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SOUL:
MOST PRECIOUS OVER GOLD AND THE
WHOLE WORLD!
- By Pastor V.N. Chellappan |
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Look
how simple the gospel is! Jesus said: "Believe and be
baptised." Peter said to the multitude: "Repent and be
baptized." Jesus commanded: "Go ye therefore, and teach
all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” |
"Can any man forbid water that these
should not be baptised?" (Acts 10:47).
Here is an incident that took place in the 1980s under
the very eyes of this writer. A teenager who believed in
Lord Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for the redemption of
sins of the world had accepted Him as her personal
Saviour. She was to be baptised on a Sunday morning. As
was the practice, prior to the baptism service the
pastor conducted Bible study for the candidate and those
who came to witness the baptism. Many were friends of
the one to be baptised, both from gentile and nominal
Christian backgrounds.
Soon after the classes all were asked to proceed to the
place of baptism (a water tank for the purpose). After a
hymn and prayer the pastor walked into the water, prayed
there, and invited the candidate who obeyed and walked
into the water. After certain queries about her faith,
acceptance as well as willingness to be baptised, etc.,
the pastor immersed her in the water "in the name of the
Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." He raised her
up placing his hand yet over her head blessed her,
saying, "Be faithful until death so that you may receive
the crown of life." The girl walked out of the water.
While still in the water, the pastor, as usual made a
call, saying: "See, here is water. Is there anyone
willing to obey the Lord in baptism?" A deep silence
ensued. "Anybody?" He repeated. Suddenly there came a
silent voice, "Pastor, I want to be baptised" - request
of one of the friends of the one baptised. "Praise the
Lord," hailed the pastor and other witnesses. The pastor
asked the girl to give a short testimony. She (a nominal
Christian) testified and requested to be baptised. One
of the elders was requested to lead in prayer, he prayed
and all those witnessed said, "Amen," and praised God
for saving another soul on that occasion. The pastor
asked the girl to walk into the water.
As she moved forward to the tank, there was some hushed
murmurings from among the womenfolk, signalling as is
she had done some great sin, "Oh, there is a gold chain
in her neck." The pastor heard the murmur, and
understood the gravity of the problem and immediately
asked the girl to remove the chain and hand it over to
someone over there. On such an unexpected order from the
pastor, the girl was dumbstruck and didn't know as to
what to do. She never expected to face such a situation.
However, taking strong exception, she replied to the
pastor saying, "Pastor, during the Bible class you never
mentioned once about removal of ornaments and why now?"
"No arguments. It is our tradition, if you remove the
chain I will baptise you or else I am going to close the
service with prayer," said the pastor. The girl was
reluctant, and the pastor won the battle! He prayed and
closed the service with benediction.
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"We don't wish to wear anything for fashion, we hate all
fashions of the world!" Well, that's fine, but look at
their costly sarees, suits, imported cars and big
palatious bungalows with its decorations, costing
millions!
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Now friends, without prejudice let us consider the truth
between the Bible and the Kerala Pentecostal teachings
(doctrine). Who shut the door to heaven before this
hapless girl who obtained God's grace and forgiveness of
her sins and wished to obey the Lord's command? Is it
that small gold chain worth a few hundred rupees? Or is
it because of her adamant stand against the pastor's
order? Or is it because of the wild, rigid, unscriptural
and unwritten law of the Kerala Pentecostal tradition?
Any right minded and God fearing person will say the
fault lies with the unscriptural tradition of the
Pentecostal people. Except to an 'unwilling individual'
no one else on earth can forbid water baptism for any
willing person. In the present case the girl was
wholeheartedly willing to be baptised, as guided by the
Holy Ghost. But the spirit and the doctrine that guided
the pastor did a great harm to the hapless girl from
entering heaven. The pastor's excuse is that he is
accountable to the denomination and therefore can't
violate the tradition! But now he has to give an account
to heaven for his tradition and violation of God's
doctrine! Though the girl returned home grief-stricken,
the so called costodians of the Kerala Pentecostal
tradition have to stand one day before the judgement
seat of Christ.
Look how simple is the gospel! Jesus said: "Believe and
be baptised" (Mark 16:16). Peter said to the multitude:
"Repent and be baptized" (Acts 2:38). Jesus commanded:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations (so that they
believe) baptising them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19).
Absolutely no strings attached. The law of Moses was not
burdensome but the traditions of Judaism, the scribes
and the Pharisees, have added many strings to the law
making it heavy (burdensome) on the Jewish people. Jesus
rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees and advises the
people: "Since they sit in Moses' seat whatsoever they
bid you, observe and do that, but do not after their
works for they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be
borne and lay them on men's shoulders" (Matthew 23:2-4).
This is exactly what we find today with the Kerala
Scribes and Pharisees. Instead of asking to remove
ornaments of little value they should have asked to
improve their quality of life such as: 'men to lift up
their holy hands while praying and to shed their wrath
and arguments' as in 1 Timothy 2:8, and advise the girls
and women to "let their adorning to be the hidden man of
the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the
ornaments of a meek and quite spirit which is in the
sight of God, of great price" (1 Peter 3:4).
These are the most important qualities of persons to be
Christians; but unfortunately these things are never
emphasised or given any importance but unworthy and
unimportant things are given importance! While men see
from outside God looks deep inside. The scribe and
Pharisees of those times used to judge people by
observing outwardly, but God never does that. He sees
inwardly from where comes all sorts of filth and
hypocrisy, and judges accordingly. Let us not filter out
mosquitoes and swallow camels!
Moreover, what good does it serve if someone is
compelled to remove ornaments except that it is a sort
of moral policing or talibanising? However, costly
clothes are OK! So long as it does not happen from
within the individual (voluntarily) the action does not
mean anything. There is no need for any voluntary
removal also as it is not in the Scriptures. As far as I
understand, except in Kerala no other Pentecostal groups
on earth have this practice of asking people to remove
ornaments before baptism and to partake in Holy
Communion.
It is a fact that no girl or woman on earth (anywhere)
would part with her jewellery except due to compelling
circumstances or due tradition as in Kerala. If we ask
any traditional Kerala Pentecostal man or woman as to
why they don't wear ornaments, they would gracefully
say, "We don't wish to wear anything for fashion, we
hate all fashions of the world!" Well, that's fine, but
look at their costly sarees, suits, imported cars and
big palatious bungalows with its decorations, costing
millions! With all these, it is surprising that they do
not have any ornaments worth a few rupees! What a great
tragedy! And ask a poor new convert. She would
grudgingly say, "Unless removed, they would not baptise,"
- the truth! So, removal is not willingly or happily but
grudgingly. Does such dramas find grace with God?
Absolutely no. Then why this unscriptural moral
policing!
Here is another real story of not allowing participation
in Holy Communion because of ornaments. A Hindu lady (a
senior nurse with AIMS), on hearing the gospel, accepted
Jesus as her personal Saviour. She used to attend a
Malayalam church in Delhi, but without the consent of
her devout Hindu husband. She grew in faith and wished
to be baptised. She consulted her husband and requested
him to be allowed. Though unwillingly, he allowed to
have her way with conditions.
On a Sunday morning she was baptised (without
ornaments). Next Sunday there was Holy Communion during
the service. In the middle of the service there came a
few guests unexpectedly; one was a Marthomite evangelist
(known to the pastor). With him was five missionaries
from China. The pastor of the church gave time to the
evangelist to introduce the guests and allotted five
minutes each to the missionaries. They in turn exhorted
and testified about their ministry, etc. Thereafter the
pastor turned to service on the 'table.'
Mind you, that the Marthomite evangelist as well as the
missionaries were having one or two rings of gold or
otherwise on their fingers. It was also known to the
pastor that the evangelist was not baptised. The Holy
Communion was served to the evangelist as well as to the
missionaries, irrespective of their faith and ornaments.
However, it was not served to the lady whom the same
pastor baptised the previous Sunday; reason: she was
wearing her wedding chain (thali mala).
In fact the lady did not wish to wear any ornaments
after baptism (she knew the tradition). But her Hindu
husband wanted her to wear the wedding chain though he
allowed her to attend church services. According to
Hindu custom, it is a must for any married woman to wear
her 'thali mala' so long as the husband is alive. The
lady felt very bad and dishonoured.
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What good does it serve if someone is compelled to
remove ornaments except that it is a sort of moral
policing or talibanising? So long as it does not happen
from within the individual (voluntarily) the action does
not mean anything. There is no need for that also as it
is not in the scriptures.
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Soon after the service was over she called on the pastor
and protested as to why she was not participated in the
Holy Communion for which she was very eager. She made
her protest in the open and sought for an explanation as
to how he gave the communion to those guest missionaries
who were wearing ornaments. "Why the double standards,"
she retorted. The pastor had no answer, but felt guilty
in front of all people of the church. "Never again," she
murmured, and returned home tearfully, and that was the
last day of her Christian faith.
Friends, have a heart and think who was responsible for
this converted lady's departure from faith? She? Her
husband? The wedding chain? Or the tradition munching
pastor and his double standards? Had not for this
unscriptural and partial behaviour of the pastor, I
suppose, on some later day her husband and children
would also have been won for Christ by her exemplary
Christian life. But alas, that did not happen due to
lack of wisdom and understanding on the part of the
pastor coupled with traditional pride.
The above incidents about baptism and Holy Communion are
just a tip of the iceberg only, and there are many
thousands and millions of souls standing at the barbed
fencing/ border of heaven hoping for God's intervention
for help on someday, so that wisdom may prevail on this
group of Christendom. But who will bell this cat?
There are many more things of this nature to write but
space constrains me to be brief, thus I conclude, asking
who among the Kerala Pentecostal churches can guarantee
heaven to those who do not wear ornaments and who boldly
deny heaven to those believers wearing ornaments?
Anyone? (Every believer's ultimate aim is to reach
heaven, somehow).
Thank God, He has not given the key to heaven to a few
believers of Kerala! Is anyone hearing? Jesus'
prescription for anyone to attain heaven are simple and
acceptable to anyone, viz., blessed are the pure in
heart for they shall see God, blessed are the
peacemakers for they shall be called the children of
God; and blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
(Matthew 5:8-10).
The above points, no doubt, hinges on repentance,
baptism, Holy Ghost baptism, holy life, fellowship with
saints, etc. But as far as Holy Communion is concerned,
St. Paul says: "Let a man examine himself and so let him
eat of that bread and drink of that cup" (1 Corinthians
11:28). Nowhere it is said that the pastor or any elder
or believer to examine and certify so that so any so may
partake in the Holy Communion! May the great God
enlighten our understanding to know the mysteries of His
Kingdom. God bless you. |
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This page
is updated on March 15, 2009 |
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
10 YEARS CELEBRATION
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