Subscribe for Free Ezine Enter your Email:

Subscribe for Printed Magazine: Subscription Rates are $35/year

Text Size:   A | A | A | A

Vol. 7 / Issue 7 / September 4 2003

Contents of this issue

Editorial Download Palm Doc format
Prophets - Are they still around? Download Palm Doc format
Update on the testimony of Jason Gastrich Download Palm Doc format
The "Pray for America" Conference Download Palm Doc format
Reader's Mail Download Palm Doc format


News Items (Common to all issues) :
Standing in the Gap - Fasting prayer on 8th July. 2008
Printed Version of the Magazine
Download Articles in Handheld Computers
Please Join us in "Peace Prayer Room"
Your Spam Folder
Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
Free Tutorials for your Kids!
Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God? Book
Free E-Cards
Online Games for you!

Editorial

By Sherly Isaac

Gal 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Yesterday Paul Hill was executed for killing a doctor of an abortion clinic and his bodyguard to save the lives of unborn babies. And till the last moment he did not show any remorse for his crime of murdering two people. Hill a former Presbyterian priest justified his action saying that he is doing God's work by killing the abortionists. Before his execution he told the reporters that as soon as he is dead, he will be in the presence of God and God will give him great reward for his work.

But how sad it is that a person who studied Bible in seminary had no knowledge of the Bible. Bible very clearly says that a person who murders another person cannot go to heaven. And there is no justification for it. Why a person would murder others in the first place? The simple reason is hatred towards the other person. And the Bible says in 1 John 3:15, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."

He also justified his killing saying that God allowed murder in Old Testament. Paul Hill thought that by killing the abortionists he is doing a good job and that he will get great reward in heaven but he was mistaken. Old and New Testament both maintains the same Law of God, "You shall not murder."

Many think that God allowed killing in Old Testament. But careful study of the Bible tells us that God did not allow innocent killings. Judges 11th chapter tells us that when Jephthah judged Israel, Ammonite came to fight with Israel. Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, "What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?" (Judges 11:12)

Then King of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably." Then Jephthah replied, ""Thus says Jephthah: 'Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon; for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, "Please let me pass through your land." But the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained in Kadesh. And they went along through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, "Please let us pass through your land into our place." But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. And now the LORD God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it? Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the LORD our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. And now, are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them? While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the LORD, the Judge, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.'" (Judg 11:13-27)

But today many justify themselves to commit crime and sin against humanity. Many bring new theories and distort the true message of the Bible. But God is not interested in violence and killing. God says in Ezek 18:32, "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!" Yes, God wants you to live forever. He is ready to give you life - eternal life. Will you hear His voice and turn from your wicked ways and accept Him as your Lord and Savior and live forever in the presence of God?

Prophets - Are they still around?

By Sherly Isaac

Today many churches believe that there cannot be any prophets thinking that the days of prophets are over. There are many who believe that we do not need prophets anymore because we have the Bible - the complete revelation of God. Many believe that prophets were for the purpose of writing the scripture. But how much truth is there in these doctrines?

We read in the Bible where apostle Paul says in 1 Cor 12:1, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:" And in 1 Cor 12:7-10, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues."

Apostle Paul was concerned about the new believers that they should not be ignorant about the spiritual gifts. Out of the nine gifts, which he spoke above one of the gift is the gift of prophecy. Paul says in 7th verse that these gifts are given to "each one" for the profit of all." And in book of acts and in other places where Paul and the disciples started new churches, there were many believers who used to prophesy and in their lives other gifts were in operation. If revelations were given only to write the scripture then the question is why ordinary believers prophesied? And when Paul writes in the above verses, he does not say that these gifts would cease after few days or years but he says that these gifts are important for every believer and for the Church.

But some may say, does not the Bible say in Rev 22:18-19, "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

So what, Moses also warned people in Deu 4:2, "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." Does it mean, they did not add any further verses in the Bible? No, there are 61 books written after this warning. Why? The reason is very simple, Moses or Apostle John did not say that gift of prophecy would cease or days of prophets would be over but by warning people they meant that the word of God should be taught just as spoken by God without alteration. Many of our Churches have misunderstood these verses.

Bible does not tell us that prophets have the exclusive job of writing scriptures only. Revelation and prophecy is one of the means of speaking to His children. Bible also mentions about many ordinary people to whom God gave revelations and yet they never wrote any book in the Bible. For example God' revelation came to Manoah and his wife that they will have a son and how to raise him with holiness. Manoah and his wife were not prophets nor did they write any book of the Bible, but still they received revelation of God. God spoke to Hagar a bondservant of Abraham when she was on the run because of the hardship she encountered from her mistress. Hagar was not a prophetess nor did she write any scripture. New Testament also records several people who got revelations. Does it not mean that revelations have not ceased? Exactly!

God still speaks and gives His revelations to people. Let us find out the qualification or criteria a person should have for possessing these gifts. Let us look that these gifts work. When Jesus was about to leave this world He promised in John 16:13, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."

For a person who wants to get revelations from God, it is necessary that he/she should be filled with the Holy Spirit. Unless one has the Holy Spirit he/she cannot know the mind of God or will of God. If you want to know what is ahead of you, then it is a must to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Not only the Old Testament but also the New Testament tells us that when ordinary people got filled with the Holy Spirit, they prophesied or other gifts of the Holy Spirit worked through their lives. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. Spirit of God is none other than God Himself. When a born again person asks God to fill him/her with His Holy Spirit, God Himself comes down and dwells in that person. It is the most wonderful experience a person could ever have. When Holy Spirit comes and dwells in an ordinary person, He makes that person extraordinary. He guides that person, He shows him the future and does mighty things through that person. As we see in the lives of the disciples and Bible prophets, many of them were ordinary fishermen, shepherds and lay people, but when Holy Spirit came in their lives, God used them mightily. They shook the world with the mighty power of God.

How many Christians are aware of these wonderful gifts of God? Apostle Paul writes, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant...". And God also wants to give you these gifts. He wants to guide you in all truth. If you allow Him to work in your life. If you turn from your sin and accept Him as your savior and Lord and ask Him to come and fill you with His Holy Spirit. He will gladly do that.

Update on the testimony of Jason Gastrich

We published Bro. Jason Gastrich's testimony in 16th issue of "In Search of Peace" Magazine. Bro. Jason Gastrich is running for Governor of California in the next Gray Davis recall election. Here is the link of the testimony http://www.insearchofpeace.org/16issue.htm

Here is the update on his testimony:

In 1997, I(Jason Gastrich) started a Christian ministry and named it Jesus Christ Saves Ministries. Now, it's a non-profit organization, there are over 50,000 web pages on the internet, and thousands of people visit our pages each week. I also began sending a weekly devotional message in 1997. Today, it reaches over 25,000 people in over 100 different countries.

In 2003, I received my Master of Arts in Bible and Theology degree from Louisiana Baptist University. My Masters thesis was the New Testament portion of a book that I wrote. This book is called "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained." It clarifies over 3,000 Bible difficulties and has been well-received all over the world. You can see it here: http://sab.jcsm.org.

Right now, I'm a happy husband and father. My wife Sarine and daughter Jordan are wonderful and I love them dearly. I'm also pursuing my Ph.D. in Biblical Studies. To God be all the glory, honor, and praise!

The "Pray for America" Conference

The "Pray for America" Conference

Organized by Jesus calls ministry.

The Jesus Calls Ministry of compassion and healing was established in India in 1962 by Bro. D.G. Samuel Dhinakaran. This mightily anointed ministry caters to the needs of millions of men and women all over the world through crusades (that draw 300 to 500 thousand people, especially in India), radio and television ministries, books and magazines, audio and video ministries, training seminars, 24-hour prayer centers (in various parts of the world) a counseling center and educational institutions (in India). This multi-faceted ministry is growing from strength to strength as Dr. Paul Dhinakaran, son of Dr. D.G.S. Dhinakaran works alongside his father, being called of God to do the great work. In the ministry of these apostles of end times, people are saved from sin and made whole in body, mind and spirit. The Book of Acts becomes a constant reality in this ministry as the blind see, the lame walk, the paralyzed are healed, cancers and tumors are destroyed and dead are raised.


Date: September 11th to 14th 2003
Venue: Sheraton National Hotel,
Washington D.C.

Many well known speakers including Brother D.G.S. Dhinakaran, India’s foremost evangelist, and Dr. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and top level singers would be in the conference.

To learn more about the Pray for America Conference visit the web site:
http://www.nationalprayerconference.org
or call Jesus calls at 800-430-2283

Reader's Mail

Dear Sheela,

Thank you for prayers and for writing me. Please continue to pray for this need(financial) to be filled. I have recieved a few donations which I am very greatful, but is still way short of what I need today. Agree with me that
God will meet this need today in the Name of Jesus!

Thank You and God Bless
Bob

Standing in the Gap - Fasting prayer on 8th July. 2008

As the Bible says in Ezekiel 22:30 "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it." And also the Bible says in Numbers 16:48, "And he (Aaron) stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped." We have fasting prayer every second Tuesday of each month. Our next fasting prayer meeting will be conducted on 8th July. 2008

Printed Version of the Magazine

We are excited to announce that we are starting printed edition of the magazine that will be monthly. And will contain all the four or five issues of a month. Our online magazine will still be free and can be read via email or on our website

There was a huge demand that we send our magazine by snail mail. So that you can read it offline as well as give it to your friends. So we are starting a printed version. To cover the printing cost we decided to charge a small subscription fee. And it is just $35/year that you can pay using our subscribe link at In Search of Peace Magazine

Hope this will bring the Gospel to people where we cannot reach online.

Thanks and God bless for your continuous support and interest in what we do.

Download Articles in Handheld Computers

You can now download articles in Palm Doc format for your palm handheld computer. It will work with any devise that has Palm OS and Palm Doc Reader installed. To download click on the link named "Palm Doc Format" i.e. at the top of this page by the side of each articles.

Please Join us in "Peace Prayer Room"

If you have any prayer request please join us any time at our New Chat Room at http://insearchofpeace.org/prayer If any of us available in prayer room, we will be praying online otherwise you can email your prayer request to feedback@insearchofpeace.org

Your Spam Folder

If you are getting this newsletter in your bulk/junk/Spam folder please hit the "not junk" or "not spam" button so that you could receive it in your mailbox. Also adding feedback@insearchofpeace.org email address into your contact list can avoid this email from ending up in your bulk folder.

Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online

Now you can read Bible in Hindi online at http://www.hindibible.org
in Malayalam online at http://www.malayalambible.org
in Tamil online at http://www.hindibible.org?ver=tamil

Free Tutorials for your Kids!

Now you can learn Graphics and web designing online. These tutorials are free but you may need to get login ID by registering yourslef. Currently tutorials for Paint Shop Pro, HTML and Dreamweaver/Fireworks are available but in future more tutorials will be added.

Check the tutorials at:http://jasminecorp.net/tutorial

Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God? Book

Now available "Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God" and "Is Jesus God?"Books in major book stores like http://amazon.com, http://bn.com (barnes & noble), http://booksamillion.com etc. Both books compares the Bible and the Quran and read eye opening facts about Jesus, God of the Bible, Allah and Islamic faith. I am sure that you want to read this. Here is the link:
http://insearchofpeace.org/books.htm

Also read:
Book Title: Is Jesus God?
Author: Sherly Isaac
ISBN: 0759628092
http://insearchofpeace.org/books.htm

Free E-Cards

Send free E-Cards (Greeting Cards) to your friends and family. Its an easy way to stay in touch with friends and family. The website address is:
http://ecards.jcsearch.com

Online Games for you!

Now you can play games online at http://insearchofpeace.org/games

Home || Magazine Rack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8 9 10 11 || Malayalam Rack 1, 2, 3 || Tamil Rack
Subscribe || Prayer Request || Contact us

(eg. John 3:16-20) Malayalam Hindi Tamil Kannada Telugu Gujrati English

Sponsored and Technology Provided by Jasmine Computers Inc