Prayer Letter - October 2008

Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. Rom 12:2 (New Living Translation)

Most of us should accept the fact that transformed lives should lead to transformed thinking, even as we are called to love God with our entire being, including our minds. The Apostle Paul writing in Romans 12: 1 & 2 encourages believers to offer their bodies (which surely includes our minds) as living sacrifices, holy (set apart) and pleasing to God, because this is our spiritual act of worship. In other words, as transformed human beings, our response to God’s initiative in our lives is to worship Him and love Him with our hearts, souls, bodies and, yes, minds. Further, Paul says that (as part of the transformed self) we are no longer to behave as the world does, which of course includes not thinking as the world does, or to put it another way, we are not to think secularly. This is a pre-requisite to understanding God’s purpose for our lives

In his book, A Christian Mind, (which has inspired me greatly by the way), Harry Blamires says “There is no Christian mind. There is a Christian ethic, practice and spirituality but no Christian mind. As a thinking being we have succumbed to secularism.” He goes on to say, “We meet only as worshipping beings not thinking beings.” Sadly, we have surrendered our minds to secularism.

The Apostle Paul warns us of this in Colossians 2: 6-8 and again in 3:2 when he says “Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him….see to it that no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ… (so) set your minds on things above not on earthly things.”

Just to set the record straight so that no one should think that I am advocating the use of worldly wisdom, one has only to read with understanding what Paul writes in 1 Cor 2:10-16. I am writing about Holy Spirit directed thinking that enables us to use the mind of Christ that all of us have. Mind you, the Old Testament advises us on the fact that God’s thoughts are higher than ours (Is 55: 9). But God who created us in His likeness wants us to have His mind and think like Him. I humbly submit to my readers that in our redeemed state, our minds too have been redeemed so that we have the mind of Christ!! So, whether it’s in the area of politics, economics, education, the arts, media or the environment, we have no cause to think secularly, but must look at the world through God’s eyes.

The Christian mind will have a set of pre-suppositions within which it will think about the issues of life. Here are six such pre-suppositions which might form the basis of a Christian mind. We will look at two now and conclude the next devotional with the other four:

1. A supernatural orientation: The Christian mind must cultivate an eternal perspective. It is supernaturally orientated and projects upon earthly considerations the fact of heaven and the fact of hell. The Christian mind sees human life and human history held in the hand of God. It sees the whole universe sustained by his power and love. It sees the natural order as dependent upon the supernatural order, time as contained within eternity. It sees this life as an inconclusive experience, preparing us for another; this world as a temporary place of refuge, not our true and final home. So the Christian mind will reject the materialist notion that all there is, is here and now. If we don’t then there is no God, no someone Greater than I. This whole world is part of God’s eternal scheme and that gives it a purpose far beyond just the here and now.  I certainly get excited just to imagine this!!

2. An awareness of evil: The doctrine of original sin is vital to the Christian mind. We are in a battle between good and evil and we are starting on the side of evil. We are naturally disposed against God. Man needs redemption not change. It will take a supernatural miracle to fundamentally change a person. Poor behaviour should not surprise us; we should be prepared for it and we must reject any behaviour modification plan which imagines that people are capable of fundamentally correcting themselves. The other grave issue is the tendency of the modern secular mind to relativize evil. Today’s world says: if it looks good, grab it! If it tastes good, eat or drink it. The whole world’s doing it so there is nothing wrong with it, so (in the words of a famous ad line) JUST DO IT!! No! The Christian mind recognizes evil and rejects it. Trying to be morally right is simply not enough. We are set right only by God’s unconditional grace!!

Why is it so important to use our minds Christianly? More on this when we meet on the pages of this prayer letter next month

INVITATION

Dear Alumni,
It is with great joy that we invite you to attend the All India Alumni Get-together scheduled 5th & 6th Dec’08.  I request all of you who are interested to attend the Get-together to please intimate the Haggai Institute National Office, Hyderabad so that the number of people expected would be known. It will also enable you to plan your travel accordingly.

The details of the venue are as follows:
Operation Mobilisation India, Logos Bhavan,
Medchal Road, Jeedimetla Village
Secunderabad – 500 055, A.P.

The registration fee details & accommodation options will be featuring in our next month’s prayer letter. Expenses connected with your travel will be borne by you.

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Praise God For

• The fruitful Alumni Get-together at Chandigarh dated 13th Sep’08 with an attendance of 15 Alumni.
• The fruitful ministry visit of Mr. Paul Balasundaram, Executive Director to Delhi which resulted in strategic partnership with TLM India for seminars.
• The Faculty Initiation Seminar, a joint venture of Northern and Central Regions held dated 2nd & 3rd Oct’08 at New Delhi.
• Mr. Vijay Sasane, Area Manager-Maharashtra who underwent a successful 61/2 hour long complicated surgery on the spine and is recovering.
• The Retreat conducted for the Faculty of Central Region dated 27th Sep’08 at Hotel Celebration, Raipur with an attendance of 19 Faculty.
• Dr. Harold Philip, Haggai Institute Coordinator who has been recently promoted by the Government as Registrar of Krishna Devaraya University, Anantapur.
• The seminars conducted in the month of September: Northern Region: Jaipur; Southern Region: Hubli SS, Kodaikanal; Western Region: Pune SS; Central Region: Bijpur, Bhilai, Faizabad; NE Region: Karbi Anglong, Agartala SS, Siliguri, Churachandpur-Manipur; AP Region: Hyderabad, Saluru, Chirala.

Please Pray For:

• Forthcoming North India Regional Council Meet scheduled 19th Oct’08 at New Delhi at Delhi Bible Fellowship at 5:30 PM.
• Mr. Rajesh Malaki’s ministry visit to Dehradun & Missouri.
• Forthcoming Ludhiana Alumni Get-together & elections scheduled dated 1st Nov’08.
• The Northern Region Coordinator’s Meet scheduled 10th Jan 2009.
• Rev. Dr. T. Samuel David, President of Jaipur Alumni Association who met with a serious car accident and is being hospitalized.
• Mrs. Usha Abraham, wife of Mr. Thomas Abraham for complete recovery from kidney problem.
• The Anchor Person Training scheduled 28th & 29th Oct’08 followed by Maharashtra State Alumni Get-together on 30th Oct’08 at Sanjivani Retreat Centre.
• The first Central Region International Alumni Get together scheduled to be held at Bilaspur dated 13th Nov’08.
• Mr. Donald Pant’s ministry visit to Kanpur & Lucknow.
• The situation in Orissa especially for Haggai Alumni to be strengthened in the Lord and continue the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and to stand strong in the midst of trials.
• Suitable candidate for the post of Regional Director for Western Region.
• The upcoming Staff Prayer Day scheduled 2nd Dec, Staff Meeting scheduled 3rd Dec and National Executive Committee Meeting scheduled 8th Dec 2008.
• The upcoming State Level Seminars in 2008-09: Kolhapur 18 – 22 Oct, Chandrapur 10 – 14 Nov, Warangal 9 – 14 Jan 09, Rajahmundry 13 – 17 Jan 09, Patna 3 – 7 Feb 09.

NS – National Seminar, SLS – Special Leadership Seminar, SLSD– SLS for Doctors,
In-house - seminar fee is not disclosed as it is a sponsored seminar.

Please Note: We seek your prayer support for all these National Level seminars coming up. We also solicit your assistance in the recruitment of suitable candidates for these seminars. For more information regarding these seminars please feel free to call us at 040 27131209, 27141221 & 32928823 or email at hiindia@haggai-india.com also browse our website: www.haggai-india.com

Seminars in October 2008

Note 1: Please be informed that you can now deposit your donation Cheques/DD’s favouring ‘Haggai Institute’ directly with our account # 01262560000416 in any branch of HDFC Bank. Please do intimate our office the deposit details indicating your name, the amount and the date of deposit.

Yours in Him,
Paul Balasundaram