Christmas Greetings.

 Christmas greetings - 

King Herod was successful deceitful backstabber. He back stabbed Mark Antony who made him a tetrarch. He backstabbed his sons Aristobulus and Alexander with the help of his another son Antipater by Doris. Even Antipater was killed by order. His very loved wife Mariamne was killed as well as his mother-in-law Alexandra was killed. 

This time he planned to kill Jesus by treachery. He sent the wise men to Bethlehem to see Jesus and come back to report where He stays, so that he can kill Him. But the wise men went away by the other road guided by angles. Jesus was taken to Egypt for safety. 

The successful backstabber Herod has lost his lot this time. Just a few years before the successful journey of Jesus on the road to Redemption and Salvation the once successful deceitful backstabber failed in his attempt and died by a strange disease.

Jesus right from his birth to his death and resurrection has upset the plans of satan, saying, "Away from me, Satan!" Or "Get behind me, Satan!" until one day "He (Jesus) shall bruise your (Satan's) head."

This is the successful reign of Jesus and we celebrate this imminent success with "Christmas".

"Merry Christmas to you all."

Verse from Holy Bible : Matthew 4:10, 16:23, Genesis 3:15.

Victim of Bigotry - Don't Worry, Be Happy.

Victim of Bigotry - Don't Worry, Be Happy.

Bigotry opens the door of hate and anger, the resultant is hate speech.

Some might have gone through such harsh experiences. My experience was of the same kind too. A very good pastor friend of mine, suddenly stopped talking to me. Intially I didn't take it seriously, but as days passed by I came to know that he wants to keep distance. I retrospected, but I didn't find any cause for this spur. That made me so sad. Even if somebody explains the situation to pacify me in very soft words, that was bigotry for me. And bigotry opens the door of hate and anger, the resultant is hate speech.

I petitioned it to God and asked for His guidance, because that's the time when satan gets active. He makes you to feel all alone, left-out, worth for nothing, fragile at heart and mind, tries to bring in fear, loneliness, unenthusiastic, and more. He trades on the situation, tries to make you far from God's guidance and obedience.

I always believed that, "don't worry if love doesn't work between two, but you can still live at peace with your frenemies, because love and peace are two sides of the same coin, a definite currency you can trade upon and depend upon without doubt, and obviously doesn't disappoint or fail you."

At this point of time, I needed an answer, an answer than can build me, that can bring peace into me. The only one who I can depend upon without hesitation is God himself. I always believed that, "don't worry if love doesn't work between two, but you can still live at peace with your frenemies, because love and peace are two sides of the same coin, a definite currency you can trade upon and depend upon without doubt, and obviously it doesn't disappoint or fail you."

..weeping and gnashing of teeth is the characteristic of the devil.

Even after such a great revelation from God, I still need an answer which can bring hope and joy into me, because weeping and gnashing of teeth is the characteristic of the devil (Matthew 13:42), which I'm not.

..you need to let go-off for a better good. This is what had happened with Noah, when Methuselah and Lamech have left Noah to lock himself behind the safest abode.

At a pleasant time, Holy Spirit started teaching me. First, He took me to Noah. The whole world was wicked and God found none to be good. He wanted to destroy it with water. Now I made the rest and concluded that, God wants to destroy the wicked, so, does that mean my frenemy is a wicked person? But God stopped me there and cautioned me not to be prejudiced and started to teach me new things. God wanted me take a look into the genealogy of Noah, his father and grand-father i.e. Lamech and Methuselah. Both Methuselah and Lamech from the line of Seth, other than Noah they are having other sons and daughters too. Let's leave the rest of sons and daughters. Methuselah and Lamech both died in the same year on which the rain and the watery depths bust open. God made me do some research, the Rabbanic literature states that when Noah was 480 years old all the righteous men were dead, except Methuselah and Noah. Book of Jasher, says that, "Methuselah lived until the ark was built, but died before the flood, since God had promised he would not be killed with the unrighteous." Josephus in his works, The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1.3.4.88, says, "let no one inquire into the deaths of these men.. but let him have regard to their births only." This means that the day the rain and the watery depths bust open, was the same day the deaths of Methuselah and Lamech have occurred. This might be a little suspicious to the reader, but God taught me a great lesson from this. If your frenemy has to grow spiritually, he has to keep afar from certain things or people. The process in which you might not be the one who offended him, but your friendship should not hinder or be an obstacle for his spiritual growth. Keeping that in mind, you need to let go-off for a better good. This is what had happened with Noah, when Methuselah and Lamech have left Noah to lock himself behind the safest abode.

Christianity survived to this day is just because of those Christians who sacrificed their lives wilfully, became martyrs for the sake of faith as well as for their co-brothers and sisters as well.

Holy Spirit gave me time to think over it. My thoughts went wild. Unsatisfied with one example, I asked God for an another reason. This time God took me to the times of early Church persecution. Right from the execution of Apostle Paul and Peter, the initial steps for persecution of Christians has started. Roman emperors like Nero, Domitian, Nerva, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Maximin, Decius, Valerian, Aurelian, Diocletian, all these have a history of persecuting Christians. So what does God wants to teach me out of this. How if they wanted Christianity to end still survived? By the time of emperor Constantine, Christianity became the official religion of the state. God meant that, even Diocletian searched from house to house, person to person, destroying and burning every Scriptural Scroll, and executing Christian believers, man, woman and children, however, some still survived. These very Christians have not disclosed information of early believers. It is because of those early believers who survived by the lives of their co-brothers and sisters, Christianity still survive today. The spiritual growth of the early survived believers, depended upon those Christians who sacrificially leaving-off their lives for the sake of faith as well as for their brothers and sisters as well.

Characteristic  of a Christian - "When your frenemy comes back to you, don't clench your hands, but embrace and console him." 

Now I learnt the lesson, to let it go-off for the the benefit of others. But I still had my own qualms. I said, Lord thank you for giving me this revelation, but what if my frenemy was been guided wrongly to this conclusion or have been forced to act to this end? Grieving inside, I waited for God's reply. Now this time God took me to the Parable of Prodigal Son in Gospel of Luke Chapter 15. The lesson God taught me was this, the younger son seems to be a worldly, profane individual. Nobody can convience such individual. It's better to leave them off for quite some time. Let the time teach them their mistakes. When realized they themselves will learn from their mistakes as like the Prodigal Son. So, if your frenemy was been influenced by some other person in keeping you afar, don't worry; when he realizes, he will come back to you. 

In addition to the above paragraph, I was counselled by the Holy Spirit of an another verse from Book of Acts 15:38,39, "..For if this plan or this work is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even be found fighting against God." (On 26.12.2021 at 12:59 PM).

But make sure that when he comes back, don't clench your hands, but embrace and console him.

A true friend is he as Jesus said in Gospel of John, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends.." (John 15:12-14). Frankly, this is too hard for me to fulfill, but I can "give my coat if asked for a shirt, can walk two miles if asked to accompany one, can share whatever I can, so that I can imitate my Lord in heaven" (Matthew 5:40-43,45).

After all this pedagogical revelations, I madeup myself and let my frenemy go free. Now he is no frenemy to me as well; just a brother in Christ. No hate or grumbling for the past. But when I feel lonely, I remember what David in his full faith says, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescue them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit. One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all" (Psalm 34:17-19).

Source : Wikipedia; Halley's Bible Handbook; Complete works of Josephus; Eusebius Church History.

Arrogance Never Works.

 King Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great, who had been exiled to island of Capri by emperor Tiberius for expressing a desire of having his friend Caligula to be the successor of emperor Tiberius. Tiberius might have thought of some treachery behind this and exiled Agrippa and Caligula to the island of Capri. Agrippa might have died over there undertrial. In his sixth month of his exile emperor Tiberius died naming Caligula as his successor. 

As soon as Caligula became emperor, he made his friend Agrippa king over tetrarchy of Philip, son of Herod the Great. In the conflict between jews and greeks, Agrippa sided jews and was successful in abandoning the plan of erecting the statue of emperor Caligula in the temple of Jerusalem.

After the murder of Caligula, the praetorian guards kidnapped Claudius and made him emperor going against democracy. But Agrippa spoke to the Senate and diplomatically persuaded Senate in making Claudius the emperor. In return Claudius made Agrippa a king extending his domain more compared with Caligula. Agrippa made great wealth and strengthened the walls of Jerusalem. May be because of the jews on his side or to strengthen his support from jews, he cut off the head of James, the brother of John and put Apostle Peter in jail and planned to put him on trail in public after the Passover (Book of Acts Chapter 12), on whole Agrippa was against Christians.

From rags to riches, from life sentence(?) to the kingship, Agrippa's stature grew. As his stature grew, his tyranny grew. His judgements over James and Peter is a best example of his tyranny. The sway of his power with jews on his side and above all the support of the emperor made Agrippa a substantial power in the region. This predominance brought arrogance. Out of this arrogance, Agrippa in the city of Cesarea on the second day of games on a certain festival in honour of Caesar, came into the theater at dawn, dressed in a garment woven in silver being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays upon it. Upon the luminesce of the bright light, his flatterers at once addressed him as god. They shouted, "be thou merciful to us, till now we have feared you as a man, from now on we agree that you're more than a mortal". Upon this king Agrippa neither rebuked them nor reject their impious flattery. Book of Acts Chapter 12 reads, "22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died."" The picture attached, a reconstructed theater is the very place where king Agrippa died instantly. 

The resultant of sinful character either ego or arrogance is death. Book of job Chapters 38 and 39 gives us a picture of God's sovereign dominion over everything seen and unseen. In Chapter 40, the Lord challenges, "Would you discredit my justice? ..Do you have an arm like God’ ?" (v8,9). Let's conclude this lesson with a firm belief knowing our true nature as humans can't challenge the sovereignty of God and by accepting His dominance a blessing over us.

A Fulfilled Purpose.

Paul's journey to Rome was interrupted with a shipwreck and gone with winds to Malta. It's a no trade or commerce route, so there will be no frequent ships. The purpose of God was to take Paul to Rome. God had His plans, a ship that was there with full of grain enroute to Rome from Egypt has stayed to spend winter there, Although it's not the regular route, why that ship came to spend winter is unclear. The regular shipyard is on the other side. This ship which is called Castor and Pollux, the name after the two sons of a roman god Jupiter, carried Apostle Paul to Rome. Even while they were crossing different waters of the sea with different sea currents between Rhegium and Messana which is highly dangerous before reaching Puteoli, there is clear evidence of purpose of God behind Paul.

We are made with a purpose and to fulfill that purpose God has His own plans and He knows how to fulfill them. Just be obedient to be thank ful. Perhaps the purpose in Paul's journey to Rome was not the death sentence but to preach about Jesus between the well learned, atleast for two years.

We are "Scum and Garbage" - Apostle Paul.

We are "Scum and Garbage" - Apostle Paul.

In our day to day life, we will come across many tasks, of which some may be challenging and some may be relaxed and we may come across many such tasks. At the end of the day, in spite of giving our best efforts, the resultant in some tasks may be successful and in some we may not be satisfied as much as we are, but our efforts to overcome them make no difference. Our experiences how we dwelt through those times is expressed only through our emotions, either orally or in writing. Our great apostle Paul is no exception to any such emotions. He had about thirty years of tedious journeys and human relations before being a martyr. His emotions include rejoicing, praising, pain, grief, hope etc. And out of the blue came one such human emotion, disappointment. 

Apostle Paul speaking about the ministries in the work of God, presume themselves as "scum" and "garbage", "We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world — right up to this moment." (1Corinthians 4:13, NIV). 

Don't know how depressed was Paul, while writing/saying these words. A synonymous meaning can be drawn from the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:16-24. In spite of his number of miracles, parables about the kingdom of God, the people gave a deaf ear to these things. Despite of many prophets, His forerunner John the Baptist, Jesus himself, and the apostles, people are unoffended and unrepentant. These words of Paul may seem to come out of helplessness of the dire situation of this generation in the near future.

However, these two degrading and humiliating words still make sense, if thought properly. The greek words for scum and garbage are perikatharma and peripsema. When Paul was using this word perikatharma, he might mean an outcast or a person who is worthless and non considerable, and while using the word peripsema, he might mean the greasy and gluey part inside the kitchen utensils or a discardable or useless utensil. Now we can understand how gloomy and sad he might be after some dedicating, faithful, tired, and exhaustive travelling for the kingdom of God, since his conversion in AD 37(?), till his writing of this letter in AD 56(?), and till his martyrdom in AD 68(?). He had gone through every hard situation, we can read about his toil and hardships in 2Corinthians 11:16-33. He calls himself foolish, weak, runaway, scum, garbage etc. How hard life could have been for Paul in spreading the good news of the Lord with the stonyhearted, uncaring  people around.

I would like to delve more deeply to make you understand and take you to the grossroot meaning of these two words in Paul's writing. Away from this subject for a while I would like to take you to 1897's, when Mahatma Gandhi, as we call him the father of India and his wife Kasturba were staying in South Africa with his young law clerks in "Beach Grove Villa, a beautiful, spacious five bedroom house", writes the author Neelima Dalmia Adhar, in her authorial "The Secret Diary of Kasturba". She goes on to explain about the chamber pot and it's purpose. How lowly Paul would have been while writing the word peripsema, which meant the greasy and gluey part inside the kitchen utensils or a discardable or useless utensil(s). Neelima Dalmia Adhar writes about Kasturba' experience on one fine day. The author goes on like this, "All my life I had looked upon the cleaning of toilet pots [chamber pot is a bowl kept in a bed room and used as toilet at night] as the lowliest of jobs; a task that condemned those who did it as sub-humans, unfit to even reside inside the city limits where decent folks lived. I knew that even their shadows were unclean and deemed you ritually impure if they were to fall upon you. These wretched cleaners were allowed into our homes only in the thick of the night, so that no one set sight on their ill-omened faces while they went about their jobs of removing night soil [the human excreta] from homes of the upper castes. And now Mohandas [Gandhi] tells me to defile myself and clean my own toilet and if need be, others toilets as well! How dare he?" 

The author writes about Kasturba' experience when "a new Christian house guest moved into Beach Grove Villa. The atmosphere of our open and always welcoming home must have lured him to stay, but I felt a sharp twinge of loathing. That lowly malech! [the last or the fourth varna in the hindu caste hierarchy. The caste system divides humans into four main categories - Brahmins at the top, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras or Malechas at the bottom] I couldn't bear to be eating from the same plate as him. And what if he touched the faucets of my kitchen and polluted them? ..within the twenty-four hours of his arrival. Unaware or probably unmindful of the rules of Beach Villa Grove, he had left his un-emptied chamber pot under his bed and was gone for the day. I was furious. I knew Mohandas would pick up the dirty pot of the stranger, empty it out, clean it and place it back for him to soil again. To prevent him from the humiliation, suppressing my own outrage and spilling tears, I yanked out the filthy pot, holding my breath as I dragged it down the stairs and emptied it out into the main collection trough. ..as I lugged the pot downstairs with angry pouring out of my eyes. "Ek toh malech! Upar se uska pot mai uthaaon? [Besides being an outcast! why should I empty his pot? - translated into english from hindi language]." 

Such was the experience of Kasturba about the human excreta chamber pot. Till now  (2019), in northern India, human scavengers are at work. Indian states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi etc. have human scavengers, who are seen lowly in the society. Links provided below to know more about the lifestyle of human scavengers.

Coming back to our subject - It is justifiable on part of Paul in using the words perikatharma and peripsema due to non responsive people towards the good news. Although these greek words might mean outcast, worthless, non considerable, discardable, useless; with right interpretation we can learn something extraordinary from these two filthy, self blasphemous words of Apostle Paul.

In the dye industry these very worthless chamber pots, waste vats and cesspool which Paul equates himself with, can't contain fresh water and are worthy of what they contain. Since the time man has acquired the knowledge of dying, the chamber pots and large vats are used for holding liquid dyes. Consider the dyes like royal purple, true purple, imperial purple etc. which are used by noble families. The dye gives the colour to the cloth which differentiate between the aristocratic and the normal citizens. The purpose of the vat or chamber pot is to give what it is filled with. It's like the concept of redemption, from the old or the past to the new, the process of purification or atonement. It's like an expiation for the guilty. The worth of expiation or atonement is nothing but the Blood of Christ. In the Old Testament we can see many daily and annual redemptive sacrifices of sheep, bull, etc. done by the High Priest for sin and guilt as part of temple sacrifices, which will re-establish the covenant between God and man/humans. But in the New Covenant, Jesus "..entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. [In the old Covenant] the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ [in the New Covenant], who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death.." (Hebrews 9:11-14 NIV). "Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:25,26 NIV). "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. (1Timothy 2:5,6 NIV).

The gospel of Jesus Christ is which that carry the Blood of Christ which will wash and cleanse you from all sin and guilt. Come to that redemptive and salvific Blood and cleanse yourself. 

*Words within parentheses are my additions and a hindi translation into english as well.

Sources :

1. Pages 98, 100, 101, The Secret Diary of Kasturba by Neelima Dalmia Adhar, ISBN: 978-93-86036-53-7, first published in Tranquebar Press by westland ltd 2016.

2. Links about human manual scavengers.

(a). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J6d8cfBvR3w

(b). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l-xrOYYuoWg

(c). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OuKeydsNxHY

(d). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oXYRjqivvhA

(e). https://www.facebook.com/65543352052/posts/10157603500187053/

11th, Nov - Hate this Day.

Hate this day or the hour I was born.

"..opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth."

“Let the day perish on which I was to be born, And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’"

“Why did I not die at birth, Come forth from the womb and expire?"

Job 3:1,3,11.

"Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!"

"Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble and sorrow, So that my days have been spent in shame?"

Jeremiah 20:14,18.

If there is a day in the whole calendar which I hate much is this day. A celebration is for him who is alive, but people I know well, pierced the sword right through my belief, trust and faith. I'm a dead man now. Dead don't celebrate, but mourn.

For "the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth." 

Ecclesiastes 7:1.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” 

Job 1:21.

A faithful cry - Just God and His Home is all I hope with.

A faithful cry -

What hope is that I'm left with?

Counting my days to reach my home.

My Father awaits my return.

As a warrior who fought his fight faithfully.

I reach Him with fear and gladness.

At His throne I surrender as a Knight.

Fulfilling what I was commanded with.

With His mighty hand and His strength.

The Lord is my fortress and stronghold, where my soul rest in peace.

Just God and His Home is all I hope with.

As a Season followed by a Season,

Autumn followed the Spring.

Day dosen't wait for Night sky,

They just follow their time.

Time doesn't wait to keep me strengthen,

It just rolls on till I need to rest.

Lord, help me to count my days,

As I approach Your Throne of Grace.

There is nobody for anybody, is the truth to look at,

Just God and His Home is all I hope with.

Parents, Relatives, Family and Friends,

So close for a while to leave at sometime.

Riches, Strength, Men and Power are there to rely on?

But everything is just in vain.

One who made us out of mud,

and breathe into our nostrils is the One we are all left with.

This is the truth I just look at,

Just God and His Home is all I hope with.