Brown's Daily Word & India update11-10-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this day. I trust that you had a wonderful and worshipful weekend. It was a good day to be in the House of the Lord, to worship the Lord together, and to celebrate His love and grace displayed toward us.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Joshua 24. This is, in a way, the last sermon Joshua preached. Joshua addressed his remarks to the Israelites, urging them to move beyond indecision and restlessness to a clear-cut decision for God. Joshua’s primary concern was crystal-clear: He wanted them to know who the real God is. It is not with the might of their swords or bows that the victory has been won, but by the power of God. God did it all. Nevertheless, people had to choose God for themselves – intelligently, decisively and willingly. This is the God who made heaven and earth. This is this the God who loved man too much to leave him in his sin. This is the God who demonstrated His love by sending His only son to earth to earth to live among us. This is the God who knew that we could never earn our way into heaven by good works, so he went to the cross bearing our sins. This is the God whom the grave could not hold, and who rose victoriously from the grave. This is the God who established the Church and who is coming back in the form of His Son to bring all of human history to a culmination. This is the God whom we are called to serve. “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! (15) And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. …” There can be little doubt about what Joshua was saying here. The word “serve” appears seven times in verses fourteen and fifteen. Joshua that day called for a decision that would help end the spiritual, intellectual, and moral restlessness that marked so many lives. Joshua demanded a commitment when he said, “And now fear the Lord and serve him whole heartedly and without reservation.” Hundreds of years later the prophet Elijah, on Mount Carmel, gave a similar challenge. He said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him,, but if Baal, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21) One translation of this verse renders it, (RSV) “How long will you go limping with two different opinions.” Reflecting on all that God has done (vv. 1-13) the only reasonable response to overwhelming waves of God’s goodness is to follow Him. The same pattern is repeated in the New Testament, the lavish goodness of God is depicted in Romans 1-11 and then Romans 12:1 calls all men to the only rational response. . “So then brothers, in view of all these mercies that God has bestowed on you, I now make this plea. Present your bodies to God, present them as a sacrifice – a living one, not a lifeless one; a holy one (because it is offered to a holy God), and one in which He will take pleasure. For, when you consider your indebtedness to God, the consecration of your lives in his service is your logical act of worship.” [F. F. Bruce. An Expanded Paraphrase of the Epistles of Paul. (Exeter: Paternoster, 1965) page 223,225] Joshua was at this point 110 years of age. He was a soldier hardened from battle. He bore the scars of long-term commitment. His choice to follow God was not made lightly, nor was it held lightly. In his study of Joshua, Francis Schaeffer points out that when Joshua challenged the people to choose to serve God, and affirmed that this was his settled choice as well, the tense that he used implied more than just a once for all time choosing, as if he could make a choice and be done with it forever. The tense involves continuous action. That is, it involves the past but it also involves the present and the future. It is as if Joshua had said, “I have chosen to serve the Lord; I am choosing the same path of service now; and I will go on choosing to serve God until the very end.” To Joshua, serving the Lord was a daily choice. [Francis Schaeffer. Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History. (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1975) page 208] Joshua ended his address with what has become known as one of the most powerful and courageous testimonies and witnesses in all of Scripture. Joshua said, “… But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” This statement is the culmination of a life lived in obedience to God and His word. There were times when Joshua had failed. There were times when he was discouraged, but once Joshua had committed his life to God he followed the one true God. Joshua not only influenced his own household but also motivated many others to serve the Lord. For bad or good, our influence always extends beyond our immediate surroundings. Verse sixteen reveals, “So the people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; (17) for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed.”We also are challenged to go on, and by deliberate daily choices to follow Christ in fearless faith just as Joshua did. It may not make us popular but it will make us powerful as the people of God. The book of Joshua ends on a note of affirmation. The people responded, saying, (v. 24) “The Lord our God we will serve and His voice we will obey.” The bottom-line choice of Israel had long lasting results. Verse thirty-one reveals, “Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which he had done for Israel.”

In Christ,
Brown



» 11/03/2008 16:55INDIABishop of Orissa: We are being persecuted like the first Christiansby Nirmala CarvalhoRaphael Cheenath, archbishop of Bhubaneshwar, comments to AsiaNews on the first pastoral letter of the bishops of Orissa following the violence that began at the end of August. The text calls for justice regarding all of the destruction, but also thanks many citizens and Indian and international organizations for their collaboration.
Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews) - A pastoral letter signed by six bishops of Orissa was read yesterday in all the churches of the state, where for two months a pogrom against Christians has been underway. The letter is the first document published by the pastors since the beginning of the violence.
It is signed by Bishop Thomas Thiruthalil of Balasore; Bishop Alphonse Bilung of Rourkela; Bishop Lucas Kerketta of Sambalpur; Bishop Sarat Chandra Naik of Berhampur; John Barwa, coadjutor bishop of Rourkela; and Raphael Cheenath, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.
"Our people are traumatized by these ruthless and barbaric attacks, and we needed to encourage them not to lose hope," Archbishop Cheenath tells AsiaNews. "Moreover, we felt at this point in the history of Orissa to explain to the people the historical background of the persecution of the Church, the history of the Christians who for centuries who have been persecuted for bearing the name of Christ and for the faith. The early Church went through great hardships and martyrdom; its members were often persecuted and massacred. But history has shown that persecution ultimately strengthens the Church."
In the text, published "too late" by the admission of the bishops themselves, the pastors say they are "humbled by your strong adherence to your faith and by your trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. We are proud of you for your ability to withstand all forms of intimidations and threats."
The results of the violence since August 23 have been extensive: more than 60 people killed amid horrible torture; more than 180 churches (Catholic and Protestant) destroyed; thousands of homes burned; convents, youth hostels, hospitals, and social centers devastated; at least 50,000 Christians who fled the massacre living in the forests or in unsafe refugee camps set up by the government.
In recent days, Archbishop Cheenath presided over the funeral for one of the martyrs of Orissa, Fr. Bernard Digal, who died of complications from the beating he suffered, for hours, from Hindu fundamentalists in the district of Kandhamal, where the series of attacks began. The bishop says that "Now [in the the district of Kandhamal] there are no attacks because there is nothing left to be destroyed, burnt or looted - the extremists have razed everything to the ground - there are no burnings or destruction as nothing remains. Now our people are terrified of returning to their homes and villages because firstly, they will be attacked, and beaten up, their lives are still in danger - even though the new district administration is doing much to provide safety to the Christians. Secondly, our people are frightened of being forced to change their religion. Thousands have been tonsured and forced to embrace Hinduism as a prerequisite to return to their villages, as they have been warned that they can stay only as Hindus. And thirdly, many of the Kandhamal Christians have been forced to surrender their land and property, and this is a bleak future for our people."
The pastoral letter asks the government for security; for justice and for punishment of the guilty; for adequate compensation for those who have lost their property. But above all, the letter highlights the reasons for the persecution: "The Church has been standing by the side of the poor and the marginalized. Through education, health, housing and employment programmes, the Church has been bringing in awareness and awakening among the vulnerable communities. They in turn are demanding their rights. This is not liked by the powers that are since they fear their position being challenged by the poor people. Hence, they have taken to violence. But we condemn this and restate our resolve to continue the services of the Church."
The letter thanks "individuals, organisations, civil society organizations, media persons and houses, NGOs, academics, political activists, conscientious citizens" in India and abroad for their support for Christians.
According to Archbishop Cheenath, there has also been a change in the district administration of Orissa. "Christians have suffered," he says, "because of the inaction and at times complicity of the administration and police, but now with the new collector, and the change in attitude, the bishops of Orissa felt we needed to speak to our people." In recent weeks, the police have arrested a number of extremists held responsible for the violence.
Sat, 08/11/2008 - 7:13pm Obama team member, Sonal, a world Hindu council activist(VHP)
New Delhi: US President-elect Barack Obama may have cultivated a left-of-center image for himself, but Sonal Shah, the Indian-American advisor in his transition team, has well established rightwing VHP leanings.
The 40-year-old economist has been associated with the overseas activities of the Sangh Parivar. She was a national coordinator of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America campaign to raise funds for Gujarat earthquake victims in 2001.
Her father Ramesh Shah, a vice-president of the Overseas Friends of the Bharatiya Janata Party (OFBJP), had campaigned for LK Advani in Gandhinagar during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. He had also briefly traveled with Advani during his Bharat Udaya Yatra, countrywide election tour.
Sonal’s brother Amit and sister Rupal are now based in Ahmedabad, running a voluntary organisation, indicorps. Its website says its aim is to “engage the most talented young Indians from around the world on the frontlines of India’s most pressing challenges”.VHP has involved directly in the killing of Dalits in Orissa and involved in the large scale violence against christians