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CSI Good News
(Church of South India Good News)
Vol. 4 / Issue 10 / April 18 2002
Contents of this issue
Editorial
Salvation in Islam and Christianity
Reader's Mail
Prayer Request
Regional Conference 2002
Annual Family and Youth Conference
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
Secretary of state Mr. Colin Powell's returned after in a peace mission to the Middle East. This peace mission ended without any deal or without any progress. But the most amazing thing is American media is supporting Yasser Arafat and Palestine people who are more or less like Osama Bin Laden and the terrorists who bombed the world trade center buildings. Whenever TV news comes about Afghanistan, the caption box pops up with caption, "America strikes back" but when the news comes about Israel, the caption shows, "Violence in middle east". Why double standard? Why not say, "Israel strikes back"?
And the more amazing thing to hear from some Muslim leaders is, "the suicide bombers are not terrorists but martyrs and freedom fighters." No one knows that what type of freedom they are searching by making human bombs. Does terrorism give any freedom to anybody? Terrorism may terrorize or traumatize a person but it will no way help anybody to get freedom.
Yesterday's Supreme Court decision on child pornography which overthrew the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 will do nothing better but lead to more immorality. The high court ruled that the act violates First Amendment rights to free speech. Ironically enough in one TV news it was said that those computer-generated images are not pornographic but a form of art.
Humanists have no solution to our problems but in the name of "Free Speech" they are adding more violence and immorality in our society. It is not free speech or freedom of mind but bondage of sin. If anybody wants to be free from their lust and sin there is only one way - Jesus. Jesus said in John 8:36, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. And in John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Jesus is the truth and by knowing Him you can be free from your sins and bondages not by seeing pornographic images or by bombing yourself. Jesus is ready to make you free. Would you accept His freedom in your life?
Salvation in Islam and Christianity
By Sherly Isaac
Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned;"
Because Adam and Eve sinned, sin came in this world. That's what we see in this world, full of sin and violence. Before sin came in this world, Adam and Eve never knew any sin nor violence. They never knew what death and curse was. They never knew what was to sweat and do hard work. They never knew what tear or sorrow was. They were in perfect peace and happiness. They had fellowship with God.
But only one sin made all the difference. If we read in Genesis Chapter 3, we can see that not only did God curse Adam, Eve and the serpent but He also cursed the ground. Genesis 3:17 - 19 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."
These verses clearly says that because of the sin of Adam and Eve, thorn and thistles started growing. Men had to do hard work for his living and women had to go through pain in childbirth etc. And more than this, both Adam and Eve lost the fellowship of God. They were alienated from God and His presence. They died spiritually. Today, the same blood is flowing through us, the same corrupted blood. That's why David says in Psalms 51:5, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." David describes here about the sinful nature that we got from Adam and Eve. That's is the reason we bend towards evil and whatever comes in our heart is evil. But the same Bible that says about the sinful nature of us, says about the redemption of our sins.
If we read in the Quran and the Bible we can see that Quran also says the same thing except to gain the forgiveness of our sins.
Sura 7:22. So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?"
Sura 7:23-26, "They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost." ((Allah)) said: "Get ye down. With enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood,- for a time." He said: "Therein shall ye live, and therein shall ye die; but from it shall ye be taken out (at last)." O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness,- that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition!"
All these verses say about the fall of Adam and repentance and forgiveness of sin. These verses also say that because of the sin of Adam, curse and death came in this world. Their shame became manifested to them and they started to sew cloths for themselves.. And further we read that God gave them the raiment to cover their shame, as well as to be an adornment to them.
And the same thing Bible says in Genesis 3:21, "Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them."
From where the skin came? Certainly God sacrifice an animal to cover the shame of Adam and Eve. The same thing Jesus did on the cross. To cover our shame and shameful act, to cover our sins and consequences of sin, to cover and take away our guilt and sinful nature from us, He died on the cross. He shed His precious blood on the cruel cross for me and for you so that we may never be in shame and sin.
We Need a Savior
Because we are born in sin that’s why we bent towards evil and sin. David says in Psalms 51:5, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." We can not come out from our sinful nature by our good deeds or by our own efforts. Yes, we need a Savior, we need a Messiah who can rescue us from our sins.
Genesis 3:19, "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."
This verse says, "Dust you are" it means they were created by dust as the Bible says in Gen 2:7, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." And the verse no. Genesis 3:17 says that, "And to dust you shall return." This verse clearly says that man/woman will die (they will return to dust). And more than this, Bible says about SPIRITUAL DEATH.
We are made up of 3 parts, 1. Soul, 2. Body, 3. Mind
So when God said to Adam, "You will surely die" then He meant that, You will die spiritually. That’s what happened in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve sinned but they did not die immediately (physically) but the moment they sinned they died spiritually. Their soul became dead and they separated from God because there is no sin in God and God can not be with those who sin.
Yes, Adam sinned and brought death and curse in this world, but Jesus came and died on the cross, He shed His precious blood to save us from eternal death, tear, sorrow, pain and curse. He came down to give us eternal life. We can receive this wonderful life which Adam and Eve had in the garden of Eden - a life full of blessings, a life full of peace and joy. If you have not yet received this life, today is the day of salvation. Invite Jesus into your life and your life will never be the same again.
My dear friend, we are all under curse that’s why we see this much misery and pain in this world and if we want to come out from our sins, there is only one way i.e. the blood of Jesus. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 26:28, "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
And Jesus said in John 8:34-36, Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
How can we get Salvation?
1. Realize that you are sinner:
1John 1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
2. Confess from your mouth:
1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." And also the Bible says in Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
3. Repent from your sins:
Acts 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
4. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior:
By faith accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior of your life and invite Him in your life. When a person do this his/her life changes and he/she becomes a new creation
5. New creation:
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
6. Promise of eternal life:
John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."
Reader's Mail
Dear brother in Christ Jesus our Lord, Loving greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your News Letters. May our dear Lord bless your labours in USA and make all your labours very fruitfull for His glory. We hail from Nagercoil, South India. More details about us can be seen in our website http://personal.vsnl.com/nicholson/godslove Please pray for us as we work in the Lord's vineyard, in Punjab,
North India. With love and prayers,
Nicholson
Dear Mr.Shibu Curian
First of all thank you very much for kindly accepting my prayer request and publishing it in the newsletter. Knowing many christians praying for me and my family made me very powerful and forget all my sadness. Beside I was in panic here there were any christian more than me here because a moslem country and I am a marginal one for
this society. Where is here?, of course is Turkey... I am waiting mails from my brothers and sister in Christ. Thank You all again.
Ayhan
Prayer Request
Kindly pray for my mental peace, joy, bliss and fulfillment of my hearts desire.. God bless you
Vikas
I have been working in Kuwait for 4yrs, i got married May 2000, almost 2 yrs back. My wife is here with me for 9 months on visit visa. We are trying for family visa , but not received yet, since Ministry stopped family visas. i request to pray for this matter. God Loves us, Thank you.
Renjith
Regional Conference 2002
Regional conference will be held at the beautiful campus of Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti Michigan.
Hosted by
FIRST C.S.I CONGREGATION OF MICHIGAN
19476 CASCADE DR.,
BROWNSTOWN, MI 48192
Date: May 17-19, 2002
Theme: "Jesus Christ is our Peace" Eph. 2:14"
For more details please contact:
Rev. Itty Mathews, Vicar & President
(734)479-4945
Email: ittymathews@hotmail.com
Mathew Oommen, convenor
(248)649-5458
Annual Family and Youth Conference
XVI Annual CSI Family and Youth Conference, Hosted by Emmanuel CSI Church, Philadelphia
Friends,
This years Family and Youth Conference will be held at the Pocono Manor Inn, Pocono Manor PA 18349, from July 4th - 7th.
The Moderator Most Rev. Dr KJ Samuel will preside. The new Bishop of Central Kerala Diocese Rt Rev. Thomas Samuel will also be a leader. The main speaker is Rev Valson Thampu of St Stephen's College Delhi a well known author and preacher of Maramon Convention fame. Pastor Robbie Sortino and Scott Armstrong will lead the Youth sessions. Many dignitaries and officers of the CSI are also expected to attend.
The program will be mostly interactive and there will be a special revival meeting on Saturday night. There will be a Talent show on Friday night. The program will allow for plenty of time to socialize or to go sight seeing.
The venue is panoramic, scenic and relaxing. The accommodation is comfortable and the cuisine tasteful. The room availability now is limited as we have been receiving good response to our early registration drive. Registrations will close on April 14th due to limited space at the hotel.
Please visit our website www.emmanuelcsi.com or download and print the registration form from www.2002conference.csichurch.org/
For details call Convener Koshy Ittyeipe at 610 363 3967 or e- mail: koshy@libertynet.org
We look forward to seeing you there
Koshy Ittyeipe
Convener
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
Your Spam Folder
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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