God who is all perfect and happy in Himself created man keeping in mind only his happiness and good and well being. For that very reason God is always close to man. He hastens to help and console man in his pains and sorrows. He always wants and takes delight in His relationship with man. God also wishes that man should always maintain his bond with Him.

Throughout the Bible we can find God’s constant intervention lest this bond should break. In order to re-establish the broken relationship between the people of Israel and God, He used to send them prophets from time to time. However, the Bible itself often shows us how man frequently cuts off this relationship.The Israel nation is an example of it. From the history of the people of Israel we can understand what actually happens when man breaks away from God. Then enslavement and capture, and looting and pillage become the order of the day.

In other words human values and justice lose their importance. Man himself becomes worthless. The condition of the Israel nation is described as a civilization where the innocent are sold for a pair of shoes and where the faces of the poor are crushed underfoot in dust. Many of their laws and practices ignored all values of human life. In short, when the bond between God and man is shattered, a culture of evil and wickedness spreads. Therefore this link between God and man is absolutely necessary.

There is in the heart of man an innate yearning for God, because he is created by God and for God. God has never ceased to attract man to Himself. Forgetting this real truth man frequently strays away from God. People may have various reasons for doing so. Religious ignorance, running after riches and comforts of the world, etc. may be cited as examples. Another reason for breaking the bond with God is the sinful state of man who hides from God due to fear of Him or tries to run away from Him after having refused to obey His call.

The book of Genesis chpt. 3 verses 8-10 speaks about this hiding from God. After having sinned our first parents tried to avoid God due to fear. Here we learn that sin shatters man’s relation with God. Today the greatest reason why man is separated from God is his sinful state while he is running after the pleasures of the world. There is one difference between our first parents and the man of today. It is that Adam and Eve realised that they had sinned, but today man has ceased to realise that what he is doing is sinful.

Another reason why man goes away from God is the lack of knowledge about God and forgetting His love. Even though God led the Israelites through the Red sea and fed them in the desert they rejected God very soon. If we consider the New Testament, we find even some of them who had been healed by Jesus and had been helped by Him gave Him up to be crucified. We see Judas, a disciple and chosen Apostle, betraying the Son of God.

The reason for all these is forgetting His infinite love and not trying to know Him. When Judas came to realise who Jesus was and when he remembered His great love he acknowledged his own guilt. That feeling of guilt blinded him and caused his ruin.

Although everything else is progressing today, our relationship with God shows no progress. On the other hand it is decreasing day by day. That is why although the world is progressing in almost everything, morally it is regressing; injustice reigns everywhere. Man against man ,nation against nation is waging war injustly.

In the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 14 we read about Paul and Barnabas, two Apostles who knew and understood the love of Jesus, telling the people whose relationship with God had been broken:” Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”(Acts 14:15)

Some people, on the other hand have a clear knowledge about God. The Bible makes it explicit.” What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.”(Rom 1:19) The Bible continues, “Though they know God, they did not honour Him as God or give thanks to Him” (Rom1:21).

Their futile thinking and senseless minds have led at least a few away from God. Their proud minds are darkened. Knowing God they act worse than those who do not know Him. Immorality, Injustice and wickedness are growing; and knowingly or unknowingly we are experiencing their evil effects. ’BlackMass’, homosexuality, foeticide, mercykilling, are all offsprings of immorality and injustice.

Some years ago when Pope Paul VI in his encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae’ opposed unnatural family planning methods, he was criticised and opposed by many from various fields. Passage of time has proved that his decision was just and right. As a result of the artificial family planning European nations are experiencing lack of successors and posterity. Today when mercy-killing and foeticide are trying to get legal sanction we can understand to what depth morality has been brought low.

As time passes man, with or without knowledge, is in a hurry to cut off his relations with God. Then we must realise that injustice and immorality will raise their heads. As the distance from God increases evil comes closer. Remember God never goes away from man. On the contrary, it is man who goes away by his deeds and thoughts. Distancing himself from God, man ruins himself.

Keeping ourselves close to God, we who are a small part of God’s creation, must attempt to give Him glory, because man has been created for God. Man is the ultimate goal of creation. “Therfore our hearts are restless until they rest in Him” – St.Augustine

- – - written by Joymon Babichen

Baptism, Confession and The Eucharist

Hear the following talk from Apologetics about The Sacraments and The Bible.

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The seven sacraments are signs and instruments by which the Holy Spirit spreads the grace of Christ the head throughout the Church which is his Body - Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) #774

I. Sacraments

a) A visible sign, instituted by Christ, by which grace is conveyed to our souls.

CCC #774, CCC #1084, CCC #1116, CCC #1127

b) Many Protestant denominations have concepts of the sacraments.

~ Eastern Orthodox recognizes the same 7 Sacraments as Catholics.

~ Lutherans, Episcopalians, and to a lesser degree, Methodists and Presbyterians also have a concept of “Sacrament” through their beliefs are not identical to ours.

Sacraments are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in [Christ's] Body, the Church. - CCC #1116

II. Baptism

a) Forgiveness of sins & reception of the Holy Spirit
~ Ezekiel 36:25-27 (“All scripture…”: 2 Tim 3:16)
~ Acts 2:38
~ Acts 22:16

b) Baptized into one body
~ 1 Corinthians 12:13
~ Galatians 3:27
~ Colossians 2:11-12

c) Baptism necessary for salvation
~ 1 Peter 3:20-21
~ John 3:5 (also note verse 22)

d) Instituted by Christ
~ Matthew 28:19

“…the New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.” - St. Augustine

III. Confession

a) Confess your sins to men
~ Leviticus 5:5-6 (“All scripture…”: 2 Tim 3:16)
(Law is a shadow: Hebrews 10:1)
~ 1 John 1:9
~ James 5:16

b) Can men forgive sins?
~ Only God has the power to forgive sins but He exercises this power through men.
~ Mark 2:7
~ Matthew 9:1-8

c) Instituted by Christ
~ John 20:21-23

When the crowds saw it, they were afraid , and the glorified God, who had given such authority to men. - Matthew 9:8

IV. The Eucharist

a) A perfect offering shall be made
~ Malachi 1:11 (“All scripture…”: 2 Tim 3:16)

b) Flesh & Blood
~ John 6
~ Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24,Luke 22:19-20
~ 1 Cor 11:23-26, 27-29

c) Many disciples leave
~ John 6:66
~ Usually Jesus explains parables to avoid confusion as in: Matthew 13; 15:15; 17:10-19; chapter 19

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an un-worthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. - 1 Cor 11:27

d) Symbolic body & blood…NO!

~ Do Protestants believe that they get eternal life from symbolically eating bread and drinking grape juice? Certainly not.

~How is this a “hard saying” if Jesus is speaking “symbolically”?

~Symbolic bread & grape juice harder to believe than miracle of the loaves & fishes?  Harder than Jesus walking on water?

~Why didn’t Jesus explain that he was talking symbolically so that the disciples wouldn’t leave?

For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. - 1 Corinthians 11:29

e) Greater than the manna

~ John 6:30-32 (Manna-Exodus 16:4-36)

f) Believers left Him

~ John 2:11 & 3:16 & 6:66

g) “MY Flesh”

~ John 6:58

~ John 6:51

~ The same flesh that was hung on the cross.

h) Instituted by Christ

~ Luke 22:19

This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me. - Luke 22:19

Presented by : The Bible Christian Society

When the super-action movie “2012” zoomed in on the wide screens, many worldwide became curious about the end of the world. Though there are different theories about the end times, Jesus gave a solid teaching about it when His disciples once asked Him to do so.

Here are a handful of His end time signs. Read it carefully and see how accurately it relates with the times we are living in today.

1) Many will come and claim to be the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

2) There will be rumors about wars and threats of wars. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end.

3) Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other.

4) People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. But this is just the beginning of troubles.

5) Because of Jesus, His disciples will be hated by people of all nations. Many of them will be arrested, punished, and even killed.

6) Many so-called believers will give up their faith and will betray and hate each other.

7) Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people.

8) Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others.

9) Those who keep on being faithful right to the end, they will be saved.

10) When the good news about Jesus Christ has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.

The end of the world is an undeniable truth. So is the second coming of Jesus to take us home.

Cheer up! Trust Him. He is almost at the door!

- – - written by Joe Abraham & Ancy Joe