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CSI Good News
(Church of South India Good News)
Vol. 2 / Issue 11 / April 20 2000
Contents of this issue
Editorial
Seven Sayings from the Cross
Prayer Request
News Items (Common to all issues) :
Through the Valley of Death & other Books
Download Articles in Handheld Computers
Kids Page - Free Tutorials
Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
Your Spam Folder
Your Feedback
Editorial
By Sherly Isaac
Revelation 1:17-18, "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."
Here Jesus says, "yes, it is true that I was dead but I am no longer a dead person but I am risen from the dead and alive forevermore." Yes, He has risen from the dead and lives forever and forever. Not only is He risen from the dead but he has power to raise us from death and destruction. What is death? When we read Genesis, we can see that God made His creation perfect. He made human being perfect and put them in the Garden of Eden. They were happy and blessed. They had fellowship with God. They were never afraid of anything and they never heard the word "death". They never knew what pain, sufferings and sorrow are. They were in perfect peace. But something terrible happened in between. Third chapter of Genesis tells us the story of the fall of man in sin. Man was deceived by devil and he did what God had forbidden him to do. And by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree Adam and Eve became dead according to this verse in Genesis 3:3, "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die."
Death came in this world. Sorrow, pain and sufferings came in this world. Man lost the fellowship of God. He lost the presence of almighty God. He lost whatever God had given him, in fact he lost everything. Now he had to go through punishment for his sin and what was the punishment? Hell fire, eternal death… as the Bible says in Romans 3:26, "For the wages of sin is death….." Yes, for our sins there was no other option left except going through hell fire. But I have good news for you that you need not to go to hell fire. You need not to pay the price of your punishment as Jesus has already paid the price by His supreme sacrifice on the cruel cross. He shed His precious blood for the remission of our sins. There is forgiveness of our sins. There is a heaven to gain. And it is possible because Jesus rose up from the dead and lives forever and forever. If you have not yet received Christ in your life, if you have not yet got the forgiveness of your sins, this is the day, this is the time to repent from your sins and to invite Jesus in your life. He will do the rest. He will wash away all your sins, all your past, and will give you a new life - a life filled with His peace, His joy and His happiness that the world can not give.
Seven Sayings from the Cross
By Sherly Isaac
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do:
Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.
Jesus was full of love and because of that He could pray like this for those who crucified Him, for those who mocked at Him. He said, "Father forgive them, for they do no know what they do." Yes, my friend, you may be living in sin and not knowing what you are doing. You might have never realized that there is a God and that He will punish you. You may be living and walking in dark ways of the devil not knowing where you will end up.
We read in the Bible that on the first day of His creation God separated light from the darkness. Genesis 1:2, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."
Genesis 1:3, "Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light."
Genesis 1:4, "And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness."
Yes, He wants to forgive you and remove the darkness from your life. God said, "let there be light"; and there was light. His one word can make a difference in your life. His one word can bring light in your life. Yes, He wants to divide the darkness of your life with His divine light.
Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise:
Luke 23:43, And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
Jesus is talking to one of the criminals who was hanged with Him. Jesus was knowing that he is a criminal, but when he repented from his sins, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Yes, Jesus has power to forgive our sins and He wants give heaven to us. God wants us to be in heaven and that’s why He came down in this world and gave His life for us.
We read in Genesis 1st chapter that God divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. As the Bible says in:
Genesis 1:6, "Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
Genesis 1:7, "Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so."
Genesis 1:8, "And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day."
God wants to divide between the godly and the ungodly. He separated heaven and earth from each other. And Jesus once said, John 3:5-6, Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
A person who is born of flesh can not inherit the kingdom of heaven but only those who are born of the Spirit - those who are washed by the blood of Jesus. There is no other way except Jesus.
Woman, behold your son!" and He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!":
We read in John 19:26, "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!"
John 19:27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
This was the most crucial time when Jesus looked from the cross and saw His mother and the disciple standing by. When He looked at their faces, He might have broke down. Mary might have thought, "Jesus is going to die now who will take care of me? Now everything is over, my future is dark." Jesus read the thoughts of her heart and said, "Woman, behold your son." Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother." In the midst of the great pain and suffering, He thought about His mother and made arrangement for His mother that she may not suffer in future.
Dear friend, are you going through pain, sufferings and sorrow? Are you thinking that, "my future is over, I can not go any further?" Please do not cry. There is a God who cares for you. We read that God made greenery on the third day of His creation as the Bible says in Genesis 1:11, Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.
Yes, He made greenery so that it may ease the pain of those who are suffering, those who are going through tears that there is healing through Jesus Christ. You need not to suffer any more because Jesus purchased the pardon, healing and joy on the cruel cross.
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me:
Matthew 27:46, "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Bible says that all the sins of the world were laid upon Jesus and that was the moment when He lost the fellowship of the Father. God also turned His face from Jesus because there is no relationship between sin and holiness. And Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Yes, sin separates us from God. Righteousness has no fellowship with lawlessness. Light has no communion with darkness. Christ has no accord with Belial. There is no part for a believer with an unbeliever . There is no agreement for the temple of God with idols." (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
And on the 4th day God made the lights to give light and to remove the darkness as the Bible says in Gen 1:16-18 , "Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness."
In the same way, God who Himself is light came down in this world to give us light and to remove the darkness from our hearts and our lives. The Bible says in John 1:5, "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Jesus is the light of this world and He can change our life’s darkness into bright light.
I thirst:
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"
Jesus said, "I thirst." It was not his physical thirst but it was spiritual thirst. He saw that all things for which He came is accomplished now and He is now ready to see the new lives which are going to spring forth through His sacrifice. He said, "Oh, yes, I am thirsty to see people getting in to new life because of the precious blood shed on the cross."
We see in Genesis 1:21, "So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."
On the fifth day God made living being. God created life on this earth and Jesus did the same thing. He sacrificed Himself so that abundant life may be created in our lives. As long as we are away from God, as long as we have not known God, we are dead. There is no life in us that’s why Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
Yes, there is a new beginning in Jesus and He wants to give us the life and in more abundance.
It is finished:
John 19:30, "So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!"
Jesus finished the task. The task of great sacrifice, the task of salvation for mankind. He finished the task on the cross. What He could do for human, He did it and it was a victorious shout, it is finished.
God also finished all the work of creation on the sixth day. Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit:
Luke 23:46, "And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last."
Jesus committed His spirit into the hands of the Father. And we see that God rested on the seventh day of His creation. Genesis 2:3, "Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."
If you want rest and peace in your life, commit your life in the hands of Jesus as Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Yes, Jesus is the prince of peace and only He can give you the peace that passes all understandings.
Prayer Request
It is at a very crucial time for the Christians of present days that I write to day. Beware that SATAN enters in & around the Church of whom I wants say about. We are at the cross roads and needs yours prayers desperately, more than ever before.
Please pray for the Church of Darwad as they are facing so many problems. Besides this, the BJP the Hindu Nationalist coalition Government, came in power as a ruling party of India, we have seen unbelievable increase in persecution & apposition especially towards Christians. As you know the Missionary Mr.Graham Staines & his two sons were axed and burnt alive in Orissa. Several Christians have been brutally attacked & murdered, including a priest in Orissa who was beaten mercilessly.
On the other hand our Government is reviewing the Indian Constitution. In the news paper it writes "The whole exercise to review the Constitution was only an attempt to fulfill the BJP agenda and strengthen its case" The main intention is to saffronise India is at crossroads and we all need prayers of believers all over the country.
Hence I earnestly urge you to do a few things that would help immensely in this time of crisis.
1. Please pray daily for God to intervene, and to alter the minds of the pastors to act according to LOVE of Jesus Christ.
2. Pray for that the Constitution of India might not be altered in any way that is adverse to Christians.
3. Please write to President of India and express your concern. Ask him to please not to let these changes take place for the sake of us like Christians.
SANTHOSH KUMAR
Through the Valley of Death & other Books
As many of you know that in the year 2005, our dad was very sick even unto death. God miraculously healed him. We have compiled it in a book form. I sure believe that it will inspire you and encourage you greatly.
This book is available for purchase at JasmineCorp Store
Also read these two books by Sherly Isaac "Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God" Available at JasmineCorp Store, and "Is Jesus God?" Available at JasmineCorp Store,
Both books compares the Bible and the Quran and read eye opening facts about Jesus, God of the Bible, Allah and Islamic faith. I am sure that you want to read this.
Download Articles in Handheld Computers
You can now download articles in Palm Doc format for your palm handheld computer. It will work with any devise that has Palm OS and Palm Doc Reader installed. To download click on the link named "Palm Doc Format" i.e. at the top of this page by the side of each articles.
Kids Page - Free Tutorials
Now you can learn Graphics and web designing online at Kid's page. These tutorials are free for kids who subscribe for CSI Kids Newsletter. Currently tutorials for Paint Shop Pro, HTML and Dreamweaver are available.
So please enroll your kids by going to http://kids.csinewsletter.org/member/join.asp
And visit CSI Kid's page at http://kids.csinewsletter.org
Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
Now you can read Bible in Hindi online at http://www.hindibible.org
in Malayalam online at http://www.malayalambible.org
in Tamil online at http://www.hindibible.org?ver=tamil
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If you are getting this newsletter in your bulk/junk/Spam folder please hit the "not junk" or "not spam" button so that you could receive it in your mailbox. Also adding news@csinewsletter.com email address into your contact list can avoid this email from ending up in your bulk folder.
Your Feedback
Your feedback and comments are Welcome. Please send your Parish news & articles to Editor (Sherly N. Isaac) at this address News@csinewsletter.comThe messages submitted will be checked whether they are correct according to the word of God. Editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit the messages. The writers are responsible for the contents of their writings.
 
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