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A Campus Magazine
Vol. 33 Issue 4
April 2015
Into The
PAGES
Editorial 04
One to one Ministry 06
John Zachariah
A life changing Query ! 10
Dr. V. Sam William
The challenge of Islam 14
R. Rajadurai
mw DWcptam? 19
sI. cmP≥
Being good stewards of Water 23
Joe John George
Come Summer We are Ready!26
Joe John George
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April 2015
“Jesus said to them, “Come with me,
and I will teach you to catch men”.
Matt.4:19, Mark.1:16, Luke 5:10).
Daniel Bourdanne, the IFES General
Secretary, while addressing a
conference in India said, “IFES is an
organization where students are
committed to reach other students
with the Gospel. If you are not
evangelizing, you are not a real IFES
member.” (Editorial, CAMPUS LINK,
Sept. –Oct.-2012)
He continues, “Mandate from the
Master to everyone who follows Him
is to evangelize as individuals and as
corporate body. To a large extent,
efforts on the latter are accomplished
through numerous evangelistic
events. More challenging and
rewarding are the ones in which we
are involved on a one to one basis.”
One to One Ministry or One to
One Evangelism is what is commonly
known as personal Evangelism. It is
also called the Art of Soul-winning. All
Evangelism is personal i.e. one man
face to face with another man or
woman in an encounter with the
gospel. You cannot imagine a more
dramatic, a more powerful and a
more fruitful situation than this.
Among all the other avenues of
reaching the people with the Gospel,
Personal Evangelism is the most
effective method.
The pulse
Prof. P.G. Varghese
ONE TO ONE
MINISTRYMINISTRYMINISTRYMINISTRYMINISTRY
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According to A.W. Tozer, “We must
go to the Bible for our methods as well
as our message.”There are several
examples of this One to One
encounter both in the O.T. and the
N.T. In Genesis Ch.3, we read the
creator God coming in search of Adam
and Eve. In almost all the 39 books of
the O.T. we come across descriptions
of encounters between God and man
or man and man. Smt. Sasi Jebaraj in
her article gives a long list of
innovative ways of to share the Good
news with individuals. Moreover she
gives many examples of people
personally introducing Christ to
others. In the words of Fletcher,
“Preaching to crowds must be
followed by conversation with
individuals.”
All can do personal evangelism,
but we have to be empowered by the
Holy Spirit to communicate the
Gospel effectively. As far as a soul
winner is concerned, there are two
aspects to his ministry, namely God-
ward and man-ward. Holiness of
character, humility, living faith,
earnestness, simplicity of heart,
complete surrender etc are some of
the qualities one should possess in
relation to God. In his relationship to
other people whom he contacts, he
should possess qualities such as
knowledge, sincerity, love,
unselfishness, seriousness of
purpose, tenderness etc. In short, a
personal evangelist must be a man of
character; a man of complete passion;
a man of conviction, a man of
understanding and a man of unction.
There are certain Do’s and Don’ts
in personal evangelism. We must
spend much time in prayer before,
during and after sharing the word of
God. A thorough knowledge of the
subject that you intend to share with
the person is very necessary. We must
study the Scripture for our own
nourishment and satisfaction and to
observe the soul – winning methods
of Jesus and the apostles. A friendly
and optimistic attitude along with a
courteous, polite and gentle
approach will go a long way to win
the heart of the person. We should
be very conscious and considerate as
far as time is concerned.
Among the don’ts, you need not
be ashamed of the Gospel; avoid a
holier than thou attitude; beware of
negative comment or criticism; avoid
controversial subjects and don’t be
distracted or discouraged. A study of
the false cults is necessary.
H.D.Cristopher says that if we are not
well equipped to handle questions,
unexpected questions will baffle us.
UESI is a One to One ministry
movement. No UESI Camp goes
without a two-by-two fellowship
session. There is a P.P.T. Model
technique in P.E. “Each one catch one;
each one teach one”. Mr. H.D.
Christopher reminds us, “For us, ONE
STUDENT AT A TIME.”
All can do personal
evangelism, but we
have to be
empowered by the
Holy Spirit to
communicate the
Gospel effectively.
6. 6 ContactContactContactContactContact
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April 2015
The recruiting process of a company
or organization may involve a series
of written and group tests, but there
will be a personal interview at the end.
Usually it is in the personal interview
that a candidate’s attitudes, interests,
goals and values are evaluated. Even
during training period it is individual
attention that helps to develop a
trainee’s full potential. The
management world has adopted this
from the Biblical principle of God’s
concern for individuals. So in
Christian ministry too individual
attention is a very important factor.
God loved the world, which means
the whole human race. But the Word
of God says that each human being is
personally known to Him and He cares
for everyone personally (Mat.10: 29-
The Risks, Challenges and Blessings
Prof. John Zachariah
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April 2015
31; Zech. 2:8). Parents are to care for
their children personally for their
individual development, in spite of the
fact that they give a collective care to
all the children. Each individual is
unique. The needs, character,
potentials, weaknesses, talents and
gifts are different in different measures
for each individual even though we
find many things in common. There
is infinite variety, but no two exact
equals even among monozygotic
twins. Each individual has a special
place in the heart of God. Man also
needs to have the same attitude,
especially in people- helping
ministries.
Mentoring is a ministry of God for
the development of an individual to the
maximum. It is a ministry that should
be motivated by the love of God.
While human love is ‘loving the
loveable’, divine love is ‘loving the
prodigal’. Mentoring is often done
with selfish motives both by Christians
and others. It may be done for the sake
of satisfaction or for appreciation from
others. Sometimes it is done to meet
some of the unmet needs of the mentor
himself. Christian ministry must aim at
the growth of individuals so that they
might be presented ‘perfect in Christ’
(Col.1:28). This will definitely involve
a person to person mentoring.
Paul states how he was doing the
ministry to the gentiles in Col 1: 24-
29. In addition to the collective
ministry, he says that he was
“admonishing (counseling) every man
and teaching every man in all wisdom,
that we may present every man
perfect in Christ; whereunto I
labour also, striving according to His
working, which worketh in me
mightily”. (v.28, 29). Note the words
underlined, giving emphasis to
individuals and doing everything
possible with the power of the Holy
Spirit. It is clear that Paul was a
spiritual parent to his mentees.
‘One to one ministry’ needs
patience to understand and accept
persons as they are. Accepting the
uniqueness of a person and treating
him / her as unique is possible only
with the mind of Christ. It involves
investing a lot of time and energy by
the mentor, sacrificing his comforts
and conveniences.
A good mentor will never compare
his mentee with others. Comparison
will only bring negative results.
Negative comparison is likely to cause
negative results. So, it is good to
appreciate one’s performance and give
examples from historical figures.
Present good biographies to people on
occasions like birthday and wedding
anniversary.
The mentor needs to realize that
God has a unique purpose for each
individual and he needs to help the
mentee to recognize that purpose and
work towards it.This involves drawing
out the best in the mentee even if s/
he is going to be ‘above’ the mentor
himself. Remember how Barnabas
(meaning ‘Encourager’) mentored
Mentoring is a
ministry of God for the
development of an
individual to the
maximum. It is a
ministry that should be
motivated by the love
of God.
Cover Story
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Saul to be Paul. Paul welcome-
d Barnabas as his mentor and
Barnabas accepted Paul as his leader!
The love, compassion and care of
God must be experienced by the
mentee from the ways of his mentor.
This is possible with Christ-likeness
of the mentor, eventually leading the
mentee also to the same attitude -
character - in Christ (Phi.2:5).
In his ministry to individuals, the
mentor shares with the mentee the
comfort with which he was comforted
in his life by the Holy Spirit. (2 Cor.1:
3-7). Such a mentor may have to
undergo severe, painful situations of
suffering in his own life in which he is
In the mentor-mentee relationship,
there is a warm fellowship which is
essential for the development and
maturation of any individual. Man is
created as a social being. It is true that
one can be fully satisfied with God
alone in his life. But normally this
satisfaction is experienced by the
individual through the fellowship with
other believers. It goes beyond the
common fellowship to a family
relationship between the mentor and
the mentee. This will have a
unique impact in the life of the
mentee, especially, if he has
experienced rejection from his own
home or close relatives or friends. The
heavenly home should be experienced
on this earth through Group
Fellowship (local church, or
fellowship groups). But where a
person does not find such a fellowship
or when the fellowship he gets is not
satisfactory, the mentor may have to
make extra efforts to cater to the
mentee’s personality needs.
In this kind of ministry, there is a
lot of sacrifice involved. It is not only
sacrifice of time. At times we may
have to experience much mental agony
and emotional stress in our
relationship with the mentees.We may
have to suffer loss of various kinds
including social acceptance and
finance.We may not be able to explain
the details behind our actions because
it will expose others who have put
confidence in us. William Carey went
through a lot of struggles in his home
front in his ministry, to the extent of
being criticized. Jesus Christ has
undergone such agony in mentoring
many. He was labelled as the friend of
tax collectors and sinners. Then how
much more we will have to suffer
comforted by the Father of mercies
and God of all comforts. He needs to
administer the comfort he has received
from the Lord to the life of the mentee.
Paul even went to the extent of sharing
with Corinthians that his personal
sufferings were on the increase so that
he will be able to administer the
comfort to the people undergoing
severe sufferings. Sharing of personal
experiences with the mentee after
creating a warm and close agape
(divine love-relationship) will help the
mentee to accept heartily the comfort
administered by the mentee through
the Holy Spirit.
In the mentor-mentee
relationship, there is a
warm fellowship which is
essential for the
development and
maturation of any
individual.
Cover Story
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April 2015
because of our imperfections and
limitations?
Another area of our suffering is
thanklessness, rejection or even
criticism from the mentee during the
course of the relationship. May be the
mentee did not find fulfillment of love
and acceptance as he expected. Or he
turned to be possessive and rejected
us when dissatisfied. Potiphar’s wife
abusing and punishing Joseph is one
example.Another example may be the
prophet Jeremiah who was imprisoned
by king Zedekiah for not prophesying
as the king wanted. It may be even
because of our failures or lack of
wisdom. Yes, in this ministry there are
cautions to be taken. That doesn’t
mean that we should avoid all risks.
There are risks and suffering in all we
do for the Lord. Readiness to accept it
is part of our commitment.
Our close exposure to the mentee
is another risk. A person who always
wants to create a good impression on
others cannot take this risk. Such will
always try to be on the safer side by
not getting involved in the needs and
hurts of others. I wonder if it is not
selfishness rather than godliness.
Mentoring or one to one ministry
is inconvenient and risky. BUT GOD
EXPECTS SOME TO VOLUNTEER
FOR SUCH A GRACEFUL
MINISTRY, “DYING TO ONE’S
OWN FLESH”AND COMFORTING
OTHERS WHILE ENJOYING THE
COMFORT FROM GOD.
The author is a retired professor in
Electrical Engineering from M.A. College of
Engineering, Kothamangalam and is presently
involved in the ministry of Grace Counseling
India and the Tripura Mission of St.Thomas
Evangelical Church. He was the first State
Administrative Secretary of UESI-Kerala.
Email: jzac2001@gmail.com
“Too drunk for Church !”
A man sobering up from the night before is sitting through the Sunday
sermon, finding it long and boring. Still feeling hung over and tired, he
finally nods off. The priest has been watching him all along, noticing his
apparent hangover and is disgusted. At the end of the sermon, the preacher
decides to make an example of him.
He says to his congregation, "All those wishing to have a place in
heaven, please stand." The whole room stands up except, of course, the
sleeping man.
Then the preacher says even more loudly, "And he who would like to
find a place in hell please STAND UP!" The weary man catching only the
last part groggily stands up, only to find that he's the only one standing.
Confused and embarrassed he says, "I don't know what we're voting on
here, Father, but it sure seems like you and me are the only ones standing
for it!"
Cover Story
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April 2015
‘Hey! Is this where you sleep at
home?’ I opened my senses
shockingly to realize wherever I was!
This was one of the many questions I
confronted ever, while I opted the
MBBS Course.
When I had done with my B.Sc.
Botany at the Victoria, Palghat in
1974, I desired pursuing B.Sc. Agri. at
Alahabad. I applied for it, along with
the MBBS Course, the latter in the
interest of my mother. Without taking
chances, I had joined M.Sc Botany
already, and targeted my studies.
Whenever I submitted a record, my
Professor used to comment, ‘See Sam,
why do you struggle yourself; after all
you are getting an admission for
MBBS.’
Those were the days when B.Sc
undergraduates were allotted 60%
seats in MBBS, whereas the Pre-
degree (present Higher Secondary)
students had been reserved 40%
seats, and those had to be extra
brilliant to get into a Medical College.
My Professor had said that I had
enough marks to get a sure card for
MBBS. I was thrilled to receive an
admit card from Allahabad, but my
parents were not delighted. They
were reluctant to send me to a far off
place like Allahabad, and my Professor
endorsed so, with a comment ‘Why
should you, when you are sure of
MBBS?’ So, very aversely I dropped
the idea of B.Sc. Agri.
Within a week, the announcem-
ent was on the stands for those with
64% marks for the MBBS admission.
My mother and my Professor were
Dr. V. Sam William
Testimony
11. 11ContactContactContactContactContact
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April 2015
cheerful, since I had scored more
marks than the cut off per cent. With
the sure card, I was to be admitted
for I MBBS at Medical College, Calicut.
Hailing from a lower middle class
family, my father was disinclined to
send me for MBBS, considering the
financial burden. But my mother was
assured of God’s promises, who also
accompanied me to the interview.
After remitting Rs.1500 tuition fee for
the year (!!!) and an advance for the
hostel accommodation, we returned
home.
The hostel ‘welcomed’ me with a
glee. Those were the days we had to
face the inevitable ordeal of ‘Ragging’.
We had an intensive ragging season
lasting 21 long days. On the first night
of the hostel stay, everything
appeared okay having settled in my
room with roommate R.C.Thampan.
But sooner, the hell broke out close
to midnight, in the form of some
incensed seniors, who asked us to
queue up in our birth suit. The
sarcastic array of questions began. A
midnight chill bath was enforced,
followed by the command of a ‘senior
Dr Sir’: ‘you guy, sleep on the sun
shade of that window.’
Done with their first deal, I was
swooned by a trance, to be awakened
by a kind senior Dr sir, with the query,
‘Hey! Is this where you sleep at
home?’ I was puzzled to locate where
I were. Having left the comforts of
our home, where I slept under the
warmth of a cozy counterpane, I felt
myself humiliated. This time the
mandate was to go back to the room.
There commenced a series of
questions, leading to that life
changing question later, that was my
ultimate discovery.
One day during the ragging
ordeal, a ‘senior Dr sir’ approached
me to enquire, ‘What is your good
name?’ ‘Sam William’…I responded,
to which he asked, ‘Are you a
Christian?’ This indeed puzzled me
since Sam William is a complete
Christian name and any Muslim or
Hindu cannot hold such a name. I
took it for part of the ragging game.
But then, he said, ‘I am Babu
Narendran, and I am a Christian too.’
When everything is up, we must meet
for prayer”. Those days I just could
not comprehend how a Babu
Narendran could be a Christian.
Throughout the ragging process for 21
days I was searching an answer to this.
Astonishingly, quite often during the
ragging spell, I had had a loving shield
from this Babu Narendran.
After the finishing point, Babu met
me quite often and led me to several
prayer meetings. I had my upbringing
in a ‘God-fearing’ family, though. I
was brought up well-disciplined to
read the Bible every day; to
commence each day with prayer, and
to pray persistently before sleep, and
not to miss my Sunday Worship. I had
no discernible vices like smoking or
Throughout the
ragging process for 21
days I was searching
an answer to this.
Astonishingly, quite
often during the
ragging spell, I had had
a loving shield from
this Babu Narendran.
Testimony
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April 2015
drinking, and so everyone thought I
was a saintly Christian. I myself
thought so! I attended the
fellowships without any fuss.
All the same, a one-day
conference held at Malappuram
tangled me. During the group
discussion, one of my best friends, a
Hindu boy sat next to me, when the
group leader began to ask each
student ‘Are you born again
Christian?’ I was petrified, if this
question would be posed to me as
well! The boy sitting beside knew I
was a proper Christian, and respected
me as a role model and had come to
this meeting relishing my company. In
any case, it would be an embarrassing
question, since I had no such
experience myself. If I said ‘No’, what
would he think of me? And how could
I lie an ‘yes’? I should not have come
to this meeting at all, I thought.
The testing was close. The leader
asked me ‘Brother, are you born
again? In a trembling voice I said ‘yes’.
I thought the matter would end up
there. But he insisted, ‘When? I
began to sweat. In any case I cannot
retreat now and held, ‘2 years back’.
I was troubled if he might approach
with a, ‘How’. Probably, sensing my
expressions he would have decided
not to instill any more confusion in
me. But with those two vital
questions he had already muddled
me. I vaguely began to understand
that more than by a Christian name,
a sort of born again experience was
obligatory to remain a genuine
disciple.
With the arrival of Dr.N.J.Mani on
our campus, a regular prayer
gathering was organized in his
residence. On Saturday evenings we
learned the Word of God in depth,
through discussions and deductive
Bible Study. In one such sessions, we
looked at the 3rd
Chapter of John’s
gospel. We discussed what it was to
be ‘born again’ in the context of
Nicodemus, who was encountered by
the Lord with: ‘verily, verily I say unto
you, unless you are born again, you
cannot see the kingdom of God’. This
kindled a heated discussion, whereby
many of the students argued, a
particular day or time wasn’t
mandatory for ‘a Christian’ to become
a Christian. For somebody from
another religion ‘it was okay’,
whereas we who were born into
traditional Christian families, and
brought up in Christian atmosphere
and discipline, need not have such an
experience. I jubilantly endorsed this
view.
However, as we were returning,
A.P.Joseph, a junior student who was
leading the group that day, put his
arms around my shoulder, and said,
‘Sam, can I ask you a question?’ I said
‘okay’. I had no idea that this was
going to be a life-changing question.
Joseph asked, ‘Sam, please answer me
A ‘one to one’ ministry is
very relevant in the
Ministry of the Gospel.
Further, ‘Two by two’
sessions in E.U Camps
promote this ‘one by
one’ ministry that are
indeed fruit bearing.
Testimony
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Our
April 2015
sincerely, whether you will be with
Jesus, if you die at this moment?’ I
mused seriously for a moment, and
began to sweat, as I was not sure. I
said, ‘But Joseph, probably I may be
with Jesus; but how can I say it for
sure?’ Joseph asked me, ‘Don’t you
believe in Jesus?’ I said ‘Yes’. Joseph
insisted, today we read ‘those who
believe in Him will not perish but have
everlasting life’. ‘If you believe this,
aren’t you sure you will have eternal
life? There is something wrong
somewhere. Go and clear that with
the Lord’.
He did not insist me to take any
decision, but put a life changing
question in me, ‘if you die now, will
you be with Jesus? I asked myself
‘Why isn’t there an assurance? In
spite of being born in a Christian
family, why can’t I profess I am born
again!’ As I paced back, I began to
reason this.
The Holy Spirit prompted me to a
deeper commitment that very night.
But the Adversary tried to buy time
in between. I had thought if there
were none in my room when I
reached, I would kneel down and
commit myself. I was inmate in a
three bedded room and I was certain
there would be somebody in the
room. But to my dismay, there were
none. The devil persisted to suggest,
‘wait for a while, someone might
come’. But no one came and I fell on
my knees. I had closed the doors and
surrendered myself to the Lord by a
simple prayer. Nothing special
happened to me, but a calm feeling
that can be likened to the day when
we finish our exams, diffused my
mind.
The evidence gushed out next day.
When I visited A.P.Joseph’s room, the
next day, I found Joseph introducing
his friends to his father who visited
him. He was saying, ‘Appacha, this is
Babu Narendran, a child of God.’ I
involuntarily introduced myself, ‘I am
Sam William, saved just last night.
Joseph was delighted and uttered a
‘Praise the Lord’.
‘What I am’ today is founded on
this simple decision that night. And
that was the result of several ‘one to
one’ ministries, starting from Babu
Narendran, continued by the leader
in the group discussions, and Dr.
A.P.Joseph.
A ‘one to one’ ministry is very
relevant in the Ministry of the Gospel.
Further, ‘Two by two’ sessions in E.U
Camps promote this ‘one by one’
ministry that are indeed fruit bearing.
Jesus demonstrated this when he
encountered the Samaritan woman in
John 4 and with Nicodemus in John
3.
We needn’t be scholars to get
involved in Personal Evangelism. Just
sharing our experience would do. The
Holy Spirit will take care of the rest.
Let our light so shine before men that
they may see our good works and
glorify our father in heaven. Shall we
target the one we meet next? This is
a natural and effective way to be
witnesses, although quiet. If Jesus
modus operandi was this, why can’t
we follow suit? The question isn’t
wherever you sleep, but simply, ‘Are
you washed in the blood upon
Calvary?’
Dr.Sam William is a Private Medical
Practioner at Mananthavady, Wayanad. He
is a member of Mananthavady EGF. He may
be contacted at drsamwilliam@gmail.com
Testimony
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April 2015
Afew years back a Christian student
attempted to share the good news to a
Muslim student, who brought a book
which points out the alleged
contradictions in the Bible. He told her
that he would become a Christian if
she could answer all the questions
raised in the book. She could not and
neither could her Pastor. Ultimately
she became a Muslim. I share this not
to make you hate Muslims but to love
them and pray for them that their eyes
of understanding would be opened.
Islam poses a great challenge to
Christianity. This article is meant to
help you to be adequately forewarned
and forearmed.
• Islam is the world’s second
largest religion and the fastest
growing religion
• Its growth can be attributed to
two factors:
1. BIOLOGICAL GROWTH:
• Muslims double their population
biologically twice as fast as non-
Muslims do. This promotes migration
and we can observe how in recent
times much of the economy ofAfrica,
Europe, Australia and Asia is going
into Muslim hands. Whoever controls
the economy has also a strong
influence on government, the media
and education.
• Small family norm or family
planning is not adopted by Muslims.
It is against Islam to adopt birth
control.
• Muslims who have financial
viability can marry up to four
women. Such families have more
R. Rajadurai
15. 15ContactContactContactContactContact
Our
April 2015
members.
2. CONVERSIONS
THROUGH THREAT OR
INDUCEMENT OR DAWA
PREACHING
• Preachers of Islam target
nominal Christians by attacking
Christianity.
• For many Muslims western
society is Christian. Many of them
do not differentiate between western
culture and Christianity. For
Muslims, alcohol consumption,
pornography, popular films, music, a
liberal lifestyle and a lack of public
religious practice are sure signs of
the failure of the western countries.
For them the word ‘Christian’
signifies materialism, a lack of
spirituality and moral failure.
• Islamic fundamentalists and
terrorists have termed western
societies as satanic. Muslims often
believe that Christians are deceived
and that they have an obligation to lead
them to the truth of Islam
• Some Muslims accuse the
Christians of worshipping three gods
and falsifying the scriptures to make
Jesus god. Gullible Christians fall prey
to this false propaganda
THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF
ISLAM:
• The ultimate goal of Islam is to
bring all people into submission to
Islam. Islam has divided the world
into two parts: “Dhar-ul-islam” and
“Dhar-ul-harb” or in English, “the
territory of Islam” and “the territory
of war”. This may not necessarily
mean armed conflict, though this
was very much the case, but it is
quite clear that those countries
which are not as yet under the
Shariah, are still to be conquered.
CHRISTIANS NEED TO GET
TO TERMS WITH ISLAM
• The present setting of Islam in
this world is very threatening. It
gains acceptance even in liberal
“Christian” circles. There are several
contributing factors:
• Muslims are aware that oil
reserves do not last forever.
Consequently they have invested
vast amounts of capital in industries
of the developed countries, which
gives them considerable influence in
these countries. Consequently they
extract a lot of concession from the
governments of these countries to
establish Islam. Press in these
countries operating on liberal
premise is positive towards Islam.
RESPONDING TO THE
CHALLENGE OF ISLAM
• Surely we can see how
important it is to gain a realistic
assessment of Islam. If we are to
respond to the challenge of Islam
effectively we need to equip
ourselves with knowledge.
Knowledge is power.
First, let us understand about its
founder Prophet Mohammed.
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MOHAMMED IN MECCA
• Father – Abdullah, Mother –
Amina. Birth at Mecca. Father died
before birth, mother when he was 6
years old. Grand father – Abdu’l
Muttalib, Uncle- Abu Talib. He
belonged to the Hashim clan which
was part of Quraish tribe of which
Abdu’l Muttalib was the chief. In his
youth Mohammed travelled widely
with trading caravans.
• Marriage – 25 years with
Khadijah – 2 boys and 4 girls. He knew
some Bible stories from Jews and
Christians whom he met on his travels
and from Waraqa ibn Naufal, a cousin
of Khadijah who was a Christian. He
had translated a part of the Gospel into
Arabic (Dictionary of Islam by
T.P.Hughes, al’Bukhari 1,e and
‘Siratu’l Rasul’ by ibn Ishaq vss. 143-
145). He must have given
considerable information about the
Bible to Mohammed.
• First revelation in a cave at
Mt.Hira near Mecca in 610 A.D. We
have no reason to question the above
as having been a revelation. However,
since the Qu’ran strongly contradicts
the Bible, we may assume that this
revelation came not from the same
source as the Bible. The first
revelations turned against polytheism
and idolatry. Mohammed was rejected
by the majority of the Meccans. Their
religion was a goodly form of income
from nomadic tribes who came to
Mecca during the religious festivities
there. So they did not want to listen to
Mohammed.
• Meccans themselves were not
very pious. Enduring sarcasm and
spite, Mohammed gathered a number
of converts. Pressure on Mohammed
and the Muslims in Mecca increased
when his uncle Abu Talib died. Soon
afterwards a secret delegation of
Muslim believers form Yathrib (later
known as Medina) invited Mohammed
to settle in their town, offering
protection. This flight or emigration
happened in A.D.622. This date
became the beginning of the Islamic
calender. (A.H.)
• In Medina, the Jews did not
support Mohammed because he did
not have divine credentials as a
prophet like Moses, Elijah and the like.
The Jews who rejected the
prophethood of Mohammed were
persecuted. Practically all the Jews of
Arabia were either killed or chased out
from their home towns. Initially
Mohammed had high regard for the
Christians. However, when most of
them did not respond to his call to
Islam, he changed his mind about them
and shortly before his death he even
cursed them. Jews and Christians were
only acceptable to him once they had
acknowledged him as a prophet
• Having settled in Medina
Mohammed sent raiding parties to
Mecca, subdued them and made them
to accept Islam. Similar raids were sent
to the neighbouring countries and by
the time of death inA.D.632, the whole
of Arabian Peninsula was brought
under his control.
THE TEACHINGS OF ISLAM
• DEEN: THE PRACTICE OF
ISLAM
1. CONFESSION OF FAITH
(SHAHADA) i.e.., recitation of the
Kalima (=word). “There is no god but
Allah and Mohammed is the
messenger of Allah”
2. PRAYER (SALAT): Every
Muslim is required to perform
prescribed ritual prayers 5 times a day
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April 2015
at set times and postures.
3. THE GIVING OF ALMS
(ZAKAT):
It is a religious duty and should
amount to not less than 2.5% of the
income above one’s needs.
4. FASTING (SAWM): It is the
duty of every Muslim, except the sick,
the travelers, pregnant women, nursing
mothers and children, to fast during the
month of Ramadaan. The fasting is to
last from the rising of the sun to the
sunset.
5. PILGRMAGE TO MECCA
(HAJJ) is required once in a life time
during the month of Zu’l-Hijjah, if
one’s means allow this. There is also
a minor pilgrimage (Umra), which is
performed at other times.
We shall study the practices in
detail:
CONFESSION OF FAITH: The
first part is recited to confess that there
is no God worthy of worship and
obedience than the one and only living
God.
The second part affirms that
Mohammed is the final and last
prophet and messenger of Allah. It is
believed that his teachings are for all
mankind and for all time.
The declaration of the Creed is the
entrance to Islam. By virtue of reciting
it in Arabic a person becomes a
Muslim. From the early childhood a
Muslim will confess the unity ofAllah
and the finality of the prophet hood of
Mohammed. With these statements he
is immunized against all other
religious influences from outside
Islam. It is indeed difficult to break
through this barrier of indoctrination.
Every Muslim has to believe in the
creed, otherwise he is not regarded a
Muslim.
PRAYER: With the Salat Islam
wants to give spiritual guidance to
Muslims. It is an act of worship and
is meant to provide disciplinary
practice, spiritual nourishment and
true motivation. Muslims believe that
• The prayers strengthen the belief
in Allah and create the willingness to
submit to him.
• Help to focus on good elements
in life
•Are a means of cleanliness, purity
and punctuality
• Bring up good qualities (patience,
hope, confidence, good manners)
• Proof of the Islamic brotherhood.
THE GIVING OF ALMS
(ZAKAT): This legally fixed charity
is to be paid annually by a Muslim
towards the support of the poor and
other deserving persons according to
the Islamic law.
There is a detailed law on Zakat.
Apart from Zakat there is also
Sadaqah, the voluntary charity, which
is regarded as a meritorious act.
FASTING (SAWM): A good
Muslim will fast during the month of
Ramadan (9th
month of Islamic lunar
calendar). During these 30 days a
Muslim will restrain from eating,
drinking, and sexual practices during
daylight.
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PILGRMAGE TO MECCA
(HAJJ): The pilgrimage to Bait’allah,
the house of Allah or Ka’ba, once in a
life time is an obligation Muslims have
to follow, if they have the means to do
so. Muslims hope to win Allah’s
favour by performing the Hajj. In
popular thinking it will bring purity by
wiping away their past sins.
IMAN: THE FAITH OFISLAM
A Muslim must believe in
1. Allah. He is one; his qualities,
nature and essence are chiefly revealed
in his “99 Most Beautiful Names”
2. Angels. These include 4
archangels (Gabriel is named) and an
indefinite number of ordinary angels.
Muslims also believe in ‘jinns’ spirits,
some are good and some bad.
3. All revealed books. According
to Islam scriptures were revealed to
Adam, Seth, Enoch, Abraham, and
many others. These are considered as
lost. The scriptures referred to as
being in existence are:
• The Torah (Taurat)
• The Psalms (Zabur)
• The Gospel (Injil)
• The Qu’ran
• In addition to the above books,
Muslims also read hadiths.
THE HADITH: The Hadith is the
collection of biographic reports about
sayings, customs and doings of
Mohammed and his companions; they
also reflect on what Mohammed
prescribed or ordered and tolerated or
forbade. The purpose of hadith is two
fold:
• 1. To interpret the Qu’ran rightly
This is called Tafsir
• 2. To be able to imitate the doings
and sayings of Mohammed which is
considered to be meritorious. This is
called Sunnah meaning path, way,
manner of life
• 4. All Prophets. Muslims
believe in 124,000 prophets who lived
in times past among all nations. In
addition there are 315 special
messengers like Noah, Abraham,
David, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses,
Jesus and Mohammed.
• 5. The Last day. This is the day
of judgment when all men are to be
judged according to their deeds/
according to the predetermination of
Allah and admitted to Paradise and
hell.
(To be continued)
R.Rajadurai serves as the Director -
Member Care, Neighbours Peace Ministries,
works among Muslims.
Mission
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April 2015
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MAY - CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
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The Topic For
ip{iqj
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“This water is ours” they said and
argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen at
Gerar valley (Gen 26:20). Perhaps this
would be the first instance where a
conflict over water happened thousands
of years back. Today, water conflicts are
not uncommon; it involves villages,
cities, states and even countries. “The
wars of 21st century will be fought over
water” said Ismail Serageldin, former
Vice President of World Bank.
22nd March has been declared by
the UN as ‘World Day for Water’ which is
being observed since 1993. This year’s
theme is ‘Water and Sustainable
Development’. Even though majority of
our planet is covered with water, most of
it is undrinkable sea water; only 3% of
the world’s water supply is fresh water,
and 77% of it is frozen.
According to national geographic
survey, of the 23 % that is not frozen, only
a half percent is available to meet the
needs of plants animals and human
beings.
The good news is - there is actually
enough fresh water on the planet for six
billion people, but it is currently distributed
unevenly and a lot of it is wasted, polluted
or unsustainably managed. The demand
for water has increased due to a number
of factors including population growth,
climate change and an increase in
Joe John George
Environment
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April 2015
demand from industry and agriculture.
Does Bible say about Water ?
Yes, very much. Water is a natural
resource which God has provided to us
free of cost. We see that the word ‘water’
is mentioned 722 times in the Bible. The
word ‘water’ appears for the first time in
Gen 1:2; “the earth was formless and
empty, and darkness covered the deep
waters.” Before God created the light, the
sun or moon there was water. The last time
water is mentioned in the Bible is in
Revelations 22:17 - “the Spirit and the
bride say, come, let anyone who hears this
say, come, let anyone who is thirsty come,
let anyone who desires drink freely from
the water of life”. And so, we see
mentioning of water in the first and the last
chapters of the Bible. Jesus, in His first
miracle converts water into wine. What
God has given us in this nature, we are
supposed to preserve and sustain, as
good stewards as it is written in Ps 24:1 –
“Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it”.
“Don’t take me for granted” –
Water
WHO specifies that minimum water
requirement per person per day is 100-
200 ltrs. for various domestic purposes.
How many of us have thanked God for
the water we use in our day to day life?
It seems 33% of water is being used for
flushing toilets, 32 % for bath and
shower, 20% for cleaning etc, 13% for
car and garden & 2 % for drinking water.
We thank God for the food we eat, but
not for water. We should be doing that
too. Isn’t it? We take water for granted.
It is clear from the Scripture that we are
to subdue the earth (Gen 1:28). So let
us pull up our sleeves and get on
ground. More than anyone else in this
world, it is we, Christians who should be
in the forefront to safeguard the
resources God has entrusted with us.
Numbers speak
The following statistics will show the
severity of the concern.
748 m people in the world don’t have
access to safe water. This is roughly one
in ten of the world’s population. Over
500,000 children die every year from
diarrhea caused by drinking polluted water
and due to poor sanitation. That’s over
1,400 children a day. 91.5 m people in
India don’t have access to safe water.
It is estimated that thirty years from
now, approximately, one-third of our
population will suffer from chronic water
shortages. More than 5 million people die
every year from water-related diseases
with 98% of these in the developing
countries like India and 90% of these
deaths are children. Approximately, 1.2
billion people, i.e. almost one fifth of the
world’s population live in areas where
Insights
♦ Water is health : Clean hands can save your life
♦ Water is nature : Ecosystems lie at the heart of the global water cycle
♦ Water is urbanization : Every week, one million people move into cities
♦ Water is industry : More water is used to manufacture a car than to
fill a swimming pool
♦ Water is energy : Water and energy are inseparable friends
♦ Water is food : To produce two steaks you need 15000 litres of water
♦ What is water for you? For me water is ………………………………..
Environment
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April 2015
*Grey water is water generated from our kitchen sinks, showers, tubs and washing
machines. Grey water may contain traces of dirt, food, grease, hair and certain
household cleaning products. It is not safe for drinking; however, you may use it
for other purposes without wasting it.
water is scarce and another 500 million
people are approaching the same
situation. “We never know the worth of
water till the well is dry”, said Thomas
Fuller; It is the human nature that we value
things only when they are scarce or are in
short supply. Many of us literally spend
money to procure water for household use.
Drinking water is costing Rs 20 / litre in
India and upto Rs 200/litre in other parts
of the world. Governments and
organizations spend a lot of money to
provide/conserve water. In a broader
sense, water is also linked to justice,
poverty, gender, economy etc. On this
World Water Day, let us commit ourselves
to be good stewards of water by judiciously
using and preserving it.
References
www.quality-drinking-water.com/bible_and_water.html
http://everylittledrop.com.au/knowledge-center/the-global-water-situation
www.wateraid.org
www.unwater.org
www.in.undp.org
Joe John George is the State Project Officer for UNDP Climate Change project. He is
from Mannuthy and was a member of Trichur ICEU. He is based at Trivandrum and may be
contacted at mailstojoe@gmail.com
Doyouknow?
Environment
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April 2015
How many of you really like
summer? Oh no. I like any other
season but summer, could be
your answer. One of the reasons
we dislike summer could be the
scarcity of water we all face.
World Health Organization
specifies that minimum water
requirement per person per day is
between 100-200 litres. It is
important to understand the fact
that only 3% of the world’s water
is fresh and roughly one-third of it
is inaccessible. The rest is very
unevenly distributed and the
available supplies are
increasingly contaminated with
waste and pollution from industry,
agriculture and households.
“We never know the worth of
water till the well is dry”, said
Thomas Fuller. We value things only
when they are in short supply.
Summer is fast approaching. Due
to climate change, the weather
patterns have changed. This is
specially so in Kerala. It is estimated
that at the household level we use
approximately 2% of water for
drinking, 32% for bath and shower,
20% for toilet flushing, 20% for
cleaning and 13% for car and
garden. Whether in a drought
prone area or not, it is your
responsibility to practice the
following tips on water usage. Basic
water conservation at household
level can lead to a larger impact
at the global level.
10 Commandments on
conserving water @ household
level
1. If you are in the habit of
washing your four/two wheelers
daily, it’s time to STOP!
Wash your car once in 4/5
days only. In our country, no one
really bothers whether your car
has taken a ‘bath’. Use one
bucket of water for washing your
vehicle (25 ltrs) and do not use
hose, as it is expected to
consume around 400 ltrs of water
for one car.
2. In the modern day washing
machines, you can opt for ‘water
saving’ option to minimize use of
water or opt for a ‘quick wash’
option. Use machines only for a
full load wash.
3. Make best use of grey
water*. Grey water may not be
used for purposes like drinking/
cooking, but can be used for
watering the plants, cleaning etc.
4. Watering the plants to be
ideally done in the morning or in
the evening hours. 30% of water is
evaporated if you water during
the day.
5. Don’t operate fountains in
the garden during summer.
6. Repair all leaky pipes & taps
in the house. 10% of fresh water is
consumed due to leaks.
7. If you have a dishwasher,
run it only for a full load.
8. If you have bath tubs,
abstain from using it during
summers, rather use just one
bucket for taking bath (25 ltrs)
9. As you brush/shave/do the
dishes, turn off the tap.
10. Wash fruits/vegetables in a
basin and not under running
water tap.
Come Summer
We are Ready!
Water conservation tips @ household level
Joe John George
Stewardship
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April 2015
PRAY
PLAN AND
PARTICIPATE
DATES
10th - 12th APRIL 2015
VENUE
SBS CAMP CENTER, PUTHENKAVU,
CHENGANNUR
THEME
"THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE"
Ephesians:5:31
MAIN SPEAKER
DR. RAVI DAVID, BANGALORE
(FORMER REGIONAL SECRETARY, IFES)
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
There will be sepearate sessions for children
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