APRIL 2021 - The United Basel Mission Church Council, Mumbai - UBM Church Mumbai
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BASEL CHRONICLES
The United Basel Mission Church Council, Mumbai
www.ubmchurches.com
APRIL 2021 ISSUE 04
Editorial Rev. Samson Balmi UBM Christa Karunya Church, Dombivli ,Mumbai UBMC Office Bearer’s Desk Mr. Allwin Karkada Associate Secretary, UBMCC- Mumbai UBMC Pastor’s Desk Rev. Sofia Christabel UBM Shalom Church, Navi- Mumbai The Cross: A Call to Self-Denial Rev. Dr. Sandeep Theophil Asst. Prof. Karnataka Theological Collage Balmatta, Mangaluru A New Command Rev. Dr. Godwin Shiri Bengaluru Cross: Death of Death Rev. K. Sagar Sundar Raj Asst Prof., Old Testament Karnataka Theological Collage Balmatta, Mangaluru.
Resurrection: Celebrating the Joy of Salvation Rev. Baila Channakeshavalu Asst. Prof., Religions, Karnataka Theological College, Mangaluru. Youth Department: Arise! Be a disciple of Christ Mrs. Snehal Karkada UBM Christa Karunya Church Dombivili, Mumbai. Women’s Department:A Call to Return Mrs. Margaret Snehalatha Scripture Union Karnataka Outreach Department Rev. Samuel Tatigiri UBM Christha Shanti Church, Marol, Mumbai
BASEL CHRONICLES
UBMC OFFICE BEARERS KANNADA TRANSLATION
PRESIDENT: Vishal Shiri Rev. Gladson Karkada
VICE PRESIDENT: Alma Xavier Rev. Freny Issac
SECRETARY: Mable Soans Rev. Vinod Issac
ASSOCIATE SECRETARY: Allwin Karkada HINDI TRANSLATION
TREASURER: Samuel Richard Soans Rev. Jayanth Roch
JOINT TREASURER: Ryan Palan Renuka Gladys Roch
Anjana Powell Singh
EDITOR
Rev. Vinod Issac ENGLISH PROOF READING
Shobha Karkada
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Rev. Freny Issac
Rev. Jayanth Roch
KANNADA PROOF READING
Rev. Samson Balmi
Rev. Freny Issac
Rev. Freny Issac
Rev. Vinod Issac
Rev. Vinod Issac
Rev. Gladson Karkada
OUTREACH DEPARTMENT
HINDI PROOF READING
Rev. Samuel Tatigiri
Rev. Jayanth Roch
Renuka Gladys Roch
SUNDAY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Rev. Susheel Sumitra FUN AND GAMES
Steffy Alwa
WEBSITE DEPARTMENT Noella Gilbert
Rev. Soa Christabel Sherlyn Cabral
Selwyn Jathanna
WOMEN'S DEPARTMENT
CREATIVE TEAM
Rev. Martha Balmi
Ansty Karkada
Rev. Vinod Issac
YOUTH DEPARTMENT
Rev. Freny Issac ART DIRECTOR
Ansty Karkada
BASEL CHRONICLES | EDITORIAL | APRIL 2021
Edit Rev. Samson Balmi
UBM Christa
orial
Karunya Church,
Dombivli,
Mumbai
Greetings of the festival of resurrection
to all our readers. The main basis of
the Christian denominations worldwide
is the belief that Jesus of Nazareth
who gave up his life on the cross is
resurrected. His crucixion has
meaning and signicance in the face of
his resurrection over death. The world
has witnessed some of the greatest
works in human history which includes
the ones who have performed miracles,
the ones who have taught about new
life and also the ones who were
martyred for their good works! But the
world has seen none like Jesus Christ,
who conquered death and rose to life.
His disciples too were convinced that
He is the form of God Himself only
after he appeared to them after His
resurrection. The tomb of rock could not
hold back life! The life given by the
good Lord returns back to Him and
does not get destroyed.
BASEL CHRONICLES | EDITORIAL | APRIL 2021 Ecclesiastes 12:7 says “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it”. The fact that although the body has an end, the soul has no end was illustrated by Jesus by the example of the grain of wheat. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”. (John 12: 24). Therefore, it is justied for the soul to praise eternity. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (I Cor 15: 55). This shout of vic- tory shall be rightly echoed through the joyous celebration of Easter. There are many who question whether Christians in the modern world need to place so much emphasis on the resurrec- tion of Jesus. There are also people who ask, “Isn't is sufcient to implement the teaching of Jesus, especially the beati- tudes?” According to Paul, the good news cannot be shared by keeping aside the resurrection of Christ. This is what Paul preaches about – in his letters (I Cor 15) by giving a strong testimony of how Paul transformed the lives of himself and oth- ers. By rejecting the people's argument that the dead are not resurrected, he reveals the importance of the resurrec- tion. At that time, there were many people who were skeptical about resurrection and who preached that there is no resur- rection.
BASEL CHRONICLES | EDITORIAL | APRIL 2021 Paul reveals to all those people by giving many testimonies at that time that Christ is risen. Even today, there are many who are not ready to accept and believe in the message of Jesus' resurrection. It is seen clearly that they lack an open mind to understand the reality. They are not ready to agree that His tomb was empty! These are the people who say that no matter whatever illustrations and proofs are provided, we will not believe! But the fact of the resurrection is not based solely on the empty tomb. The Gospels tell us that He appeared to His disciples on different occasions. Paul has written about it. A great transformation has taken place and is taking place in the lives of those who had the vision of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is neither an imaginary story nor a rumor. It is a real historical event! Without it there is no basis for our faith and our teaching has no meaning. The resurrection of Jesus teaches us that Jesus rose from the dead, and is still alive! He is calling us to follow Him. Therefore, the Christian church today must be a church that wit- nesses about His resurrection. Death is not the end of life. There is resurrection after death. The deliverance from death and sin is possible by Christ. That is what we have received through Jesus Christ. Because Jesus has the power to transform sinners into righteous ones Therefore, we have a calling to die for sin and become new by adapting a new mind.
BASEL CHRONICLES | EDITORIAL | APRIL 2021 There is a close relationship between Christ's rising up from death and the dead being raised. The fact that the dead will be raised and the resurrection mes- sage of Jesus Christ must be conveyed through our lives. If the death we are to have is to serve as a symbol of victory in our lives, we must take the life of this world very seriously. Our life should be based on our faith in Jesus. Does the Christian Church today act as if Jesus is resurrected? Or is it behaving as though Jesus is not resurrected? To what extent are the signs of resurrection evi- dent through our lives? What are our roles in defeating the forces of evil? Are we the forces that inspire and reect life? Today, we need to ask these questions to ourselves. Dear readers, the resurrection of Christ is a festive celebration of hope. It must always be experienced by us in life. At times, it is natural for the forces of despair to cover us. They can affect us and bring about change and transforma- tion in us. In the midst of the forces which are destroying, devastating and shrinking our faith, our hope in Christ and the works of the new life shall pre- vail over all of these. Our church, society and various learning centers across the countries throws light towards a new perspective and poses different challenges. The lives of our churches must be living proof that Jesus rose and is still alive today.
BASEL CHRONICLES | EDITORIAL | APRIL 2021 Do we still nd opportunities for confusions, distrust, gossip, and falsehood in our lives? What are the qualities of life that we have and how can we express them more? We need to think in this regard. What we need is a new life. It is possible only from God and the Holy Spirit. We must submit ourselves and allow God to work in our lives as He worked in the past if we want the spir- itual prosperity of our Church and society. The life and the hope that God has given us will then be available not only to us but to all people through us. Greetings of the festival of resurrection to each one of you once again!
BASEL CHRONICLES | OFFICE BEARERS DESK | APRIL 2021
Ofce Mr. Allwin Karkada
Bearer’s Associate Secretary,
UBMCC Mumbai.
Desk
Greetings to you all in the name of our
Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the time of celebrating victory
over sin and death. It is the time of
breaking down the power of sin in
humans' life. God incarnated, died,
and rose again from the dead.
Therefore, in our Christian Faith along
with the Cross, the empty tomb also
testies that the one who died on the
cross for the sins of this world, is now
Risen and Alive.
If Christ has not risen, then our faith is
useless (1 Corinthians 15:14). That's
right — useless. Without the
Resurrection, we might as well forget
God, church, the Christian life — it is
all a lie.
On the other hand, if the Resurrection
is real, then a few important truths
follow:BASEL CHRONICLES | OFFICE BEARERS DESK | APRIL 2021 Our sins are forgiven The Bible makes it clear that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). And sin put a rift in our relationship with our Creator, sepa- rating us from His love. But because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have received forgiveness and our rela- tionship with God has been restored. Death is not the end Jesus conquered the grave and promises that we can follow in His footsteps (Philippians 3:21). Because of the resur- rection of Christ, death no longer has power over us. We have gained eternal life. Paul shouts with an air of deance, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). Of course, there is no reply. How we live is important Because we know we will live forever in God's presence, our priorities and devo- tion are focused on Him, not on the con- cerns of this present world. This focus does not take us out of this world, but keeps our attention where it belongs (Colossians 3:2). In fact, living with our hearts focused on eternity enables us, to be more effective in God's business — living out His truth and building His king- dom — right here and now. Let us arise and shine as the Church and proclaim the good news, that death has no power over us and we serve the Living God. Wishing you all a very happy and blessed Easter.
BASEL CHRONICLES |PASTORS DESK | APRIL 2021
Pastor’s
Rev. Soa Christabel
Desk UBM Shalom Church,
Navi-Mumbai
‘Arise He is alive,’ means a lot more
different to us, as we complete a very
unpleasant and unseen one-year mark
of our journey with CORONA and we
are in the hinge of entering, with New
Mutants and their several variants.
This is a hard time for many of us, as
we are not only witnessing the
threshold of a pandemic but also an
elusive and fabricated vicious world,
trying to take benet of every situation.
These dominant narratives portray
danger bringing in crisis in the society.
The great opportunity we have is that
we can rise and re-establish the world
with values, but a greater dreadfulness
imminent to us is not responding to any
of these notions, in this chaotic
situation. 'Arising up' and 'building up'
the socio - economic - political stature
requires a greater movement. Jesus
during His period led this movement..BASEL CHRONICLES | PASTORS DESK | APRIL 2021 Jesus during His period led this movement serving the weak and uplifting people who were downtrodden. This challenged the Roman empire. His movement focused on diffusing the dominant system and pene- trating the kingdom's values into society. Jesus wanted to accelerate God's mercy and compassion with His love. However, people could not understand His mission of saving people's lives, they wanted Him to be crucied. This moment of the crucix- ion was destined and was foretold by Jesus. The disciples were not able to face this Cumulonimbus situation, they were terried of the separation from Jesus, they were stranded and lost, they couldn't think of what's going to happen to them. It was anticipated from any human after witnessing, the grievous and terried situation of the disciples, after they saw the bruised and battered body of Jesus Christ. They had lost the courage that Jesus had built in them to face this very day. When the disciples were not able to stabi- lize themselves and, in their vulnerability, they hid from the major crowd, who were in search of them. The news that Jesus is alive, as well as when Jesus himself appeared among the disciples and encour- aged them not to give up on their faith and commitment, in continuing the ministry of Jesus. Jesus knew that only His presence among them would infuse them with life and hope. When the disciples came to know that Jesus is no more among the dead and that He is alive, a ickering hope arose.
BASEL CHRONICLES | PASTORS DESK | APRIL 2021 Jesus stayed with the disciples for forty days, preparing them to face this world. After Jesus ascended to heaven, the king- dom work was not stopped, but it was passed on to the disciples to carry for- ward. We had a similar situation in India when foreign missions were called off, it was the Indian missionaries who backed up the mission. These missions are at threat now, it is our time to pick up the missions that Jesus left us with. Jesus coming to life becomes the founda- tion of our belief, the crux of Christianity, this has to be recapped in us as we con- front this disruptive world. Even though it’s very challenging to discern the truth that Jesus lives in our times, we nd the falsehood of the world more espousing. Hence let us not be discouraged, but let this Lenten season help us to pursue, to know the truth and the truth is, ‘He is alive.’ This very realization should help us to, 'Arise’ and bring in changes within our communities. Our communities need to experience com- passion and care even more than before, in this pandemic, This Lenten season let us fast and feed others. Let us x our eyes on the cross and Jesus the one, who came to give life through His death, so we can live and share this world with all creation. To do so we are nding different ways like virtual, to connect with people to ll them with life. And our churches have extended their boundaries to reach out to the unreached.
BASEL CHRONICLES | PASTORS DESK | APRIL 2021 We praise God for UBMC, who tirelessly works to meet the needs of its congregation’s spiritual needs through virtual, which is remarkable, as we cogitate upon the different ways we can deliberate, to rebuild and transform our communities at large.
BASEL CHRONICLES | THE CROSS: A CALL TO SELF-DENIAL | APRIL 2021
The
Cross:
A Call to Self- Denial
Rev. Dr. Sandeep
Theophil
Asst. Professor,
Karnataka Theological College.
Balmatta, Mangaluru
Lent is a season of reection, directed
towards repentance, self-examination,
and self-denial. The cross continues to
stand as a symbol of suffering and in
reference to Christ as a symbol of self-
denial. What does it mean for us? One
of the early church fathers/theologians
says, ‘the church is built on the blood
of the martyrs. How true it is! The
church does not live by its money or
administration or its wealth, but the
church lives by its faith to the extent
of losing one’s life (self-denial). Joseph,
Moses, Jeremiah, and others in OT
times, Jesus of Nazareth, His
disciples/apostles, later St. Paul and
others, church history saints like
Bishop Polycarp, reformers like John
Huss, Bible translators like William
Tyndale, and modern saints who stood
for justice, for the poor like Archbishop
Romero and Graham Staines, stand as
shining examples who faced suffering
in different contexts. This suffering...BASEL CHRONICLES | THE CROSS: A CALL TO SELF-DENIAL | APRIL 2021 of theirs was not because of their bad choices, or an outcome of their selsh motives, but it was their courageous deci- sion, a preferred option to suffer for the sake of others. Their choice and their decision to deny self, was strongly grounded on being obedient to God, believing in God, and thereby being cou- rageous to chart a new path, to establish a new order against the dominant views and normal human tendencies. Thus, following the path of self-denial is not an easy decision, nor an only available option. It is driven by our deep faith in God, to deny our selsh motives, agen- das, and plans and follow God, to obey and practice His values and thereby strive to establish, God’s kingdom as against the world’s order. Self-Denial demands Change and Repentance: Prophet Joel speaks of the blessing that is possible for Israel, if only they would repent. Considering the blessings that come with repentance, one might think that people would eagerly, without hesitation, run to God’s open invitation to change and repent. However, that’s not the case. Despite the promise of blessing, we, including ancient Israel, are reluctant to repent. Why are we reluctant to repent even when we know that blessings are wait- ing?” This is because repentance necessi- tates recognition and admission of guilt, wrongdoings, being sorry for the hurt caused. With a false sense of self, sur- rounded, one can only live with a sense of denial. It demands Self-denial.
BASEL CHRONICLES | THE CROSS: A CALL TO SELF-DENIAL | APRIL 2021 Joel is among the Biblical prophets who repeatedly, pleaded with Israel to turn to God and leave its faults and failures, its sins, behind. Scholars believe, if he lived before or during the exile, he warned Israel that war with Assyria or Babylon, a war that the reader knows Israel will lose, is on the horizon. If he lived during the time of the Second Temple, his imag- ery is a reminder of Israel’s covenant with God. Either way, Joel writes to warn Israel that communal sin has con- sequences. Joel in Chapter 1:4, uses the image of an invading army of locusts, to get the atten- tion of a nation whose short-term per- spective, made it obvious to the dangers that lay ahead. The image is one that all is lost and that there is no hope for resto- ration. The situation is so hopeless that even the animals groan and cry out to God (Joel 1:18, 20). In 2:12-17, Joel returns to the call to repentance, issued in chapter one (1:13-20). However, this time the sense of hopelessness is replaced by a glimmer of hope in God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relents from punishing (2:13b). There is however a catch. Forgiveness is given, depending on how Israel responds to God's call to return. Joel makes it plain that a change of heart and a commitment to deny oneself, to follow God is the basic requirement. Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with
BASEL CHRONICLES | THE CROSS: A CALL TO SELF-DENIAL | APRIL 2021 mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing (Joel 2: 12-13a). With a strong sense of urgency, Joel calls for the entire community to gather, suckling infants, children, and aged alike, to fast, weep, and plead for God's mercy. In this season of Lent, is not Israel's plea our plea too? Should we not cry out to God by denying our self? Should we not try to recollect, the ways in which we have denied God, our neighbours, and nature? Should we not give up on holding to our false selfhood, that is resisting from correcting ourselves? Self-denial is at the Heart of The Kingdom’s Message: The year before the birth of Jesus, Jewish dissidents from northern Palestine, seized a Roman weapons arsenal in the town of Sepphoris, four miles northwest of Nazareth. They used the weapons to join the revolts against Roman rule, going on across Palestine after the death of Herod, the Great. After entering Sepphoris, clearing it of rebels, and killing many residents, the Roman legions burned down the city and sold many survivors into slavery. As part of putting down the broader revolt, they crucied 2,000 Jewish rebels. Crucixion thus was a vile form of punishment executed by the Romans, the Persians, and the Assyrians. This involved three aspects that are communicated to the public: 1. Persecution 2. Public display 3. Warning to others.
BASEL CHRONICLES | THE CROSS: A CALL TO SELF-DENIAL | APRIL 2021 According to Martin Hengel, “in the ancient world, crucixion was not only a gruesome and painful death, but was a shameful death, and was the “death of a slave”, in ways that we often do not understand today.” A few years later, the city was rebuilt by the new Roman governor, Herod Antipas. People loyal to Rome re-populated and the re-built city, which included wealthy Jewish landowners with kinship ties to the priests at the temple, in Jerusalem. Ownership of land was at the discretion of the Romans, who exacted heavy taxes in return. Much of the working-class popu- lation of the area, laboured on their large estates and paid taxes to the Jewish landowners, in exchange for the privilege of having work. Herod Antipas, put a similar arrangement into place around the Sea of Galilee. Wealthy Jews pur- chased shing rights along the shoreline from the Romans. They then contracted shing privileges to shermen for a fee. Only those who paid could sh. For many of the leadership classes in Israel—those who made the expected compromises with the Roman imperial bureaucracy—life was not so bad. They went along to get along, and it worked. The temple in Jerusalem, which Herod the Great had rebuilt and enlarged, served as a key part of the Roman- Jewish power structure. It functioned as a kind of central bank through which much daily trade owed, and the tax revenue extracted from the people
BASEL CHRONICLES | THE CROSS: A CALL TO SELF-DENIAL | APRIL 2021 through the temple structure, beneted both the Jewish elite and the Roman over- lords. It was different for the common people, who seethed with anger toward imperial Rome and its Jewish collabora- tors. Day and night, they dreamed of deliverance from the oppression of the empire. Into this disputed territory of religious Pharisees and political Herodians con- tending for the loyalty of the common people came Jesus, son of a carpenter in Nazareth, announced by a prophet in the wilderness named John the Baptizer. As Jesus begins His ministry, it was not a comforting prospect. As for Jesus, what was His message? " The time is fullled and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15). This was familiar language to his listeners; Basilea was Greek, translatable as “kingdom, kingship, empire, government.” It denoted how humans organize society and try to run the world. So Jesus started with the familiar words in Israel's memory - kingdoms and empires remembered from Egypt, Israel under David and Solomon, Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and the Greeks-and then added the words "of God." That was a startling and bold modi- cation of kingdom! From there, the rest of his teaching and career was a dra- matic process of giving content to that little phrase "of God." Jesus said, "My kingdom is not from this world" (John 18:36).
BASEL CHRONICLES | THE CROSS: A CALL TO SELF-DENIAL | APRIL 2021 He never said His kingdom is not "in" this world. He intended His way-God's way-of running the world to be very much in this world. But with regard to its origin and way of functioning, in Luke 9: 23, Jesus says, if you want to follow me, one has to deny him/herself and carry the cross daily. To carry the cross daily means to stand with Jesus and the values that He teaches us. The values of His kingdom. The kingdom Jesus announced is of God, not of the notions of hierarchy, dominat- ing force, and homicidal power that equips the kingdoms and empires from this world. Carrying the cross challenges, us, to deny our selsh motives to acquire, to accumulate, to dominate, to control, and work towards a new world order based on acceptance, humility, healing, reconciliation, restoration, justice, and love. The kingdom Jesus announced nur- tures fellowship, love, co-operation, mutual respect, and understanding. Following this new order/kingdom, means to resist the empires and all the motives of the empires, in which most of the time our silence and self is glued. Jesus calls us to change, repent and work towards this new world order based on Justice, Peace and Equality....
BASEL CHRONICLES | THE CROSS: A CALL TO SELF-DENIAL | APRIL 2021 May our meditations during this lent, remind us of the Cross that not only demands self-denial, but also demands change and repentance, which is central to the heart of the kingdom of God, creating a new opportunity to rise and shine.
BASEL CHRONICLES | A NEW COMMAND | APRIL 2021
A NEW Rev. Dr. Godwin
COMMAND Shiri
Karnataka, Bengaluru
“A New Command I give you. Love
one another.........(John 13:34-35)."
On the eve of the nal day of His
earthly life, Jesus gave His disciples
a new command, (John 13:34) - a
command which was a mother of all
commands! The Latin word for
command is, ‘mandatum’. The term
Maundy Thursday in the Christian
calendar originates from this Latin
word mandatum or command given
by Jesus to His disciples, on the
penultimate day of His life.
All the four Gospels vividly narrate, the
agonizing two nal days of Jesus' life
i.e., Thursday and Friday. It was on
the Holy Thursday, our Savior suffered
physical and mental agony utmost. He
was betrayed by everyone, including
His disciples and people. Arrested by
the authorities, He was abused,
humiliated, and tortured at the priestly
and royal courts.BASEL CHRONICLES | A NEW COMMAND | APRIL 2021 Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, were the darkest days of suffering in Jesus' life. However, those darkest days of suffering of our Savior heralded a great beacon of hope for the entire humankind. Was Jesus' command of love to His disci- ples something new? In a way, it was not new. Read Leviticus 19:18 – ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neigh- bor as yourself.’ Further, there were countless laws in the Old Testament, instructing and admon- ishing people, that they should act with love and compassion. However, there is a great difference between Old Testament laws of love and Jesus' com- mand of love. The mediators of the Old Testament had given many laws and commands, but Christ gave only one com- mand. What is more, Jesus not only com- manded people to love, but He redeemed them from their sins and gave them the power, to follow the command of love. Therefore, Jesus' command on that cru- cial Thursday, was truly a new com- mand. Few things to ponder upon : 1. God is Love - Christ is Love. Love and compas- sion are the norms or the very nature of God. So also, it was with Jesus. New Testament repeatedly afrms this fact. Jesus epitomizes the very love of God the Father, (Read: John 13:1 Jesus loved His people, He loved them to the end).
BASEL CHRONICLES | A NEW COMMAND | APRIL 2021 2. Jesus sets an example of true love. The agape love of Jesus was self-giving love. He emptied Himself for the sake of people. 3. Self-giving love is ultimate and the greatest. Read I. Corinth: 13 chapter- 'Faith, hope, and love stand. But the greatest among these is love.' Love only gives fullness of life, meaning, happi- ness, peace, and solace in life. 4. Love is the badge or the very identity of Christians. Read: 1st John 3:23, 4:7-8, 11-12, 19-21. If our hearts do not melt to the agony of our neighbours, how does Christ's love rule our life (1st John 3:16- 17)? Refer to Acts chapters 2,4 and 6, where it is written how the Church grew day by day, in leaps and bounds, because sharing and loving one another, became a norm in life among the believ- ers. 5. It is in nding true love in our life, people see Christ in us. It was in Antioch, the followers of Jesus were named as 'Christians' rst (Acts.11:26). In the sec- ond century Tertullian, a great Church Father had written, how the general pub- lic of his time, thought of Christians. This is what he wrote: 'Look! how they love one another...and how they are ready to die for each other!'
BASEL CHRONICLES | A NEW COMMAND | APRIL 2021 Few questions to reect: Does a true self-giving love lack in our personal, family, and community life? Has the profession of love become only lip service? In the present day context, where 'walls' are being increas- ingly built, between people based on religion, caste, gender, race, and culture, how can we as Christians overcome these barriers and become truly His instrument of love, peace, and compassion? In a situation where millions of people, are marginalised and living in utter poverty, how can the church go out and share the resources(as the early Church did) and join hands in securing bread, as well as Justice, dignity, and a decent life to all people?
BASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021
Cross: Rev. K. Sagar Sundar Raj
DEATH OF DEATH Asst Prof. Old Testament
Karnataka Theological College,
Balmatta, Mangalore.
Death is something that instills eternal
fear in human life. Even today,
scientic researches to prevent and
avoid death is continuously going on.
No matter how much effort, scientic
research, and logical questions arise,
to nd out the ability to overcome the
fear of mortality in human beings, it
has not been discovered and cannot be
discovered! The effort to understand
the intimate relationship between body
and spirit, and their signicance and
also the effort, to nd answers to the
questions regarding life and death is
an endless process. But people who
have failed in the understanding of the
consciousness of the spiritual death,
beyond the physical death of human
beings, despite their experience of
various religious conditions, have
never changed and the culmination of
the decay of human morality.
Therefore, even though the possibility
of gaining victory over spiritual death
is given to us in Jesus Christ, to rejectBASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021 His power over death amounts to defeat, in a believer's life. By sacricing His life on the cross, Jesus Christ who has been incarnated and who died for humanity made it impossible for sin to rule humans. Because of this, Friday became Good Friday and Good Friday became most important in global history, and also in Salvation history. The people who lost their relationship with God, who became partakers in sin and death, are now redeemed by him and through His death, He conquered death. 1. The Serpent's Pillar and the Pillar of Wooden Cross: In Numbers 21:1-9, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no food and no water! And we loath this worthless food!” The outrage of the Israelites' voice, against God's patronage and conduct, and the leadership of Moses aroused the wrath of God. God, Himself came down among them to redeem the Israelites, who had been in a state of servitude, for 430 years and had lost hope, and God nourished them with food and led them, gave them protection through the pillars of re and cloud. But they continued murmuring against God, in the matter of food. Repeated murmur- ings against God's providence, resulted in the burning of God's wrath, in the form of ery serpents. Even though the salva- tion was there they forgot the providence and the protection of God, and their crav- ing for food, made them lose their life."
BASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021 People died as they were bitten by the ery serpents. The people of Israel repented and came to Moses and confessed that they real- ized their guilt and betrayal, and they asked him to pray for them. The ser- pent's pillar, which God had asked Moses to do, became a tool for saving their life. The evangelist John, also men- tions how Moses prepared the serpent's shape, as God had commanded. “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilder- ness, so shall the Son of man be lifted up, that all who believe in Him should have everlasting life. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life"(John 3:15-16). As a result of looking at the bronze ser- pent, the people who were losing their lives were saved. The consciousness and fear of being convicted, turned them to God, so that the bronze serpent that gave them the sign, received life from God. In Numbers 21:1-3, God listened to the prayers of the Israelites and, according to His will, the Lord's power gave them victory in the battle, but they had again forgotten Him because they gave impor- tance to material scarcity. Despite experi- encing the strength of God, they ques- tioned God and Moses, because of their tiredness and boredom of their journey and they expressed their displeasure against God’s leading. Even though the
BASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021 Israelites' sinned against God, He saved their lives because He had promised them whom He had chosen as His nation, to give them the inheritance of the promised land of Canaan. The cross of Jesus Christ is a tool of life. The instrument and grace of God Himself to sinners, who have lost their fellowship with God, because of their sinful lives, is the sacricial life of Jesus Christ, weighed on the Crucixion. A sinful life is to lose the life that God has given us. Cross is gloried today. But the cross brought death to Jesus. He was crucied and had to be cursed because of the sins of human beings, though he was not wor- thy of the curse. The Cross was cursed, but by Christ, the cross had a prominent place in worship, in Christian churches, and for historical reasons. But we have to look unto the cross to save our lives; to come out of our present sinful condition, and not be part of evil, but be ready to bear the cross. Therefore, Good Friday calls us to die with Christ. Always invites us to be part of the battle for His new creation. 2. The orgulous of the unjust and the death of the cross: Almost all of the Gospels observe the special exaltation of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The context of Jesus' death is given in Matthew 27th chapter. The Crucixion of Jesus is the result of his voice over and against his contemporary social, political, and religious chaos.
BASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021 His protest against injustice was the death penalty imposed by politicians, who administered illegality. The crucix- ion death penalty included the death of a criminal, which involved excruciating torture of the criminal. Although Jesus did not deserve such a death, it was an indication of how the unjust system could easily control the weak, by his cor- rupt practices. Jesus, who won the hearts of the people through his service, preaching, and heal- ing, was being caught like a thief by the Pharisees. He was sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy, without trial, and without proper witnessing, all through the night, contrary to law and tradition. Jesus was taken to Pilate, to stamp the ofcial seal for this execution. Pilate's question, "Are you the king of the Jews?" (Matt. 27:11) was not the proper reason for investigating Jesus and if we observe Jesus' lifestyle, Jesus never showed any signs that he wanted to become king. But Jesus' answer was, "You said it." That is why Jesus did not answer a word. Unaware of the mystery of Jesus' silence, Pilate rejected the voice of his conscience, and with selshness, he listened to Pharisees, Scribes, and members of Sanhedrin to preserve his power. “Whom do you want to give up? Barabbas? or Jesus the Christ? That question is confusing. The warning came from his wife, but he politely ignored and gave in to the pressure of the high priest and elders, and the pressure of the..
BASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021 people, and he allowed Jesus to be cruci- ed. Pilate knowing that "his efforts were futile", due to the outrage of people, killed his conscience and joined hands with injustice, and handed over Jesus to be sentenced to death. He released Barabbas in the place of Jesus. People who needed Jesus to fulll their hunger and for healing, now rejected him and it was the people’s decision that He deserved the death of the cross. Amid this rejection, Jesus had to cross the streets of Jerusalem, carrying the cross, to the blasphemy, insult, and derision of the people. He went ahead, carrying his cross. He did not mourn for Himself but called out for the women who were shouting for him and weeping, asking them not to weep for him, but to weep for their children. Blood owing from the body, the pain of the crown of thorns on the head, and carrying the heavy cross He went forward. In Golgotha, where the prisoner is punished, even though Jesus was innocent, He was crucied like a criminal. Roman soldiers fastened Him to the cross by nailing His hands and feet. Jesus hung on the cross with excruciat- ing pain, suffering, and torment. Yes, the one who taught mercy to the people, who taught them what God's love is, and how to love the neighbor, was suffering from the selshness of human beings with cruel hearts. Is it possible to proclaim the mercy of God in such a crucied Jesus? Is there any opportunity to explain His love further?
BASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021 The scene of the crucixion of Jesus and His death on the Cross proclaimed the greatness of Jesus' life. Despite being on the cross, a gure of forgiveness, Jesus conveyed to the world to turn from their sinful life, which is shown like the reec- tion of the mirror. Nevertheless, the mind set of the mentally perverted people who looked at the crucied Jesus, rather than receiving life, rejoiced in barbaric happi- ness in taking the lives of the innocent people throughout the history of man- kind. But as a counterpoint to such a life- taking culture, Jesus transformed the Cross into a life-giving culture through His death on the cross. 3. The death of the cross and the death of the death: Although Jesus was blameless, His death was cruel. The death penalty is not rare for criminals. But the idea of killing the innocent is a mirror to the then corrupt society. The excitement of His opponents was that the crucixion death of Jesus will result in putting an end to the works of Jesus. The opponents realized through His death on the cross that Jesus could not be bound by the power of their unjust acts, or by the temporary death on the Cross. “Death is swallowed up, in Victory. O Death, where is your Victory? O death where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the vic- tory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15: 54b -57).
BASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021 As Paul explains, the cause of death is sin. But that sin was abolished in Christ on the cross. He has put an end to the dominion of sin. God has made all things new, by providing the innite grace shown by His Son, Jesus, who replaced the law which supported the power of sin. Death ruled humans until now. The venom of sin was enlarged by the sin. But Christ has broken the bond of sin, broken the sting of sin, and ended the victory of death. Therefore, Good Friday is the victory over death that Christ gave us. The hope for that victory is that Jesus Christ himself died on the cross. Even in the time of losing the relationship with God, Lord Jesus was successful in fullling His Father's will with constant prayer. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The inner cry of Jesus when His relationship was broken with God on the cross. Nevertheless, by His death, the Son of God surrendered Himself to such a terrible state, for the embodiment of eternal life. The embodiment of that expectation is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, the forces that extend the bond of death are at work in our midst. But God has raised a new hope, by placing His own Son, to break the sting of sin. He has demonstrated His immense grace, He can serve His people by ending the power of the sting. But is there no end to the evil spirits, who block the life that God has given us and resist experiencing
BASEL CHRONICLES | CROSS: DEATH OF DEATH | APRIL 2021 that life? Good Friday should help us to accept the grace of God, who can transform everything from the death of the accursed cross to death, even though it may be repeatedly confronted with our daily circumstances. Reection: Dearly Beloved, in the journey of ghting injustice and stand- ing against the lawless, defeat and death are certain. Our situation today is no different. However, death is not the end, even when we have to die in the ght against the illegal sys- tem. Christ, the conqueror of death, demonstrates that death cannot dampen the spirit of ghting against evil. There was a new prospect of transforming everything and establishing goodness, even if there was no chance of winning death. That is why we human beings, call the Friday the day of Jesus’ death, "Good Friday" and we engage in meditating His cruci- xion.
BASEL CHRONICLES | RESURRECTION: CELEBRATING THE JOY OF SALVATION | APRIL 2021
ResUrRection:
CELEBRATING
Rev. Baila
THE Channakeshavalu
Assistant professor, Religions,
JOY OF SALVATION Karnataka Theological College,
Mangaluru.
The resurrection is an important aspect
of the New Testament. The resurrection
of the Lord Jesus is a central event in
history. This is not only the fulllment of
the Old Testament prophecies, but also
the seal of God to Jesus' claim to be the
Messiah. That is why the resurrection of
Jesus Christ was instrumental, in the
teaching or argument of the disciples of
Jesus Christ. Peter said in Acts 2: 32-36,
“This Jesus God raised up and of that
we all are witnesses. Being, therefore,
exalted at the right hand of God. . . . . .
Let all the house of Israel, therefore,
know for certain that God has made him
both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom
you crucied.”
The resurrection announces the victory
of Jesus on the cross. Jesus, who was
crucied, was raised from the dead and
made a Lord. This is the resurrection.
This resurrection is for our salvation.
Our salvation was accomplished in the
resurrection of Jesus. We are celebrating
and should always celebrate, the joy of
achieving this salvation.BASEL CHRONICLES | RESURRECTION: CELEBRATING THE JOY OF SALVATION | APRIL 2021 The resurrection of the Lord Jesus, signi- es His authority over death and intro- duces, the way of eternal life He offers to all human beings, who believe in Him. In Christian belief, there is something different from other faith traditions. However, the faith begins at the grave and it begins, with the resurrection of Jesus. The “Empty tomb,” in the New Testament is a strong symbol of Jesus' resurrection. His resurrection or appear- ing before and after his ascension, is the proof for Jesus' resurrection. On one occa- sion, Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, "Touch me and you will see that I have no esh and bones" (Luke 24:39). The truth of the matter is that the resur- rection is not a state of the soul or a demonic utterance, but rather a perfect state beyond human knowledge. This is the resurrection. In this, we should rejoice and celebrate. We make many attempts to understand the resurrection. Our call is not to under- stand or prove the resurrection, but to believe it. Only by believing can one enjoy the bliss of salvation. It is possible to celebrate the experience. Why should we rejoice in the resur- rection of Christ or celebrate the res- urrection? In Matthew 6: 1-3, there was a surprise for the women who had gone to the tomb, contemplating their weakness, going out to anoint Jesus' dead body. Dare to go to the graves in the morning. It was in...
BASEL CHRONICLES | RESURRECTION: CELEBRATING THE JOY OF SALVATION | APRIL 2021 Jesus' ministry that they were being emboldened. Having gone into a state of despair, they found something rejoicing and surprising. The angel's message on the resurrection gives greater emphasis to the fact, that it was Jesus who was crucied. It is clear that the incarnation of Jesus, is as historical as the resurrec- tion of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus empowered the weaker disciple commu- nity. God's salvation work was perfected in the resurrection of Jesus. That is why Paul said: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Col. 3:1)". We must rejoice in the salvation we have received, by remembering that Christ's death and resurrection, are part of his followers and God's salvation. Things from above are the things of the Kingdom of God. The resurrection challenges us to pay atten- tion to these. Let us engage in the work of spreading the values of the Kingdom of God around us. Let us glorify God by reviving the power of the resurrection. The resurrection reveals to us that God can do great things. Such works have begun in his Son Jesus and are continu- ing in the congregation. The resurrection is a symbol of God's power and omnipo- tence. The resurrection of Jesus is proof that God can raise life in death or in the midst of death.
BASEL CHRONICLES | RESURRECTION: CELEBRATING THE JOY OF SALVATION | APRIL 2021 If we are facing grave situations in our lives and are worried about who will move the stone for us, let us look once more at the resurrection of our Lord. Knowing that God can deliver us from such a condition, let us believe in Him and proclaim this good news. May the Spirit of God help us. Easter greetings that gave hope for life in the grave.
BASEL CHRONICLES | ARISE! BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST | APRIL 2021
Arise !
Be a disciple of Mrs. Snehal Karkada
UBM Christa Karunya Church
Christ
Dombivili, Mumbai.
As we decide to follow Jesus and to be
His disciple, the following are the ve
steps that we need to take:
A - Apart (Set Apart) from the world:
When we take a mixture of iron particles
and sawdust and run a magnet over it,
we see that all of the iron particles get
readily attracted to the magnet, while
the sawdust is left behind. Such is the
quality of a disciple of Christ i.e, to
retain his nature and despite being in
the world, being set apart from the rest.
Similar is the illustration of a mixture of
oil and water. The oil always separates
itself from the rest!
Romans 12: 1, 2 – “Offer your body as
living sacrices, holy and pleasing to
God. Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of the world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind”.
It’s rightly said, “Salvation is free, but
discipleship costs us everything! When
we decide to follow Jesus, there won’t
be an overnight transformation rather
there needs to be...BASEL CHRONICLES | ARISE! BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST | APRIL 2021 (i) Willful submission/surrendering of our bodies as living sacrices and (ii) Constant renewing of our minds! Application: As we decide to set our- selves ‘apart’ from the world, let’s ask ourselves these questions: (i) Is my body a holy temple? Are the parts of my body consecrated to Jesus in the truest sense? (ii) Am I constantly renewing my mind with Godly thoughts? Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, do I decide to set myself apart in doing only that, which pleases my savior Jesus Christ? R - Repentance Repentance includes: (i) Regret: Feeling remorseful / shameful about what one has done. (ii) Repair: Seeking forgiveness by con- fessing our sins before God and if required also before men. (iii) Resolve: Resolving not to repeat it! Two of Jesus's disciples did what they shouldn't have done. Peter denied Jesus thrice and Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus! There are shreds of evidence to show that both of them 'regretted'. Judas did not 'repair and resolve', rather hung
BASEL CHRONICLES | ARISE! BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST | APRIL 2021 himself to death (Matthew 27: 3 – 5), while Peter 'repaired and resolved' (John 21: 15 – 19 and Acts 3: 19). Another example of a person who 're- pented' is Zacchaeus, the tax collector who 'regretted' for the sinful life he had led, 'repaired' by giving back four times more, to those he had cheated and 're- solved' not to return to his old life! Application: All of us have sinned and fallen short of glory. No matter what our former life has been, as we decide to rededicate ourselves to Christ, let us 're- gret' for our sins, 'repair' by seeking Lord's forgiveness, and 'resolve' not to backslide! I – Imitators of Christ Young boys love to imitate their fathers driving vehicles, while young girls love to imitate their mothers cooking in the kitchen. We all love to imitate the one whom we adore and respect! The word of God asks us to be, 'Imitators of God'. Ephesians 5: 1, 2 – “Be imitators of God and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up as a fra- grant offering and sacrice to God.” There was a concept called WWJD – What Would Jesus Do? based on which Christians would wear bands on their
BASEL CHRONICLES | ARISE! BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST | APRIL 2021 wrists, to remind them as to what Jesus would do or how Jesus would react, in their daily life situations. This was inspired by a book written by Charles Sheldon – 'In His Steps, What Would Jesus Do?’ Application: As we decide to follow Christ and imitate Him, let this be a con- stant reminder to us. WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? How would he think? Speak? React? S – Servant Heart We need to Love, Live, and Labor like Christ to have His servant heart. Let's examine the passage where Jesus washes the feet of His disciples and sets an example for them, to do likewise to one another. (i) Love of the Humble Servant: In John 13:1, we see “having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of HIS love”. (ii) Life of the Humble Servant: The entire life of Jesus portrays humility. He was born in a manger, born in a family of a carpenter, and showed humility even to the point of death on the cross. (iii) Labour of the Humble Servant: The part of the body which needs more scrubbing is our feet. Washing the feet of His disciples reects the 'Labour,' of
BASEL CHRONICLES | ARISE! BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST | APRIL 2021 the humble servant. It would have been easier for Jesus, to wash the feet of his favourite disciple – John. But to wash the feet of ‘Peter,’ whom he knew would deny Him thrice, ‘Thomas’ – who would doubt His resurrection and ‘Judas’ who would betray Him, certainly wouldn’t have been that easy! But Jesus did that and asked His disciples to do likewise! Application: There may perhaps be Peters, Thomases, and Judases in our lives too. But as Disciples of Christ, let's Love, Live, and Labour with a Humble Servant’s heart! E – Enthusiastic Evangelism The Great Commission is for all the Disciples of Christ. Matthew 28:19 – “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit”. Evangelism is preaching the gospel, spreading the good news! There are vari- ous types of evangelism. But I would try to bring here three important types of evangelism. (i) Pulpit Evangelism: Serving the good Lord from the altar or pulpit like our pas- tors, reverends, preachers, lay preach- ers, etc. The target audience could be from a certain congregation or denomina- tion. This serves also as spiritual nour- ishment of the church!
BASEL CHRONICLES | ARISE! BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST | APRIL 2021 (ii) Aggressive Planned Evangelism: This is the kind where one goes out of his/her way and preaches the gospel, to some- one who doesn’t know Christ. The target could be people whom we know or strangers! (iii) Passive Evangelism: Sometimes leaving a bookmark at a restaurant, gifting a Bible as a return gift, putting up a verse from the Bible as our social media status, might touch and change the lives of people and minister to them. Application: Whatever our calling or capacities may be, let’s decide to spread the good news of the fact, that Jesus is the only way and has died for all of our sins, and He will come again very soon- by any mode of Evangelism and let’s do this enthusiastically with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
YOUTH Retreat
BASEL CHRONICLES | A CALL TO RETURN | APRIL 2021
A call Mrs. Margaret Snehalatha
to Return Scripture Union,
Karnataka
"Return to the Lord your God" - Joel 2:13
The disastrous blow to Judah is
devastating. Damage from locusts. What
is causing this disaster? The people of
Judah have sinned and forgotten God.
On seeing the swarm of locusts coming
to destroy the crop, the prophet Joel is
calling the people to escape from the
locusts. He is remembering the great
day of the Lord which is to come. There
is no escape from it. He is, therefore,
calling the whole community to return to
God, in repentance. Even today, God
has called us to return to Him.
God has given us the responsibility to
know Him and to lead our family to Him.
The call of God can be seen in two
ways.
1. Call for Repentance or
Transformation: What causes
tragedies, hardships, and suffering in
society and in our lives? We are leading
our life in our way, rather than living in
a way that pleases God. Ours is a sinful
life of selshness, hypocrisy, malice,
and deceit. We have moved away fromBASEL CHRONICLES | A CALL TO RETURN | APRIL 2021 worshipping the living God, not spending time with Him, breaking our relationship with Him by spending time in increasing our possessions, work, and beauty. Come, repent, ‘Banni Pashchatthapa- dinda Swami Hathra baruva’. (Come with a repentant heart we will go to our Lord) Family and social relation- ships have gone astray. God is calling to repent and turn to Him to correct our indisciplined life. 2.A call to rend our hearts: Joel 2:13 – “Rend your heart and not your gar- ments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and He relents from sending calamity”. It is not possible to have communion with God only by attending church service, giving an offering, helping, and participating in spiritual activities. It is a call to repent for our sins caused by our actions, words, and deeds, and to accept them with a repentant heart at the feet of Christ and live as His children. “Kannetthi krujeyannu paapathma drushtisu”. (Lift your eyes, sinner, and look to the cross) I would like to give you an example - a sister actively participated in all the activities of the church, did charitable work, and found Christ in her youth itself, but she eventually moved away from the personal relationship with God, because of the stress of work. When she went for a health check-up last year,
BASEL CHRONICLES | A CALL TO RETURN | APRIL 2021 she was diagnosed with 'cancer'. At rst, she thought for which fault of mine did God punish her, but later she realized that she had not turned to God, despite the many opportunities God had given her. She dedicated herself to God with a repentant heart and bowed down to His will and had communion with Christ. Now she is ready to die because Christ is in her life. She told me that this time being in bed, was precious to her as she was getting healed, every time that God was speaking to her. The Lord is the One who sees the heart. 1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins…….to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. John says in John 1:12 - "Whosoever hath received Him or hath believed in His name, He hath given him authority to be the children of God." If we change our heart and turn to Christ, leaving our old life, then He will prevent us from any harm. In nature as trees and plants, shed their old leaves and new shoots sprout, in the same way during the Lenten season, being forgiven of our sins, we have to be transformed into a new creation. Coming to Christ does not mean leaving society or our family. When we come to Him as we are, we will nd happiness and peace in Him which the world cannot give, and our spiritual life will grow, just as the new shoots of the plants and trees sprout. Turning to God means surrender- ing ourselves completely to Christ.
BASEL CHRONICLES | A CALL TO RETURN | APRIL 2021 2 Corinthians 5:17- “Therefore, if any- one is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone the new is here”. 1. Our behaviour will become new: We cannot change on our own, only by the help of God it is possible. The Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus turned to God and she also spread the good news of the Messiah. 2. Our thoughts will become new: The prodigal son who had gone astray, changed his mind with repentance. Immediately he got up and headed back home. His father was waiting for him. On seeing his son, the father forgave him and accepted him. 3. The bad thoughts that motivate us changes: Zacchaeus was ready to give back everything when he saw Jesus Christ. He came out of the bondage of money. We get deliverance from what we are bound by. All the anxiety, pain, fear, resentment, desire, and anger that existed before committing to Christ, will change. Joel 2: 23 - “Be glad people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful.”
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