Exloring Life Eternal

Unity is generally put under the label: ecumenical* - when describing churches. However, theologically, I would generally be labelled a fundamentalist. As you consider the "house" of God, remember that these three parts must be kept together:

Bedrock & Foundation & Cornerstone (fundamentalists specialize here):
the foundation is Jesus Christ & Him crucified according to Paul the
missionary in 1 Corinthians. Jesus Himself as the Word of God must be
the final resting point of the whole, or else the whole thing collapses
& slowly sinks, like the leaning tower of Pisa.

Walls & Pillars & Curtains ("semi-mainline" & "Ecumenical" groups
specialize here): This is the gathering together of the community.
The supporting pillars are given by in his writings to Timothy:
A. The LORD knows those who are His.
(God's mercy to make us righteous.)
B. Everyone who calls on the LORD must abstain from sin.
(Our mandate to be made righteous.)
The walls are there to hold the household together & to keep them safe
from harm when resting. There is a degree of security in this. The
modesty of the saints complement the confession of Christ. We enter
through baptism & clothe ourselves rightly then with a gentle & quiet
spirit.

Roof & Pinnacle & Capstone (The pentecostals & "victory" preachers top
it off!): Again Jesus is at the top. He didn't jump off the temple &
neither must we go beyond the limits set for us by Jesus. Yet, in Him
we find shelter & we also see beyond into the glory & power &
creativity of God, even as the sky above displays these in His works.
When one considers the heights of His love, one does indeed tend to
become ecstatic. Yet, we must ever humble ourselves before the Lord &
not try to build a tower ... but seek to multiply the household of
faith by adding apartments on to it for new families that come to the
Lord Jesus. There is no room for extremist individualism in the House
of God.

The foundation, the pillars, the capstone. Thus, Christ is all, in all
& we fid more & more glory & honor in Him. Let us then enter _daily_ &
_continually_ into the throneroom of Grace & ask for the help we need.

* Ecumenical is derived from the Greek work for Household.

EGYPT: MISSING WOMAN CONTACTS FAMILY FOR HELP
Compass Direct - http://www.compassdirect.org
February 23, 2006

Missing for over a month, a young Christian woman has telephoned her relatives and reported being imprisoned in a Cairo apartment while facing pressure to convert to Islam.

Last seen in the village of El-Saff, 30 miles south of Cairo on January 3, Theresa Ghattass Kamal briefly contacted her aunt on January 24. She told her aunt that she had not yet succumbed to her unknown captors’ demands that she become a Muslim, her brother Sa’eed Ghattass Kamal told Compass. Her phone call contradicted earlier police statements that she had converted to Islam voluntarily and did not want to see her family again.

Further investigation by Sa’eed Kamal revealed that no official
records of his sister’s conversion existed at Cairo’s Al-Azhar
Islamic center. [T]he origination point of the 19-year-old woman’s call [was a] house as “a dangerous place, full of fundamentalists.”

Full story with picture:
http://www.compassdirect.org/en/newslongen.php?idelement=4225

Muslims try to refashion their religion at times. But the underlying issues remain. These are the shortcomings that I see, they are needs that cannot be met with Islam:

integrity (beyond one's own capacity)
faith (beyond theory)
holiness (beyond discipline)
hope (beyond terminal illness)
truth (beyond mere tolerance)
love (beyond family ties)

Jesus alone is able to save. He alone died on the cross for Muslims. Mohammed is dead. His kingdom is not eternal. At best, it lasts up to the grave side ... & then there is no hope! If you are a muslim, repent of your false peace. If you are a follower of Jesus, proclaim the peace!

Practical advice cannot always fulfill permanent aspirations.
Pacifism cannot quell the wrath of God.

I have found the following statement to have results when talking to
Muslims locally who ask if I am a muslim:

If you mean that I believe in one God, yes.
If you mean that I am submitted to Him, yes, I lay down my arms before
the name of Lord Jesus, the Messiah.
But I do not recognize Muhammed as a prophet.

.. One man who tried to engage in a battle ended up leaving the
workplace because he could no longer face his hypocrisy. ... Another
had his eyes opened.

Written in response to someone who requested info about how to witness to Hindu's. Namely, what Hindu "bible" to read.

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Familiarity with the basic outline of Biblical history & then understanding the basic sorts of Hinduism would be MUCH MORE HELPFUL than trying to read Hindu anthologies since the Hindu "holy" book_s_ are rather extensive & encyclopedic.
Vedas.
Upanishads.
Poems, including: Bhagavad Gita. was popularized by street flower
peddlers. (A rather perverse work, actually.) ...
... These books roughly pile up like the Islamic Hadiths. Traditions
have a way of accumulating like that & becoming rather burdensome.

A simple Bible study that both gives an overview of Hinduism & answers
from the Bible. Prayer & meditating on the Biblical passages would
help in applying the significance of the Truth to conversations with
the doctor:
http://www.biblestudylessons.com/cgi-bin/gospel_way/hinduism.php

This site gives historical background on Christianity in India that may help understand how to reach the doctor better, understanding the barriers that are present:
http://www.hindubooks.org/sudheer_birodkar/hindu_history/christianity.html

I would highly recommend works by Stanley Jones who reached out to
Hindus (& others) in India. His biography, "Song of Ascents" has some
excellent material: keep a keen sense of humor & follow the Holy
Spirit's lead.

Books available @
http://www.christianbook.com/

Sharing Your Faith With a Hindu
By: Madasamy Thirumalai

To learn about what Hinduism is:
Responses to 101 Questions on Hinduism
By: John Renard

Hinduism, TM and Hare Krishna
- Zondervan Guide to Cults & Religious Movements Series
By: J. Isamu Yamamoto, James Bjornstad, Kurt Van Gorden

Some other divisions within Hinduism I did not see on the site above:
Different yogas / works / disciplines:
- Intellectual: Brainpower. Meditation. This sort of stuff is popular
in modern "academic" medicine & they even put on shows for people
demonstrating the ability to control brainwaves.
- Rituals & recitations: Elaborated in & enscribed in the the Vedas,
etc.
- Work: Traditionally, according to caste.
- Excercise: Sort of like the Islamic salat at the mosque & the American
workout at a gym or Chinese movements before work.)

Castes (partly job description in traditional society, partly limiting
opportunities for the "underlings" of today):
Priestly, Warrior, Workers, Farmers, Outcastes (Tribal Groups &
Christians have traditionally been put here in India. Ghandi endorsed
this approach when he helped set up "modern" India ... thus, he
actually set the course for contemporary persecution.)

- There are local demons that are worshiped in small shrines. (Tended
by a family member if it is for a family or a priest if it is for the
village.)
- Major events at the junctures of rivers in India. (Millions of
people.)
- Various holidays. (Some of which become orgiastic opportunities to
draw people in using Balaam's methodology.)
- Idolatry is typically a central feature & would need to be addressed,
even with most M.D.'s in the USA. Love of money, for example.

Hinduism is actually more like a nationalistic religion centered in
India, for most folk, though places influenced by India (Nepal,
Pakistan & Bangladesh, and Bali also has some Hindu-type temples.) It
is a very degraded & degrading religion, more so than Islam in some
ways.

The advice Paul gives the Galatians in chapter 6 seems rather relevant:
be careful not to fall into the same sin yourself in seeking to pull
them out. The "Galatians" were from a similar background as Hindus:
pagan idolatry.

Pray, pray, pray. Honest love & patient pursuit of the Great Physician tend to be a solid witness to Hindu doctors. Don't give up. Jesus is Lord. Hinduism will fall.

Also, there are some linguistically & culturally appropriate Christian films that were produced by Indians.

Peace in Christ,
Mert