kandhamal has recommended for immediate dismissal of the Chief Minister of Orissa due the utter sheer negligence and incapability of his Govt. to play its judicious impartial neutral role to quickly control the violence and to protect minorities in the State. The continued planned attacks were made only on one particular Community, the UPA Government in the Centre has not taken any action against this, and hence the Navin Patnaik Government continues to function, according toSenior journalist and former MP Kuldip Nayar, writing in the Sunday Times International dated 19th October and also leading papers in Orissa. In an article titled "Massacre of Christians: Orissa's Navin is no better than Gujarat's Modi". He has also commented UPA's stand in this regard as "mysterious".
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment