The
blanket of materialism and the television culture have deadened the sensitivity
of Christians and non-Christians alike.
The release of TV programme Jerry
Springer the Opera on Saturday January 8,
2005 on BBC2 showing God the Father, Jesus Christ, Mary, Adam and Eve and Satan as warring guests on a special edition of the show –staged in hell was a big game plan of Satan to equate himself with Jesus in hell and to pollute the minds of viewers to sin abundantly. This was denounced by every sensible evangelical Christian including we at Voice of Christians Evangelical Church, Ludhiana – India. We are grateful to the Assist New Service, California U.S.A and Christiantoday.com who released our protest on their websites. We in India appreciate the role of Christian People Alliance political leader Alan Craig in England who led the sensitive evangelical Christians to the BBC building to lodge their protest with BBC office under democratic means against this vulgar show. He has came out as the leader of the Christian masses in England. We pledge to support Mr. Alan Craig by urging our every North Indian Christian settled in England to give their invaluable votes in favour of Christian People Alliance candidates in the forthcoming elections to defeat Satan not only through The Holy Bible but through the Ballot too.
As an Indian evangelical Charismatic (Anglican) preacher, I challenge the General Synod’s members of the Church of England to ponder upon above vital issues urgently through fast and prayers, so may the Lord restore the lost glory of Evangelical Christianity in England. Otherwise there (may) be not an Anglican (or) Protestant Church on the earth by 2030 as what the latest world statistics say.
MARRIAGE ACCORDING TO THE BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
The marriage is a
divine institution created by God to fulfill His purpose to regenerate human
race on the earth. The big mistake the Western Christians have
committed in the twentieth century is that they did not regenerate their families, when the Prophet
Adam was charged by God to: (1) populate the Earth, subdue the earth , exercise
dominion over the animal creation (Genesis 1:28) (2) care for the garden of Eden
and enjoy its fruit (Genesis 1:29; 2:15);
and (3) refrain from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, under penalty of death (Genesis 2:16, 17). The Edenic Covenant
was terminated by man’s disobedience, when Prophet Adam and Eve ate of the fruit
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, resulting in their spiritual and physical deaths (Genesis
3:14-21).
HOW THE FAMILY BEGAN
The book of
Genesis 2:18-25 fills in the details of the simple statement in Genesis 1:27:
“Male and female He created them.” This account particularly amplifies the “and
female” part of the statement and shows how woman was created. Three observations can be made on the passage
that will help us to understand how the family
began:
a)
The need for woman (v v. 18-20).
Woman is absolutely essential in God’s plan.
This was God who observed, “it is not good that man should be
alone”(v.18), and determined to make a “helper” for Prophet Adam. Woman’s role in the will of God was to be a
“helper” who was suitable to man in every particular mental, spiritual,
emotional, social, and physical need.
God undertook an orientation program to show man the need that He alone
had observed. He brought to man the
birds and beasts He had created, so that man should exercise his dominion over
them (v. 18) and name them (v.19).
However, in verse 20 it is noted that for Adam there was no “helper”
similar to himself.
b)
The provision of woman for man
(vv. 21-24). God caused Prophet Adam to go to sleep, and God removed one of his
“ribs.” Exactly what God removed is not
known, but it was adequate for His purpose.
He “made” a woman (v 22) whom Prophet Adam recognized as being his equal,
“bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” This resulted in what has become known
as the universal law of marriage (v 24), in which it can be seen that: (1) the
responsibility for marriage is on the man’s shoulders—he is to “leave his father
and mother”; (2) the responsibility for keeping the union together is on the
man’s shoulders—he is to “be joined to” his wife; and (3) the union is
indissoluble —“they shall become one flesh.”
c)
The state of the first man and
woman (v. 25) reveals that in the
beginning the man and woman were “naked” in each other’s presence and “were not ashamed.” There is no shame in nudity when it occurs
within the right context – marital union.
This passage clearly teaches that (1) sex was God’s idea and is not
sinful; (2) sex came before the Fall, and if the Fall had never taken place
there still would be sexual relations between a man and his wife; and (3)
propagation of the species is one, but not the exclusive, purpose for sex. The Holy Bible gives two other reasons for
sex: (1) to promote love between the husband and wife (Heb 13:4) and (2) to
prevent fornication —the unlawful satisfaction of the God-given sexual desire (1
Cor. 7:2)
The Holy Bible
clearly says that we all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of the God and we have no right to judge others. But we praise God that He demonstrates His
own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, His son our Saviour
Lord Jesus Christ died for us on the Cross.
(Roman 5: 8) Hallelujah!
In the prevailing
circumstances, by all the means Prince
Charles and his fiancée Camila Parker
Bowles should be blessed by one and all on the auspicious occasion of their
marriage due for April 8, 2005. I
will pray at the altar St. Luke’s Church
(A 148 years old British Military Church)
at Jalandhar Cantonment for their
long happy married life, peace and
prosperity of the Royal family and
re-revival of Christianity in the
England.
(Pictured:
Rev Isaac Newton Johnson praying at the altar St. Luke’s Church, Jalandhar
Cantonment conducting Christmas worship service on 25th December,
2004 with Church congregation)
“Marriage
is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled.”
(Hebrews
13:4).
LINKS
1) MY
ORDINATION AT ST. LUKE’S CHURCH, JALANDHAR
CANTONMENT
St. Luke’s Church
at Jalandhar Cantonment in Panjab State
of North India was built by British
Empire in India on 16th January, 1857 exclusively built for British Army officers and soldiers in India
and the local congregation was not
allowed to worship there. The British
Infantry graveyard was also earmarked near the Church, where hundreds of graves of
British soldiers are found who died in military action in India during British
Regime in the last two centuries.
Several tablets of British Army
officers and soldiers are being found in
the walls of Church. The charge of this historical Church was
given to the local Indian Christian congregation at Jalandhar Cantonment in 1947
under the Anglican Diocese of Amritsar, Anglican Church of India (CIPBC), when the British Empire quit India.
I am the first
non Anglican evangelical (Pentecostal) preacher who was brought in by Late Right
Rev Babu Masih, Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Amritsar for the spiritual revival of the Anglican congregation in Panjab in the
year 2002 when I completed my two years of Bachelor of Divinity. He had ordained me as Deacon in September,
2002 in St. Luke’s Church, Jalandhar Cantonment
and appointed me Spokesman of the diocese. He ordained me as full Anglican Priest in
March 2003 and subsequently appointed me as Priest-in-Charge of the whole
diocese. Bishop Babu Masih expired on 30th November, 2003 at
Jalandhar Cantonment. The Most Rt Rev Samuel P. Prakash, Metropolitan, Anglican Church of India had
appointed me to conduct worship services in St. Luke’s Church after the death of
our Late Bishop Babu Masih and his younger son
Rev (Deacon) Sunil Kumar as my assistant. I served in this historical military Church
from November, 2003 to December, 2004 and the congregation increased many fold
including military personnel working in Jalandhar Cantonment.
Rev Sunil Kumar
s/o Late Bishop Babu Masih, who has been trained under my supervision
during this period, ordained as
full Priest on 19th December, 2004 by our Metropolitan of India The Most Rt
Rev Samuel P. Prakash and appointed him
as priest-in-charge of this historical
church. We celebrated
148th anniversary of St. Luke’s Church on 16th January, 2005 at Jalandhar Cantonment and I delivered
the key message titled “Christian Heritage” on this
occasion.
www.voiceofchristiansministries.org/archive11.html
2) “THE
PRINCESS MARY -- CHRISTMAS GIFT
1914”
My paternal
grandfather Lat Nanhe Mall Singh an Indian converted Christian soldier who
fought in the World War I in 1914 in the
British Royal Army was the
recipient of ‘The Princess Mary Christmas Gift
1914.” This is an embossed brass box presented by Her
Royal Highness Princess Mary, the 17th years old daughter of the King
George V and Queen Mary of Great Britain. The inscription read, “A Gift from the
nation for the every Sailor afloat and every Soldier at the front.” The lid of the box bore the head of Princess
Mary, with the words, “Imperium
Britannicum” above and “Christmas 1914” below. At the sides and corners
are the names of Britain’s allies --
France, Russia, Belgium, Japan, Serbia
and Montenegro who all fought in
World War I. Later my grandfather was
given poison by his Hindu cousin brothers and he died in July, 1920. Thus my grandfather fought for the physical
survival of Great Britain and was martyred for his newly found Christian
faith. I am his (grandson) is now
fighting for the spiritual survival of Great Britain (and) the whole West as international media
missionary since October, 2000 and wish
to strengthened the hands of
evangelical organizations engaged
in re-evangelizing the United Kingdom and whole the West.
www.voiceofchristiansministries.org/archive9.html
Rev Isaac Newton Johnson is an Indian Evangelist since 1976 working with non-Christian brothers in North India. He is international media missionary and Christian speaker. He has been invited by SungKwang Presbyterian Church, Guri, Seoul, South Korea in June-July, 2004 as Guest Speaker from India. He preached in Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Korean brothers there. Five brothers and one sister of Indian origin accepted Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and baptized during his ministry in South Korea. He has founded “Voice of Christians Evangelical Church” at Ludhiana, India in 1999 (A House Church) working among poorest of poor people, imparting education to them and sharing the good news of Lord Jesus Christ. (Pictured: Rev Isaac Newton Johnson being honored in SungKwang Presbyterian Church, Guri, Seoul, South Korea in June 2004). He needs committed prayer partners and Church ministry supporters around the world to proclaim the Gospel in India and to the end of the earth.