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CSI Good News
(Church of South India Good News)
Vol. 13 / Issue 1 / February 3 2011
Contents of this issue
Editorial
Why John MacArthur is Wrong! - Part 4
Join us in Facebook
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
Recently there was a story in the news that a missing girl who was kidnapped had been reunited with her parents after twenty three years later. When she was just nineteen days old she was snatched away from her hospital bed. Despite all efforts she could not be found. While growing up she somehow suspected that the people raising her were not her real family. So she searched at National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's database to find if there was some girl missing around 1987.
Then she saw the photo of the infant (who was herself) and she compared the photo with the image created by an artist how she would look like when she is grown up. Seeing that information, she contacted the authorities and finally after DNA test it was confirmed that she was the same missing girl. And she had a very emotional and very happy reunion with her biological parents and aunts etc. What great joy it brought in their lives!!
Many years ago when God first created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden they were having a blessed time in the presence of God. But one day a terrible thing happened. Devil came and deceived Eve and Adam and by eating the forbidden fruit they disobeyed God. That very moment they lost the goodness, blessings and even the presence of God. In simple words, devil robbed them and stripped them of the privilege that the human race had and they were snatched away from the loving hands of God to become slaves of the devil. And devil treated them as he wanted to, some he dragged in drugs, some in gangs, some in sex and illicit relationships and some in terrible things.
And he is determined to destroy every life which comes in his hands. But Jesus came to save that which was lost as we read in Mat 18:11, "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." Though Jesus was the Almighty God yet He humbled Himself and took the form of a man and came down in this world. He went through all the pain, sufferings, mocking and finally He gave His precious life on the cruel cross just to redeem us from the wicked hands of the devil.
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, when we give our lives in the mighty hands of Jesus, what a joyous reunion it is with God. What great joy and peace fills our hearts. Not only that, but God gives eternal life - a life that will never fade away.
This wonderful life is yours if you give your life to Jesus. Bible says in Rev 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
He is knocking at your heart's door. Would you hear His knock and open your heart for Him? If you do that, He will redeem you from your sins and will give you a new life beyond your imagination and beyond your dreams.
Why John MacArthur is Wrong! - Part 4
By Vinod Isaac
To read previous parts or next parts please click on these links:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19
John MacArthur's book "Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus" starts with the statement "The first role of successful merchandising is to give consumers what they want". It looks that he is trying to tell that there are other churches who are doing it and that is wrong. If you read his book you will find that he himself is doing exactly the same. He is giving his consumers, "what they want to hear" and these consumers as well as John MacArthur are themselves living in a life style that is contrary to what John MacArthur himself has written. Yet they want to apply it on somebody else's life to get some satisfaction out of it.
For example look at "The church service is too long, you say? We'll shorten it". Now he himself has church service at 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM and 6:00 PM on Sundays. Since he has second service at 10:30 that means his church services are no longer than two hours. How did he come up with two hours service? Does Bible say that you should have two hours service? Answer is no. He came up with that time frame because his congregation wants it that way. If you look into Bible you can find that Paul preached probably whole night (Acts 20:7-11). On the other hand you can see Jesus giving short sermons some times and some times even for three days, when the crowd was with Him. He preached how many hours we don't know.
So when Bible doesn't give instruction on sermon whether it has to be short or long, definitely this criticism is not coming from the Bible, nor from God. So this statement is just for the itchy ears of his consumers.
It doesn't matter how long or how short the sermon is. What matters is that people hear what God wants to tell them. He is concentrating on things that are outward and which do not affect the spiritual status of a person. He is thinking that a person can live a holy life by old-fashioned authority, guilt trips, accountability and moral absolutes. That's not true. Bible clearly says that it is the job of Holy Spirit to convict and convince a person. Unless the Lord changes the life of a person it is not possible for a person to lead a sinless life. What people need to hear is what God wants to tell them, not a dramatic guilt trip message? Jesus preached all kinds of sermons. He gave sermons full of compassion too and He rebuked people of their sins too. Take a look at the Sermon on the Mount that didn't have any guilt trip in it. So a message coming from God will not be always a guilt trip message. If a person is always speaking a guilt trip message then that means he has not heard from God. He is cooking his sermon himself, not by hearing from God.
What troubles me is that John MacArthur keeps concentrating on things that has nothing to do with spirituality. He seems to be talking against informal, relaxed, casual atmosphere, great music and fun. None of it is sin. If a person can do them when not in church, he can do it in church too. Reason is that a saved person is a temple of Holy Spirit. So when a person himself is a temple of Holy Spirit and if he can do these things outside of the church building, he can definitely do it inside the church. In the Bible you will not see any such restrictions. A blind man was begging outside on the road and he called out "Son of David have mercy on me". Jesus didn't say to him, "go get properly dressed before coming before me." So again John MacArthur is trying to please a crowd of people who want to hear such kind of things. These things have absolutely nothing to do with spirituality.
Under heading "THE FALSE GOSPEL OF SELF-ESTEEM" he starts with a statement "The true gospel is a call to self-denial". If you read the Bible you will see that gospel is never tied to self-denial, instead gospel is all about Jesus who died for the sins of people and through whom a person has the following.
1.) Redemption from transgressions and iniquities
2.) Peace
3.) Healing
Isa 53:5, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed."
Isa 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
Isa 53:8, "He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
Nowhere in the bible will you see that gospel has anything to do with self-denial. Instead Bible is clear that we cannot obtain salvation through our efforts. It is not by works of righteousness.
Titus 3:4, "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
Titus 3:5, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Eph 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9, "not of works, lest anyone should boast.
If a person preaches that a person can obtain salvation through self-denial then he is preaching a false gospel. Because you never ever do good works enough to earn your salvation. You can't earn it, you have to come to the cross and repent of your sins to receive salvation. Jesus has already sacrificed Himself for us. We don't need to sacrifice ourselves to obtain salvation.
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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.
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Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
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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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