Subscribe for Free Ezine
Enter your Email:
Search the web using keywords


Bookmark and Share

Text Size:   A | A | A | A

Vol. 6 / Issue 1 / July 25 2002

Contents of this issue

Editorial

I have made you a watchman

Reader's Mail



News Items (Common to all issues) :

Standing in the Gap - Fasting prayer on 8th Dec.. 2015

Download Articles in Handheld Computers

Please Join us in "Peace Prayer Room"

Your Spam Folder

Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online

Through the Valley of Death

Free Tutorials for your Kids!

Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God? Book

Free E-Cards

Online Games for you!



Editorial

By Sherly Isaac

Once I heard a true story. One Indian live crab company hired a new manager. This company exported the live crabs to other countries. When the shipment came they saw the boxes had crabs but no lids on it. They were very much surprised and inquired to the shipping company about this. Finally they got reply from the manager that, "these are Indian crabs, they will never come out of the box because if one wants to go up others pull the leg and both will fall down. So why waste money on lids?"

It may sound like a funny story but does not it show the condition of every human being? If someone rises up, others do not like it. They try every trick to pull him/her down. Pharisees and Sadducees also played these types of tricks with people that's why Jesus said in Matthew 16:6, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." And further the same chapter tells us in Mat 16:12, "Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees." In Luke 12:1 Jesus said, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."

What was the doctrine of Pharisees and Sadducees?
1. They oppose the true Gospel of Jesus Christ:
Pharisees will always oppose the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only they opposed the message of Jesus Christ but they also crucified Him. And if we read in Book of Acts and other epistles we can see that disciples and those who walked in the ways of Jesus were tortured and were even killed.

In the Old Testament we read about Daniel how people around him tried to find fault in his work but could not. So they complained to the king that he prays three times in a day before the God instead of making the petition to the king. And he was thrown into the den of lions. That was the cost of uncompromised walk with God.

But take the example of Barnabas whose name was prominently written beside Paul for defending and reasoning the faith. But Bible tells us in Gal 2:13, "And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy."

2. They have taken the key but do not allow others to go through:
Jesus said in Mat 23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
And in Luke 11:52, "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

Pharisees and scribes have the true word of God but they do not teach it correctly. They neither bother about souls of people nor even their own soul. How sad it is that our Churches have forgotten the true message of Jesus Christ that is to lead people to eternal life and into complete peace. But how many Churches preach the message of Salvation? How many Churches proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ for weary and restless souls? Not many!! If a person comes to the Church and does not get answers to his/her problems or does not get the peace and joy of Jesus Christ or does not get eternal life then what is the use of that message which is preached from the pulpit?

3. They work for their own name and fame
Matthew 23:5-7, "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'"

The 23rd chapter of Matthew is full of woes to scribes and Pharisees. Jesus has spoken plain and simple about the hypocrisy of religious leaders. They perform rituals to show their works to people or to collect money. Jesus told in Mat 23:14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

They burdened the hearts of people by many rituals but do not want to show the truth to people. My dear friend, that's why Jesus said, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." But if you want to come out of the hypocrisy and want to walk in the way of Christ, please pray this prayer with me:
Loving Jesus, I am a sinner. Please forgive and forget all my sins. I had believed on hypocrisy. Please forgive my sins. Please wash me with your precious blood and give me eternal life. I do not want to be blind but want to receive the light of life. I accept you as my Lord and Savior today. Thank you for forgiving all my sins and giving me a new life. I give you all the glory. I pray in Jesus mighty name, amen.



I have made you a watchman

By Vinod Isaac

Ezek 3:16 Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek 3:17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:
Ezek 3:18 "When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.


Lord said to Ezekiel that he has been appointed as a watchman. Watch man is not there to just watch and do nothing. But When God appoints a person as watchman He does that with a specific purpose. With a specific responsibility. With a specific instruction.

How does God call a person to the calling of a watchman?
As far as I have read Bible I have seen that God calls a person either directly as in the case of Samuel and Ezekiel or through another prophet like Moses who appointed Aaron. But in both cases appointment had to come directly from God either to the person or to the prophet.

In the case of Ezekiel it all started by seeing visions of God. Ezekiel saw magnificant visions. When you read those visions they are very hard to understand by human wisdom.

Ezek 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

Also when we read in Ezekiel we see that word of the Lord came to Ezekiel a lot of time.

Ezek 1:3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.

You may say that it all happend in Old Testament but what about New Testament. In New Testament we see that Paul was given a divine encounter (a vision) by the Lord and called him for ministry. John had magnificant visions that he has written in Revelation. Stephen had wonderful vision when he was being stoned. Same way word of the Lord was coming to many people in New Testament. Reason is simple God of Old Testament and New Testament are not different but they are one and the same.

When God calls a person as watchman what are the requirments?
In Ezekiel 1:3 Bible says that Ezekiel was a priest. That means a person needs to be a priest. 1 Peter 1:23 and 1 Peter 2:9 put together describes that who is a priest. It clearly says that a person who is born again if born not of corruptible seed but incorruptible that person is having a royal priest hood.

1 Pet 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
1 Pet 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”


If you are a person who hates the word “born again” then most likely you are not a priest. Also you are not born of incorruptible seed that means you are not a child of God.

But if you are a person who has accepted Jesus as personal Lord and Savior then you are a priest. You are not only a priest but a royal priest.

Being priest is a requirement but all who are priest are not called to be a watchman. Difference is being a priest is an inheritance that we get through Lord Jesus Christ who is the High Priest but being watchman is a calling.

What are the duties of a watchman?
1). He is supposed to hear from God.
Ezek 3:17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:

Ezek 33:7 "So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.


Both Ezekiel 3:17 and 33:7 says that “you shall hear a word from My mouth”. That’s a very important part of the duty of the watchman. Many times we have a very big shopping list and we go to prayer and read out all the items, “Lord I want this ... want this and want that” and we do not try to hear Him. If you are called as watchman and are in this category then know it for sure that you are not fulfilling the duty given to you.

God speaks in various ways. Like from His Word (Bible), Visions and Dreams, Small still voice, Face to face etc.

2). He is supposed to give warnings from God.
Again Ezekiel 3:17 and 33:7 says “and warn them for Me”. That means what ever the watchman hears from God he needs to translate it directly to the target i.e. the audience. Believe me or not it is one of the most difficult thing for a person to perform this task that is, to warn a person of his fault.

Most of the time a person who is rich, who is having some reputation or who is having some status or name are the difficult targets. When God sent Nathan to tell about the sin of David I am sure it would not have been easy for him to confront the king. When God sent Samuel to tell the sins of Saul, I am sure it would not have been easy. Because both David and Saul were kings. One order from the king could have beheaded Nathan and Samuel.

3). He is supposed to recognize his audience
Ezek 33:8 "When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.

First kind of audience is Wicked people.
The word wicked is politically incorrect. But God difines certain people in this category. If you are person who believes that every one is a saved or every one is a child of God then you are not fit to be a watchman. Because your pre conceived notion will not allow you to do your duty when God will call somebody wicked.

Ezek 33:11 "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

Why God calls certain people wicked because He loves them. He wants them to repent and turn to Him. He wants them to live instead of die. If watchman has done his duty and have warned the wicked and the wicked does not repent then death is awaiting him.

Ezek 33:9 "Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

Ezek 33:13 "When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.


Second kind of audience is righteous people who have back slided.
If a righteous person trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity then watchman is supposed to warn that person. That is again a very hard group to target. Saul was chosen by God to be the king of Israel but again and again he did not hear the warnings and even tried to kill David. What is the fate of such people? In God’s own Words “he shall die”. So if you call yourself righteous you need to be carefull that you don’t do that boasting in your own ability and righteousness.

Third group of people are shephards.
Ezek 34:2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
Ezek 34:3 "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.
Ezek 34:4 "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.
Ezek 34:5 "So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.


Believe me it is the hardest group ever. Recently we heard lot of news about abusive priests in Catholic churches. Can any body approach them and say you are doing wrong? Can any body tell them that it is sin? Try doing it and you will see the result.

Ezek 34:8 "as I live," says the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock";

That is what exactly happens when shephard fails to feed the flock. What will God do?

Ezek 34:10 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them."
Ezek 34:11 'For thus says the Lord GOD: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.


Let me conclude with my own experience. One day I was sitting and listening to a message. Message was good, no technical mistakes and Biblically accurate. All of a sudden Holy Spirit said stand up and raise a question, “You said about spiritual growth but from where the birth takes place” I said Lord you know message do not have any problem and I have not spoken against a priest ever but if you really want me to ask this question let the preacher open a forum for question answer. I was hundered percent sure that question answer forum will not open because in such meeting it is never there. But to my surprise within few seconds the preacher announced if any body wants to ask a question they can. Holy Spirit again said stand up. I had no choice left. I stood up asked the question and in the discussion the preacher very proudly said, “I don’t believe you can confess your sins and get rid of them. You cannot give a particular date like a birthday. it is a slow process. He even quoted John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." And said plainly I don’t believe in that. I was thunder struck how can a person call himself christian if he does not believe even in the words of Jesus.

Finally let me say don’t ever go to the calling of a watchman unless God has called you to. If He has called he will surely reveal it. And if He has called you never look back and never get afraid of the storms you are about to face. Today Lord is seeking for watchmen and watchwomen who will stand with boldness and proclaim the truth, who will not give up when the storms hit them hard. He is looking for people who are willing to hear only and only from God and proclaim what He wants them to proclaim. If you want to come to this calling to bash a person because of hatred, then never get in this areana because it is a dangerous one. But if you are really looking forward to become a transparent channel in the hands of God then Lord will bless you. May the Lord raise thousands of watchmen/watchwomen in our midst. Amen.



Reader's Mail

Congratulations!!
Keep up your good work..
SamG

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
Congratulations for celebrating your 5th B-day - In Search of Peace and thank you for continously sending me e-mails. I love to read it everytime you are sending me and it enriches my mind and my soul..

Really, I believe we need that faith in our Lord Jesus Christ because without Him our life will be in a more mess. Although for me life is difficult, life is struggle I would say but because of our faith in Him, our burdens are lighten.

God bless and good luck to all of you in your ministry..
Your Sister In Christ,
Hilda




Standing in the Gap - Fasting prayer on 8th Dec.. 2015

As the Bible says in Ezekiel 22:30 "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it." And also the Bible says in Numbers 16:48, "And he (Aaron) stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped." We have fasting prayer every second Tuesday of each month. Our next fasting prayer meeting will be conducted on 16th Nov. 2015

Download Articles in Handheld Computers

You can now download articles in Palm Doc format for your palm handheld computer. It will work with any devise that has Palm OS and Palm Doc Reader installed. To download click on the link named "Palm Doc Format" i.e. at the top of this page by the side of each articles.

Please Join us in "Peace Prayer Room"

If you have any prayer request please join us any time at our New Chat Room at http://insearchofpeace.org/prayer If any of us available in prayer room, we will be praying online otherwise you can email your prayer request to feedback@insearchofpeace.org

Your Spam Folder

If you are getting this newsletter in your bulk/junk/Spam folder please hit the "not junk" or "not spam" button so that you could receive it in your mailbox. Also adding feedback@insearchofpeace.org email address into your contact list can avoid this email from ending up in your bulk folder.

Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online

Now you can read Bible in Hindi online at http://www.hindibible.org
in Malayalam online at http://www.malayalambible.org
in Tamil online at http://www.hindibible.org?ver=tamil

Through the Valley of Death

As many of you know that in the year 2005, our dad was very sick even unto death. God miraculously healed him. We have compiled it in a book form. I sure believe that it will inspire you and encourage you greatly.

This book is available for purchase at JasmineCorp Store

Free Tutorials for your Kids!

Now you can learn Graphics and web designing online. These tutorials are free but you may need to get login ID by registering yourslef. Currently tutorials for Paint Shop Pro, HTML and Dreamweaver/Fireworks are available but in future more tutorials will be added.

Check the tutorials at:http://jasminecorp.net/tutorial

Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God? Book

Now available "Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God" Available at JasmineCorp Store, and "Is Jesus God?" Available at JasmineCorp Store,

Both books compares the Bible and the Quran and read eye opening facts about Jesus, God of the Bible, Allah and Islamic faith. I am sure that you want to read this.

Also read:
Book Title: Is Jesus God?
Author: Sherly Isaac
ISBN: 0759628092
http://insearchofpeace.org/books.htm

Free E-Cards

Send free E-Cards (Greeting Cards) to your friends and family. Its an easy way to stay in touch with friends and family. The website address is:
http://ecards.jcsearch.com

Online Games for you!

Now you can play games online at http://insearchofpeace.org/games




Subscribe for English Edition please Click here.
Subscribe for Malayalam Edition please Click here
Subscribe for Tamil Edition please Click here.

Home || Magazine Rack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 || Malayalam Rack 1, 2, 3 || Tamil Rack
Subscribe || Prayer Request || Contact us



Search Bible:

(eg. John 3:16-20)



Sponsored and Technology Provided by Jasmine Computers Inc

 

 
JCBid Auction

WINEGARD SW-0012 ANTENNA MOUNT (GABLE END MOUNT)
Seller: in2012