B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #16
B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #16
September 7, 2003
I Cor. 16:9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
HINDI CATECHISM – Praise the Lord that we have obtained 1000 Luther’s Small Catechism in Hindi (one national language of India as well as that spoken very much in north India). These will be distributed among the 700 or so members in Chattisgarh State in northern India in the CLCI. We continue to want to have the catechism in the languages of all our sister churches for distribution to the members to learn the basic truths of our faith in short and easy form.
PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION #6
Keep the Scripture’s Purpose in Mind. It is not a book of science, but it is correct on anything it says on science. For instance in Joshua 10:12-13 we believe what the Word says, even though the wicked world will scoff. Whenever the Scripture speaks about history or archeology or any subject, it is God speaking and therefore correct. The Word is reliable in everything. When God says the earth and all was created in six normal days in Genesis as well as in explaining the Third Commandment in Exodus, we believe it. It did not take God millions of years to do what He can do. He is afterall God. But THE reason for the Bible is the story of salvation. The Word reveals God’s grace and loving concern for the salvation of all mankind. It tells the story of redemption in
great breadth, all the way from Genesis to Revelation. This is the aim of Scripture.
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HOW IS IT? A daughter of Islam once asked a woman evangelist who went from house to house reading the Gospel to women (who men could not reach due to Islam’s strict rules): “Why do you go from house to house reading the Gospel?” The woman evangelist answered: “It is the master’s command.” The daughter of Islam asked: “Why do not all of your caste obey it? Out of so many Christians, only you come here once a week to read to us. Oh, they will receive a very great punishment! How is it?” How is it indeed? Each son and daughter of God “How is it? “How sweet ’twill be at evening, If you and I can say; ‘Lord Jesus, we’ve been seeking, the lambs that went astray; Heartsore and faint with hunger, we heard them making moan, And lo! we come at nightfall and bear them safely home!”
CLCI Gospel Meetings (India)
Pastor Nireekshana (Benjamin’s youngest son) is in charge of the yearly Gospel Meetings held each May. They try to have five congregational areas served by these three day meetings in each place. The result has been heartwarming with Hindu converts and baptisms. There are also those who attend who need Bibles. The CLCI would also like to start an audio cassette ministry to sell these at meetings. The meetings are held outside instead of in our churches so that any who would not want to go into a church would still come and sit and listen. The Hindus would not want to be seen going into a Christian church but would sit at an outdoor meeting. And then lo and behold the Word of God can work.
There are also other Christians who come and listen and learn of our faithful teaching of God’s Word. The meetings have preaching, teaching and singing. There are loudspeaker systems set up, a canopy overhead and canvass put on the ground. This is a big production. So far the CLCI members have been funding this to about R. 50,000 per the May work. But with increasing demands and goals within the CLCI there is just not enough to go around. Pray for this venture in the Lord that He gathers in through this effort those ordained to eternal life.
In Him,
Pastor Koenig