JOHN 3.16
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.
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CONTENTS Editorial Sherin Johnson 5 Uniqueness of The Grace of God Pr. John Assey 7 Etymology - Grace Rev. Shyam Raj 9 The Finger of God Pr. Regi B. Abraham 10 Poem- Freedom Christeena Shifa 12
President: Blasson N Mathew Chief Editor: Sherin Johnson Co-Ordinator Overseas: Betty Joseph Subscription Co-ordinators: Roshin C Raju, JJithin Abraham and Kevin CK
Special Thanks: Jessica Coutinho
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ABOUT OUR WRITERS Pr. John Assey Pr. John loves teaching and preaching the word for nurturing lives in the Love of Christ! He wanted to live as a person joyful in the Lord, Obedient to HIS word and be humble while loving all. Pr. Reji B Abraham Pr Reji is a pastor and teacher of the Bible. He is known for rightly diving the word of the God. Right now He is pastoring in IPC Shettihally church, Bangalore, India.
Shifa Christina Reji Shifa is a BSc nursing student from Bangalore, India. She love to do gospel ministry in jails as well as among tribals. Rev. Shyam Raj Rev. Shyam Raj has completed M.Th in mission and MA in history and stays at Bangalore. He is a renowned Bible teacher and preacher in India and abroad. He is married to Riji.and blessed with twins Jordan and Joshah.
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Editorial Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States of America once said ‘‘Nothing comes free. Nothing. Not even good, especially not good.’’ When we look at today’s world it is so true. Even though God has made everything for free, men put a price tag on it. Interestingly, The things that seem to be free are those that have already been bought with a price by someone. God ordained a dispensation of grace for men to be free from the clenches of sin, curses and judgement. Even though the grace of God is a free gift, God has already paid a price, a big price for our salvation. His own Son was given to the world in human nature and likeness. At present we are delivered by His grace from all the bondages. Grace has given us the power to say ‘No’ to our sinful nature and all the schemes of the devil. Grace has given us the favour of God to live in a joyful way in this troublesome world. Nevertheless, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. It was a costly price, It cost God His only Son. Hence, The judgement of the world is given to Jesus. He has given His life that we may live like Him in victory. Now we are free full of the favour of God, seated in heavenly places and enjoying the spirit of joy of the Lord. Let us confer our joy and love to the perishing world by sharing the Love of God bestowed up on us in the form of grace in His Son Jesus Christ on the cross.
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Sherin Johnson Chief Editor
“Divine grace is the mercy of God that created us in the image and likeness of God and restored us in Christ when we lost the glory of God” VIJAYAKUMAR VELUTHAKKAL
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UNIQUENESS OF THE GRACE OF GOD P R . JO H N A S S E Y
Hence, believers in every circumstance are privileged to enjoy the grace of God.
God’s grace is unique; we live by God’s grace and His generosity. Nothing that we do can earn us His favor or qualify us for His blessings. Everything we enjoy every day is a gift from the gracious and generous God. He has given us more than what we deserve. In worldly terms, you have to work to pay for anything needed in life. Essentially, we will be rewarded in proportion to our hard work. During the pandemic situation, Many families underwent difficulties like scarcity of food due to lack of wages. Our society once again taught us that nothing is free. In this era of such difficulties in life we must know more about the grace of God, which sustains life.
1) The Grace of God Brings Salvation.
This grace is very unique in various services of God, enabling you and me to carry out His intends. God’s grace is distinctive since it is the source of our justification, sanctification, regeneration and salvation which is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. God declared more about His grace in the word of God. Grace is incredible as it is the unmerited favor of God. For a believer of Christ, grace is the divine assistance given to him or her to lead a victorious and peaceful life. Grace is the virtue coming from God that offers approval, favor, mercy and pardon.
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God’s grace is not merely a philosophy or a teaching. It is God’ love in action; it is the very heart of our relationship with God. God's grace is found in the love relationship of God with men. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16. The Lord blesses people who don’t deserve to be blessed. The Bible explains about it that “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people” Titus 2:11. 2) The Grace of God Teaches Goodness God’s grace not only saves us but also adds so many favors to our lives. Only when we go through weakness in life then we receive more of God’s grace for our day to day living. The Bible says “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me”(II Cori 12.9).
His amazing grace can teach us how to live rightly in this wicked world. 3) Grace of God gives us Hope. We wait for the blessed hope of the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our blessed hope is the return of Jesus. The Bible says “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming” (1Peter 1.13). Wages are given on the basis of a person’s hard work. Similarly, when a person competes with an opponent in a race He or she receives a trophy for his performance. Moreover, an award is given when a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements. However, grace is the favor given to a person when he or she is not able to earn a wage, trophy or an award. It is completely God's unmerited favour. May God bless you according to His grace and mercy.
"God’s grace is not merely a philosophy or a teaching. It is God’ love in action; it is the very heart of our relationship with God. God's grace is found in the love relationship of God with men."
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ETYMOLOGY GRACE Grace in simple terms is God's unmerited favor and supernatural enablement and empowerment for salvation and for daily sanctification. Grace is everything and nothing to those who don't deserve anything. Grace is what every man needs, what none can earn and what only God alone can and does freely give. Grace addresses man's sin, while mercy addresses man's misery. The gift of grace makes men fit for salvation, miraculously making separated strangers into God's beloved sons. Therefore Grace is not merely the initiatory act of God that secures believer’s eternal salvation, but also that which maintains it throughout all of the Christian life. The Greek term for Grace is charis, which is found 5485 times in the Bible which literally means to rejoice. Someone has written that the word grace is probably the greatest word in the Scriptures, even greater than “love,” because grace is love in action. It is hardly too much to say that God has in no word uttered Himself and all that was in His heart more distinctly than in this word grace (charis).
The Hebrew word translated as grace is hhen mentions 2580 times in the Bible. It is the benevolent action of God, stooping down to us in His kindness and reaching to us in our need, and conveying upon us a benefit. His grace has been termed 'unmerited favor' but it is more than an attitude of favor or mercy. His mercy is an expression of His compassion toward us, but His grace is an extension of benevolence translated into action that releases His enabling power into our lives.Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives to us to become His children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to people, generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved. Let us therefore respond to God’s call according to the grace we receive from God. Let us also live in the form of divine favor, love, clemency, and a share in the divine life of God.
Rev. Shyam Raj Kingdom Perspectives I Jan- Feb 2021
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THE FINGER OF GOD
P R . RE G I B . A B R A H A M
Recently our finance minister made a statement “Coronavirus was an act of God.” This statement was recorded in the Bible by magicians in Egypt’s King Pharaoh’s palace. “The magicians said to Pharaoh “This is the finger of God (Exo.8:19). Here we can see the finger of God in calamity. However, what the Bible says about our Lord is He is slow to anger and long-suffering, jealous for his own honour and for his people, but He is wrathful and avenging against His enemies. He controls nature, nations, and history. If you refuse to listen to His voice in the sanctuary (Psalms.77:13). Similarly, He is a God who will speak to you in your life’s storms (Psalms.77:19). In Psalms 8:3 and Gen 1:1 we can see the finger of God in creation. In 1961, Euri Gagarin, the first Russian cosmonaut to go into space is alleged to have boasted, “I looked and looked but I didn’t see God.” However, the Bible says one day all will see God, stand before him and be judged (Romans 14:11-12). If you look you will see God at work everywhere, including your own life. (Romans 1:20). Further, we see the finger of God is giving principles of life to His children. To Moses God gave two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God, (Exo:31:18).
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Have you wondered why God wrote the commandments in stone? It is because His principles are permanent and unchanging.Moreover, God’s law is written in our hearts (Romans 2:14-15). Paul says in (1Timothy 1:19) about the importance of keeping a good heart that holds good conscience (Acts.24:16). For instance, we see the ripples go out when we drop pebbles into a pond. Even though the pebble is so small but how effective it is, yet in winter the same pond freezes and we can drive a truck across it. Our conscience is like that, our hearts become hardened and we no longer hear when our conscience directs our lives appropriately. Accordingly, we see God’s finger cleansing a person who is caught in adultery. Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger (John 8:6). The finger of God is the cleansing finger. Jesus sees every weed as a potential rose, every doubter as a potential believer, and every sinner as a potential saint. We are living in a challenging world with changing situations. We can trust only in God who is in control of everything in difficult times. When Jesus was in this world, He promised us that “Do not be afraid.”
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When you find yourself in trouble, do you sometimes think I must have done something wrong? Perhaps all have missed God’s will and are under the punishment of God.The moment we confess our sins God is faithful to forgive us and Cleanse us from every dirt of the sins (1John 1.9. Once the disciples of Jesus travelled in a boat and it was buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. However, the disciples were neither in the storm by disobeying but by obeying Jesus; not by rejecting God’s will, but by embracing it. The Bible says “it is Jesus who made the disciples get into the boat and go (Mathew. 14:22). At times you will find yourself in troubled waters because what you did was right rather than what was popular, easy or selfish. When that happens, here are some helpful lessons from the disciple’s experience:
1) Obedience does not guarantee that there will be no storms. Understand this that when God does not solve your problem; however, God will show up in the middle of the problems and cause you to come out and your faith will be fortified. 2) Fear does not mean you are a failure. It is just a reminder that you are human. Just like the disciples, you have forgotten the Lord, who has the power over every situation. If you are able to believe in HIm, He will transform your trial into triumph. 3) God has not promised a smooth sailing, but He has promised a safe landing. God is walking with you in all your life situations. May the finger of God be revealed to you in nature, guide you with His precious commandments and cleanse you with his kind words. May God bless you and help you overcome every kind of trouble.
"Jesus sees every weed as a potential rose, every doubter as a potential believer, and every sinner as a potential saint."
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"...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 Kingdom Perspectives I Jan- Feb 2021
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FREEDOM
Being amidst a pandemic Locked in fear and Down in anxiety Though the flesh is worn and weary And spirit is depressed Though your sky is filled with dark clouds The ocean of life becomes stormy Situation is gloom ridden Cause life is queer with its twist and turns Hang it on the cross Cause Jesus sets us free Mirth like mist pass away And all its honours die Remember there is a father Who will calm the storms of life And clear the sky of your mind Cause he is kind and reigns forever!
C H R IST E E N A S H I F A
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JESUS IS FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” - John 1:17
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