Dr. M. A. Thomas: A Soldier of the Cross

To view videos from Dr. M. A. Thomas' Memorial Service, visit Hopegivers. I miss you, Appachan!

Heaven or Hell - The Afterlife (Life After Death)

Just finished reading Lisa Miller's article "Far From Heaven" on Newsweek. Quickly reviewing, I liked how she ended with a call to 'humble ourselves before all that we don't understand.' I didn't like how she did not go further into Jesus' answer to the Sadducees regarding life after death. (BTW, the article's got it wrong: the Sadducees were not asking about the man with seven wives; they were asking about the woman with seven husbands in succession). In the biblical passage, when the Sadducees (who did not believe in life after death) asked Jesus regarding whose wife the woman will be in the afterlife since she has been the wife of seven brothers in succession, Jesus answered, pointing out the ignorance of the Sadducees in knowing God's Word, "In the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage." Jesus' answer sheds light on what Lisa Miller missed to include in her article -- the biblical view on heaven and hell.

The article includes various personal views of heaven: 'laying my head on my Grandma's lap', 'driving a yellow Cadillac in heaven', 'eating peppermint ice cream', 'enjoying the company of 72 virgins', etc. I wish the article would have contrasted those views to the view of the afterlife revealed in God's Word: Heaven is a real place where we spend eternity in God's presence, and hell is a real place where we are eternally separated from God's presence.

Therefore, the news that God has provided a way for us, through King Jesus' loving sacrifice, to be able to spend eternity with Him is indeed the Greatest News ever.

iRecommend: That's My King!

I saw this for the first time at the 2010 FBCJax Pastor's Conference. This video is not mine; I got it from Vimeo. This video is set to the famous sermon by Dr. S. M. Lockridge.

Martyr's Oath (as heard at Hopegivers Graduation)

I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus, with my hands to save and serve the mankind

I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus, with my feet to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts

I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus, with my lips by proclaiming the good  news to all who hear and by edifying the body of Christ

I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus, with my mind as I meditate upon His word and promises to me

I give my earthly treasures and all that I possess to follow the way of the cross

I commit to love my family, orphans, widows, lepers, the wealthy, and the poor to the way of the Christ

I surrender my will and my life to His will and to His life

I commit to service of the Lord by being a good steward of my time

I surrender this body on earth for the perfect will of Jesus

And should my blood be spilled, may it bring forth a mighty harvest of souls

I pledge allegiance to the  Lamb

I will seek to honor His command

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes

As a soldier of the cross, I stand with the apostle Paul in saying that “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”

Lord Jesus, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

I love my India; I love my fellow citizens; I want to show them the love of Christ

Whether by life or death, I must glorify Jesus

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

I could not resist putting up this picture of some of the children at ECETrust's Children's Home. From left to right are Hannah, Jonathan, and Lovely.
Matt. 18:1-4 (ESV)> At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

True Rest

everybody needs somebody. no one can spend the entirety of their lives without having at least one person to talk to or rely on. yes, sometimes, we like to be left alone; but, we cannot be like that forever. we eventually need someone; we all need a friend. usually family and friends fill this role.
then also, everybody needs God. friends are important and necessary; but, there is only so much they can do. then, we realize the need for someone greater - greater than us, greater than our friends, greater than all. we look for someone to whom we can take all our worries to, someone with a hope greater than what the world could provide, someone with a love greater than what anyone could sacrifice. so, we set out in search for God. why is this so? i believe St. Augustine's words answer that best: 'God hast formed us for Himself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Him.'
and guess what Christ said: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28)