Dr. Kurien Thomas: God's Trailblazer in India and Around the World

DR. KURIEN THOMAS (1922-2000) was a pioneer of the Pentecostal movement in central India. He came to Itarsi, the heart of India, in 1945 and laid the foundation of the Pentecostal Church there. In 1962, he began the Bharosa Bible School which grew on to be known today as Central India Theological Seminary. In 1967, he became the first Chairman of the Fellowship of the Pentecostal Churches in India. Dr. Thomas was a prolific writer in Hindi, English,...

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The Pauline Method of Doing Missions - Oswald J Smith

Oswald J. Smith, The Challenge of Missions, pp.63,64In Acts 19:8-10, 18-20, we have a marvelous example of the Pauline method. In two short years, we are told, all those in Asia heard the Gospel. Asia covered a territory of approximately 50,000 square miles. There was a mighty revival. Books belonging to various false cults were burned publicly. The upheaval was so great that books costing thousands of dollars were burned.How did it happen? Paul...

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When Silence Seals

When silence seals the lips of friends, You let me know You are here; When cold confusion darkness tends, You shine Your light over here. When dull seems destiny, far unseen, You still keep walking, closely by.When friends fear failure will strike my knees, You stand to hold and lift me high....

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Mission, Missions, and Missional

Whenever a new word enters the market, there are many who wish to grab it and use it to express or verbalize concepts that occur to them. However, it is important to avoid sporadic use of expressions without understanding them in their original usage. It can lead to confusion of language. Two terms that are becoming more popularly used, in addition to "mission", are "missions" and "missional", and they require proper definition. Let's look at some popular definitions of these terms:Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God's People--Mission is...

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Respect for All Religions

For peace and harmony to exist in any pluralistic society, it is important to have respect for all religions. Those who wish to be respected must also show the same respect for others. In the past, religion has acted as a great dividing line and has spurred and continues to provoke among some incidents of violence and hatred. We must learn to respect other religions, but what does this respect involve? 1. It means to respect fellow humans as humans, first of all, as our neighbors. It means to show ourselves as good neighbors to them. 2. It means...

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God's Faithfulness Gives Me Confidence - Dr. Matthew K. Thomas

Remember God is faithful. In the midst of difficulty, acknowledge God is faithful. The faithfulness of God gives us courage, comfort, confidence. 1. Faithfulness is an Attribute of God. God is absolutely reliable, absolutely trustworthy, absolutely steadfast, absolutely constant. Faithfulness of God speaks of the stability of God in a changing world. What was once considered sin is now considered a weakness. Values are changing. But, we have a changeless Christ who is faithful. 1Cor. 1:9 - God is faithful.Psa. 36:5 - Your faithfulness reaches unto...

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The Immutability of Divine Faithfulness - Dr. Matthew K. Thomas

God's faithfulness must be seen in perspective of 5 attributes of God:1. Omniscience - He knows everything2. Omnipotence- He can do everything3. Omnipresence - He is within our reach4. Truthfulness- He cannot lie5. Immutability - He cannot change. An understanding of these attributes gives us Courage, Confidence, and Comfort in times of trial.Divine Immutability1. God's Character never changes (James 1:17; Mal.3:6)2. God's Truth never changes (Isa.40:8; Matt.24:35)3. God's Purposes never change (Psa.33:11)4. God's Love never changes (Psa.100:5)5....

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The Paradox of Divine Faithfulness - Part 3 - Divine Immutability in Justice, Mercy, and Grace

"And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent (nacham). For He is not a man, that He should relent (nacham)." (1Sam.15:29)…the LORD regretted (nacham) that He had made Saul king over Israel. (1Sam.15:35)There seems to be an apparent contradiction between the above two passages: the first tells us that God never regrets; the second, that He did. This again seems to conflict with the idea of immutability or the unchangeableness of God.…the...

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The Paradox of Divine Faithfulness - Part 2 - In The Hour of Trial

Paradox: a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement which, when investigated or explained, may prove to be well-founded or true.For instance: Scientists say that Light is a wave, and then also say that Light is a particle. Now, something cannot be both a particle and a wave at the same time. Thus, when you look for light as looking for a wave, light appears to behave like wave, and when you look for it as a particle, it appears to behave...

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The Paradox of Divine Faithfulness - Part 1: Infinity At A Cost

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1Jo 1:9 NKJ)The universe is not a free lunch. Nothing is free under the sun though some may think it is or wish it is. And if we see or receive something that is free, it is because somebody had paid for it.Somebody has got to pay anyway.-In any act of charity, the giver incurs the expense-In any forgiving of debts, the creditor has...

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