Sword and Scalpel Reflections

Preach the Gospel, Use Words

2011-05-15T09:16:00.001-06:00

Ezekiel 36:21-32

21But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

22Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

23And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of

Israel

We are sinful in nature. The Bible makes it clear that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Most of the time, our own selfishness and pride makes us behave in ways that bring shame and bad consequences on us. There are times when we, as Christians, fall into a situation where God’s name is at stake. A situation where the underlying premise of those who may be against us is that our God is being humiliated, by proxy.

I have friends who seem, on a worldly level, to be so much better than me in charctaer and disposition. They do good works and seldom loose their temper. They are sacrificing of their time and money to help others. They treat their colleagues very well and aid their friends selflessly. Yet they cannot and will not, accept that they are sinners in need of grace, in need of salvation. It is a mystery. How do we share the gospel with them? How does God make Himslef known to them, when we, his followers, are no where as “good” as we should be, and may actually be behaving in a way that is inimical to the gospel?

The passage today tells us that it is not our actions but that God is sovereign. In the context of Ezekiel 36, the chosen people are Israel. They have been so disobedient to God that they lost it all. Their homes were destroyed and they were carried away to Babylon as captives. This resulted in their shame. Who would then serve their God?

Would someone who sees you at school, or in the office or work place want to serve your God? Want to know Jesus?

In this passage, God says that they were a chosen people. Just like us; “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light They carried God’s name. And God cares for His Name” 1 Peter 1:9.

Despite our failings, God still is sovereign, He will guard His name.

21But I had pity for mine holy name

23……….for mine holy name's sake

23And I will sanctify my great name

Often as Christians, our life ends up as a poor witness because we do not live, act or serve as we should. And we profane the Name of our God. Each of the verses above (21-23) ended up with God saying they had “profaned His Name”.

There is a saying, falsely attributed to Francis of Assisi, that goes something like this “Preach the gospel, if necessary, use words”.

This is the premise of lifestyle evangelism. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this will be the main determinant of whether communities can be won for Jesus. I have seen, on the mission field in India and Africa, better lifestyle and better services, given by adherents of other religions. The 2004 tsunami drew help from not just Christians but also Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. Medical and surgical services to the poor are much better funded by the god-men of

India

than by Christian missions.

It is essential therefore, that the gospel is actually shared or preached. Our lifestyle, while important, is not the determinant of whether a community will accept Christ. While we are working on our own character change in Christ, we are called to sahre the gospel. That is His sovereign will and plan for us. Bringing people to Christ is finally the work of the Holy Spirit. He will do it for His Name’s sake. All we are asked to do is share the gospel.

Divine Healing

2011-04-03T09:37:00.000-06:00

James 5:14Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

Coming across a large number of people with debilitating conditions has often caused me to think about how much of my medical training is able to help alleviate their pain and suffering. There are two ways doctors look at their role:

Many doctors just use their skills and knowledge to heal in the here and now. Some patients will get better and others will not. The doctor concerned develops a mechanistic view of the failures and strives to develop new diagnostic and therapeutics to help.
Others realise that even as they use their skills, there seems to be an ineffable quality to healing that is a mystery. Some patients seem to heal despite medical efforts. Others succumb to illness despite the very same treatment.

Into this mix comes the new spirituality – the post modern worldview that anything that feels good may be valid. Recent neuroscientific studies do reveal that there are processes we still do not understand that could explain the temporary healing of psychosomatic illness.

But the vast majority of anecdotal healing therapies and cures are just that – anecdotal. It is based on the power of suggestion. That explains the proliferation of metaphysical modes of healing e.g. most rely on the age old method called faith healing. These alternative systmes have become a multi billion dollar business. While some of the new age health practitioners would baulk at being chracterised a faith healers, the definition of such healing is that it requires “faith”.

Christians who try to seek out miraculous healings, which is often confined to large meetings or specific times or to people with professing to have divine healing power, seem to be seeking a "christianised" version of faith healing. Whether this is of God is left to be seen. But all traditions have their faith healers.

Recently I read about the Irish faith healer, Danny Gallagher (http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irish-seventh-of-a-seventh-son-makes-international-press-as-faith-healer-119113929.html?page=1). His claim to the power lies in the fact that he is the 7^th son of the 7^th son- an Irish folklore belief. The way the Danny Gallagher’s website touts the healing process (http://www.danny-gallagher.com/) is similar to “christian” faith healers .

Christians should ensure that they do not end up with a defective understanding of divine healing, since this can leave the unhealed disappointed in, and often reject, Jesus Christ.

As a Christian doctor/pastor, I believe that all healing is divine healing. But the main way God effects divine healing today is through the medium of medical care. Modern medicine may have originated in a pagan system but over the last 300 years, influenced and changed by Christian world view, has been based on a very simple biblical principle – that God is sovereign and has created the world with a set of clear absolute principles. Doctors have thus sought to seek out those principles and use them to heal. In recent times, unfortunately, the busy medical practice and time constraints results in limited empathy. This drives people to seek more empathetic “faith healers”.

Time magazine reviewed a book by Dr Nolan, a Christian doctor who investigated faith healers, including those who called themselves Christian.

“Some healers offer patients more warmth and compassion than physicians do." More important, Nolen acknowledges that, in some cases, the healers actually heal. Faith healers can and often do cure psychosomatic ailments. But they cannot cure organic illnesses. The problem is that the psychics as well as their patients frequently do not know the difference. Doctors do, or at least should”

(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,913003,00.html#ixzz1ITPbOXwj)

In the rare circumstance that God does heal real disease in a miraculous way (ie where the healing is beyond the scope and explanation of medical knowledge and not clearly psychosomatic), it is done for His glory. Have realistic view of how God has created you, preserves and sustains you, and that in illness, He is there with you. If he heals you in the usual medical way, praise Him.

If medicine does not help, seek Him and pray for healing (James 5:14).

Will we be always healthy in this world? No

Will we always be healed miraculously? No

Can we demand that God heal us? No

Is Jesus with us in sickness and in health? Yes

If he does heal you, testify.

If he does not heal you, testify.

Testify to what? No what but who…………testify about Jeus Christ, who He is and what He has done for you on the Cross. In all circumstances, He is with you. And we are His witnesses.

Is there no physician?

2010-09-11T21:35:00.000-06:00

Why is there no recovery?
Jeremiah 8:18-9:16

Recently I took up a new job assignment with a group of physicians in a new province. Financially it appeared to be a good option, allowing me to earn my keep in a shorter amount of time, leaving a few months free for church ministry and medical mission work.

But I found myself in that insidious mental snare the world places us in, a snare that seems to be in our very psyche – the need to be reliant on monetary aspects of life. And in the present recession, there is always the pervasive fear I may not earn enough to spend money on overseas travel and mission work. It niggles at the periphery of my consciousness, insinuating to the centre at times, despite my affirmation of trust in God.

Why is the recession still with us. Where is the economic recovery? The land is hurting, the financial system is under strain, real people are suffering, and we ask, like Jeremiah, “why then is there no recovery?” (8:22)

Well, it is so easy to look at the problems of this nation through secular lenses. But God wants us to understand that there is a spiritual reason for the morass the world is in. It happened years ago to nation Israel, it is happening to day to nations around the world. There seems to be no cure, no “balm of Gilead” in sight (8:22). Is the nation or economic system or moral compass going to “perish and burn up like a wilderness”? (9:12). And why is that so?

It is that we have strayed far from God these days (Jeremiah 9: 13). It is not only a question of disobedience to God anymore. It is indifference and a disinterest in the things of God. People do not care whether God exists anymore, let alone feel they must obey Him. We have forsaken His law. And we have disobeyed His voice.
It is that we follow our own dictates (Jeremiah 9:14). Don’t know what to do in a situation? Just make up your own decisions, we are told. As long as no one is hurt, it is fine. It is NOT fine, unfortunately. For when we neglect to acknowledge God and to seek His Word to guide us, we will end up in ruins (9: 11).
Worse still – proving this is a spiritual problem – we seek after the “Baals” (Jeremiah 9:14b). “Baal” is the word the gentiles used for the god of the day. Today’s “Baals” is the pantheon of spiritualities endemic in western society and overtly practiced in the east. All of us are gods, and all religions lead to god, we are told. The “Baals” of the past have taken root today, and God is unimpressed.

Why is there no recovery?

Because we have not factored in the Master Physician, Jesus Christ, who can cure any ailment. He is waiting to be asked. Jesus came to pay the price for our sin; to be called into our lives personally as our Lord and Saviour. And as more in society genuinely call upon His name, healing will come to the nation.

If we continue as we are, we will drink the “water of gall” (9:15). The results of sinful and wanton behaviour are catching up. The world in general and each person in particular, will keep on enduring the vagaries of today’s dysfunctional society, and not know why it is happening.

Turn to the Lord our God. Give your life to Him. Trust Him. Let us start each one, one at a time.

Why is God waiting so long?

2010-07-31T15:06:00.000-06:00

They do not know the judgment of the Lord

Jeremiah 8:8-17

I find it hard to fathom the norms of society just a few hundred years ago. Rules were explicitly followed. The Elizabethan era in

Britain

saw people lose their heads, literally, for no other reason than the ruler thought them to be subversive. Justice was swift and harsh, especially when the ruler was defied.

Thousands of years ago, the same mentality held true, in even more barbaric style. The Assyrians would impale conquered civilians on sharp poles, allowing them to die slowly. Defeat in battle meant death to the whole city and community. All conquering hordes followed the same pattern.

Jeremiah talks of judgment. He saw this first hand in what Babylon had done to his people. The killing of King Zedekiah’s sons, for no other reason than they were royal family, seems monstrous today. It was the norm then.

It was probably the patience of God in this milieu that made the people of God, the Jews, complacent. They were used to secular warlords exacting swift revenge. Yet, for flouting the clear laws of God, there seemed to be no quick judgment. Looking from the vantage point of time, we look back and see that God did indeed punish Israel and Judah. But since Jesus came, it has now been over 2000 years. And God has no exacted judgment on those who profane His name or malign Him. So what gives?

Firstly, God says that he will judge (v. 13). He will surely “consume”, he says. But His timing is not the same as ours. There are so many mysteries we do not understand. The main one is why is He waiting so long. Most commentators understand this waiting period to be a time given so that as many unbelievers can repent as possible. But to me, and maybe to you, there seems to be greater unbelief today! Rather than seek the answer, the best option is the obvious one. Just trust God, and admit that we do not know why he is waiting this long. But also admit that when he does come again, God will judge everyone.
Secondly, many people do not know about the judgment of the Lord (v.8). There are a lot of Christians today who go to happy and loving churches where there is little mention of judgment. The seeker friendly church tries “not to offend”. Worship has become a case of offering praise on our terms, not God’s terms. We walk in and out as we please. We dress as we like. There is no “fear” of God. Fear, you ask. “Why “fear” him when He is all love?”, answer many of the leaders of today. And there is a feel good atmosphere. People cannot envisage God can ever punish. Everybody thinks this is a party!

To some extent, pharisaic style religion may be a default position of those who take th ejudgement of God seriously. However, those who advocate God’s love and total liberty, that they dilute the gospel to mere sound bites and Sunday morning flip flop parties default the other way.

We need a healthy balanced theology of grace and righteousness, the expression of God’s immutable natures of love and justice. Paul presented this discussion between too many rules (legalism) and too much liberty (antinomianism) very well in Galatians. Please read that book many times. God is a loving God AND a just God. He loves us but man’s rebellion has also brought the wrath of God upon us.

He cannot deny His nature. That is why His wrath had to be satisfied by the once for all work of Jesus on the Cross, when he died for our sins.

The Day of Judgment will come. We need to stand with the righteous to avoid judgment. This righteousness is a free gift. Believing in Jesus cleanses us of sin in the sight of God and brings us back into His loving presence.

It is amazing how people today can ignore or reject God today.

They do not know the judgment of the Lord………..

Does silence mean "No"?

2010-06-28T10:15:00.001-06:00

If God Does Not Say Anything, It is Usually No

Jeremiah 7:28-8:3

I attend court regularly to give evidence in personal injury cases. Over the years, I have seen how judges have to adapt to new specialist orthopaedic evidence, especially if there is no precedent. For example, many years ago, if someone lost his thumb in an accident, the courts awarded 80% loss of function of that hand for compensation purposes. But recently, I am able to give a new reconstructed thumb to the patient. Does that mean he receives no compensation? Not really – for the new thumb is never the same as the original. The rule book was silent on how to compensate for a reconstructed thumb, so we have to try to find compensation for pain and suffering in spite of the silence of the law.

Somehow, this approach has permeated into the Christian world. The Bible reveals a message of grace. We are accepted into the fellowship with God only by accepting the finished work of Christ on the cross, but faith alone. As a group of believers, however, the scriptures give us an indication of what God would like us to be and how we are to behave. The moral imperatives in the Ten Commandments remain a guide for us. But what happens when the Bible is silent on something? Does it mean we can indulge ourselves anyway, in the name of freedom? Can we incorporate all kinds of activity into our worship services? Is God pleased with us bringing so much of secular cultural influences into the church? Is our noble aim to keep youth and the unchurched in our fold pleasing or actually grieving to God?

In Jeremiah’s time, the people of God somewhat worshipped God they way he has asked them to. Yet the people had added practices form the nations around them. The most egregious of these was the child sacrifice. While this is an extreme, we find today soft versions of these types of activity creeping into churches. For example, is not yoga or transcendental medication rooted historically and spiritually in Hinduism? Yet church condone such practices by saying they have removed the hindu element. What does God say about doing things he does not prohibit?

God knows what we do and calls it disobedience (7:28). Practices that he has not commanded are not to be added to worship or our daily Christian walk. It is convenient to use the argument form silence and say that what God has not forbidden, is acceptable! But God is watching and is grieved. Is it not better to avoid adding new things to our worship and our daily lives until we are sure that the practice is not rooted in pagan culture or religious systems? I know this sounds intolerant, but read this passage again and make your own determination. It is God’s word.

What God does not command, is also not allowed (7:31). This puts to rest the argument that if the Bible is silent on some activity, belief or practice, that means that God allows or condones it. God said that the people had built “high places” which he did not command. High places were a place and a style of worship in the land of Judah. Are we building “high places” today? Are we building ministry models that He has not commanded? Seeker friendly church models use psycho-kinetics and other attractions to bring people to church. Are members coming for the entertainment or to worship our Holy God? Pastors now walk on stage in shorts and slippers. Are we disrespecting God?

The “new” visible churches will be irrelevant (7:32). The “high places” created by the Israelites will be no more, says God. The modern “high places” are these entertainment oriented “churches”. Messages are diluted to avoid offending people. The church members who come in easily, tend to fall away just as easily. And these church models will likely disappear too. The “Toronto Blessing”, with its laughing and barking, seems to have passed on. Many churches that were built on the word of God and the testimony of fervent Christians, will do well to avoid the trap of bringing in new things just because it is the craze.

We should avoid building the new “high places” that God says “ I did not command, nor did it come form My heart” Jeremiah 7:31. If you have been unconsciously doing this in your life or your church is going down these roads, please heed what God spoke to the Hebrews, and how it speaks to us today.

Please look at my earlier post on “Out with the New, In with the Old”

Going Backwards, Not Forwards

2010-06-22T17:47:00.000-06:00

Going Backwards, Not Forwards

Jeremiah 7:19-27

Many Christians genuinely believe that sincerity in their own heart trumps clear biblical teaching.

The Old Testament has a story about a king who won a great victory in God’s name. He was still confronted with further enemy troops, so he waited for the priest to offer a sacrifice to God. Unfortunately the person who could legitimately lead worship (yes, God considers all of us equal in his sight, but not all of us are given the same function) was not there. So the king - he is the leader, after all - took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself. And God was really displeased.

This story is told in 1 Samuel 13:1-14. Think of it, King Saul had all the good intentions. In his mind he was thankful for the victory and wanted further protection. But God has given us some direction in scripture and He expects obedience to His Word. The prophet Samuel told Saul that he had done “foolishly” (1 Sam13:13). Leaders and believers today make the same mistake. Many Christians genuinely believe that sincerity in their own heart trumps clear biblical teaching. Lay people assume leadership roles or make decisions which pastors should be making. And the question women in leadership are an emotive issue. Many of these will not be an issue if we read the bible in its plain meaning and obeyed it, even if we felt it was uncomfortable or contrary to what society is forcing us to accept.

Continuing in Jeremiah, we learn lessons from how God approached his people (today it is the church).

God was not pleased (7:19). The context here is hypocrisy and deceipt within the community of God. But it also applies to milder versions of disobedience. We all can point out overt instances of disobedience to God but it is actually the “soft” sins of disobedience that may ultimately weaken the church. Is there any part of scripture that is disconcerting to you? Do you genuinely feel called by God to do something or take up a role that the Bible clearly tells you you should nto be doing? Do not rationalise by looking at the ends to justify the means. Success today can be driven by force of will and savvy marketing. Not everything successful is of God. The litmus test is obedience to His Word.

This is what God commands – Obey my voice and I will be your God….that it may be well with you (7:23). There are many areas where we have all been influenced by the world and its philosophy. Culture has begun to creep into church activities. We belive we have to cater to cultural trends to keep people in church. But God is more interested in His people obeying Him, not just mouthing that they are Christians.

Disobedience (even benign indifference) makes us go backwards, not forwards (7:24). Think of it. Why is the church declining in influence in society today? Why is it we are on the back foot when confronted with moral issues and losing the battle of the worldviews? Read in its plain meaning, the people of Israel in those days just thought that they could obey only what they felt they felt comfortable with and ignored inconvenient truths of scripture. We have fallen dangerously into the same rut. God have mercy on us.

Has your spiritual life become dry? Is your church consumed with gossip and politics? Are you subscribing to the secular or new age worldviews of the majority around you without even knowing it?

Resolve to read scripture as it is written. Ask the Holy Spirit to be your teacher. The Spirit will NOT tell you that some scripture can be ignored because it was only relevant for the 1^st century. Take the whole counsel of God as true and necessary for Christian living. And when you read something inconvenient or opposite to what you believe is true, just obey scripture by faith. Obedience is better than sacrifice (worship).

God promises that, contrary to what we think, we will go forward, and not backward, if we humbly obey His word.

Sola Scriptura - Amen.

Trust the Deeds, not the Words

2010-06-18T21:51:00.001-06:00

Trust the Deeds, not the Words

Jeremiah 7:1-16 “Do Not Trust in Lying Words”

Recently we were deceived by a couple who claimed to be pastors. Though they were self appointed, we trusted them because they used the “ministry” usual words that Christians leaders use. They had an independent church of about 80 people. On hindsight we should have asked why they had a high attrition rate among their members. Or questioned the contradictory statements they made. Rather naively, we helped this couple with significant financial resources. We lost a lot of money and they put the blame on us by making all sorts of angry accusations. They even spread malicious rumors about us and our ministry. This made me ponder about what trust, especially among Christians, should look like. It is probably best to say that we should, against all instinct, observe the deeds of friends rather than their words. Words can deceive.

As we continue in Jeremiah 7, we come across some hard words from the Lord, spoken 2600 years ago, to his chosen people in Judah. And this is applicable to the people of God (church) today. He tells his people to amend their ways (7:3). That means he looked at their deeds. Why would he tell us that?

Because leaders would lie (7:4). “Do not trust in lying words, saying the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord”. This is what happens today. Lying leaders who want to control people have infiltrated the church. And they say, “We are the church, we are the church, we are church”. Sound familiar? Those of us who would like the church to stand for what the Bible says are asked to compromise with those who simply claim they are Christian. Beware “pastors”, “evangelists” and “healers” who make extravagant claims for their ministry. Observe their deeds to make sure that they are “walking with God and in the Word”.

Because leaders would try to profit (7:8). God made serious accusations against leaders who seek to profit. They would degenerate to stealing, murder, adultery, lying, idolatry (7:9) and then come and stand before God to lead the congregation! (7:10). My experience showed how little regard these two “friends” who claimed to be pastors, had for the fact that I had lost so much money because of their lying words.

I believe that often we are blinded by two things about false teachers and leaders:

We are reluctant to judge their words and actions, afraid to be branded unforgiving. This is the tool the two “pastors” used to prevent me from voicing concern. As I searched for answers after being cheated, I realized that to judge what a Christian says or does is not only biblical, it is essential. (Jude 3). We must confront these leaders by correcting them in love. Do you speak to your pastor if you feel something is amiss? Do not be a divisive person but constructive criticism, in love, is biblical.

Secondly, we are reluctant to take action and warn others. This is probably my greatest regret – the damage done to younger believers. I had seen the way these “pastors” controlled their members, using direct prophecy and “God speaking through them”. They talked down and gossiped about almost everyone else. Later I found they had done the same about me. But by not warning others, I allowed this cycle of damage to be done to others. Those of less faith may even drop out of church. While we know that God holds believer in His hand, these members may not have the joyful life God wants them to have.

Beware Christian leaders who keep talking about their church (7:4), loving the sound of their own voice, and subtly asking for money and controlling people (7:8). The genuine leader humbly goes about his work in Christ, and allows the Lord to lead and guide his ministry. All glory goes to God.

We are only as useful as how much we make ourselves available to God. As leaders in our home and church, are our words and actions consistent with God’s word?

Out with the new, IN with the old

2010-06-13T18:58:00.000-06:00

OUT with the new - IN with the old

Jeremiah 6:10-30

Recently we purchased a MacBook computer and it came with a free iPod. The iPod had wifi and GPS features that amazed me, coming in such a small package. I am told that technology is advancing at such a pace that we “oldies” have been left behind. In church, this mindset has come in as well. But I believe it is more than just the usual generation gap. Previously, the generation gap applied to forms and styles. Today it is not just the forms and styles. It is also a world view battle. Previously what the church said about Jesus was accepted as true. Today, in addition to style, the gospel message is watered down or even reinterpreted.

It is “so yesterday” to want to read the bible as it is plainly written. We are told to look at scripture in a cultural context and reinterpret scripture in light of contemporary issues relevant for today. If that means watering down the exclusiveness of Jesus, so be it. Seeker friendliness or emergent church theology is the ”new” thing. As long as a “church” says they are “Christian”, we are to accept them without judging. Apart from subtle reinterpretation of long held theological beliefs, the ministry models as described in the new testament has been replaced by the “new” corporate models of church growth.

Nothing changes, I suppose. Even in the days of Jeremiah noted that the people of God were deviating from the plain meaning of God’s revelation. I wonder why it is so difficult to just read the scriptures plainly and believe it. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” Heb 11:6. I suppose it is the fact that some of what the bible says is inconvenient and contrary to prevailing culture. And we are uncomfortable with it and thus demand something new.

The passage in Jeremiah 6:10-30 reveals that this inclination to tamper with God’s plain teaching in the scripture is not a “new” phenomenon. And he starts with the reason.

Everyone is give to covetousness (6:13). “Covetousness” involved the prophet (preacher) to the priest (pastor). It leads to various falsehoods and sin. They were dealing falsely, says Jeremiah. Is it possible that we are doing the same today? Pastors exaggerate the numbers in their church. I have seen ministry leaders exaggerate the numbers of conversions at revival meetings. Short term mission fund raising exaggerate what the team members were actually going to do. This is not a broad accusation but a call for all of us to examine our motives carefully. What is our true motive for what we do? For what we do in ministry? For what we say when we preach? Are we scared of being labeled intolerant? Let us not deal falsely for God see the heart.

So what is the solution to being misled by “new” ways?

Jeremiah 6: 16 Thus says the Lord: Stand in the way and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. Then you will find rest for your souls.

Stand in the way and see (6:16a). I believe this is the Lord asking each of us individually and collectively to look clearly at the plain teaching of scripture. This is only found in the Bible. Do you read the bible in its plain meaning? Do you read the bible at all? Do you find excuses to ignore inconvenient passages (e.g Jesus the only way to heaven, on the grace of God that saves us, on holiness, on Christian living issues - sexual issues, male leadership, nature).

Ask for the old paths (6:16b). We have the benefit of the writings and reflections of the church fathers. We have the creeds. These are condensed versions of biblical teaching. It helps us focus. Why have so many churches rejected the creeds? Why are we so averse to the historic faith writings? Book stores are filled with meaningless and feel-good, how-to books. How many of our children know the Lord’s prayer or Apostles creed? Do they not need to know these so that they will not stray? Yes, there are many who know the creeds but do not behave like Christians. And you feel that it is hypocrisy. Even contemporary Christianity has its hypocrites. This is hardly an excuse to reject the “old paths”.

Know the good way and walk in it (6:16b). Know the proper teaching and walk (obey) in it. A simple formula that we, in this post modern world are tempted to change because it somehow does not sound right. Do you know the Bible? Do you walk in its ways?

You will find rest for your souls (6:16c). Proper understanding of who God is and what he has done will result in proper worldview, proper worship and proper Christian living. It does not require “how to” books and teachings on how to be holy. Just know what the Bible plainly says to you, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and counsel of the people of God and do what God impresses on your heart.

Are you seeking rest for your soul in this restless age? Do not seek to change the teaching of the Bible to reflect what you think may be right. Just trust God. He has taught us through his word and the counsel of godly forefathers. You may find that it may be old fashioned. Or boring. But you will find that it is enough.

Dr Joshua Raj

www.southasiamission.com

They have lied about God

2010-06-12T07:51:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 5:12-31

What is a delusion? I had great difficulty when I did my psychology rotations in medical school with otherwise normal patients who had delusions. A delusion is a false belief that is firmly held to be true, even in the face of evidence of its falsehood. Most of us will have some false beliefs in our lives, but the difference is that we will change our minds once evidence is presented to the contrary.

In this world, the secular media and prevailing worldview suggests that Christians are deluded into believing in God. We hold to a false belief, we are told. There is strong evidence for atheism, we are told. Anyone who believes in an exclusive way to God is a fool, we are told. We are pitied for our “ignorance” and bullied for our “intolerance”. However, when we want to engage in a genuine discussion of h the evidence, the pluralists and atheists (strange bedfellows they may be) only respond with polemic.

Jeremiah’s days in ancient Judah reveal a similar pattern of ridiculing the people of God and God Himself. The prevailing worldview was pluralism and seeking after any and all gods. Prosperity had brought about the delusion that man had achieved success n his own.

God says his people had lied about God (5:12). They had lied to themselves. There were people who were deluded and people who deliberately lied to others. Do we not see the same pattern today? We need to identify who is genuinely seeking God and deluded by the world. These are those we must share the gospel with. As for those who deliberately lie or are argumentative, we should leave them alone, especially if they claims to be Christian leaders (Titus 3:10), because the word is not in them (Jer 5:13)
What we trust in will be destroyed (5:14-17). In Jeremiah’s day, it was dramatic. Violence came form the north and their idyllic life was shattered. Today, the idyllic life in the west has fallen short. The society which has everything has produced the largest pool of mental health patients ever. Psychiatric medicines like SSRI’s have overtaken painkillers as the most prescribed drugs. Teen suicides have burgeoned. What or who are we trusting in today? Money? Our nation? Our leaders? Leaders can mislead (Jer 5: 26). Our spouse? None will satisfy, and none will protect. Apart from the true God, revealed in Jesus Christ, everything else will be destroyed. Trust Jesus today.
God gives second chances (5:18-19). The word “nevertheless” is comforting. Jeremiah tells the people that God will no make a “complete end” of them. Jesus came for just that purpose. Man may be deluded in his sin and unable to know God or experience His grace (Romans 3:23). Sin is not necessarily doing bad things. It is a disposition of the heart that rejects God and places trust in other things, as noted above. God is waiting to help us through life, whatever our circumstance. We are called to trust Him.

If only the people of God had trusted Him all those years ago. We are going down the same path. Are we going to do something about it? Maybe we can start in our homes and local community?

My people are foolish

2010-06-02T08:26:00.000-06:00

My people are foolish

Jeremiah 4:22-5:6

The intellectual and visionary of today is often characterized by their ability to think differently. In fact, it is this need to find new ways of thinking, novel methods of analyzing data and discovering esoteric explanations for what is obvious, that defines modern scholarship. It has infected biblical scholarship as well. All doctorate students and professor wannabes find they have to “publish or perish”, and to publish means to find new explanations for established truths.

That is why seminaries are producing “research” that change the obvious truths of scripture. When the Bible says that man has a sinful nature, there is little to debate. But bible scholars need to publish and appear to be thinkers. So they analyse and dissect the word sin, sinful and sin nature. They redefine the terms. And in the process, change the intent of what God says.

It goes to both extremes. At a recent seminar in South East Asia, a prosperity gospel preacher said we have to engage culture to be relevant to modern man. So his church uses songs by Lady Gaga and other pop icons at service. Those who attend say that the church service resembles a rock concert. The words of God, “worship in spirit and in truth” is made to mean something else. On the other hand, we see the US Episcopal church consecrating a lesbian bishop. We are told that modern research “proves” that homosexuality is normal. The modern versions of the bible have replaced the word homosexuality with “sexual immorality”, because modern biblical scholarship says this is the ‘correct” meaning. In a few years, the next generation will never know the true word of God.

Jeremiah called his people “fools”. A fool is not a stupid person, as we may think. A fool is actually an intelligent person who is misled. He is duped by someone or chooses to be misled because he cannot accept the truth.

My people are foolish – they have not known Me (4:22). The people of Judah chose not to know God, because it would affect their cushy life. God called them silly children. They had no understanding of the consequences of their foolishness. Are we behaving like silly little children? We need to really look at whether we know God. To know God is to know His heart. And we then do not change or obfuscate His word. Do you know God? He wants to know you. Just seek Him by sitting still and asking Jesus to reveal himself to you.
They are foolish – for they do not know the way of the Lord (5:4). For those who did know God, they were not in the way of the Lord. They were either disobedient or indifferent. Israel at that time ignored almost all of what God was telling them about Himself. They listened to the ‘prophets” who told them what they wanted to hear. Are you listening to pastors and teachers who tell you what you want to hear? Or are you listening to the Lord? There are many clear propositions in the Bible. Do we ignore or disobey inconvenient teaching sin the Bible? If so, these passages call us fools. Do we want to be foolish in the eyes of God or man? The choice is yours and mine.

Fool me twice, shame on me

2010-05-23T19:37:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 4: 10-18 Fool me twice, shame on me

We have all fallen for a con job at some time in our lives. Often it is a minor deception – paying too much for a trinket in a bazaar. Or it can be expensive – fraudsters who fool pensioners into investing their life savings in worthless investments. If we learn form mistakes, we may not be fooled by the same person or trick again. Yet some do get fooled again. Usually when that happens, the tricksters use common human desires to accomplish their task. The human desire of greed and pride are the prime targets. Greed (or covetousness) is the desire to possess something more, way more than what we have. And pride because we think we can never be fooled.

The greatest deceiver in the world works on the quiet. He plants seeds of doubt, and nurtures greed and pride in individuals. As more people believe his lies, society has come to believe the lie. And man is hurting his own soul. Modern man has become the fool.

Society today has bought into the lie of universalism, that all gods are the same and all religions lead to heaven. A cursory look at each religion makes it obvious that they do not teach the same thing. Hinduism teaches that everything is part of god and that all is god. There is no individuality to the soul. Judeo-Islamic religions teach that God is the creator but is transcendent. Thos two views are polar opposite. Yet man will deny the true God and chase after untruths and things that please their sinful nature.

In Jeremiah’s day,

Israel

, God’s chosen people had done the same. They were running after pagan gods, the enticements of the Baal worship and turned away from God. And God, being the Father (see Jer 3:19) has to allow them to go their merry way in their prideful ignorance and greedy consumption.

Jeremiah said that God has deceived the Israelites (4:10). This is similar to a parent today, who cannot control his child. The child insists on his autonomy and keeps making bad decisions. The parent has to allow this because they have no other choice. Yet when the child faces the consequences, e.g. having to go to jail for theft, for example, the child may ask the father, “Why did you let me do this?” And all the father can do is to say that he had to let him go because child would not listen.

God has let modern man and society go. Dangerous as it may be, he allows us that freedom. We have abused it and turned away form him. Can we not seek God again? His word is there for us to learn from and obey.

Israel would face the consequences (4:19). So will we if we continue to ignore or deny the true God. Unless we repent and turn to God, we will suffer the eternal spiritual consequences of our actions. We will lose our soul. Are you scared by this truth? If you are, God is here, waiting to receive you, by His grace. He does not condemn the one who comes back to him and confesses his sinful attitudes.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Romans 10:9-10.

Sin is not just doing bad things as people seem to assume. Paradoxically, even those who do not believe in God get outraged when they are referred to as “sinners” in God’s eyes! It should not even be an issue for them, but it seems to offend something in them. But I believe it is in their heart – they have that innate “god-desire” in them, even if they do not know it. Sin is a disposition or attitude toward the true God, an attitude of rebellion and disobedience, and acting on that by denying Him, that constitutes sin. Repent and turn to God. He will receive you with open arms.

+Joshua

www.southasiamission.com

Jeremiah 4:1-2 Seeking God? He is with us!

2010-05-22T17:14:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 4:1-2 Seeking God? He is with us!

Have you ever looked for something that you lost? Often it is a difficult mission, since it is not uncommon to search over and over, with no success. After a time, you get disillusioned, and may even give up the active search, though you still harbour the hope of finding the object in question. Conversely, if we do not even know we have lost something, we will not even begin the process of seeking.

So it is with God. Society seems to have people with all kinds of opinions with regard to seeking God. They search high and low for “god”. Many believe that “god” is within themselves. It has become the dominant worldview today to uncritically accept any notion of God, no matter how implausible it may sound. The sole validity lies in the person who believes in it. On the other hand, there are those who lead lives as if God is irrelevant. They do not even look for Him. They do not know they have lost something.

Israel was told to return to God (4:1). They had lost God. They were distracted and unfocused. They allowed their vanity to decide who they would worship. What about you today? Have you returned to God? Do you vene know that you have lost God? And that he is helping you find him? Do not be beguiled by the philosophies of today which suggest that there are many ways to God. It is really odd that a belief, dogma, cult or visible idol that is made by man, is then worshipped by the same man as a “god”. God promises that if you sincerely and humbly seek Him (note the operative words – sincerely and humbly), he will be found (Jer 29:13).

The Lord lives (v. 4:2a). Israel was told that only the God of Israel lived. The others were but dead idols and ideologies. Do you accept that message today? The truth of the resurrection convicts us and gives us hope. No other religious leader or founder has ever come back from the dead. Jesus has risen from the dead– He lives! That’s why we sing……………

I serve a risen Savior, he's in the world today;

I know that he is living whatever men may say;

I see his hand of mercy; I hear his voice of cheer,

And just the time I need him, he's always near.

He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me

Along life's narrow way.

He lives, he lives, salvation to impart!

You ask my how I know he lives?

He lives within my heart.

Do you really KNOW that He lives? Do you live with that reality every day? Jesus Lives and he wants you to know that He is with you in every circumstance. If you do not know Jesus, seek Him sincerely, not with skepticism but in humility, and you will find Him.

God's Love - Do we really understand and know?

2010-05-20T19:20:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 3 - God is love

Human beings have to face each other every day. We seem to be made for relationship. Indeed the bible says that fellowship is an integral part of the ecclesia. But relationships are fraught with difficulties and problems. Philosophers have admitted that it is very difficult for human beings to get along. Thomas Hobbes is quoted as saying that the life is one of a war between men. And that the consequences are that life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short! Man is inherently a selfish creature, prone to choose evil.

A recent study by Prof. Paul Bloom of Yale University seems to confirm that the knowledge of good and evil is hardwired into babies from the time they are born. These are conclusions based on observable phenomena. Of course, our parents knew this form day one! And of course the Bible has been clear that man is born with a sinful nature.

No wonder man is always in rebellion against God. Yet God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16) to redeem us and give us eternal life. There is no other worldview or religious teaching that suggests that man is sinful from birth. Against all evidence, all other major religions believe in the basic goodness of man, and that the problems of this world are due to ignorance.

Hundreds of years before Christ, God revealed His heart for His people to Jeremiah - addressing Israel, God’s chosen people. The people of Israel were rebellious and disobedient. They had tasted so many blessings from God but as per human nature, could not acknowledge and submit to God. They had to run after things of their own heart. Like all men, selfishness was the order of the day.

God is merciful. Despite all the rebellion and idolatry, He asserts that He is merciful. (v. 12). Do you know His mercy? Do you really His grace? That is the essence of John 3:16. The reality of the Cross – where God gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins – this is the reality that we should live in. Knowing what Jesus has done, frees us from the slavery of sin. A life under the Cross helps us know that we are forgiven and that is a liberating truth.

It is a personal choice (v. 14). God takes us “one from a city, two from a family”. Have you decided to follow Jesus? If not, why not? Ask God to reveal Himself to you and be open to the truth of the Gospel. If you have made the choice, then live in the truth that you need to crucify your flesh daily and live your life by faith in Jesus (Gal 2:20).

He superintends us. He calls Himself our “Father”. (v. 19). It immediately impacts our life and our actions. It impacts our response to circumstances – because we can bring anything to Him. This is the practical aspect of our faith. If you are not experiencing this reality to the fullest, talk to your pastor or godly friend.

Counterfeits seem better than the original

2010-05-13T15:13:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 2: 9-37: Counterfeits seem better than the original

The world today is full of counterfeit stuff. Every good thing that comes out into the public domain is rapidly followed by similar items. Rarely is the copy better than the original. The most populous country in the world had a mil scar some years back. The temptation to make money was so great that babies who were fed the counterfeit milk products died. They paid the ultimate price.

It is no less urgent to avoid the counterfeit in the spiritual world. At a recent talk that I gave, someone challenged me by saying that religion was just a creation of man. The external forms may be different but the inner spiritual self is what matters, he said. As such, all ways to God were valid, as long as the “believer” was sincere.

I answered that analogy by suggesting that if the inner self was what mattered, it was of the utmost importance to ensure that what we believed was true. Any counterfeit would destroy us spiritually. Truth could not be mutually exclusive. A belief in a creator God was totally different to a belief in a universal ‘consciousness”. It was illogical to suggest that they represented the same thing.

It was like saying that it did not matter what milk was being given to the babies, as long as the person giving the milk was sincere. That sounds so silly to say, but so is the statement that all religions lead to the same God, even though the beliefs totally contradict each other.

God gave us the truth. As Christians we have the word of God to guide us. Yet we ignore the obvious statements of the Bible and try to accommodate all manner of teaching. Many church leaders and members are even reluctant to accept the plain teaching that Jesus is the only Way (John 14:6).

In Jeremiah’s time, God told him to indicate to His people (Israel) that ambivalence on this issue was not acceptable to Him to His people. The message is for us today.

1. God’s absolute truth is replaced by what man thought was true (v. 11). Israel had changed Gods. Most likely they thought they could add to what God has spoken or done. Do we add to the gospel today? Do we deny that Jesus is the only way? We may not say it, but our silence may speak to what we believe. Do we chase after things of this world? What are our other ‘gods”? (v.11a).

2. Israel had committed two evils against God (v. 13). They forsook God and made cisterns (”gods”) for themselves. Are we doing the same today? If you are looking to the world for ways to make a better life, make more money, advance up the corporate ladder etc, then you are trading dependence on God for the tools (“gods”) of the world. It may appear that we are doing nothing wrong, but it is still sin (v. 19 - a rebellious stance against God).

3. Israel denied they were ignoring God (v.23). Today, we often rationalize and mislead ourselves by saying that we still believe God and the Bible, even though our actions indicate otherwise. In the difficult times, our intellectualism and efforts will not be sufficient to help (v.23-28). And that is why God may allow difficulties to assail us, because that is when we will really seek the truth and stick with it.

We need the fear of God to be in us (v. 19). Otherwise we will end up doing everything on our own strength and agenda. The “fear” of God is not to be afraid of Him but to reverence Him to such an extent that we fully rely on Him and earnestly seek to do His will. There is no better way to live life. And avoid any indictment of our spiritual walk when we do meet Jesus face to face. It will happen.

Remembrance is the key to faithfulness

2010-05-12T22:03:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 2: 1-9 Remembrance is the key to faithfulness

Human beings have short memories. Many of us have faced a situation where people we have helped or friends we have supported, have forgotten our support and gone their merry way. While the indifference can be hurtful, even more upsetting are situations where people we have helped have actually turned against us, to the extent of making derogatory or hurtful comments.

In Jeremiah’s time, God lamented Israel’s unfaithfulness. Not only was Israel indifferent to the God who saved it form slavery, it was actually actively and consciously turning away.

1. God loved Israel as His chosen people (v. 2,3). Today, the church, God’s visible people on earth are looked upon by God in the same way. But many churches, and people in the church, are flirting with the culture of the world, and the “gods” of this age. Even worse, some in the church are even questioning and making derogatory comments about God.

2. God called His people to remember what he had done for them (v. 6,7). The powerful effect of remembrance cannot be discounted. Do we ever think back and see how God has guided us throughout our lives? I believe a constant look back, with thankfulness, will keep us focused on God. A determined effort to remember can overcome the corrosiveness of a short memory.

3. God’s “leaders” led the people astray (v. 8). Firstly, they did not look for God in any circumstance. They seemed to rely on worldly wisdom to handle issues. Does it not remind us of today’s leaders? They make little effort to look at how God has led His church through history and want to change the beliefs and forms of our faith based on worldly cultural norms.

4. God’s “leaders” even transgressed against God (v.8). They did not follow God’s precepts. They went after things which were not of God. Many of our leaders today look for secular acclaim and position. They have become toothless tigers, so keen to please politicians or society’s expectations, that they are transgressing God’s laws.

I am amazed at how much we have allowed the world into our church. A recent survey in the USA revealed that 37% of evangelical Christians believed in reincarnation and nearly half believed that all religions were valid ways to reach God. Both of these are basic Hindu tenets. Reincarnation and universalism are incompatible with the Bible. Yet, our leaders do not forcefully teach these truths any more. We want to be “accepted” by the world and willing to disobey God’s clear precepts to do so.

Jeremiah chapter 2 will later reveal the consequences of this continued indifference and open disobedience to God’s word. What is your personal reaction? If you are in a church where the leaders are conforming to the world, no matter how popular or “contemporary” they may be, think about finding a church which holds onto a biblical world view. If you are challenged for your faith and biblical world view, will you, with a gentle spirit, stand for God? Ask God for Hs Spirit to guide you.

When God asks us to give, go or speak

2010-05-04T10:59:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 1:1-10

When the Word of the Lord comes to man

Man often says “Ah, but…..”

Jeremiah was chosen by God from before he was born (v4-5). So are we. God has plan for our lives and this often means that we are his mouthpiece to share the gospel, and His hands and feet to love others as he loved us.

Jeremiah gave excuses (v 6). So do we. We often have any reasons why we cannot do something or go somewhere for His name’s sake. Think about it – if we give God’s work priority, we will find the ability to obey Him.

God says there are no excuses. He told Jeremiah “Do not say……..” (v. 7) So it is with us. Very often, if we are really honest with ourselves, we will have no answer if God says “Do not say…………”

God is faithful and will always be there to help (v.8). So it is today. His Holy Spirit will give us the power and ability to do what He wants us to do.

God empowered Jeremiah (v.9-10). So too with us today. We are empowered by God through His Spirit. He will give us the words, the energy, the resources, the finances, the time, the health and whatever we need. We just have to give Him the priority.

Jeremiah heard, gave an excuse, was rebuked, and then empowered. He then served God.

Friends, as we see the needs of the world and the biblical call to go and make disciples of all nations, are we following God’s word, or are we answering with negatives, procrastination or excuses (obfuscations) ?

Many times God speaks to us through his word, or an inner prompting, or through circumstances and godly counsel. As Christians, we claim to be followers of the sovereign God, yet behave as though we are sovereign.

Some of the words God may use are:

“go” – He wants you to go somewhere, maybe to meet someone with a need, or even use as kill to help others for the sake of the gospel

“speak” – he wants you to tell someone of the gospel of Christ, or share your testimony with a friend

“give” – He may ask us to give to His Kingdom work (giving of our money, resources, talent and time)

Some of the words we use in response are:

“er..” – We ask if we have heard God correctly! When it is a bit inconvenient or challenges our perceptions of how it may impact our comfortable life, we may make this uncertain response

“maybe” - We respond with a maybe mainly because we may feel inadequate. Or we feel we have no support when we are asked to start a new ministry in our local church or to go out on a mission trip or even as a missionary.

“not yet” – We delay going. Reminds me of the parable Jesus told of the two sons. A father asked his two sons to do a chore. One said he would not do it but he did go and get it done anyways. The other said he would do it but did not go. Jesus’ disciples correctly identified the one who did the job as the proper response. So even if we felt or said “not yet”, we can happily change our mind and obey.

“no” – The response unfortunately of over 80% of church members. Church statisticians even put that number at over 90%. The remaining 10-20% are the ones who run the church ministries. This is a sad reflection of our adherence to God’s precepts.

Avoiding Moral Failure

2009-07-26T11:38:00.000-06:00

Moral Failures – Is it impossible to overcome?

Pastor Ted Haggard was really unknown to me, in any real sense, till the issue of homosexuality and drug taking came up. I was amazed initially, and then very sad that another Christian leader had not lived up to what was expected of him.

1 Tim3:2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Bishop refers to an overseer or pastor. If we are called into ministry (which is an office, and not a position of any superiority over other believers), then the issues of being blameless, monogamous, vigilance, good behavior etc are vital. The office calls the person to a higher standard. It is like a politician who falls from grace because he hired an illegal worker to mow his grass, a misdemeanor that would not raise eyebrows if done by anyone else.

The litany of moral failures leads me to think that this “war” within our members is a really difficult thing to overcome. Paul expressed great frustration, yet was able to contain it. That is the issue. We are all tempted, and leaders more so. Yet God will always have a way of escape. It is up to us not to succumb.

1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

I use the mnemonic TIP to think about how we fall into sin.

T stands for temptation. This is not sin, but the precursor. It is when the pastor found out, a voice in his inner self (the flesh) suggesting the dark thoughts of drugs and sex. Temptation is not sin. He decided to lift his phone and make a call. This leads to the sin itself...

I stands for intent. Once there is intent to do something, we have sinned in our heart. This is the “lust” in the heart that Jesus talked about. At this stage, we can and should still overcome by remembering the Word and using it against the devil. Confession is in order and will immediately wipe the slate clean with God. With intent, although there is sin, there will often be no severe consequence, except for maybe an interruption in the communication with God. I found, in my own life, that immediate confession is the key. Any delay in confession eats away at the soul. I have felt weak and heavy in the spirit and not able to pray effectively until I confessed. In one particular situation of unforgiveness, I actually began to get physical consequences, even though the person I was not forgiving was unaware of my inner anger and bitterness.

But if the intent is acted upon, the consequences are severe, as the pastor who sinned found out. The next stage is...

P stands for Plan of action. It is the intent acted out. Once the pastor went to meet the male escort, bought the drugs and made contact, the deed was done. The consequences became public and affected others – his family and his church (spiritual family).

We can all learn from this sorry episode. As I watched the pastor, Ted Haggard, publicly humiliated, I was devastated. When it comes to sin, we can all fall so easily.

I see myself in the mirror and feel that except for the grace of God, I could be in the same position. What is my own thought life like? Who am I in the dark? What are my sins? These are questions I must ask daily, and confess daily. I must try, with huge does of the grace of God, never to let temptation go into Intent. And definitely not into a Plan of Action.

In Denial of the Creator

2009-07-26T11:14:00.000-06:00

Society in denial?

(Ezekiel 12)

That God is patient is manifestly true. How else can we account for the fact that the God who created man (Genesis 1) and gave him dominion over the earth and all living things (Psalm 8), has not executed judgement on man’s callous disregard for creation and creator.

What is denial? In psychiatric terms, it is defined as a situation whereby a person facing a truth which is unpalatable or inconvenient, subconsciously suppresses the truth and simply denies it. A man who is deeply distressed by the death of his wife may continue life as if she has not died, and live in denial of the fact. This is to protect himself form the severe grief reaction that may ensue if he acknowledges his loss. There are many other examples of denial as a defense mechanism, used by common people in everyday situations.

One of the greatest denials today is to deny the creator. A strange intellectual dissonance occurs when man lives as if he does not need God, yet turns to Him in times of danger, emergency or illness. A tornado in Enterprise, Alabama (2007) is a case in point. My mentor and friend, Bishop Jerry Ogles was at the High School where the tornado caused the only fatalities that day. The school had mandated that there would be no public prayer within its premises. But as the danger become emergent, all students and staff automatically prayed for deliverance. What man tried to ban by legislation, was of no effect when human beings faced the reality of death. The law of God trumped the law of man, like it always will.

Man cannot ignore God forever. He can do so temporarily. God is patient, kind and good. He will give man as long as possible before He has to judge their sin.

Ezekiel interestingly addressed the same topic eons ago. The Lord speaks to Ezekiel His prophet: Ezek 12:2

They have eyes to see, but do not see,

They have ears to hear but do not hear!

Today, man has eyes to see the creation around him and the implausibility that all these came about by random chance. Yet, many men do not really “see”. They are in denial.

Today man has ears to hear, but they refuse to truly hear the gospel. They put all sorts of intellectual barriers to avoid allowing the gospel to confront their sin.

God is patient

Ezekiel 12 contains a warning for Israel, and a warning for us. God may be very patient but He is just and righteous. He cannot accept sin forever. He cannot allow man to remain rebellious forever. Human beings often ridicule Christians who call for repentance and obedience to God, in Jesus. Why? Ezek 12:22 indicates that the people of Israel made the same argument. You say that God will judge, they said, yet the days are prolonged and every vision fails (v 12). Today, we are confronted with the same argument articulated differently – they say its been 2000 years since Jesus came, and there is no indication of His second coming. It is futile to wait, and the days will be prolonged. They ridicule preachers who warn that judgment is coming. We do not help ourselves when some cults masquerading as Christians to gain legitimacy, try to set dates for the second coming or the final judgment, that do not come true. That allows unbelievers to further buttress their attacks against genuine believers, who can only say that Christ’s coming is imminent, but the time is only known to God.

Types of denial

This passage intimates two types of denial in Israel, and mirrors the same pattern today.

Firstly, false messages of happiness were preached (v 24). Feel good messages were permeating because God had been patient and no judgment had been experienced. Is that not so true today? After 2000 years, humans are getting more bold in their denial of God and His holy statutes.

Secondly, false assumptions came as a result of God’s patience (v 22, 27). It was widely assumed that God was not going to punish His people. Today that notion is prevalent. God is love, we are told, who will not punish anyone. The patient God who is waiting for man to repent and seek God is misunderstood to be so loving that He can overlook blatant sin and disobedience!

Consequences of denial

Denial of the judgment does not mean that it will not happen. It amazes me to think that human nature is such that when a disaster like an earthquake strikes, there is great care taken to study and warn people in case of future earthquakes. Yet, despite the knowledge of the danger, many millions live in earthquake prone areas, somehow denying within themselves that they could be killed in a quake, or just ignoring the danger.

Doctors tell patients not to smoke, yet they do it themselves, an example of severe denial! A thoracic surgeon colleague of mine was a master at his craft. His hands were nimble and deft. I had assisted him often and marveled at the way he removed tumours from the lungs of smokers. Yet, he smoked like a chimney, and died of lung cancer at the age of 40. Denial of the dangers of smoking did not save him form the consequences.

Denying God and ignoring His commands continue to be the option many choose today. However, God will judge, in His time (Ezek 12: 25).

“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “None of My words will be postponed anymore, but the word which speak will be done”, says the Lord GOD’”.

Ezek 12:28

Amen

Dr Joshua Raj

A Biblical Approach to Indian Traditions and Beliefs

2008-06-25T12:07:00.000-06:00

A Biblical Approach to Indian Traditions and Beliefs
by Dr Joshua Raj

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book addresses a very important area in the lives of most Indian Christians. The author's deep commitment to biblical teaching and a perspective that aims at approaching issues with 'agape' love are particularly helpful.

--Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore

Product Description

This well-researched book fills a need for Indian Christians who are searching for guidance when confronted with beliefs, traditions, rituals and practices in the non-Christian Indian community. It reveals the truth about Christian living. This useful guide also discusses certain Indian spiritual and religious practices, and gives advice on the daily struggles of believers. Written from the agape (love) perspective, this resource is helpful for the new convert to Christianity, the generational Christian who may need to adjust his life, and leaders who seek some form of consistency in approaching the Indian diaspora.

Doctor, is something controlling me?

2008-06-17T16:50:00.000-06:00

Doctor, is something controlling me?

Why do we ignore the obvious? Demons exist.

Have we Christians lost the awareness of the devil and his schemes? Has the non-Christian world opened itself up to demonic activity like never before?1

Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; "

“Why did I do that? Doctor, is something controlling me?”

Many years ago, I was asked this question by an earnest young man, sitting quietly in his hospital clothes in the lounge area between two large wards. I had called him out to talk to him, since the wards were noisy that day, and he was not willing to open up to me unless we in a private place. It was the Psychiatric ward, and I was rotating through this posting as part of my clinicals.The young man was found to be having antisocial and psychopathic behavior at home and was brought into hospital by his terrified parents. He had been violent and threatened to kill them.

On 12th Sept 2006, a young man in Canada ended up killing people during a shooting rampage at a school in Montreal. This is how his behavior was described by eyewitnesses:Many witnesses described his acts as follows: "He was all in black. He had very big black eyes . . . he was so calm, like he was dancing a waltz." A video game rather than a movie because the images are crude and undimensional, compared to films. "He said nothing. He had a stone cold face. He didn't yell out any slogans . . . he just started opening fire." (1)

While it took me sometime in 1975 to realise that I had a demon possessed patient on my hands, it was obvious to me that this was the case with this young man.His face was blank and calm. He was obviously in a trance. Whatever demon had possessed him was intent only on doing damage. The young man then suddenly burst into a violent shooting spree. Demons can cause the possessed to be violent (Mathew 8:28).

Question:"Why did he do it?"
Newspapers in Canada have repeatedly asked the question, “Why did he do it?”. Some have speculated that it was the gothic subculture, that made him morose and brooding, or that he was depressed, or that he was influenced by the Columbine massacre.But his parents tell a different story. To them, he was a quiet, obedient boy, who had never had problems with the law. His mother insists her son was not the solitary, taciturn person the media have portrayed. "He had friends and everything," she said, but adds that he had changed lately."Since Christmas, he became more sad, more tranquil. He started to spend more time on his computer, playing video games." (2)Modern man does not accept that he is a created being. Humanism is the order of the day. Many profess belief in a god, but live as if god does not exist. The hypocrisy is overwhelming. I must say that I am not surprised. Jesus said that anything that is true (and He is the absolute Truth), will be rejected by the those whose minds are not tuned in to Him.

Answer: Do not give in to the danger of “Giving heed to seducing spirits”
It is obvious to me that he had opened his mind to the occult. He was part of a subculture called the Goth. The Goth subculture and vampire freaks forum are nothing short of a portal for unsuspecting kids to open their mind to the demonic.Society denies that Satan exists. By this denial, they remove the fear that man must have of all things demonic. Today, even church members get involved in soothsaying, or divination, and even fortune telling, because they are not fearful of the devil.Coming from a nation where spiritism is rampant, I can only warn my fellow believers that we can never let our guard down. If the Holy Spirit is prompting us in our heart that there may some demonic element in what we are doing, or in the place that we are visiting, then it serves us well to avoid the situation. Again, not all of us may have the same level of sensitivity. But when we are personally aware of it, we should refrain.Pastors and leaders should begin warning of the dangers that lurk when we allow a gate for the demons. Churches that encourage yoga, tai chi, shiatsu, new age exercises and remedies that talk of “inner power” or “external power” that is not from Jesus, are putting the flock in danger by opening them up to the demonic. Our friends and neighbors may not end up like this young man, but will more likely end up with relationship problems, behavior and temper tantrums, job failures and the like.

Question:Does life "suck"?
On his website, the young shooter records the question many youth (and adults) are asking today:"Work sucks ... school sucks ... life sucks ... what else can I say? (3)Well, may I say that until we recognize who the boss is, and that God is sovereign over all, we will find that everything is meaningless? God has a plan for all of us.If we are Christian, he wants us to live a life that is pleasing to Him, and He gives us all the power we need to resist the evil one. If we do not stay close to Jesus, and submit to Him, then the devil can irritate and confuse us, and can make our daily life more miserable than it should be.How do we avoid the snare of the devil?

Answer: Submit to God, Resist the devil
The book of James (4:7)says:"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. "

Submit to God: We are to accept what He tells us through His Word. There can be no debate or variance to what is clearly taught in scripture. We need to have contrite hearts to accept what the Lord tells us.
Resist the devil: We should know how he operates, and to know that when we are vulnerable, to use scripture promises to resist him. Our model is the Lord Jesus, who used scripture to resist the devil during his time in the wilderness.
He will flee: If we submit to God and resist the devil based on the promises of God, the devil will not bother us. We have to daily submit and resist. We are in a spiritual battle till the day we die.

Miles Stanford put it this way:The two aspects of the Christian life are: “... (a) death to sin (the old man, the law, the world, and Satan), and (b) Christ as Life, with the Christian life hidden with Christ in God. Romans. 5-7 comes before Romans 8. All ascended life is predicated upon death. The believer is to be taught to count himself dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11). Then, if there is to be any dealing with Cross-defeated Satan and his demons-all of whom are under the Sovereign Father's control at all times--it is simply to stand, and resist, upon the basis of his total defeat at Calvary”

Pastors and leaders have to watch themselves and those whom they look after with extra effort. Be very careful to avoid anything that may open up our life to demonic attack. Living in the West, I find that demonic attacks mainly as a deceptive confusion of the mind, masquerading as an “enlightened” mind. It is so easy, in this era of tolerance, to end up acceding to the doctrines of demons and think it is scriptural. Just look at where the Catholics and other mainline denominations are today. Their leaders have been deceived by the devil.Let us constantly pray for guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right track.

Amen

Rev. Dr. Joshua Raj MD., ThD

Doctor, I am confused about my origin

2007-09-03T08:07:00.000-06:00

Homo Confusio Profundus

The human family tree is now a tangled, messy bush, says Meredith Small, LifeSciences Human Nature columnist (http://www.livescience.com/history/070831_hn_family_tree.html)

It is amazing that in the face of increasing confusion and disagreement in the academic pursuit of evolutionary theory, that scientists do not consider the obvious – that there was some intelligent designer who gave form to this world. The nature of the First Cause can be debated, as we do not have any way of scientifically proving what happened when we were not around. However, it is really disingenuous to continue to accept a failed theory, when the facts just do not add up.

The latest picture of the evolutionary human ancestor, I suggest, should be Homo Confusio Profundus (Very Confused Human).

Genuine scholarship accepts that a premise can be changed if the evidence does not support the hypothesis. The evolution theory actually never got past the stage of a hypothesis. It received wings form those who favoured an atheistic view of the world and needed an alternative to a creator god (or gods).

I am impressed by Anthony Flew, the prominent atheist, who was willing to accept that evolutionary hypothesis was fatally flawed and that the recent arguments for intelligent design were more likely in the face of the evidence. However, despite philosophically accepting theism, Flew was not willing to speculate on the nature of the creative First Cause. This shows that he was willing to accept the scientific evidence, but not to accept unproven theories as to the nature of the creator.

It will always be the case that we cannot prove God’s existence or non-existence. The atheist has the same dilemma. If one is an atheist, one has to accept, by faith, that there is no God. But on the basis of scientific evidence, it is more likely there had to be a designer. Atheists and evolutionists may not like that conclusion, bu the way it is going, the hypothesis of evolution will one day confront its own internal inconsistencies.

For the Christian, that creator is the Triune God revelaed in the Bible. Man’s decision to go his own way ( a sinful disposition) and God’s plan to reconcile Man to Himself through Jesus Christ, has to be accepted by faith. This faith is gift of God, and He will give it to anyone who seeks Him with a genuine heart. I leave it to you to ask God for that revelation.

John3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them.

Amen
+Joshua

Formula for Success Part 1

2007-08-12T08:50:00.000-06:00

FORMULA FOR SUCCESS (Part 1)

Scripture passage:

Philippians 3: 7-127But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:10That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before

When we consider a formula for success in life, we ask two questions:
1. What is success? What is the goal?
2. What is the formula? What are the steps to achieve that goal?

Example from secular world:
When we google the words “formula for success” we get 17,300,000 (17 million) hits!
The words "life seminars" draws 1.2 million hits.There are as many goals in life as there are individuals bold enough to stand up and proclaim something. And their charisma and persuasive power attracts many. They call it motivation. It could just as easily be called manipulation.

Motivational seminars run in hundreds of places every week. There are tips on investing, money management, life principles, spiritual success etc. All kinds of names are given, from "Power of Positive Thinking" to "Get Rich with Safe Investment Principles".

Why do we have so many? What are the goals? And what are the steps they advocate?Secular definition of success is either:
1. Get rich, powerful or famous, and be set for life
2. Get inner happiness and enjoy life to the fullest.

Do they work? We can see from the results! Seminars continue to be held but one speaker recently said that less than 5% actually follow what they are taught once they leave the seminar! Speakers themselves fall into bankruptcy or broken relationships.

Why do these seminars not work?
Firstly, the goal is man made....
Riches? Fame? Many rich have troubled lives e.g. Howard Hughes, Anna Nicole, and Britney Spears.
Power? Even Premiers of large Canadian provinces have problems with drink or corruption. Happiness? Anti depressant use is a billion dollar industry, surpassing the pain killer medication.

Any goal that is man made will flounder. Why? The source is man himself.Question for us today: Are we in danger of doing the same thing? Do we set goals in our own flesh and not God’s will?What is God's goal for our life?
The only options in life are to be in God's will. What is God's will? Our goal is to KNOW Jesus and to inherit eternal life.

When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, something happened to him. It was not a physical change (blindness temporary).
- It was a heart change (affecting the feeling)- It was a perspective change (affecting the intellect)
- It was a lordship change (affecting life choices)

Paul had a conversion experience – one that happens when a man accepts that he is a sinner. He realises that he cannot save himself and accepts Jesus Christ as Savior by faith. This conversion experience is the greatest miracle that can happen in one’s life.In Paul’s’ case, and in any Christian life, it resulted in the following: HE HAD A NEW GOAL
(Phil 3:12) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

What does God want us to take hold off? What does he want us to have? What does he want us to know? Verse 11 – that we may “attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

The blessed hope that we will one day be with Jesus is the goal that drove Paul and should drive us. There is a life after death. Many choose not to think about it. But not thinking about it does not mean that we will not have to face it.It amazes me that people will spend weeks planning a wedding or a vacation or for their education to the Caribbean, but not spend any time thinking about where they will go when they die. Not thinking about it does not mean it is a question that will go away. All of us will die one day and we will then find it is too late to do anything about the one most important decision we had to make in life.

Prominent atheists and deists have discovered that not having a hope after death is a frightening prospect:
Thomas Payne: "Stay with me, for God's sake; I cannot bear to be left alone ... O Lord, help me! O God, what have I done to suffer so much?What will become of me hereafter?"
Sir Thomas Scott: "Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of theAlmighty."
Voltaire: "I am abandoned by God and man; I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months' life." (He said this to Dr. Fochin, who told him it could not be done.) "Then I shall die and go to hell!"
(Source: http://www.bibleweb.com/content/atheists.htm)

Do you want to wait till death to decide?
The Bible says
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment
2 Cor 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

The Lordship and heart change that occurs in our lives when we ask Jesus into our life results in a dramatic change in what we perceive as success. In this world, we seek know Him more and to do His will, and in the world to come, we have the blessed hope of eternal life with Jesus.

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 17:3

Part 2.................next blog

Amen
Dr Joshua Raj

Formula for Success Part 2

2007-08-12T08:41:00.000-06:00

FORMULA FOR SUCCESS Part 2

The second goal applies to our life on earth:

Phil 3: 8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ TO “KNOW” JESUS (verse 8) - "for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord"

The early church fathers and reformers knew this. The goal of a Christian is know Jesus more. To develop the mind of Christ. To enjoy Him. To grow in Him. To live in Him.The early teaching catechisms of the church, for example, the Westminster Catechism states: What is the chief end of man?Man’s chief end is glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
This is the goal of the Christian life, and how do we help one another get there?This old catechism says that our chief goal in life is to glorify and enjoy God forever. This is true. Scripture says that we were created for God’s glory and to proclaim his praises

1 Corinthians 10:31 31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Peter 2:9 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

The summary of our goals as a Christian:
Verse 8 : the goal to know God and glorify God
Verse 12: the goal to spend eternity with Jesus (see Part 1 Formula for Success))

These goals can only become a reality if certain things happen in our life. It is only then that we will experience the abundant life that Jesus promises us. This abundant life is not according to the world’s definition of riches or enjoyment, but of peace and inner joy, no matter what circumstances we are in or experiencing in life.

So what are the steps to achieve the goals that Jesus has for us? Let us look at Paul again
1. HE LOST SOMETHING (verse 7-8) Phil 3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. He counted all as loss.

His perspective changed. This is more dramatic than we think.
Paul had
- political power (Sanhedrin)- academic respect (School of Gemaliel)
- religious authority (Rabbi and teacher)
- noble pedigree (citizen of Rome and Tarsus)
- family wealth (upper class family in Tarsus)

HE WAS SUCCESSFUL BY WORLD STANDARDS.He could have taught a life principles seminar and filled more stadiums.But when he encountered Jesus, his perspective changed. These earthly prizes were good but they brought glory to Paul, not to God.They were thus “rubbish” compared to what he gained in Christ – eternal life and to know Jesus in a personal way and enjoy Him.Note that he did not repudiate what he had. He only counted them as loss. So if they were taken away, it was fine. If it remained, that was fine too.In fact, he used his educational skills, his reputation as a rabbi and his Roman citizenship in various ways later in life.But he viewed everything through the light he had in Christ Jesus. He could only do this by counting everything else to be of less importance.

A nice praise chorus illustrates the truth:
Turn you eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

Questions............
Is Paul's perspective change the same with you today?
How do you view your life possessions?
Does your relationship with Jesus take priority over the things that you have?
Have you reached that place where you want to enjoy knowing the Lord?
Has you perspective changed since the day you became a Christian?

If not, why not?
Amen

Dr Joshua Raj

Why The Sword and the Scalpel?

2006-09-13T21:10:00.000-06:00

Why are The Sword and the Scalpel so similar?

Answer: The sword of the Word of God is quick, sharp and powerful) and removes spiritual disease. The Scalpel is the surgeon’s knife is the scalpel that allows him to operate on the physical body and remove diseased tissue.

It seems a tad prideful to equate a tool of man (a physical scalpel) with the eternal Word of God (the spiritual sword). But in the life that we now live, it seems that God uses the things around us, the language that we use, the situations that arise, and all other manner of things, to teach us eternal perspectives and life principles.

But I will unabashedly state that I am a Christian first and a surgeon second. Christ is all the world to me. In the course of my “long” career, I have seen all manner of ways in which Christ has revealed Himself to me in the medical world. Almost every day brought new insights and discovery.To my shame, I often missed the messages that God had for me, because of my busyness and inability (or refusal) to spend time thinking about what was happening.

The practice of meditation and relating what was happening to the Word of God (a kind of forthtelling prophetic thinking) was not in my early training. In fact, I had to learn it on my own, nearly twenty years later. But through the years, I have kept records and journals of my thoughts, and my purpose in putting them down in print is twofold:

to share how God can teach us principles through study of the human body, and secondly,
to show how God reveals Himself clearly in his ultimate creation, man.

Only man was created in His (God's) image. Have you ever pondered that? What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

Well, the surgeon’s knife (a scalpel) does the following:

It incises the skin, to reveal what is underneath. Often, the skin looked healthy, but just under, we can have infected or diseased tissue. Cancers can be removed, though as in spiritula things, cancers often are incompletely excised and recur often.

The sharpness of the knife allows incision of tougher tissue like tendons and cartilage. A blunt knife is the bane of a surgeon. The operation is often difficult and mistakes can occur.The knife can separate different layers of tissue. I use the scalpel to regular tease off the scar like tissue of tendon from the red muscle tissue. I also use the knife to separate the periosteum (tissue covering the bone) from the bone itself.

Have you wondered about the Word of God? Why is it like a knife?

Hebrews 4:12
says“For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart”.

Join me in my blogs, as I ponder the similarities between the surgeon’s knife and the spiritual knife that the Holy Spirit uses.

The former is necessary to begin surgery on the body, to cure physical ailments. The latter is necessary to begin surgery on the “heart”, to cure spirtual disease.

The former removes diseased body tissue. The latter removes the dross that sin has put on our heart.

The former removes malignant tissue that can kill the organism. The latter removes the sin that condemns the souls to eternal separation.

Amen.

+Dr. Joshua Raj

.

Doctor, Is My Medicine Effective?

2006-06-11T13:50:00.000-06:00

Or else, "Doctor, Is My Medicine Counterfeit?"

When we fall sick, a medicine is given to cure us of that illness. This pill contains a substance that essentially neutralizes the organism or substance that is causing sickness. For example, penicillin neutralizes the bacteria that cause pus formation. An insulin preparation neutralizes the effects of high sugar in the bloodstream. Doubtless I have oversimplified what medicines do, but a treatise on pharmacology is not the point.

The point? It is essential that the correct medicine be given for the correct illness. The wrong medicine can either have no effect, or worse, have an adverse effect. Patients would rightly be outraged if a doctor gave them the wrong medicine.

Question:
Why then are we being given the wrong medicine for our spiritual condition?

Just as a serious illness leads to physical death, spiritual death is certain if we are not born again spiritually. The Bible says very clearly that man has a fatal spiritual condition – he is born with a sin nature. He is born with the bent to sin. Notice how babies can manipulate their mothers form very early in life. Notice how kids learn the bad ways quickly but find the good behaviors that much harder to do.

This inborn tendency to be selfish and to covet what others have lies at the root of what plagues society today. But God wants us to be reconciled to Him. He wants to give us a new nature – His own Spirit, to live in us and through us. But this cannot happen by our own efforts. He has given the medicine in the form of His Son, Jesus. By His shed blood on the cross, Jesus has given us the opportunity to believe and be forgiven, to renounce sin and accept His pardon. This process results in a new birth. We are born again into the kingdom of God, and receive the Holy Spirit. We have the "Spirit of Christ” in us.

But while we can become a Christian in an instant, it takes a life time of learning to develop Christ likeness. Our goal after becoming a Christian is to have the “mind of Christ”.

This growing into the love and knowledge of God and deeper into Christ like attitudes and godly disposition requires dedication and discernment. It requires feeding on the right food and taking the right maintenance medication.

Here again, the parallels with physical well being are revealed. Once a body is healthy, after being cured of a disease by life-saving medicine, the patient must look after his nutrition to keep healthy. He should eat the proper foods and avoid unhealthy diet. He may also need to take supplements or maintenance medications.

Similarly, once we are saved from the penalty of spiritual death by taking the salvation “medicine” (believing in the good news of Jesus), we need to maintain our spiritual self. We cannot remain as spiritual baby. We need good, genuine nourishment.

1 Peter 2: 2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby

We need to feed daily on the Word of God and obey what it says. We need also to take regular “medicine” and this may involve painful corrective steps which God might require of us. For example, we may need to stop an addictive behavior that robs our time with God. Growing in Christ is a life long process that requires authentic and true spiritual food.

In this context, I want to warn myself and all fellow believers that it is easy to be deceived. In a third world country some years ago, a number of children died because they were treated for diarrhea with a counterfeit medication. Instead of making the pills with the antibiotic, the unscrupulous manufacturer used mil instead. The doctors could not understand why the children were not improving and many were dying. By the time the truth was found out, it was too late. Many young babes had already died.

The Christian world has many counterfeits that the devil has used to try and kill off spiritual babies even before they can grow in Christ. The devil has already counterfeited the gospel message by giving man a plethora of religions to believe in. Just like a sick patient, the spiritually sick man now finds an array of choices and is fooled into taking the wrong medicine. It breaks my heart to see that many people are unable to understand the simple gospel message of salvation.

Secondly, even those who believe in Christ are targeted by the devil with deceit. Numerous deviations and half truths are given to confuse believers. Many so-called ministers of religion are masquerading as Christian leaders and giving wrong maintenance or nutrition to churches. An extreme example comes for the Catholic Church, which has added praying to Mary to the simple gospel of Jesus. By this simple expedient, they have nullified the salvation message. It is like a doctor giving a life saving medication to a patient, but the effect is negated by another medicine the patient is ingesting given to him by a “friend”. By the time the truth is found out, it may be too late!

Then again, you have leaders who, among other things, deny the Bible, the deity of Christ or the salvific exclusivity of Jesus' Name. Anyone who tries to grow in such an environment will die, because they are receiving counterfeit medicine. For example, many so called Christian leaders now believe all religions are one. A catholic cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington when praying in the presence of King Abdullah of Jordan offered a concluding prayer "in the name of Allah, the merciful and compassionate.” (1). I remember the Episcopal servie after 9/11 attended by President Bush, where a priest offered a prayer to "the God of Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad"! What blasphemy!

Anyone who has been saved and then goes to these churches will quickly loose his faith. He will be led down the garden path to destruction. Why do Christians everywhere not condemn and remove such leaders? They would certainly do so if it were an errant doctor!

Then you have other pastors who have signed a document that affirms Darwin’s theory of evolution. Almost 10,000 pastors have signed The Clergy Letter Project, which says that "We urge school board members to preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge. We ask that science remain science and that religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth.” (2) . About 450 churches had services to honour Darwin, who only conceived the theory because he did not want to believe in God!

This deceptions are like giving milk tablets to the children with diarrhea. They will die. Churches which affirm such blatantly antithetical theories to Christianity are likely to perish with their flocks. We have to pray for the souls who go to these churches. They are being hurt and are innocent victims of the agents of the devil, who is the manufacturer of these spiritual “milk tablets”. In fact the tablets are more like cyanide, for they will trip up even the elect Christian.

I have given two blatant examples of counterfeit spiritual teaching. Many others are less noticeable and more subtle. They are like diluted pills, or less potent pills, that may spiritually weaken but not kill immediately.

Ever wondered why your life is spiritually dull or bare?

Check to see if you are in a Bible believing church, where the truth of the Bible is faithfully preached through the grid of apostolic faith. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. God's truths never change, especially today. Do not believe those who say we can change traditional understandings and plain reading of scripture in light of new cultural sensitivities (e.g. homosexuality, abortions, pluralism, interfaith services, new age practices and exercises, etc).

Ever wonder why your previosly vibrant spiritual health is declining?

Check to see if you are receiving the correct medicine, as found in the Bible, and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Leave any church and any leader who deviates, no matter how painful it may be. Your spiritual health, and mine, is all that matters.

Pray this prayer daily: (Psalm 83:11)

Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

I have spent a lifetime nursing physically ill patients back to health. I know what good comes of proper medication and the harm that is caused by diluted or counterfeit medicines. I have seen the same parallels in the spiritual realm.

Amen

+Dr Joshua Raj MD, ThD

References:
(1) By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff WriterWednesday, September 14, 2005; Page A14
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/13/AR2005091301810.html

(2) By Lisa AndersonChicago Tribune national correspondentPublished February 11, 2006
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0602110101feb11,1,287350.story?page=1

Doctor, Is There Hope?

2006-06-07T11:07:00.000-06:00

Life is Eternal

A patient of mine once asked me this question before he underwent life saving surgery. He was asking whether he would survive the operation. I gave him some hope by telling him that I would do my best, and the rest was up to God.

But as I scrubbed up for surgery, I thought that he really would have had peace in his heart if his hope had been exclusively on God, for I was just another human being, blessed in this world to be a surgeon..

"Is there hope?" This question affetcs our very soul, and our destiny. Read what the following passage from the Bible says:

Psalm 90
1Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

If we are to spend eternity with God, we have to acknowledge Him to be our dwelling place forever (Ps 90:1). God created us and He is the everlasting God (v.2). This truth is a great comfort to those of us who wonder why we are here on earth. Can we take anything with us from earth when we die? The answer is no.

Yet we struggle so hard to earn money, to seek fame, or to create a “legacy”. But is any of these what we can take way? Do we really think we are indispensable? We will all die one day. That is a certainty that no one can deny (v.3). All men will return to destruction, with their physical body of this time and space returning to dust.

So many people live today thinking they are indispensable. “How will things be if I am not around?” they ask. Yet, as De Gaulle said, “The graveyards are filled with indispensable men”.

To God, the time that we are on earth is but a fleeting moment (v4). A thousand years are but a moment to Him. Too us it seems such a long time - these 70 years on earth (v.10). Yet, all our possessions and deeds will remain here on earth.

What will stay with us in eternity is whether we have set our hearts right before God (v.8), seeking to please Him in our lives. Doing good is a great thing, and is a virtue that cannot be undermined. But in and of itself, good works will not save us forom the penalty of sin. Knowing that we can never do enough good works to reach a Holy God, Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins. He took the burden of our sin on His shoulders. If we do not accept this free gift, we will spend all our days under judgment (v.9). But if we trust in Jesus, and accept His free gift of forgiveness of sins, we will spend eternity with Him.

As I continue to contemplate on the topic of death, it amazes me how little people (doctors, patients and public at large) around me think of the life after death. The Psalmist rightly says that we are like the grass that flourishes in the morning but withers and dies in the evening (v.5-6).

What is the purpose of life? Is it not a preparation for the life to come? The eternal life, with an eternal body? Think deep and hard, for whatever we decide to do, we must decide. To decide not to decide is a decision that will also have consequences.

I enjoy life in this world to the fullest. I have lots of time to spend with family, friends and God. But I know that this is also not the end, but the beginning. I enjoy the hope and know that it is so much better to be cognizant of the fact that life here on earth is the first phase of our life, the next phase being eternal life with Jesus.

Amen

+Dr Joshua Raj

Doctor, Where Am I Going?

2006-06-06T17:09:00.000-06:00

Life after death

It is interesting that many people believe in some form of life after death, even when they subscribe to the notion that their “soul” will end up in the eternal “One” soul, and they will lose their identity in the larger entity. Even if they do come back in the hereafter, what is believed in Hinduism, Buddhism and many new age spiritualities which are based on the Hindu worldview, these persons do not know how they spent their [previous life. At best they may get “glimpses” of a past life.

But are these “glimpses” indicative or supportive of the theory of reincarnation? Many of those who have near death experiences insist that this reveals “heaven” to them. But this “heaven” is a personal one, and by this I mean that they remain their individual self, remembering who they are and even seeing themselves in a recognizable form. This surely would give cause to wonder if the “disappearance” of one’s individual soul into a massive eternal but homogenous “soul” may not be accurate. The more likely cause of these experiences is due to the release of glutamates in the oxygen starved brain, which then stimulates the brain cells to fire in areas which give a perception of the out of body experience. The right angular gyrus of the brain, when stimulated in experimental conditions can also simulate an out of body experience. What really convinced me was the incidence of such perceptions in patients who had neurolept anesthesia in the 1970’s, when we used a lot of ketamine anesthesia. The side effect of ketamine is eerily similar to out of body experiences of near death spiritual experience.

As a physician, I have dealt with death more than I care to remember. But that is my job and I have come to the conclusion that there is some form of individuality in the life to come. No patient who had these experiences has told me that they felt they had disappeared into nothing. It is likely that we will remain who we are in the after life, with our own mind, memories and body.

I find the best explanation of heaven given in the religions that talk of a Creator who made man, and this same creator God preparing a place in heaven for us. In this scenario, heaven is the place where God is. Its nature and appearance can only be postulated but not confirmed. Of these monotheistic religions, I found the revelation of God through the Bible to be the most logical way of understanding who we are and how we can go to heaven. And what will heaven be like?

Heaven will be a place of joy
Jude 1:24-25 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.

Heaven will be a place of praise
Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
"Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

I previously made the case that none of us can ever claim to be good enough to be with God in eternity. This can only happen if God wills it. And He did. He sent Jesus to earth, to reach out to us. By His death and resurrection, we have the way to heaven. We only need to believe.

Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house"

To those of you who have not taken a step of faith, let me encourage you to do so. Our purpose in life is to know God and to enjoy His presence with us. Anything else will not satisfy.

To really know God as a personal God, and Jesus Christ as personal saviour here are steps you can take. It is between you and God. No on eelse can make the decision for you.

Accept that you are a sinner
(For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23).

Jesus died on the cross to redeem you from sin and reconcile you to God
(Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace)

Accept this gift of redemption as the gift that it truly is
(John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name)

Ask the Holy Spirit to live in you and empower you to live a life of joy, whether in good or difficult times
(2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.)

Amen
+Dr. Joshua Raj

Doctor, am I dying?

2006-05-27T20:27:00.000-06:00

Thoughts on Death

How true it is that life is in God’s hands. Is it not the height of arrogance that man insists on living his life as if he is in charge? Think of the parable of the rich fool! But what about the general population? Why are they unable to comprehend that we doctors have no clue why cells have programmed death (a process called apoptosis). No matter what we do, apoptosis will happen, despite our best efforts to understand it.

Apoptosis is a phenomenon by which a “switch” seems to be turned on in a cell (the basic building block of all our organs like the liver, muscle, heart etc. are individual cells). The cell then progresses down the path of self destruction, and at the appointed time, it dies. This goes on all the time in the human body. Different sells have different life spans. For example, the red blood cell in our blood vessels last only 28 days. This explains why it is a good idea to give blood. On the other hand, bone cells take a few years before they die and are replaced by others. It has been estimated that very seven years, a human being would have replaced all his cells at least once. Think about it! Every seven years, you are physically a new person!

Yet, as a human being , there is the macro part of this process, where the whole body slowly declines with age. Why our eyes need reading glasses at age 40-45? How does the body know that? Why is our aging so relentless despite all our effort? What programs our genes to whiten our hair at a certain time? Why does the reproductive system switch off when it does? Why does our sleep pattern change? As we get older we sleep less, and our Stage 3 and 4 sleep slowly reduces in length and disappears.

Theories abound, but this time clock toward physical oblivion does not change.
Recently, an Oxford professor theorized that man could live a thousand years, if he gets rid of the toxins in his body and lives cleanly. That’s all easy to say, especially if you have the weight of a professorial title behind you. But it does not make it true. The truth I is that life spans average about 70 years for over the last hundreds of years, even before all our processed foods and toxins came along.

As a Christian, I have no problem believing that this time clock came about when sin came into the world, and after the first wave of men who were hundreds of years old, we now live three score and ten.

Psalm 90: 9-10

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

The inevitability of death can make a man think in two ways – either he ignores it and pretends it will not happen, or he thinks about it and wonders what he is living for now and what will happen after he dies.

To the former group, we can do nothing unless they decide to ask these questions. I have been a doctor long enough to know that patients who a in denial cannot be “awakened” by our outside efforts. Something has to change within them, and then they will be open to seeking the truth. If a patient who has osteoporosis does not want to think about what she has, or seek medical opinion, no amount of publicity highlighting the dangers of the “silent killer” osteoporosis will make them take any attention. Other patients obsess that they have the disease when they do not, and this too is an unhealthy attitude.

To the latter group, who wants to know their purpose on the earth and what lies thereafter, the Bible offers a most cogent response. If we are created by God and made in His image, then it follows that our purpose on earth is to know God, reconnect to Him through Jesus Christ, and live a life pleasing to Him. We live in obedience to His Word, because we love Him and want to do anything for Him. The motive is not to curry favor or gain merit, for if that was the case, none of us, even Florence Nightingale or Mother Teresa, can reach heaven. We all have the baggage of our secret deeds and thoughts (called sin) that separate us from God. Only by accepting that Jesus has paid the price for our sin can we reconnect with God.

As I write this, my wife's uncle has unexpectedly died at the age of 72. He was instrumental in arranging and organizing our wedding 23 years ago. He died on our wedding anniversary 23 years after he did all the work for us. So, on our anniversary, we ponder about his life and how much he had given his life to the Lord. The state of one’s heart is an issue between that person and God. But we are gratified by the knowledge that he confessed the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.

There is no sense to life if we only live now and then “disappear”. If that is the case then life on earth had no purpose whatsoever.

There is no sense to life if we live a life of merit, virtue and good works so that when we die, our “soul” ends in the one “universal” consciousness and we loose all knowledge of who we were and what we did. If we suppose that we can be reincarnated as a better creature because of our merit, it does not help us either, because the new “entity” will reap the benefit of our hard work. In fact, in this reality, we might as well not be of good character, and pursue all the pleasures of life – because the new reincarnated “entity” (likely an animal or insect) that follows us will have to suffer the consequences, not us.

There is no sense to life if we try to live with merit and good works so that we can escape from the cycle of reincarnation and reach some sort of ambiguous “heavenly freedom” or “nirvana”. That is because we can neither feel nor experience the benefits of our labour in the previous life. This concept of nirvana just means to be free into “nothingness”.

There is no sense to life if we believe that there is a creator god who wants us to work hard doing good works and meritorious deeds, but leaves in the limbo of wondering if we have done enough to appease him and allow us into heaven. For as we already know, but many may not admit, none of us is perfect. If we run a videotape of our life on a large screen TV, none if us could hold our heads up proudly, for we have all done wrong things in the privacy of our own domains, and in our minds. There is no sense if we strive to be good, but are never good enough.

It makes sense only if we accept that biblical revelation form God that states that we are created by a Creator God, and that He has a plan that will enable us to be sure we have a place in eternity with God. We can retain our unique personality, with a new body, after death. We will remember who we are and what we did in our life on earth, and our investment in developing good character will follow us to an eternity where we remain who we are, retain our personhood, and able to interact with others (like our family and friends). And in this joyous mix of reunion with family and friends, we have the joy of spending time with our Lord and God.

To this end, we need to strive to know who God is, that is the One who created us in the first place, and from whom we are separated because of our sinfulness (basically our pride in wanting to live our own way). We then need to reconnect with Him. How do we do that?

Well, God reached down to us through His Son, Jesus. By Jesus’ death on the cross, He took our sin onto Him. We do not achieve eternal life by good works, but it is gift of God. All we have to do is accept the gift. I do not know about you, but when I looked at consider all the alternatives, this makes the most sense.

Amen. To God be the Glory

+Dr. Joshua Raj

South India Mission

2006-04-22T21:07:00.000-06:00

2005 South India Mission

by The Raj Family

We traveled to India to visit with relatives and to do some work in the mission field this July 2005. The area we visited was affected by the tsunami in Dec 2004.
The journey to India was uneventful. On the way back, Dana celebrated her 15th birthday in the air, over Muscat. Because we crossed many time zones, her birthday lasted 36 hours!

Medical Clinics (Camps)

We found a great desire for medical and spiritual care when we were in Kanyakumari district of South India. In conjunction with Care Medical Trust, Franklin Hospital, the Nagercoil Christian Fellowship, Happy Homes and various orphanages, we were able to minister wherever the Lord led us.

The tsunami area was visited and medical camps held in Mandaikadu. This was a village hit by the waves, but people have already rebuilt their homes and getting on with their lives. Due to poverty and ignorance, many still lack good preventative health care.

Tsunami hit village of Mandaikadu
Dr Raj with patients in Mandiakadu

e.g. Over 300 people came for treatment one camp, but due to lack of electricity and darkness, I was only able to see about 150 people. The rest were given medications based on symptoms by the two local nurses on the team.

Children's Homes

Dr Elizabeth Raj, Diane and the Home kids .........Sister Jean, missionary, runs the Home

We visited a number of children’s homes. One of them, Happy Homes, was established 27 years ago by a Canadian missionary, Sister Jean Christensen, hailing from Vancouver, BC. The team distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste donated by a Toronto dentist.

Preaching and Ministry

Dr. Elizabeth Raj and Rev. Dr. Joshua Raj were invited to speak at the following places................

Dr. Elizabeth Raj at the Student Christian Movement’s prayer service and a Sunday village Tamil church service.

Dr. Joshua Raj at the Church of South India (CSI) Home Church Sunday English service, and at the Scott Christian College.

Daniel Raj provided music ministry at the Nagercoil Christian Fellowship’s Sunday service.

Elizabeth, Diane and Dana Raj provided music ministry at the Scott Christian College.

Summary

In all, we operated on six orthopaedic patients. One boy (picture) with a foot deformity came from an arid village 2 hours journey from where we were. The parents were extemely grateful and have had the gospel shared with them.

Claw Foot Deformity (left) Correected Clubfoot deformity (right)

Other cases included hip replacement, spine correction, broken wrist, spinal nerve compression, shoulder infiltrations.

We can only thank God that He uses us to help these poor people, and more importantly, that they hear the gospel message, that will save their souls.

Amen

Medical Missions to Gabon

2006-04-22T20:25:00.000-06:00

Medical Mission to Bongolo Hospital, Gabon, Africa.
(October to November 2005)

by Rev. Dr. Joshua Raj

Flying into Libreville, Gabon on a pitch dark October night , I was filled with mixed emotions. It was the first time I was traveling to mid Africa, into a tropical land which needed so many immunizations that my arm was still hurting.
What struck me in the last ten minutes as we approached Libreville was that everything was pitch dark. I was at the window seat, and have landed countless times in Asia, Europe and North America. But this was the first time the land was dark, with no lights, roads or other infrastructure visible... There were no lights for miles on end. Even as we came in to touch down, all I saw were a few houses lighted up. Welcome to “dark” Africa. I said to myself.

I was whisked through immigration and customs by Henri. Turns out he is an evangelical Christian, and truly loves the Lord. He was so happy that Christians from the US and Canada were coming out to do medical missions in Gabon. My heart went out to him as he told me how they share the gospel fearlessly to anyone whom they meet. Much of what they say openly would be “politically incorrect” for us in North America.

But we should learn from brothers like Henri, and share we must, for if we do not open our mouth to share the gospel (and we do not have to be rude or undiplomatic), then the gospel will not be preached to all nations. Henri belongs to a new indigenous church that has sprung up in Gabon. They are tired of the endless debates in the older “western” churches, and are more interested in witnessing to the unsaved.

The number of orthopaedic patients was overwhelming in Bongolo, which is a rural village about 550 miles form Libreville. The last 300 kilometers of the drive was on dirt roads! Fortunately I arrived in one piece, in a vehicle ably driven by Pastor Serge, the administrator of the hospital. My skills in French consisted of four words, but I had able translators in the four African residents who were being trained to go back as missionary surgeons to their home countries. There were patients still waiting for surgery when I left.

Pediatric orthopedics is my special interest, though I also do joint replacements and spine surgery. Turns out, the greatest need in Bongolo was pediatric orthopedics. I saw a number of clubfeet, hip dislocations, fractures, various other ailments and tuberculosis of the spine.

It will be difficult to detail all that was done, but I will give two representative cases to give a flavor of what happened to me in that remote part of the world. Although I did about 27 operations, and saw countless patients, and oversaw soem residents at work, these two cases will give a snapshot of the type of ministry the Bongolo Hospital does, and what we do under the banner of the Pan African College of Christian Surgeons (PACCS), which is a ministry of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) in the United States. It blends the sharing of the gospel with provision of medical care, all under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Case 1: The first gratifying case was Filbert Manousi.

He is 80 years old and came in from the capital city 550 km away. He was nearly dead when he arrived, with his son and daughter. He sustained an injury to his leg a month previously, and the wound became septic. Due to ignorance, they visited a witch doctor, who put on some jungle herbs. The whole right leg, from the knee don was gangrenous and foul smelling. It was so smelly that the whole casualty had to be evacuated.

He was too sick for surgery, so he was put on a drip, given antibiotics and his children were advised that he would likely die in the next few hours. They agreed that we pray for him. God had other plans, however, and Filbert held on to life tenuously for the next 24 hours.

I felt impelled to do something to save his life. I realised that the Holy Spirit was nudging me, not allowing me peace in my heart. I had to do something. We decided to do an amputation under a local anesthetic; which is almost like civil war surgery. I managed, by God's grace to do it in quick time (10 minutes), with minimal blood loss. The residents who assisted me, Dr Rosaline (from Madagascar) and Dr Jean (from Congo), were also working and praying hard.

God be praised, Filbert was much better the next morning, except for some residual urinary problems. The wound, which I closed with sutures against normal medical practice, but which was his only chance, was healing well! He was talking to his relatives on the day I left Gabon.

He is still alive today, eating and talking to family. The children acknowledge it was Jesus who saved his life and have been listening to the gospel from resident pastors. We are so encouraged by how God can do things that we feel are hopeless. The local evangelists and pastors continue to minister to them, even though I have left Gabon.

Filbert (left) with his grateful daughter and wife, three days after amputation and recovery form near death..

Case 2: Maroundi Charisse.

This cute 3 year old was walking around the wards when I arrived, bent over and with a “hump” in the spine. The upper spine was bent forward due to tuberculosis. X-rays revealed that one of the vertebrae was destroyed and the bending would continue to get worse, resulting finally in paralysis.
The best option would be to remove the tuberculosis pus and put a bone strut in her spine to prevent further bending and paralysis. I had only done these in Malaysia, where the hospital facilities were excellent (intensive care and nursing). To do this surgery in Gabon would be an immense risk.

Charisse (right) in the OR before surgery

I delayed making the decision to operate, even as we all prayed about what to do. The child was such a treasure, always friendly and happy. My main concern was that I would have to operate by opening up the left chest wall to reach the spine. I wondered what would happen if something happened to her lungs or heart during or after the surgery. The day before the surgery, we had a final meeting with the mother. As I asked Dr Rosaline to explain the great risks involved, the mother cut us off and said something that shows how much faith in Jesus can exist in these far away lands.

The mother said that she fully trusted Jesus to handle the child’s surgery. She had had a dream in which Jesus had told her toplace the cjild in the doctor's hands. She wanted me to proceed. If the child survived, she would praise Jesus. If the child died, she would praise Jesus. The mother just “knew” that Jesus was there with us. I felt so humbled. I also realized that to the truly faithful, doctors are an instrument of God. The doctor himself is by no means god.

The surgery was done in a situation that had so many negatives that it would never have been successful if God had not been in it. I opened the chest more easily than I thought. The abscess was removed with minimal bleeding. The bone strut was inserted into the spine, just in front of the spinal cord. And I managed to close the chest wall without putting in a chest tube! Praise the lord.

Dr Joshua Raj (right) with Charisse after surgery. Dr Yali (left) is the assisting resident.

The child woke up without pain, and I was able to converse with her. When I left Bongolo, she was sitting up. Today, she is recovering well. The mother and child have been great witnesses to the Lord Jesus to other patients who do not know him. There are a lot of animists and Muslims people who saw what God can do. The operation could never have succeeded unless there was divine covering.

It is cases like these that have made Bongolo Evangelical Hospital a magnet to bring in patients from all over Gabon. And the local people and pastors are very effective in sharing the gospel to all who come, and especially to the families that accompany the patients. For example, Filbert was told in Libreville that nothing could be done for him, and his children decided to drive for twelve hours (enduring the foul smell of their father's gangrenous leg) to bring him to us. They had heard that in Bongolo, the Christian doctors would do something. By God’s grace, they accepted prayer and he survived, and the families were so grateful and they heard the gospel.

To other patients who meet Charisse and her mother, they have seen God in action, and they know what Jesus can do. What greater witness is there? Charisse's mother shares the gospel to the other patients fearlessly!. There are so many other similar testimonies.

To me, that is the greatest satisfaction. To be able to practice my secular vocation in medicine and my spiritual vocation as priest in Christ’s kingdom.

Amen

A Testimony

2006-04-22T07:36:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and fellow travellers in the journey of life..........

I have been fascinated by the recent explosion in the blogosphere.

Which self respecting orthopaedic surgeon would not want his thoughts and views added to the myriad of blogs out there?You guessed it - ............me!

For over 25 years, I have practiced orthopaedic surgery. I have operated and treated patients in three continents. I have travelled to the most properous nations on earth (e.g. the USA), and worked in one of the poorest (Gabon) and others in between.

In between, I have seen the phenomenal growth of the South East Asian region, where I was born and grew up.

In 1973, I encountered the living God, when I was a medical student. I saw God in his creation. It was when I was given the charge of dissecting a human hand for anatomy class. The hand structure was so complex, that I realised that there had to be a Creator.The millieu of religions that surrounded me in 1973 all gave different explanantions for our origins.

But I realised that the only tenable answer was that there was one Creator. The Bible had the answer to my question of who created me:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27

Since 1973, I have been a Christian, and I do not find anything in the 33 years since that has changed my mind. Jesus has been real to me, and the Bible has been the source of real life faith.
I have ben involved in church ministries for many years now.

In this blog, I wish to share aspects of my faith journey, which is a blend of orthopaedic medical experience and theology. I am a surgeon and a minister. This brings some unique challenges in thought and pratcice. I hope it will be a blessing to you and a growing experience for me, as I put these musings onto paper (er, computer!).

Amen

+Dr. Joshua Raj MD, FRCS (Edinburgh), Th.D.

A follower of Christ and by His grace, a minister of religion first; a father and husband second and an orthopaedic surgeon and a physician third.

Pray More! Appropriating God’s Power

2006-04-20T18:59:00.000-06:00

Pray More! Appropriating God’s Power

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint, Luke 18:1

The human body is a most complex and supreme creation. God’s hand is manifest in the intricate interplay between the various body cells, organs and biochemical reactions that have to go on to maintain a healthy life.

Every body part has a distinct and unique function. In order for our body to be healthy, all our organs have to do their job correctly and at the right time. So it is not surprising that the apostle Paul used the human body as an analogy for the body of believers who call on the name of Christ. As Christ followers, we are members of one body – each of us distinct and unique, yet having to function in harmony for the church to be effective (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).

The human body needs oxygen for power and to thrive. If the various cells do not receive oxygen, they will be unable to function. If a significant number of cells do not work, then the body function becomes impaired. A body starved of oxygen would end up in a coma.

The spiritual equivalent of oxygen is the Holy Spirit. The church body needs the power of the Holy Spirit to invigorate and empower its members. And just as oxygen is sent to cells in the human body through the blood, the power of God to work through the church is mediated through prayer. Prayer is the lifeblood of the church. A church starved of the Spirit’s power will be ineffective – and always in a spiritual coma.

Prayer is an integral part of the any church’s mission. Every ministry and cell group is encouraged to incorporate prayer as a significant part of their ministry. It is a mystery why God wants us to pray continuously (1 Thess 5:17), when He is sovereign, and can do as He pleases. But He wants us to ask Him, to pray continuously, and we can only obey in faithfulness to what He tells us to do. Everything can be brought to His throne of grace (Phil 4:6).

It is obvious that the declension of spiritual power in churches today is due in part to a decline in corporate prayer. While many faithful prayer warriors privately have been interceding for the church, church gatherings for prayer seem to be in few in number and often poorly attended.

If we are to be effective for God in our general goals in missions and evangelism and personal goals of holiness and character development, then the key to it all is to Pray More – to enable the power of the Spirit to move all the obstacles. We are to pray more as individuals, and especially in groups, offering prayer constantly (e.g. Acts 12:1-19). For where two or more are gathered in His name, Jesus is there.

Set aside good amounts of time to pray more in your family and cell groups and other meetings, as a praying church. Let the best time be allocated to prayer, and not the last few hurried minutes. Prayer is important work, and our best work is done when we are fresh.

Amen.

Sword and Scalpel

2006-04-04T20:54:00.000-06:00

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Sword.................the Word of God

The Scalpel..............the Surgeon's Knife

The Word of God used by the minister of God divides asunder the soul and spirit, and dicerns the thoughts and intents of the heart

The scalpel of the orthopaedic surgeon divides asunder the joints and marrow

Both achieve healing, physically, and spiritually.

The blog of a bible believing orthopaedic surgeon and minister of God.

Dr. Joshua Raj MD, FRCS (Edinburgh), MCS, Th.D.