प्रभु येशूको जन्मदिनको सम्झना!

देश विदेश मा रहनुभएका सम्पुर्ण नेपाली दाजु-भाई तथा दिदी-बहिनीहरूमा प्रभु येशूको जन्मदिनको सम्झना!

Unconsciously Fulfilling God's Will - Reflections from 1 Samuel 9-11

When our actions are directed by right attitude, common sense, humility, goodness, sacrifice and courage, we might be fulfilling the very will of God without even being aware of doing it.

1.      Saul’s father Kish lost his donkeys and asked his son to go and find them.  With one of his servants, Saul went in search of the donkeys so far as to be lost himself instead of finding them.  When Saul wanted to return home empty handed without having found the donkey, his servant suggested to visit the Seer.  How amazing it is to see the attitude of people towards the Seer (man of God) in those days.  The automatic response of Saul was that there is nothing left to give to the man of God…as if to say “how can we go empty handed to the man of God?” The master, Saul, is empty handed but the servant is carrying a silver coin.  It is true that the servants would most often carry their precious things on their bodies as there would be no privacy or a secure place in the house where the masters cannot do what they want to do with their servant’s belongings.  Whatever the case might be, here we see the servant carrying this silver coin that would open the door for Saul to meet Samuel.  In meeting Samuel and the feast with him, Saul spends the night talking to Samuel and early in the next morning, told the servant to go ahead alone; Samuel anointed Saul to be the king of Israel without anyone witnessing it.  When God is leading our steps, we don’t need any witness or human approval; he will do what he has planned.  Saul went in search of his father’s donkeys, Saul ran out of food and gifts, Saul failed to find the donkeys and was about to return home empty handed and hungry but God had his own plans.  It was God who leads these two men to the edge of the village where Samuel lived to be anointed as the king of Israel.

I want to Grow Old with You!

“No place that far” is a number one country hit single co-written and sung by Sara Evans.  She also stars in the music video for the song in which she is determined to do everything possible within her power to keep her lover (husband) close by her side till death does them apart.  Did she succeed in doing that?  The video of No Place That Far and the lyrics go like this;

I can't imagine, any greater fear

Then waking up, without you here,

And though the sun, would still shine on,

My whole world, would all be gone,

But not for long,

Asian Quest for West

I was invited to speak in a conference in Manchester, New Hampshire.  Had a wonderful time with friends there and also in Boston where I followed the freedom trail.  Then took a bus ride from Boston to New York to get the feel of the land.  

While I was there, I asked my host to take me to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the pilgrims from England landed in 1620 to seek a better and freer world where they could be what they wanted to be. Being in the actual place of which I had only read was very special and helped me to imagine the pilgrims’ quest somewhat in a personal way. 

I began to think of how, if given the chance, most of the developing world would like to immigrate to the US.  It would take a radical person on a religious level to reject an invitation to move to west from any of the Asian nations (from anywhere in the developing nations for that matter).  Coming from South Asian context, I am inclined to think that this desire to move westward is even stronger in my part of the world than anywhere else; especially after the Second World War and the independence of Indian subcontinent.  As nations overthrew the yoke of colonization, people breathed the sigh of relief and things like self-respect and freedom were at their doorsteps.  For over a thousand years, the Indian subcontinent suffered bitter subjugation at the hands of the Islamic and the European conquerors and finally in the 20^thcentury, at the heels of a major war that still defines world history; freedom and prosperity became real possibilities for the colonized nations. 

When the colonies were experiencing the taste of freedom from tyranny for the first time; the Europeans had ascended the hills of renaissance, enlightenment and were basking in the glory of modernity in the age of reason, science, and technology.  The quality of life was greatly enhanced in the lands where freedom, reason, science and technology flourished.  The colonized witnessed the glimpses of such a life when their colonizers used the natives and their natural resources in making the European life even more comfortable.  Thus, on the one hand, the colonized detested the European colonizers but on the other hand, the colonized were attracted to the kind of life the colonizers were enjoying. 

As the new nations began to take steps in actualizing freedom and prosperity, peoples’ patience was tested by political instability and rampant corruption in these new nations dashing the hopes of progress and prosperity.  Thus, and ironically, migration from east to west began even as the colonizing masters were still on their way home from the colonies. 

Interestingly, this desire to move westward to seek a better world did not begin in the east as we understand today, it began in the west. The English dissenters attempted to move eastward to Holland where they could live in freedom but they could not last there, not that Holland was a bad place.  They just did not feel at home there and finally, on board the Mayflower, sailed westward landing in Plymouth.  Seven years prior to their arrival, 104 Englishmen had landed in Jamestown, Virginia, making it the first colony in the new world under the English Crown.  The purpose of Jamestown immigrants was money and trade while the pilgrims at Plymouth were seeking a place where they could be who they wanted to be and worship God the way they felt right.  The same thing could be said of the Jews who found refuse in the West than in the East after their nation was destroyed.  Going back to Abraham, we see him also taking a westward journey. 

There is something magical that attracts people to the west.  Is it the sunset? Whatever that maybe, most people in South Asia dream of making the westward journey in their life.  There are valid reasons as why such a quest is justifiable.  In the eyes of such aspirants, the majority of those making this move experience better quality of life while the possibility of progress in their own nations increasingly becomes limited or non-existent.

But the world has changed from what it was 50 years ago and this change is only accelerating in our times.  As the Asian societies mature into established democracies and the demand for honest government grows from the public, the interconnectedness of the modern world can provide the possibilities for one to succeed without making this westward move at the expense of one’s identity.  One does not necessarily have to lose one’s heritage, nationality, language, and culture in order to gain a materially comfortable life.  There is much to life than mere material success that the west appears to provide or provides the conditions to prosper.

Unless your country is tyrannical and limits you within its confinements, bars you to exercise your freedom and deprives you of the possibility of learning and innovation, you can achieve and fulfil your dreams without the loss of your hometown, your childhood memories, and cultural connectedness; you don’t have to be a pariah in a foreign land.  No matter how much you try to assimilate in your adopted country, a modern immigrant will always live with the feeling of being an outsider in any nations.  Thus, in today’s world, the quest for west is not necessarily a good thing as it used to be in the past.  

However, it is essential for one to travel around the world to get the personal feel of the land and culture.  But even if one does not have the means and the chance to travel around the world, one can easily educate oneself through the readily available resources that are placed within our reach with a click of a mouse. One can walk in one’s city square and meet people from a number of different countries (unless you live in North Korea) and begin a conversation to get the feel of what it is to be in contact with people from different cultures.   I may not get the chance to drive along the Rhine river but look at this video (Visions of Germany Along The Rhine)that gives you such a real life experience of visiting these amazing places. Even if you were actually traveling there, you won’t get such up-close and personal experience of this beautiful land. There are amazing documentaries, films, movies, and travelogues which virtually can take us on an actual ride around any city in the world and not leave our homeland.  

The world has become a global village and we need a global mind instead of an immigrant mind and success can be at our doorsteps whether we are living in the mountains of Nepal and Bhutan or the plains of India and low lands of Bangladesh.

First sermon in Guwahati: Living in Freedom

Life to its full potential: Mark Twain style

For a few days I had become aloof in the house, avoiding my wife and looking for a quiet corner where I can laugh myself without disturbing her.  Eventually she found out that I was reading A. B. Paine’s account of Mark Twain’s life.  Written at right about the time when Twain bode goodbye to this world, Paine has done a remarkable job in preserving the mischievous genius who can still make you roll on the floor once you make use of your imaginations.

Putting aside his disdain for religion (not sure if he really hated God, possibly he did), it is no wonder that much of the literate world admires his life; his determination to live a life that is here for once.  At the age of 12, standing beside his father’s death bed, he was overcome by remorse but it was too late.  However, standing with him at his father’s side, he found the loving embrace of his mother where he promised to be a good boy but with one condition; he won’t go to school.  On his father’s dead body he made his mother to promise not to send him to school; and today, Mark Twain would be known for his literary genius world over. 

If not, I would be either an Atheist or a Hindu

I have to make a confession; had I not experienced the living Christ transforming my life, today I would either be a die-hard atheist or a devout Hindu doing everything within my power to promote and protect the age old Hindu traditions against the encroachment from the competing religions and philosophies.  However, I am a Christian now, and the story-line is totally different. 

Anguish of a Father

Fanning the Flame of our Calling in the face of Carnality

Many promising ministers begin their Christian life and career with such a big bang that the ripples emanating from the noise continue to have effects to the distant shores long after the center has returned to a standing still.  For some time, they continue to impress people in the ministry with the claims of supernatural encounters, jaw dropping prophecies, divine healing, miraculous deliverance, amazing provisions, and spectacular dreams and visions.  When they share their testimony, they can keep their audiences captivated with their artistic ways of testifying (exaggerating) the work God began in their lives. 

Nepali Experience in Hong Kong

From the Star Ferry

Hong Kong, called “fragrant harbor” in Chinese is also known to be the “pearl of the orient”, is the most vertical city in the world.  Trying to look up to the sky from the narrow and crowded streets, one may easily lose one’s hat and the fear of being suffocated with lack of oxygen in the hotel room is not a new thing; “either you make sure the air conditioner runs well or you have the window cracked” was the instruction given to me when I checked in a guest house located on the 8^th floor of the 20+floors building.

Don’t Despise the Small Beginning: My Experience in the US

Seven years ago, when Youtube was fairly a new thing in town for the Nepali speaking Christians, I signed up for an account and posted this video clip not knowing where it would lead me.  Few years down the road, I asked my wife to hold the camera so that I could speak on to it a message to the Nepali speaking brothers and sisters across the nations.  One thing led to another and started to post our full length sermons preached at various places.  Today, these sermons have received more than 170 thousand hits and we have been busy in responding many of our online listeners from around the world.

येशूले मात्रै तपाईँलाई स्वतन्त्र जीवन दिनसक्नुहुन्छ

The Advantage of Disadvantages

We know a Korean pastor’s family in Daejeon for about a year now.  We have also prayed with them when they were going through a real tough time in their ministry.  When the dust settled down and they were able to breathe a sigh of relief after the situation was under control, they presented a book to us as a sign of appreciation for standing with them in prayer.  The book was “David and Goliath”, very biblical title by Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author.  I am not sure as how much our friends read in English but my guess is that they really thought this was a good biblical book to present to a pastor.  As I unwrapped my gift, the thing that caught my attention was not the main title but the subtitle; “Underdogs, Misfits, And The Art Of Battling Giants”.  I was excited to devour it right away.

Palm Sunday: On a journey with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem

Is Money the Answer for Everything?

Apostle Thomas and South Asian Preachers

It is no longer disputed that Apostle Thomas came to India in AD 52, preached the gospel to the high caste Hindus in Kerala, and established a church that is known as the Mar Thoma (St. Thomas) Church; the oldest church in India.  When Islam and western powers colonized India, this church faced challenges for its existence and identity.  It survived the Islamic conquest, thanks to its close affinity with the local Hindu culture.  But it had to fight harder to maintain its original identity from the encroachments of other foreign church bodies. 

Treasure in Jars of Clay - 2 Cor. 4:7-18

12 Years a Slave: A long overdue movie for the sufferings of the blacks in America

Monday, March 3, 2014, Daejeon, South Korea.  As I turned my computer on, I saw the Oscar headlining “‘12 Years A Slave’ wins best picture, and ‘Gravity’ wins 7 Oscars”.  Though I was living in the city known for science and technology, my attention was drawn to the “12 Years Slave”.  Having not heard about the film prior to that headline, my curiosity got the better of me and soon I was watching it on VIOOZ.  It’s about 135 minutes film, but it took me nearly 4 hours to watch till the end; not because my computer was slow but the emotional build ups were too strong to bear in one sitting. 

2 Corinthians 3:1-18 With unveiled Faces Reflecting the Glory of God (+p...

Secret of a successful preacher: Respect for the audience

I surrendered my life to Christ sometime in the spring of 1985. I was staying with a pastor’s family in a town called Dhangadi in far west Nepal, but no one led me to Christ; it was my personal decision. Oblivious to the pastor, two booklets, “Sabaiko Saathi” (collection of gospel stories from Luke) and “God who answers by fire”, had done a remarkable work in my sinful heart. In one afternoon of that spring, I walked to a nearby forest, knelt under a saal tree and asked for the forgiveness of my sins from the savior I had come to know by this time. Came fall that year, and my relationship with my savior had deepened; I could no longer avoid his call to pastoral ministry. But there was a problem. The pastor who I was staying with was certain that I was not going to be a Christian; our relationship had gone sour. At the same time, I came to know that one has to take baptism in order to be a Christian, let alone be a pastor.

When a Missionary Develops Hate Instead of Love

After hearing 8 speakers in three days of special mission conference, the thing that struck me the most was a statement made by a veteran missionary.  He confessed, “I came to a bitter realization that I no longer loved the people I went to save, and I was in love with myself”.  This was I think one of the honest confessions I have ever heard from a missionary.  This person had spent many years in the mission field and has achieved a fair amount of popularity and credibility; his statement had a blanketing effect on 100+ ministers there.

When he uttered those words, my memory flashed back and remembered an incident that took place nearly 15 years ago.  My wife and I were in conversation with a missionary couple.  Having built some kind of trust between us; the missionary wife blurted out the words “I hate Nepalese”, and my wife, also not being a Nepali by birth, with sincere simplicity, replied; “then why are you in Nepal?”  Although the missionary couple overcame their bitterness against the Nepalese and left Nepal only after witnessing God’s work through their humble efforts, there have been many other missionaries who still remain in Nepal with their bitter hatred toward the Nepalese.  In fact, unlike the missionary friends who left Nepal only after making peace in their hearts, some of the existing missionaries in Nepal don’t even mask their hatred.  For them, this hatred is rather a matter of pride in which they boast and claim, “I hate Nepalese, but because of God’s call, I must stay in Nepal; if I had a choice I would never come to Nepal”; they sound very spiritual in hating the people they were supposed to give their lives for. 

The veteran missionary who publicly confessed his failings in loving the people he went to save provided a few reasons as why such hate develops in the hearts of the missionaries.  Two of them stand out.
1) My culture is superior to other cultures:  Such an attitude immediately puts the missionary in direct conflict with the existing culture.  But because the missionary has money-power and an air of superiority, the natives willingly surrender their way of life and living in order to appease the missionary for possible temporary benefits.  The missionary, specially the Asian missionary, takes this appeasement to be his/her true success as s/he fills the laptop with pictures and videos.  While in his/her own land, the missionary may have had never tasted the respect from the public, but the natives begin to call “Sir”, “Madam” “Father”, “Guru” and so on, inflating missionary’s hungry ego.
2) Absolute monopoly over the mission funds:  The missionary’s report is accepted as the infallible document by the sending church/organization (some are freelance missionaries having no accountability at all) while the natives have no clue about how the missionary makes money.  When such unfettered access to large amount of money begins to fall into missionary’s hands; temptation becomes a sanctified word and is replaced with “God’s work”; even if the missionary spends a two weeks holiday in a luxury Riviera, it is credited to “God’s work”.  The missionary may pay handsome salary to his cooks, guards, and drivers, but it will be columned into the "Pastor's salary".  If the missionary buys a luxury car, it will be credited to the vehicle fund for the mission field.  No one can question the missionary’s report. 

The biblical warning, “love of money is the root of all evil” did not come without reason and soon, missionary falls in love with the self and begins to use the natives as products instead of persons deserving love and respect.  When the natives resent the missionary’s marketing strategy, hate is the first child to be born. 

I have earned the wrath of a good many missionary friends and their native collaborators who would rather not talk to me for saying what I have been saying about the corruption in the mission fields.  A particular denomination in my nation (one of many examples) has been establishing churches and constructing church buildings on the foundation of bribery, deception and embezzlement of the money sent by genuine Christians in other nations; all done by the approval of the missionaries who channel the money from their nations to their collaborators.  They have quarrels and lawsuits among themselves; often settled by paying hundreds of thousands of dollars sent by the faithful Christians from the missionary’s nations who think that the money was used for God’s work; of course the missionary knows how to report to his nation!

When a missionary begins to hate the very people s/he went to save; it opens the door for the wave of evil, crippling the Christian witness for generations to come.  The native church becomes the innocent victim and loses all credibility in the eyes of the non-Christian neighbors. 

But on the other hands, when a missionary comes to a foreign land with the love of God in his heart, the foundations of the evil begin to crumble; sooner or later the kingdom of God prevails in those lands.  Carey, Judson, Taylor, Robert Thomas (to Korea, few people know about him) and countless others who laid their lives for the natives with utmost love and respect left their mark for eternity in those lands and their love and respect to lay down their lives have not gone in vain. 

So, my suggestion to our modern missionary friends who cannot love the people they are supposed to save (they think they went to save the natives), it is better that they return to their own lands and save their own soul first.

No One Is Impressed With Your Smooth Talk

In Genesis 27:11-12 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing"

Just as smooth skin was the liability for Jacob's trickery, the Bible also warns us of the smooth tongue of a wayward woman (Proverbs 6:24), and how God detests the tongues of the false prophets (Jeremiah 23:31). Of the Ten Commandments, false witness against one's neighbor warns of the lies that come out of the wickedness from within the human heart (Matthew 12:34). Among the seven things that God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19, three are related to the wrong use of tongue. The reason God is so concerned with the tongue is because it has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:20-21); how one uses one's tongue appears to affect everything pertaining to life and death in that person's life.

Don't Settle in Haran

Long before Abraham (Abram) was called by God to leave his country and go to a land he would show him, his father, Terah, had already left his country in the Ur of the Chaldeans and was on his way to Canaan; the land that would eventually become the Promised Land for Abraham. Terah’s desire to move towards Canaan hints us something very interesting. Although there is a legend that speaks of Terah being the idol worshiper, or rather, an idol trader, the Bible speaks the opposite of this legend. A simple reading of the accounts in Genesis 11 and 24, gives us reasons to believe that the legend of Terah being an idol trader could have been the figment of human imagination.

You Will Never Be Able To Marry

I have known Christopher for over a year now.  When he first started to attend our church, I watched him from a distance and occasionally spoke to him either for greeting or for the goodbyes in the church.  But things began to change when I noticed him paying full attention to what I had to say every Sunday; he often came around and made some encouraging comments on my sermons, illustrations and gestures. 

21 Skills of Great Preachers by Keith Drury

The one thing most of us would rather do than preach, is hear another great preacher. I mean a "Great" preacher. I've learned plenty from hearing the best preachers, especially in a live setting. For most of my life, when sitting under a great preacher, I've taken dual sets of notes, including content on one list, and a separate set of notes on their communication skills. What have I discovered in these 40 years’ worth of notes? Here's my summary:

1. Content:

All of my "Great Preachers" had something to say. Even as "great communicators," they didn't substitute style for substance.

Finance, Spiritual Leadership and Universal Fellowship

Daily Blog

So far as I can, I hope to post a daily devotional.  You can click on the tab above on the Daily Devotional and it will take you to that page.  Depending on my time, place and the availability of internet connection, I hope to share with you what God prompts in my heart from reading his world.  

I know most of us do have our personal devotional time with God, but many don't really take it seriously and some never have any devotional time at all.

Patronage, Poverty and Powerless Gospel

Paul and company turned the ancient world upside down by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The gospel they preached was summarized in the death, resurrection and the imminent return of Christ.  Such was the power of this gospel; it brought the ancient world to its knee in worship of Jesus Christ our Lord.   It transformed lives, families, villages, cities, nations and empires for the better.