3. 3ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
You can make your payments through
our staff workers or by DD/MO in
favour of UESI PublicationTrust-
Kerala payable at Ernakulam and
send to the address below or transfer
money the Federal Bank A/c.
11840100352430 at Edappally.
IFSCode: FDRL0001184
UESI Kerala Centre
EdapallyP.O., Kochi - 24.
Mobile:9495352985
Neither the organization nor the edito-
rial board shall be responsible for the
accuracy of information contained in
this publication. Statements, opinions
& views expressed by the writers and
advertisers are their own and do not
necessarily represent those of the or-
ganization.
Chief Editor
Your feedback and suggestions about
this magazine can be sent to
readthebest@gmail.com
EDITORIAL BOARD
Chief Editor
Prof. P.G. Varghese
Managing Editor
Mr. Jacob Samuel
Members
Mr. Oommen Joshua
Mr. George K. Mathew
Mr. Sabu Abraham
Mr. Dilip Joseph
Mr. Alice Neumann
Consultant
Mrs. ShirleyAbraham
Vision of UESI
Transformed Students impacting the cam-
puses and the nation as disciples of the Lord
Jesus Christ
Subsription Details
Students (1year) Rs. 100/-
Students (3 years) Rs. 250/-
Graduates (1year) Rs. 200/-
Graduates (3years) Rs. 500/-
Life Subscription (12years) Rs. 1500/-
E-journal Rs. 100/-
ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
A Campus Magazine
Vol. 33 Issue 6
June 2015
Into The
PAGES
Editorial 04
Top Ten environmental Issues...06
Renjan Mathew Varghese
am njmZ! 13
tPmkv tP°_v
temI ]cnÿnXnZnw 16
s_¿en h¿Kokv
Sanctification and the
work of HS 18
Reji George Varghese
REACHING OUT TO MUSLIMS 22
Rajadurai
4. 4 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
The pulse
Prof. P.G. Varghese
“Then the Lord God placed the man
in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it
and guard it.” Genesis 1:5, 6.
Environment means the physical
surroundings, conditions,
circumstances etc. in which we
live. It also means the external
conditions which affect plant and
animal life. Again the term
environment refers to the totality
of the physical conditions on the
earth. The term ‘environment-
friendly’ is used in the sense of
being not harmful to the
environment.An environmentalist
is a person who is concerned with
or advocates the protection of the
environment.
Today we witness several
instances of natural calamities or
environmental hazards; most of
them are due to ecological
imbalances. These ecological
imbalances are caused by natural
and artificial reasons. We are to
be blamed for these artificial
reasons because they are
primarily man-made. Every kind
of pollution is caused by man’s
greed and selfishness.
In the creation story, we read
that ‘then the Lord God planted a
garden in Eden, in the East and
there he put the man he had
formed. “He made all kinds of
beautiful trees grow there and
ENVIRONMENT-
FRIENDLY LIFE
5. 5ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
produce good fruit.” Gen 2:9.
According to the Biblical
narrative of the creation process,
this is the beginning of the
concept of environment.
After creating the human
beings male and female, the Lord
God commanded them to rule
over the rest of creation. In other
words, after completing the
creation of the universe, the Lord
God put human beings in charge
of the animal kingdom and the
plant kingdom and asked them to
protect and preserve the
environment. So all the people
who inhabit this earth have the
responsibility to keep and
safeguard the environment.
The Lord God who is the
creator of the earth has appointed
us as the stewards of the
environment. Environment
pollution is a dangerous threat to
our existence on this planet earth.
The earth’s crust (soil), water and
air, all are highly contaminated.
As a result, life on this earth has
become very difficult.
In his life’s non-stop flight
without any rest for pleasure, man
is knowingly or unknowingly
digging his own grave. The food
we eat, the water we drink and air
we breathe are all poisonous. In
the name of industrial growth and
economic development,
individuals and governments are
exploiting the ecological system.
As a result, we have been hearing
of so many problems like ozone
layer holes, drinking water
shortage, air pollution,
earthquakes, famines, incurable
diseases, etc. Sharp increase in
atmospheric temperature and
unforeseen climate changes are
mainly caused by man’s misuse of
the nature and environment.
Environmentalists, ecologists
and scientists have been warning
us against the impending doom
over the earth if man doesn’t stop
his misuse of natural resources.
Under the auspices of the U.N.O.
several schemes have been
launched for the protection of the
environment. Many countries
have their own projects and
programmes with the sole purpose
of environmental safety. The
government of India has a
separate ministry under which
there is a particular department to
look into the different matters
connected with the nation’s
environmental problems.
As we celebrate World
Environment Day on 5th
of June,
let us resolve to do our part in
protecting the environment and
saving planet earth from
destruction.
6. 6 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Environmental issues are everywhere
– it might be different from place to
place and it may also vary in extent and
magnitude. To prioritise, the Top Ten
Environmental Issues at the global
level would be Global Warming and
Climate Change, Globalisation, Defor-
estation, War and related disasters,
Marine Ecsoystem, Loss of
biodiverstiy,Wildlife Trade, Poaching,
Consensus on issues and inter-govern-
mental agreements and treaties, and
Natural disasters like droughts, floods,
hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes.
For India it would be Wastelands, Wa-
ter issues, Sanitation & Health, Air
pollution, GM Crops, Agriculture re-
lated issues, Mining, Oil & Gas, Mega-
development projects, Oceans &
Coasts, and Povetry. The Top Ten En-
vironmental Issues of our State Kerala
would be:
• Laterite hillock mining
Physiographically Kerala can be di-
Renjan Mathew Varghese
7. 7ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Cover Story
vided into three – lowlands, midlands
and highlands. Laterite hillocks are
mainly seen in the lowlands and mid-
lands and they are small mountains of
compressed laterite soil which would
naturally act as the sponges of Earth to
hold up the monsoon showers in its
micro pockets and slowly recharge our
wells and ground water structures. But
unfortunately, over the years, we have
been rampantly razing down laterite
hillocks for various reasons, the main
being laterite bricks cut out for other
construction purposes, the laterite soil
etxracted out as a waste dumping ma-
terial to fill and reclaim paddy fields
and wetlands and also levelling of land
for other construction and development
activities. This is mainly prevalent in
the seven districts of
Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam,
Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram,
Kannur, and Kozhikode. Many of these
activities are done with the prior ap-
proval of the Department of Mining
and Geology but much more happens
on the field without any permission.
This ultimately leads to drying up of
local wells resulting in water shortage,
reclamation of paddy fields and wet-
lands which act leads to flash floods
during monsoons and water shortage
during non-monsoon period.
• Reclamation of wetlands and wa-
ter bodies
One of the scarcest natural resource in
Kerala is land. Then again around 25%
is covered by forests and then taking
into account all the land that has been
built up already or not available for
further development, the net available
land for any development, be it domes-
tic, commercial or industrial is very
less, and hence this huge demand for
land and the resultant reclamation of
paddy fields and wetlands for various
other uses. Paddy cultivation has been
receding in the State over the past many
years attributed to various reasons.
Most of the paddy fields are left as fal-
low. Since most of the households in
Kerala have a family member abroad
in the Middle East, US, UK or Europe,
there is huge inflow of foreign money
and there is an ever increasing demand
for land for housing. This has been
again aggravated with the shift from
joint to nuclear family and also with
the present trend of constructing 3BHK
or 4BHK houses even for a small fam-
ily of 2-3. Paddy fields and wetlands
which would have otherwise acted as
the kidneys of Mother Earth and also
as flood buffer zones are shrinking fast
and this leads to many environmental
problems like flood, drought etc.
• Invasive alien species
Invasive alien species is one of the
most recent, emerging and biggest
threat to the native biodiverstiy in the
State. These alien species includes
plants like Parthenium, Lantana,
Mikenia; and animals like African
snail, African catfish, wetland weeds
like Salvinia, Pistia, Eichhornia,
Hydrilla etc. The land including for-
ests, plantations, urban gardens and
even avenue trees; and water bodies
Paddy fields and wet-
lands which would have
otherwise acted as the
kidneys of Mother Earth
and also as flood buffer
zones are shrinking fast
and this leads to many
environmental problems
like flood, drought etc.
8. 8 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Cover Story
including backwaters, estuaries, canals,
freshwater lakes and other such are
equally being captured over by these
weeds and since they are aggressive
feeders and breeders, they slowly tend
to replace the native species. In the case
of aquatic weeds, they form a blanket
over the water body preventing ad-
equate infitlration of sunlight which
results in the death of the total water
body. Chemical intensive agriculture
and the resultant eturophication of wa-
ter bodies also aggravate the growth
of some of these aquatic weeds.
• Water pollution
Kerala has 44 rivers but recent surveys
say that all the 44 rivers are polluted
beyond acceptable limits and the
source of pollution can be domestic,
industrial, commercial and agricul-
tural. In rural areas, the sewage lines
from many households are let out into
the nearby canal. Other systems like
'kayal kakkoos' (toilets atop water bod-
ies) and seepage from septic tanks also
pollute surface and ground water
sources. Many industries take water
from the upstream of rivers and after
their processes the effluents are let out
downstream which then very much
pollutes the water body resulting in
mass fish deaths and such. Chemical
intensive agriculture also pollutes ad-
joining water bodies when after one
crop, the water is let into the agricul-
tural field and during the time of the
second crop the water mixed with many
chemicals are again drained out to the
adjacent water body polluting it se-
verely. In the towns and cities, lack of
municipal solid waste management
faciltiy is leading to household, mar-
ket and slaughterhouse waste being
dumped into nearby water bodies.
• Coastal issues
Kerala has a coastline of about 570
kms. Kerala stands second to West
Bengal with regard to population
denstiy and within the State it is the
coastal areas which have the highest
population and tenement denstiy.There
are many issues along the coastline
which ranges from implementation of
the CRZ Act and impediments for the
fishermen in constructing houses, sani-
tation, health and hygiene along the
coastal communtiy is very less, en-
croachment of the coastal stretch by
tourism lobbies and real estate mafias,
construction of sea walls, ports and
harbors and their related accretion and
erosion issues, sand mining etc are all
serious issues along the coast of
Kerala.
• Roads & Transportation
Kerala is one of the states having the
highest road denstiy, but generally the
existing condition and development of
roads is still very poor when compared
to other states. There are no express-
ways to cater to the long distance trans-
port vehicles which increases travel
time and reduce the efficiency of the
vehicles and thereby creating more
pollution. Except for some stretches of
the National Highway and the MC
Road, other roads are not in good
motorable conditions. For rail lines
In rural areas, the sewage
lines from many households
are let out into the nearby
canal. Other systems like
'kayal kakkoos' (toilets atop
water bodies) and seepage
from septic tanks also pol-
lute surface and ground wa-
ter sources.
9. 9ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Cover Story
also, there are too many turns and
curves which again reduces the speed
limit increasingt ravel time. The ve-
hicles on Kerala roads still heavily run
on fossil fuels increasing the carbon
output into the air.With more junctions
and intersections coming within stretch
of the road, the idling time is also more.
The number of new private vehicles
hitting the roads in the State is very
high and this leads to congestion and
coupled with the hurdles involved in
land availabiltiy and acquisition for
new roads and widening of existing
roads, this results in a far less efficient
transport system than envisaged.
• Sand mining
Housing and real estate are the most
flourishing industries in Kerala. With
each and every nuclear family desir-
ing for their own house, and land
availabiltiy being a major deterrent to
independent houses, high rise residen-
tial buildings are on the rise in the State.
All these are very raw material inten-
sive construction design and structures
and hence the demand for sand has al-
ways been high. As of now, we have
exhausted all our rivers of their sand
because the rate of mining is much
higher than the rate of their replenish-
ment. Many river banks have been de-
stroyed, course of rivers have been al-
tered and many deaths have occurred
in the deep sand mining pits in the riv-
ers. Now cotnractors and the construc-
tion lobby is turning to beach sand for
construction purposes, which is not at
all desirable since it has salintiy. But
beach sand is mined using the cover of
night and then that sand is deposited
along the river banks during the night
itself and during the day time they are
again etxracted out labeled as river
sand.
• Waste management
The tragedy in Kerala is that even
though the waste is generated by the
individual households, they fail to take
responsibiltiy of it and segregate at
source. And then the Municipal and
Corporation authorities have always
failed to install and fail proof system
for the solid waste management in
towns and cities. Many things adopted
from other parts of the coutnries and
from abroad have been tried and tested
and failed.As of now, there is no proper
waste management system in any of the
major towns and cities in Kerala. Pipe
composting, vermi composting, biogas
plants at household level, dumping of
collected waste in abandoned quarries,
compress the waste and use it in con-
struction of railway platform, sanitary
land filling etc have been tried, but has
back fired. Now open dumping and
burning of the unsegregated waste is
the usual solution that is adopted in
most of the places which is aestheti-
cally very bad, and this can have vari-
ous direct and indirect, both short term
and long term negative impacts on the
environment and humans.
• Energy concerns
The increase in the per capita energy
consumption of every citizen in the
State is an alarming situation. With glo-
balization and the shift to a consumer-
ist lifestyle, our dependence on exter-
nal energy sources are increasing day
by day with more and more of eletcrical
equipments and eletcronic appliances
like mixer, grinder, induction cooker,
microwave ovens, air conditioning
units, geysers and mobile phones. But
thet ragedy is that with increasing en-
ergy consumption, Kerala does not
have the option of increasing its own
energy production and be self sufficient
10. 10 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Cover Story
in the case of energy. Already we are
heavily dependent on the Cetnral grid
for our share of power for which we
pay a high cost. Kerala does not have
much thermal options since we do not
have the fuels like coal, naphtha, natu-
ral gas etc to run a thermal power plant
and generate power on a cost effective
basis and also we need to consider the
very high carbon footprint attributed
to a thermal power plant. We do not
have option of nuclear power also be-
cause of the safety aspects and also we
do not have vast tracts of uninhabited
land along the coast to allocate for a
nuclear power plant. So the only op-
tion is hydro power which is again con-
strained by environmental, social and
economical factors. The only option
ahead of us is to stress energy conser-
vation and making the switch to nuclear
energy, mainly solar.
• Stray dogs
In earlier times, stray dogs used to be
killed by capture and giving a lethal
dose of cyanide injection. But in the
past, with the intervention of Animals
Rights Groups and the ruling of the
Bombay High Court and the Supreme
Court, killing of stray dogs have been
banned in the coutnry. The only option
is to effectively implementAnti Rabies
andAnimal Birth Cotnrol programmes.
This has failed miserably in the State
and coupled with lack of proper solid
waste management and disposal sys-
tem and open dumping of household,
market and other waste, the stray dog
population in most of the cities and
towns have increased and there are
many reports of ganging up of street
dogs against humans, especially attack
on children and people riding two
wheelers. There are many instances of
11. 11ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Cover Story
death by rabies too. Due to lack of co-
ordination and consensus, even though
AR and BC programmes are run by the
State Government and the various
LSGIs, it is not effective to cotnrol the
menace of stray dogs and unfortunately
this is increasing day by day.
What we can do?
• Be a responsible green citizen
We feel that the Cetnral and State Gov-
ernments and their allied departments,
NGOs and others working in the field
of nature conservation and environ-
ment protection should take care of
such matters. The Indian Constitution
under the Fundamental Duties stipu-
lated in Article 51 clearly states that
each and every citizen of the coutnry
has the right and responsibiltiy to pro-
tect and safeguard his or her natural
environment. Hence we should make
each and every citizen aware about his
roles and responsibilities and encour-
age him to translate his awareness into
action and thereby be a green citizen.
Kerala claiming to be leading in lit-
eracy, education, social awareness,
physical infrastructure, gender equaltiy
etc should take the lead role in this
matter also.
• Be more aware about environment
and its related issues and respond
We see a lot of environmental issues
around us – cutting of trees, dumping
of waste along road sides and in water
bodies, razing down of hillocks, recla-
mation of paddy fields and wetlands,
and other pollution. Again we fail to
respond thinking that it is someone
else's responsibiltiy to do so.We should
read about the environmental issues
around us reported in newspaper,
magazines and visual media, be sensi-
tive to it and respond on whatever way
possible for us.
• Write to authorities
When you see undesirable things hap-
pening around you, don't be a silent
spectator to it. You have the right to
question and respond because this
Planet belongs to you and you have a
responsibiltiy to protect it for your-
selves and for your children. The man-
dates and contact details of all the rel-
evant government departments and
other institutions including the officer's
names, their designations, mobile num-
ber and email ids are available. You
can bring your concerns to the atten-
tion of the respective person.
• Publicise through media
Many a times, when you write to the
government departments and their of-
ficers, the required response may not
come. In most such cases, you will have
to put some pressure on them by bring-
ing it to the attention of the wider pub-
lic through the print and visual media.
You can use the ordinary cameras and
shoot a video clipping or take a photo-
graph and along with a small note, send
it to the relevant media who will take
it up. Medias are always waiting for
something new and sensational (I just
want to quote a small example here –
The Indian Constitution
under the Fundamental
Duties stipulated in
Article 51 clearly states
that each and every
citizen of the coutnry
has the right and
responsibiltiy to protect
and safeguard his or her
natural environment.
12. 12 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Cover Story
some time back, a concerned tourist
visiting Vizhinjam recorded marine
turtles being captured and cut into
pieces when they are still alive. When
he came to the Ctiy, he visited my of-
fice and shared the video clipping with
me. I contactedAsianet and shared this
vital piece of information and they
quickly sent a camera crew to my of-
fice. They took my brief interview and
along with the video clipping aired it
in the afternoon news. The then Forest
Minister Shri. BinoyViswom who hap-
pened to see this news telecast in his
office, immediately called up the For-
ests and Wildlife Department officials
and asked them to take immediate ac-
tion. The officers conducted a raid in
and around Vizhinjam Harbour and
confiscated 5 Marine Turtles alive and
let them back into the sea)
• Come together and act as a
communtiy
Now we have Residents Associations
all across, or it can be a religious
communtiy coming together for a com-
mon cause or an office or educational
institution. So more than individuals,
we can share the concerns with our
immediate wider communtiy and re-
spond accordingly. You can conduct
some small level protests, give repre-
sentation to authorities, invite media
for a press interaction and share your
concerns etc.
• Donate
You might be constrained with time
and manpower to respond directly.
Then, in that case, you can support
other people's groups and NGOs who
are working round the clock for the
cause of conservation. As you already
know, NGOs are under the scanner for
receiving any foreign funding. Hence
it is high time that we raise the finan-
cial resources necessary for our
projects, programmes and protests lo-
cally. Hence, you can donate to such
agencies and support them financially.
Most NGOs give you IT exemption
certificates also for your donations.
• Volunteer with conservation orga-
nizations
When you are really concerned about
the environmental issues around you,
but you feel, you are just an individual
and cannot do much, remember you
have the option to volunteer with other
like minded organizations and institu-
tions. People's organizations and
NGOs are always looking for more
hands to get their work done because
they always have their hands full and
also look forward to students and youth
to come forward and volunteer bring-
ing with them the creativtiy, innovation,
dynamism and out-of-the-box solu-
tions to environmental problems. To-
gether we can achieve more.
Renjan Mathew Varghese
(The author is presently working as the
State Director, WWF-India, Kerala State
Office and is based atThiruvananthapuram.
He may be contacted at
98472 87725/
renjanmv@wwfindia.net)
People's organizations and
NGOs are always looking for
more hands to get their work
done because they always
have their hands full and also
look forward to students and
youth to come forward and
volunteer bringing with them
the creativtiy, innovation,
dynamism and out-of-the-box
solutions to environmental
problems.
15. 15ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Knowledge Test
Out of the 15 questions given below, get atleast 10 correct and win a
prize. Send your answers as sms or by email to 98472 87725/
readthebest@gmail.com. The first five correct answers will bag prizes.
1. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests have been
recently renamed to …………………….
2. The headquarters of the National Biodiversity Authority is located
in ………………………….
3. What is the full form of NTCA
4. The Western Ghats holds two international titles. Name them.
5. Which place in Kerala has the highest number of Tigers?
6. The only species of Marine Turtle still now reported along the
coasts of Kerala
7. Expand KSCSTE
8. The Kerala Government has initiated the Institute for Climate
Change Studies. Where is it located?
9. The very unique vegetation Myristica Swamp is found in only one
place in Kerala. Which is the location?
10. Which is the agency in Kerala who deals with Solid Waste
Management?
11. What is the correct designation of the top most official of the
Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department?
12. Who is the Chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board?
13. The recently declared Peafowl Sanctuary is located in which
district in Kerala?
14. Which is the district in Kerala having the highest extent of
mangrove vegetation?
15. Expand EFL and ESA
More than a competition you can take this as an interactive learning
process whereby you can explore more on these very relevant national
and State level topics and enhance your knowledge. You are free to
refer the internet or books and come up with the answers. All the best.
Test your
knowledge on
Nature and the
Environment
17. 17ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Social Concern
The following Sustainable Development Goals were adopted as part of
United Nations Post 2015 Development Agenda
Do you think they can be part of the Christian agenda? Does the Bible
support these goals? Reflect and Respond
Goal 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition
and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all
ages
Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and
promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and
girls
Goal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water
and sanitation for all
Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and
modern energy for all
Goal 8 Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic
growth, full and productive employment and decent work
for all
Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable
Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its
impacts
Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and
marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat
desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and
halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all
levels
Goal 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize
the global partnership for sustainable development
U.N. Sustainable Development Goals
18. 18 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Doctrine
This is a brief introduction to the
work of the Holy Spirit (HS) in an
individual as well as in the life and
ministry of the Church.
1. Holy Spirit: The Divine
Presence
The divine presence of God is
continually made possible in the body
of Christ through HS. According to
John, Holy Spirit is the providence for
the believers, Jn. 14.17. HS continues
the work of Christ or the works of love
began with the earthly life of Jesus.
Thus the incarnation of Christ will be
made effective in the body of Christ
(the Church) through Holy Spirit,
16.4-15.
John further comments that HS is
the promised helper, indwelling God
or the Trinitarian presence for those
who believe in Jesus, Jn.14.18. It is
both an individual and a communal
experience (Jesus blew over them and
they first received the HS corporately,
Jn. 20.22). And the whole idea
becomes fully known when HS was
democratically given and distributed
to the Church after the day of
Pentecost, Acts2.4.
The beginning of HS presence in
us: When a person receives the HS?
Can we say that in every believer’s life
there is a definite moment for that? Is
it possible to conclusively say that we
Reji George Varghese,
Allahabad
19. 19ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Doctrine
receive HS, only at the moment when
we personally believe in Jesus Christ?
These are difficult questions to answer
as Bible is not specific in such details.
It shows that these are secondary
concerns. The Christian
denominations also differ in these
matters.
The symbolic expression “Baptism
in the Spirit,” may be a helpful NT
theme to explain this further. John the
Baptist prophesies that Christ will
baptize in Spirit, Mtt.3.11, Mk.1.8,
Lk.3.16, and Jn.1.33. Other than the
gospels, the term is used only in 1 Cor.
12.13. Where it reads that the believers
in Corinth were already baptized by
Spirit into one body (something
happened in the past). There are at
least three possibilities. It may be a
reference to the joining of each
member of the Church through faith
at a particular moment in his/her life.
OR It can be a reference to the
beginning of the Church in Corinth
when many joined together at one
point of time. OR It may even be a
general reference to the original day
of inauguration of the Church on the
first Pentecost when all believers were
spiritually united in Christ into one
body.
There is no New Testament
command to get baptised in the Spirit.
The command is to be filled by the
Spirit. It further attests that the idea
might be referring only to a historic
truth about Church as discussed above.
Hence it is erroneous to expect for a
repetition of the Baptism in Spirit or
to wait for the same again. Here one
shall not confuse with the idea of
filling by the spirit; a clear NT
command; it will be taken later in this
article.
Thus there is no conclusive answer
to the problem of when a person
receives HS. But we can say for sure
that the indwelling of HS in our lives
is a spiritual possibility in our earthly
life. This indwelling should be taken
as the continuation of the experience
of Christ, which is made possible
through the body of Christ for
everyone who believes.
2. Holy Spirit: The Sanctifying
God
What the HS will do? John writes
that the HS convicts us (Jn.16.8-11),
reminds us, teaches us (Jn.14.26;
16.12, 13), witness through us and
sustains us. It’s effect in us is
sanctification. The believers will
sanctify through this process.
This condition is referred as
our life in Christ or a life led in the
Spirit in Pauline writings (Rom.8,
Col.3). It means the sanctification is
the work of HS for those who are in
Christ. It starts in the life of any person
who unites with Christ.
When we closely observe these
passages, we learn that it requires an
active involvement from us. It means
the sanctification will not happen
automatically without our active
involvement; we need to work out our
salvation diligently, Phil.2.12. Here
Hence it is erroneous
to expect for a repeti-
tion of the Baptism in
Spirit or to wait for the
same again.
20. 20 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Doctrine
salvation refers to the sanctification
work of HS in a believer.
Sanctification through fruit
bearing: To bear fruit, the primary
requirement is to remain in the plant.
A ‘cut-off branch’ cannot bear fruit.
Gospel of John explains it through
different allegories, Jn.15. There, it
speaks about our obedience to the
words of Christ and our life style in
love. The theme is elaborated more
practically in John’s epistles. Thus the
idea of fruit bearing is clarified as
continuing in the love of God revealed
in Christ. It’s a work of God possible
only when we choose to obey and love;
a possibility for those dwelling in God
through HS.
The idea of fruit bearing is clearer
in Pauline writings. The Pauline poem
on love, 1 Cor.13, is an attempt to
show, this superior life style possible
in love. In the book of Galatians, Paul
further expands the theme by
introducing the idea of the fruit of the
Spirit, Gal.5.22.Aclose reading shows
that the nine virtues listed here are
aimed to bring a godly character of
love within us. These are the attributes
of God that we diligently cultivate in
us when HS gives us the strength for
that by indwelling in us. Therefore it
can be assumed that dwelling in Jesus
or indwelling by the HS is a condition
that we need to ensure through our
practical spiritual living. This provides
the basis for Christian morality or
ethics.
Our moral necessity of being
filled with the Spirit: It’s a clear NT
command and a recurring necessity for
our spiritual living (Eph. 5.18).
Therefore the idea of filling with the
Spirit must be understood as a
different expression for sanctification.
Therefore every command to fill with
spirit is a command to live in the
holiness and power of HS. It should
be a regular feature in our life.
3. Holy Spirit: The Authentic
Witness
Holy Spirit is the authentic witness
for the work of Christ in this world.
Only when HS convict and convince
a person, s/he could know Christ. To
learn how HS helped in witnessing, the
book of Acts is helpful. It tells how
HS witnessed through the early
Church verbally and through signs and
wonders.The book ofActs teaches that
HS even enhanced the Church to
witness Christ (verbally) by equipping
them with unknown tongues,Acts 2.10
(v.11 in KJV). The outcome of it was
belief, Acts.2.41.
It also led to liberation and
reconciliation, the key themes of
Luke’s gospel that fully materialized
in this Luke’s second book, the book
ofActs. Everyone entered the Church
experienced the physical and spiritual
liberation in Christ. By breaking all
economic, social and cultural barriers,
the HS brought to fulfilment the divine
plan of liberation and reconciliation.
The book of Acts further testifies that
the HS also facilitated the growth of
These are the attributes of
God that we diligently culti-
vate in us when HS gives us
the strength for that by ind-
welling in us. Therefore it can
be assumed that dwelling in
Jesus or indwelling by the HS
is a condition that we need to
ensure through our practical
spiritual living.
21. 21ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Doctrine
the Church and thus expanding the
scope of liberation and reconciliation.
Spiritual gifts and Christian
witnessing: The various spiritual gifts
are enlisted and explained in the
epistles.As we correlate these lists, we
learn that they are not an exhaustive
list including all the gifts of the Spirit
but only some sample lists.Though the
uses of some of the gifts are vague and
its present relevance is difficult to
explain, their general purpose of
equipping the body for Christian
witnessing and spiritual living is clear
(Eph.4.11-13; 1Cor.12).
There is no clarity about whether
these gifts will be universally available
for all the churches every time. Also
NT never teaches that certain gifts are
universal and therefore necessary for
every believer. Hence any attempt to
argue that these are only timely gifts
for certain periods or that these are the
universal necessity for the identity of
a church every time is just
extrapolation and arguments in gaps.
It is quite explicit that the spiritual
gifts enhanced both the qualitative and
quantitative growth of the Early
Church. In other words the gifts help
the Church to grow in the nature of
Christ and also it accomplishes its
physical growth by bringing more
people into its fold through witnessing.
Thus the indwelling Spirit makes the
Church missional and every Christian,
holy and witnessing. Interestingly the
context of the above passages in both
epistles, Ephesians and Corinthians
are concerning unity. It means that
only a church united in love can be an
effective witness in the world.
Wormy Sermon
A Southern Baptist minister decided that a visual demonstration
would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. ýÿFour worms were
placed into four separate jars.
The first worm was put into a jar of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a jar of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a jar of chocolate syrup.
The fourth worm was put into a jar of good clean soil.
At the conclusion of the Sermon, the Minister reported the following
results:
The first worm in alcohol - Dead.
The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead.
Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead.
Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive.
So the Minister asked the congregation, “What can you learn from
this demonstration?”
A little old woman in the back quickly raised her hand and said,
As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won’t have
worms!”
22. 22 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Mission
In the previous 2 parts of this series,
we looked at the Origin of Islam,
Beliefs, and practices of Islam and a
little bit of Apologetics. In this third
and final part we shall see one of the
methods of reaching the Muslims
with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This
method is called
The CAMEL METHOD.
C - CHOSEN
A - ANOINTED
M - MANIFESTED
E - ETERNAL
L - LIFE
Muslims have a saying that Allah
has 100 names, but a man can only
know 99 of them. Only a camel knows
the 100th name. We want them to
know that 100th name of God, the
name above all names, the name of
JESUS.
PURPOSE
•GOAL OF THE CAMEL
METHOD is not to lead a Muslim to
salvation but to draw out a Person of
Peace. We will use Surah Al-Imran
3:42-55 in the Koran in an attempt to
raise Jesus from Prophet status to
Saviour status.After understanding the
above text no Muslim can honestly say
that Isa was merely a prophet.
• Three points from SuraAl-Imran
3:42-55 that raises Jesus closer to
Saviour status
• Isa is holy
• Isa has power even over death
• Isa knows the way to heaven
How to Begin ?:
•After a friendly introduction, use
one of the conversations below to
direct the conversation towards Koran:
• I have discovered an amazing
truth in the Koran that gives a hope of
eternal life in heaven. Would you read
SurahAl-Imran 3:42-55 so that we can
talk about it?
• The Koran says some
interesting things about Isa, would
you read Surah Al-Imran 3:42-55 so
that we can talk about it?
REACHINGOUTTOMUSLIMS
Rajadurai
23. 23ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
JULY - PEER PRESSURE
AUGUST - NATIONAL INTEGRATION
SEPTEMBER - FRIENDSHIP
Contact
Our
A Campus Magazine
TO REACH OUT TO THE PROFESSIONALS
AND STUDENTS IN KERALA
Advertisement Rates
Back Cover 1500/- Inner Page (Full) 800/-
Back Cover Inner 1000/- Quarter Page 200/-
The Topic For
Mission
• May I show you that I have
found about peace and salvation in
the Koran. Could you read Surah Al-
Imran 3:42-55 ?
• Use rhetorical Question: A
rhetorical question is a question, the
answer to which is known to the one
asking question. They are a powerful
and peaceful way of drawing out
correct answers from others.
• Attitude: No Muslim would
appreciate a Christian approach him
with a superior attitude trying to
teach him something about the
Koran. Approach Muslims with a
humble attitude and with a genuine
desire to learn
EXPOUNDING CAMEL
METHOD
Isa is Holy
Now begin the actual explaining:
Isa is holy: 3:45-47 - Bring out
the point that Isa holds the same
quality of holiness that Allah has.
“Does this ayat say that ‘Isa came
directly from Allah and that he did
not have a father?” They will most
likely agree that Isa came directly
from Allah and that he certainly did
not have a father.
Ask two more questions:
Are there any other prophets who
do not have a father?
Explain that Adam did not have a
father. Tell the story of Adam in the
garden. And how he walked with
Allah because when he was first
created Adam had no sin. He was
holy and therefore could be in the
holy presence of Allah. When he
disobeyed Allah, he could no longer
be in Allah’s presence. Allah is
100% holy and nothing unholy can
be in his presence. This means that
if anybody wants to go to heaven
and be with Allah one must be holy.
Why did Allah have Isa born
without as father?
Explain that All of Adam’s
descendants struggle with sin. If a
24. 24 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Mission
person is not in the blood line of
Adam, he will be just like Adam
before he sinned when he and Allah
were both holy. As we all know ‘Isa
lived his entire life without doing
any sin. Isa was holy. Muslims use
two particular titles for Isa. They are
Isa Kalimatullah and Isa Ruhullah.
Allah said that he would put his
Word into Maryam. “Word”(kalim)
means anointed one or promised
one.
Isa has power over death
II. Isa has power over death
Sura 3: 48 – 54
And [make him] a messenger to
the Children of Israel, [who will
say], ‘Indeed I have come to you
with a sign from your Lord in that I
design for you from clay [that which
is] like the form of a bird, then I
breathe into it and it becomes a bird
by permission of Allah . And I cure
the blind and the leper, and I give
life to the dead - by permission of
Allah . And I inform you of what you
eat and what you store in your
houses. Indeed in that is a sign for
you, if you are believers. Sura 3:49
And [I have come] confirming
what was before me of the Torah and
to make lawful for you some of what
was forbidden to you. And I have
come to you with a sign from your
Lord, so fear Allah and obey me.
Sura 3:50
After reading the list over “Isa’s
miracles, draw out the point that Isa
is powerful and this power brings
comfort to the world. We are
naturally drawn to look closely at Isa
because the power he had over our
greatest enemy, death.
Ask these two questions:
Do you think that one of people’s
greatest fears is death?
Explain that Death causes all of
us to worry. Truly death is the most
feared enemy of man.
Do you know of any other
prophet who was given power over
death?
Explain to them the three
instances mentioned in the Bible
where Jesus raised dead people to
life viz. Jairus’s daughter, son of
widow of Nain, and Lazarus. Only
is related to the terms used for
breath . So Isa Ruhullah means Jesus
the Spirit of Allah. Another reference
to ‘Isa being a word and spirit of
Allah is found in The Women 4:171
“Speak the truth; the Messiah, ‘Isa
son of Maryam is only an apostle of
Allah and his word which he
communicated to Maryam and a
spirit from him. So the Koran
teaches us that ‘Isa Kalimatullah or
Isa Ruhullah was sent from Allah
himself and placed in the form of a
baby in Maryam. That means that
Isa has come to us from heaven.
Ask, “If Allah put his spirit in
Maryam, does this mean that Allah
was inside Maryam? This question
helps them to understand that Isa and
Allah are one. Allah asked Maryam
to name the baby as Isa Masih which
So the Koran teaches us
that ‘Isa Kalimatullah or
Isa Ruhullah was sent
from Allah himself and
placed in the form of a
baby in Maryam. That
means that Isa has come
to us from heaven.
25. 25ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
Mission
one who has overcome death can
take away the Man’s fear of death.
Direct them to the likeness and unity
of Isa and Allah. Say, “Isn’t it
amazing that just as Allah made
Adam out of clay and breathed life
into it and it became alive, Isa had
same power to create life. He blew
his “Ruh” (Spirit) into the clay and it
came to life. This affirms that Isa is
the Ruhullah of Allah.
Isa knows the way to heaven:
And remember when Allah said,
“O Jesus, indeed I will take you and
raise you to Myself and purify you
from those who disbelieve and make
those who follow you superior to
those who disbelieve until the Day
of Resurrection. Then to Me is your
return, and I will judge between you
concerning that in which you used to
differ.”
Sura 3:55
Finally use this ayat to help
Muslims to understand that Isa
knows the way to heaven because he
himself has travelled the straight
path directly to Allah and is with
Allah now. Ask these questions:”If
you want to come to my house and
you need help in finding my house,
who is best suited to help you?
Naturally I am the best person to
lead you into my house. I know the
road that leads to my house.
“I am a sinful man. I have done
many good things in my life, but still
I have Adam’s blood in me. I know
that I can never become holy on my
own and get to be with Allah in
heaven. Out of all the prophets,
which one do you think is best
capable of helping me get to
heaven?”
If they answer Isa is the one best
able to help you get to heaven, get
them to discuss why it is that they
think he can help me. If they answer,
“Mohammed is the one best able to
help you get to heaven” then take
them to Surah The Chambers 46:9.
This ayat will show that Mohammed
did not know where he or his
followers would go after death.
Carefully say, “If Mohammed did
not know where he was going after
his death, how can he help us ?”
In Surah The prophets 21:91 we
read “And she (Maryam) guarded
her chastity, so we breathed into her
of Our spirit and made her and her
son a sign for the nations.”
Along road side are signs that
help us get to where we want to go.
‘Isa is a sign for the entire world,
according to the Koran. At this point
you are finished with the Camel
method. Turn on your spiritual radar
and see if God is at work. If God is
at work in them they would show
interest to know more about Isa. In
such cases you can give them the
Injil (Gospel) and ask them to read
it. Follow them up regularly and lead
them to Christ.
CONCLUSION
In John 4:35, Jesus asked his
disciples to look up and see that the
field is ripe for harvest. If Jesus is
says the fields are ripe, we need not
doubt that. The disciples did not
know that there was a harvest
available in that Samaritan village.
Jesus knew and therefore did not
mind going hungry as long as he did
the Father’s will which was his food.
My dear friend, this is the day for
the harvest of Muslim souls. If you
sincerely believe in Jesus’ words
then you should be actively involved
in evangelism among Muslim
brothers. The harvest is really
plentiful but the labourers are few.
26. 26 ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
June 2015
News
147 dead as Islamist gunmen target
Christian students
At least 147 people have been killed
after Islamist terrorists attacked
Garissa University College, Kenya,
singling out Christian students to
murder.
A five-man cell of the Somali-
based al-Shabaab group stormed
into halls of residence at Garissa
University College, 200 miles east of
the capital Nairobi, Thursday 2nd
April 2015 during early morning
prayer services, shooting at
students before taking others
hostage.
Joel Ayora, who was on the
campus and witnessed the attack,
said gunmen burst into a Christian
service. Taking hostages from the
service, they then “proceeded to
the hostels, shooting anybody they
came across except their fellows,
the Muslims.”
Collins Wetangula, vice-
chairman of the university’s student
union said the attackers opened the
doors and asked if the people who
had hidden inside were Muslims or
Christians. “If you were a Christian,
you were shot on the spot. With
each blast of the gun, I thought I
was going to die,” said Mr
Wetangula. H thinks he was saved
by the sudden appearance of
Kenyan troops as the gunmen were
working their way through his
dormitory.
Garissa, 200 miles east of
Nairobi, is a mostly Muslim town
but the university enrols many
Christian students, and it would
stand as a target for jihadist groups
like Somalia’s al-Shabaab that
oppose Western education and
development.
A unit of FOCUS (Fellowship of
Christian Unions) which is the IFES
movement in Kenya functions in the
university and Lukas Owako, the
staff worker reports that at least 5
committee members and several
leaders lost their lives in the
massacre.
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/02/
africa/kenya-university-attack/
index.html dated 2/4/2015
https://www.facebook.com/
lucasow?fref=ts dated 7/4/2015
28. Printed by Prof. P.G. Varghese & Published by Christudas K.V. on behalf of USEI PublicationTrust & Printed
at: Thomson Press.Designed by Naduvathra Graphics, Kottayam. Editor: Prof P.G.Varghese
Our Contact RNI Reg. No. 36127/83 Published on 9th June 2015 uesikerala.org Rs 20/-
USI Publication Trust - Kerala
announces that
Prices Slashed !
Hurry up !!
Order your copies to:
09495352985 or
readthebest@gmail.com
Rs. 90/- Rs. 200/-
Rs. 75/- 50/-
Rs. 60/- more than 10 copies on credit
Rs. 50/- 30/-
