Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Book That Set My People Free

Let me take you half a world away and tell you the story of Rochunga Pudaite, an Indian national from the people known as the Hmars.  He tells his story in a volume titled The Book That Set My People Free (Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House, 1982).

The Hmars were at one time one of the most feared tribes in India.  They had descended from Mongols who had come from central China, crossed the lower Himalayas, and settled in northeast India.  They were headhunters, and when they fought they took heads that they hung over the doors of their bamboo huts.  The British, who ruled India in those days, called them "barbaric tribesmen" and said they were almost like animals.  When the British tried to enter the Hmar territory, the Hmars fought back.  On one occasion they took five hundred heads in just one raid on a tea plantation.  The soldiers pursued them.  A few Hmars were killed, but most escaped back into the jungle, which is where they were when a Welsh missionary by the name of Watkin Roberts brought the Bible to their tribe.

Roberts was a chemist who had been converted during one of the great Welsh revivals of the last century, and when he read an account of the pursuit of the Hmar headhunters by British soldiers, he felt that God wanted him to take the Bible to them.

When Roberts arrived at the border of the Hmar territory in India, the British authorities would not let him proceed, declaring the area much too dangerous.  So Roberts did the next best thing.  He found some Lushais from a tribe adjoining the Hmars and began to translate the Bible into their related language.  When he received a small gift for the work from a lady in England, he printed a few hundred copies of the Gospel of John and sent a copy to each of the tribal villages.

One of these copies came to the village in which Pudaite's father was living.  A Lushai tribersman happened to be there and read the book to him.  Pudaite's father could not understand what it meant to be "born again," and the neighbor could not explain it to him.  He suggested that the chief invite the translator to the village.

When Roberts asked the British agent for permission to go, he was told not to enter the Hmar territory.  "When I go in there, I take along a hundred soldiers for protection, and I can't spare a single soldier for you," said the agent.  Roberts showed him the tribal chief's invitation but was told it was deceptive.  "They only want to chop your head off," he said.  Roberts went anyway and was able to explain the gospel to the people.  After a week of teaching, the chief and four Hmar men announced that they wanted to make peace with the God of the Bible by believing on JesusChrist.  One of the four men was Pudaite's father.

This man, whose name was Chawanga, became one of the first Hmar preachers.  He traveled all over the territory, teaching the Bible, leading people to Christ, and founding churches.  These early Hmar preachers founded churches in almost every village.  Many people came to Christ.  They were tired of their fighting, drinking, and fear.  When they became Christians they began living different lives.  They began to work harder and built schools for their children.

Strangely enough, the British branded Watkin Roberts a troublemaker for his part in this tribal transformation and ordered him to leave.  As a result, he left only a part of the Bible in the Lushai language.

The Hmars chose Rochunga Pudaite to do the Hmar translation. Although none of them had ever been out of their own area of northeast India, they sent Pudaite to a mission school and then to a college in India.  The missionary worked with others to see that Pudaite was able to continue his education in Scotland and then in America.  Pudaite did the translation and later became the new head of the mission Watkin Roberts had founded, the Indo-Burma Pioneer Mission, which later changed its name to the Partnership Mission.

Today, reports Pudaite: "The Hmars . . .have become one of the most advanced ethnic groups in all India.  At least ninety-five percent are Christians, worshiping in over 200 churches.  Except for Mr. Roberts, the only missionary they have had is the Bible.

"Hmar population is now up to about 125,000.  Eighty-five perent can read and write, a phenomenal perentage in India (and a higher percentage than the citizens of Philadelphia).  They have eighty-eight church-sponsored elementary schools, seven junior highs, and four high schools  -  one with an enrollment of about a thousand.  They even have a good hospital, staffed by Hmar doctors and nurses.

"One of our Hmars holds the rank of ambassador in the Indian Embassy in Yugoslavia.  Another is the Indian charge d'affaires in Saudi Arabia.  Another is the highest ranking civil servant in India.  Another is the administrator of a large state.  Every year the government gives tests to select the outstanding young men for government service.  Only about twenty are selected in the whole country.  For several years one or two Hmars have been in each group of winners.  And there is only one Hmar for every 7,000 people in India."  {The quote is from 1990}

The Hmars have also begun taking the gospel to other tribes, starting hundreds of churches in other territories.  They have taken food to tribes that were starving.  As for Rochunga Pudaite, he is now head of an organization called Bibles for the World, which has already mailed millions of  Bibles to postal addresses in scores of countries and has a vision for mailing in this decade {1990}at least one billion Bibles to the more than one billion telephone addresses worldwide.

Pudaite says, "The Bible is the Book that reveals the mind of God, the heart of man, the way of salvation, and the blessedness of believers.  It is the Book that tells us where we come from and where we are going.  It is the Book that set my people free."
  (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Volume 3)


"God does not work through big battalions, He is not interested in numbers; He is interested in purity, in holiness, in vessels fit and meet for the Master's use.  We must concentrate, not on numbers, but upon doctrine, upon regeneration, upon holiness, upon realization that this is a holy temple in the Lord, a habitation of God."   D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Several Items of Interest

Russia to Outlaw "Homosexual Propaganda"
Last month, the Russian parliament approved by a vote of 388-1-1 a draft law outlawing the disemination of "homosexual propaganda" to minors, prompting the Obama administration to pull out of "civil society" dialogue, WORLD News Service reports.  The legislation, backed by the combined efforts of the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, would also ban public events promoting homosexual rights, charge fines of up to $16,000 for any public displays of "homosexual propaganda," and block web content inappropriate for younger audiences.  After two more readings, it goes to Russian president Vladimir Putin for his signature.  The bill, designed to protect minors from the influence of "sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism," is part of a growing national trend towards promoting traditional Russian values over Western liberalism.

U. S. Government Extends Federal Benefits to Homosexuals in Military
The U. S. government announced last week that it was extending a number of federal benefits to homosexuals in the military, the Christian News Network reports.  The announcement was made by outgoing Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who stated that he would like to see the accommodations implemented by October 1, if not before.  among the 22 total benefits include hospital visitations, military child care and legal services, participation in family groups on base and privileges in commissaries.  Because the federal Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the government from recognizing any other relationship outside of one man and one woman as being in a marriage, certain other benefits could not be extended, including assistance with housing and the provision of healthcare benefits.  DOMA is currently being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to hear an oral argument on the issue next month and rule on the matter in June.

Marco Rubio: Only One Savior, and It's Not Me
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has made many headlines in recent weeks, first for his high-profile efforts to pass an immigration overhaul, then for his selection as the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech.  Though the next presidential election is still years away, Rubio is already being seen as a potential GOP frontrunner for the nomination.  But after a new TIME magazine cover story dubbed him "The Republican Savior," Rubio took to Twitter for his response, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rubio tweeted Feb. 7: There is only one savior, and it is not me. # Jesus."

CDC: Teen Births Hit Record Lows in 2011
The number of U.S. babies born to teen mothers dropped to record lows in 2011, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jim Liebelt reports.  Fewer women gave birth in their 20s as well than in prior years, the researchers said in findings published in Pediatrics  -  but the birth rate increased for those in their late 30s and early 40s.  The new data showed an 8-percent drop in teen births between 2010 and 2011, with just over 3 percent of 15-to 19-year-olds having babies during that period. CDC statistician Brady Hamilton, lead author of the report and his colleagues calculated that 3l6 million more babies would have been born to women in that age group over the last two decades had the teen birth rate not been falling since a peak in 1991.  Hamilton said the decline in teen births, in particular, is especially welcome news and reflects the efforts of programs and policies targeting that age group.

(Religion Today Daily Headlines, Feb. 14, 18 & 19)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Suffering and the Glory of God

I once visited with a woman who was dying from uterine cancer.  She was greatly distressed, but not only from her physical ailment.  She explained to me that she had had an abortion when she was a young woman, and she was convinced that her disease was a direct consequence of that.  In short, she believed cancer was the judgment of God on her.

The usual pastoral response to such an agonizing question from someone in the throes of death is to say the affliction is not a judgment of God for sin. But I had to be honest, so I told her that I did not know.  Perhaps it was God's judgment, but perhaps it was not.  I cannot fathom the secret counsel of God or read the invisible hand of His providence, so I did not know why she was suffering.  I did know, however, that whatever the reason for it, there was an answer for her guilt.  We talked about the mercy of Christ and of the cross, and she died in faith.

The question that woman raised is asked every day by people who are suffering affliction.  It is addressed in one of the more difficult passages in the New Testament.  In John 9, we read: "As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'  Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him'" (vv. 1-3).

Why did Jesus' disciples suppose that the root cause of this man's blindness was his sin or his parents' sin?  They certainly had some basis for this assumption, for the Scriptures, from the account of the fall onward, make it clear that the reason suffering, disease, and death exist in this world is sin.  The disciples were correct that somehow sin was involved in this man's affliction.  Also, there are examples in the Bible of God causing affliction because of specific sins.  In ancient Israel, God afflicted Moses' sister, Miriam, with leprosy because she questioned Moses' role as God's spokesman (Num. 12:1-10). Likewise, God took the life of the child born to Bathsheba as a result of David's sin (2 Sam. 12:14-18).  The child was punished, not because of anything the child did, but as a direct result of God's judgment on David.

However, the disciples made the mistake of particularizing the gereral relationship between sin and suffering.  They assumed there was a direct correspondence between the blind man's sin and his affliction.  Had they not read the book of Job, which deals with a man who was innocent and yet was severely afflicted by God?  The disciples erred in reducing the options to two when there was another alternative.  They posed their question to Jesus in an either/or fashion,committing the logical fallacy of the false dilemma, assuming that the sin of the man or the sin of the man's parents was the cause of his blindness.

The disciples also seem to have assumed that anyone who has an affliction suffers in direct proportion to the sin that has been committed.  Again, the book of Job dashes that conclusion, for the degree of suffering Job was called to bear was astronmical compared with the suffering and afflictions of others far more guilty than he was.

We must never jump to the conclusion that a particular incidence of suffering is a direct response or in direct correspondence to a person's particular sin.  The story of the man born blind makes this point.

Our Lord answered the disciples' question by correcting their false assumption that the man's blindness was a direct consequence of his or his parents' sin.  He assured them that the man was born blind not because God was punishing the man or the man's parents.  There was another reason.  And because there was another reason in this case, there might always be another reason for the afflictions God calls us to endure.

Jesus answered His disciples by saying, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him"(v. 3).  What did He mean?  Simply put, Jesus said that the man was born blind so that Jesus might heal him at the appointed time, as a testimony to Jesus' power and divinity.  Our Lord displayed His identity as the Savior and the Son of God in this healing.

When we suffer, we must trust that God knows what He is doing, and that He works in and through the pain and afflictions of His people for His glory and for their sanctification.  It is hard to endure lengthy suffering, but the difficulty is greatly alleviated when we hear our Lord explaining the mystery in the case of the man born blind, whom God called to many years of pain for Jesus' glory.
  (Dr. R. C. Sproul, Tabletalk, Feb. 2013, www.ligonier.org/tabletalk)

Monday, February 11, 2013

Humble Congressional Prayers

From its inception, our nation has been a nation of believing people who do not expect our national unity to be reinforced by religious unity.  In the 18th century, this was a political experiment without precedent.  From our modern perspective, the fact that our population was almost universally Protestant Christian might lead us to believe that it was a simple proposition.  It was not.

Today our political experiment is much more complicated.  Our religious plurality is much  broader, including now Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and a multitude of other faiths, not to mention those who claim no religious affiliation, the "Nones."

People of the Abrahamic faiths, certainly, believe that God is involved in the affairs of the world.  Within each of these religions, as we know, there are great differences in understanding of what God's will is for the world and for the men and women within and without these belief systems.  But as followers of Christ, we know from history that the affairs of men and women are affected, both for good and for ill, by people of faith, and people without faith, not to mention by "acts of nature," or "acts of God."

So what might it mean to be a nation of prayer?  And how might people of prayer pray then, for the president and for all those who would serve in political office?

We might start from a position of humility.  We are all creatures.  Though the strength of our faith, or our convictions, might lead us to believe we know what God's will is, or, dare I say, what we think it must be, God has shown throughout history that He is not manipulated by prayer.  Rather, He is mindful of our prayer, and faithful to those who put our trust in Him.  Oftentimes, the fruits of our prayers, or the hopes of our peoples, are not fulfilled in our own times, or in satisfaction of our own understanding.  Sometimes we lose, but God has not and does not abandon the human family.

The president, not to mention the men and women of Congress, do not need our prayers because they are people of strong faith themselves, or because of their righteous ways or political correctness or incorrectness.  They need our prayers because they are our brothers and sisters.  They are striving, as we are, to find and perhaps bring meaning to the work they do to benefit our nation.

Is it too much to believe that God has been a part of our American experiment from the beginning?  Is it too much to believe that God is a part still, working through us all to make America, and our world, a sacred reality?  Is it too much to believe that that is worth praying for?

I hope not.

(Rev. Patrick J.Conroy,Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, Intercessors for America, Jan/Feb 2013, www.IFAPray.org)


What is the most pressing need of the evangelical church today if she is to make an impact on society?

"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22

From my perspective as an educator in the Christian world, I have a rather limited view of the problems that emerge in the church and the needs that are most pressing.  We have a sinful tendency to pick our own area of specialty and make that the most important one and say that's where we really need to have the energy focused or where the changes happen.  Like everybody else, that's where I am.

I happen to believe that the most urgent need right now among evangelical Christians, if they're ever going to make an impact in this world, is at the level of adult education.  For Christians to grow to maturity, they have to think like Christians.  To behave in the fullness of maturity as effective, principled disciples of Christ, they need to gain an indepth understanding of the Word of God.  The Bible, I think, echoes that sentiment again and again in the numerous passages that exhort us to be mature in our understanding.  At times the author of Hebrews heavily rebukes the Christian community by saying that they had spent too much time as babes in Christ; they were too content with milk and were not moving on to solid meat.  If we're going to make an impact in our cuture, we have to be spiritually mature.

Let me put it this way: Children don't make a lot of impact in the changing of a nation. They don't create the values and the structures of the nation in which we live.  I think that has a carryover spiritually.  We have to grow to adulthood as Christians before we're ever going to have any kind of significant impact on the culture.

According to the most comprehensive study/poll about religion ever conducted in the United States, we should be in the greatest revival this country has ever experienced.  About 65 million people in the United States claim to be born-again Christians.  And yet that same study shows little or no measurable impact by that group on the shaping of the social institutions and the structures of our nation.  How is it possible that a block of people that strong does not make its influence felt more significantly in the shaping of our nation?  My conclusion is that we haven't yet understood the biblical values ourselves and haven't come to that dpeth of understanding that provides maturity for leadership.

(R. C. Sproul, Now,That's a Good Question, 1996)

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Pastor Bill's Thought for the Day

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in it he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither, And whatever he does shall prosper."  NKJV

The above describes the life style of a man (or woman) who prospers in the important things of life.  They are people who "delight in the law of the Lord and they meditate on it day and night."

God gave us the Bible that it could and should be read.  I am an avid reader, but I am careful that the Bible is my most read book. There is an old story about a lady who wanted to impress the visiting pastor and called to her granddaughter, "Honey, bring Grandma the book"  "What book Grandma?"  "You know, the book that Grandma is always reading."  The little girl brought the Sears catalogue.

I list a few things to look for when reading God's word: (12) A command to obey!  (2) A promise to claim!  (3) A warning to heed!  (4) A good example to follow!  (5) A bad example to avoid!

Our home Bible study this morning (Sunday) is in Hebrews 2.  Verse 2 reads "Therefore we must give earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest we drift away."  The things that the early Christians, mostly heard by word of mouth, we have on the printed page, so we cannot claim ignorance.  In the letter to the first church (Rev. 2) the Lord said,  "I know your works, your labor, your patience...."  (v.2) but then He said,  "...you have left your first love."  (v.4)

What happened?  Did they get so busy working they didn't have time to listen?  We do live in a busy time, but if we are so busy that we can't read God's word, daily, and "give earnest heed" (Heb. 2)  "meditate on it" (Psa. 1), we are too busy.

There is another temptation that works quite well for the enemy.  Paul wrote, "All things are lawful for me but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me but not all things edify."  (1st Cor. 10:23)

Let me paraphrase that just a little,  "Many things are entertaining but not edifying."  We can be so busy "relaxing" that God's word is neglected.  It is a matter of putting first things first.
   ( Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, Wyoming, Jan. 29,2013,  drbc@bresnan.net)

Friday, February 1, 2013

Several Items of Interest

"The other day,I saw John Wesley's diary, or rather,hourary, for it had in it not merely an entry for every day, but for every hour: and not only for every hour, but usually there was a distinct occupation for every twenty minutes.  The good man made his days to have many hours in them, and his hours seemed to have more minutes in them than most men's hours have, because he did not waste any of them, but diligently used them all in his Master's service."  -- Charles Spurgeon

LORD'S DAY 1      QUESTION 1
    What is thy only comfort in life and in death?

                                 ANSWER
That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ, who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation.  Wherefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto him.

                                    QUESTION 2
   How many things are necessary for thee to know, that thou in this comfort mayest live and die happily?

                                    ANSWER
Three things: First, the greatness of my sin and misery. Second, how I am redeemed  from all my sins and misery.  Third, how I am to be thankful to God for such redemption.


Boy Scouts of America Considering Ending Ban on Gay Members
The Boy Scouts of America is considering dropping a longtime ban on gay members and discussing whether to allow local organizations to decide their own policy, Fox News reports.  Spokesman Deron Smith said Monday, "The BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation. This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation., but that the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with their organization's mission, principles or religious beliefs." Smith added that the organization has been in contact with families to determine the best interests "BSA members and parents would be able to choose a local unit which best meets the needs of their families," he said.
  
Muslim Group Threatens Egypt's Coptic Christians, Tells Them to  "Pay Tribute"
An armed Islamic movement calling itself the "Brigade of Muslims" released a statement on Saturday threatening Egypt's Coptic Christians and asking them to pay tribute, the Christian Post reports.  "Egypt is an Islamic country and will be ruled according to sharia," the statment said. The movement threatened all Egyptian media professionals who "mock religion and Islamic rule," warning that their persistence in mocking would result in the "shedding of their blood in the ugliest way."  The movement said it was established because of the strife being plotted against the country and the plans of enemies of Islam, both at home and abroad.  It noted its approach was jihad, and that it would fight the Egyptian army and interior Ministry if they did not stand up to "Copts and their helpers."
  (artaicles from Religion Today Headlines, Jan. 29)