The Elusive One-ness with God

John 15:6

The Voice (VOICE)

⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is like a branch that is tossed out and shrivels up and is later gathered to be tossed into the fire to burn.

[i]

On Hindu New Year I went to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (temple) in Chino Hills. Hundreds of people were out for the festival of the feeding the gods. I was assured by one of the elders that this branch of Hindu is monotheistic. Tucked between patterns of lotus blossoms, peacocks, and intricate lattice work, thousands of exquisitely carved figures in formal poses, each unique, adorned the white marble interior as well as the red sandstone exterior of this beautiful temple. He went on to explain that these represented those who through many reincarnations and endless effort had achieved perfect harmony with the one God. They no longer had to suffer the endless reincarnations but were living with God. Looking through their literature in the adjacent gift shop, I found that these magnificent achievers are (lesser?) gods. Their lives are full of high adventure trying to help those still on earth escape their corporal bondage. Behind golden doors are the extremely beautiful gods and goddesses clothed in gold, scarlet, and bejeweled all over. On this blessed New Year’s Day (Diwali), beautifully arranged as an offering on steps in front of each of these gods lay an almost endless supply of the best Indian foods, all vegetarian, of course. Every inch of the Mandir was permeated with the delicious aroma of curry.

[ii]

Martin Luther wrote of his experience in trying to achieve this oneness with God, “When I was a monk, I read mass daily. I weakened myself with prayer and fasting so much that I couldn’t have kept it up for much longer. Yet all of my efforts couldn’t help me in the smallest temptation. I could never say to God, ‘I have done all this. Look at it, and be merciful to me.’ What did I achieve with all this striving? Nothing; I merely tormented myself, ruined my health, and wasted my time. Now I’m forced to listen to Christ’s judgment on my works. He says, ‘You did all this without me. That’s why it amounts to nothing. Your works don’t belong in my kingdom. They can’t help you or anyone else obtain eternal life.’

“So in this passage, Christ has passed a terrifying judgment over all works—no matter how great, glorious, and beautiful they might appear. If these works are performed apart from Christ, they amount to nothing. They may appear to be great in the eyes of the world, for the world considers them excellent and precious. But in Christ’s kingdom and before God, they are truly nothing.”[iii]

Thank You Lord for Your infinite sacrifice to make me holy in Your sight, to fit me to be united with You forever in Your home. Thank You for taking my life and having Your Spirit live Your life in me.

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[i] https://www.gg2.net/newImage/original/1357118117_04_Mandir_3.jpg

[ii] http://www.baps.org/Data/Sites/1/Media/LocationImages/LocationPhotos/43GuidedTour_001.jpg

[iii] Luther, Martin By Faith Alone 1998 ed. James C. Galvin pub. World Bible Publishers, Iowa Falls, Iowa, on the reading for November 2

I need your counsel!

1 Corinthians 10:25-29

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

²⁵ Eat anything that is sold in the market without letting your conscience trouble you. ²⁶ Certainly, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything it contains is his.” ²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to his house for dinner, and you wish to go, eat anything he serves you without letting your conscience trouble you. ²⁸ However, if someone says to you, “This was sacrificed to a god,” don’t eat it because of the one who informed you and because of conscience. ²⁹ I’m not talking about your conscience but the other person’s conscience. 

[i]

I took a group from my church on a tour last Thursday. We visited the local Hindu temple on their new year, Diwali. I noticed that some of the people were very, very nervous on the whole tour. In the Indian food market near the visitors’ center I purchased some food. The sellers looked very shocked when some of our group asked if any of their food had meat in it. To my knowledge, any good Hindu is a vegetarian. The food is all marked “Swaminarayan Vegetarian”. Some of my group looked very nervous in the market. I didn’t understand what was making them so nervous. In the car on the way home I opened the Masala Papdi and passed it around. Some took it and enjoyed it. Others wouldn’t touch it. After a while one of the nervous ones said, “Did you read the statement in small print at the bottom of the label?”

It reads “This package contains sanctified, vegetarian cuisine prepared and offered to the divine image of God in accordance with the dietary beliefs of the Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan denomination of the Hindu religion.”

I confess I was taken aback, not from the statement on the package, but that there should be a question about food offered to idols in this Christian era. We talked a bit about it, and it was quite clear that these people had definite fear and trepidation about consuming foods that had been offered to “devils”.[ii]

We had guests over for Sabbath lunch, and I tried the masala and the concern on this group. They enjoyed eating it and expressed no feelings of any hesitations about eating it.  

I’ve read chapters 8 and 10 of 1 Corinthians enough times so that I remembered the counsel there without looking it up. However, never in my whole life, especially having lived in a Christian environment most of my life, did I expect that this would ever be an issue! Now I need your counsel! Let me know your thoughts on what my course of action should be!

Dear Lord, what a strange predicament I find myself in. I know that the offering of food to idols makes no difference to my conscience, my health, or my faith. I have found out that it does concern some others, though not many. Please give me wisdom about what is appropriate now in a Christian environment in 2015.

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[i] http://www.salebhai.com/content/images/thumbs/0006356_sukhadia-garbaddas-bapuji-masala-papdi.jpeg

[ii] 1 Corinthians 10:20

ISIS

2 Timothy 3:12

 The Voice (VOICE)

 Anyone wishing to live a godly life in Jesus the Anointed will be hunted down and persecuted.

[1]

 Sylvia mentioned that some long time friends had sent us an email about ISIS troops going methodically to Christian homes in Qaragosh, a town they recently entered, and beheading their children. Here is a portion of the email.

 ISIS is systematically going house to house to all the Christians and asking the children to denounce Jesus. He said so far not one child has. And so far all have consequently been killed, but not the parents. The UN has withdrawn, and the missionaries are on their own. They are determined to stick it out for the sake of the families even if it means their own deaths. They are very afraid and have no idea how to even begin ministering to these families who have seen their children martyred. Yet he says he knows God has called them for some reason to be His voice and hands at this place at this time.

Even so, they are begging for prayers for courage to live out their vocation in such dire circumstances. And like the children, accept martyrdom if they are called to do so. These brave parents instilled such a fervent faith in their children that they chose martyrdom. Please surround them in their loss with your prayers for hope and perseverance.

One missionary was able to talk to her brother briefly by phone. She didn't say it, but I believe she believes it will be their last conversation. Pray for her too. She said he just kept asking her to help him know what to do and do it. She told him to tell the families we ARE praying for them and they are not alone or forgotten -- no matter what. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Naturally it shocked and saddened me that people could be so barbaric in this enlightened age. I wondered if possibly this might be an exaggeration of an already terrible condition. I looked up ISIS on Snopes[i] to see if what I was reading was simply a very nasty “urban legend”. They list the truth of the story as “Undetermined” and “Mixture”. The two sites listed below tell more of the story. The original report was apparently sent out in August of 2014 by Sean Malone of Crisis Support International and was intended only for Sean’s immediate correspondents. Snopes does include a heart rending photograph of a child beheaded in Syria in 2013. You may want to look at the article first alone and decide whether or not you want your children to see it.

Needless to say it appears that the twenty-first century may have its own Holocausts, Gulags, and Rwandas.

Heavenly Father, my heart is revolted, angered, and saddened by the news I hear. I can only cry out “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

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[i] http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/isis.asp, and   http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/prayer/seanmalone.asp