People are shy to talk about sex when it comes to a social gathering, religious ceremony, classroom setting, media, and public place, etc. Even preachers are avoiding matters related to sex and they don’t talk about this matter by considering it a dirty or sensitive issue. On the other hand, readers are aware that recently many so-called “Spiritual Giants” (Religious Gurus) are caught in rape cases. They were behaving (talking) as if they have victory over sex. They were trustworthy by people. I am talking about us (Indians) and not about all people (around the globe). It is also a reality that when some close friends sit together, they enjoy sharing stories of sexual immorality of other people. They share each other about the joy of their own intimate experiences of sexual pleasure too. In this way, they get training also to do “sexual things.” Many people are hypocrites because they are sexually immoral but forced to present themselves as righteous people to get acceptance and respect from others. Many people share with their close friends about their sexual pleasures or experiences of their adulterous acts. According to the word “many”, I don’t know how “many” but I know that they exist in India in a big number. Many are judgemental against others and jealous of other people (who enjoy sexual pleasure). They hate others because others are involved in adultery but they themselves enjoy that. We see in the news that youths (boys and girls) are being beaten by the crowd because of their sexual relationships (love affairs). We don’t know how many in those particular crowds are “holy” and “blameless” to judge these so-called immoral couples. We know that while beating these love birds, those heroes of the crowd speak sexually abusive words and by which we can conclude that those heroes are not holy but they can do many things if people are not around. There are so many things but I have presented only this much to share a little glimpse of the present scenario. Things are not simply like this. There are serious reasons behind that. I can’t present everything because I am a limited man but I will narrate something special.
Many Spiritual leaders (not all) of India have presented sex as the enemy of Spirit (spirituality). They see sexual desires as a challenge to win. If they win sex, they won everything. It is believed and religious scriptures are interpreted by modern spiritual teachers by explaining that Sages (Saints) tried to win sexual desires and while they were trying to win, they were tempted by different powers. When they were involved in extreme devotion, they were lured by different powers to indulge in sexual desires. Whoever could pass that test, was the winner over sex and it is believed that the particular sage has reached a special stage where a normal man can’t reach. That is one of the reasons, religious teachers try to win sexual desires and encourage others to crush sexual desires. They try to avoid intimacy with the opposite sex to grow in spirituality and advocate the same for others. When these spiritual teachers are their heroes (religious icons), youths try to follow their words and when they (youths) fail, they hate their bodies. This type of attitude towards sex brings an environment in the community to avoid matters related to sexuality and sexual issues. There are other groups of Spiritual teachers who try to prove that sex is not unholy but it is not right for spiritual leaders because if they are involved in worldly pleasures, they can’t serve the community better. So, to avoid the personal burden and to fully involve in the work of goodness, they avoid sexual pleasures. There are modern youths who are straight forward and they directly ask, “if sex is unholy, why these saints are born of sex?” If sex is unholy, why Holy God is creating life out of sex? Many of these youths are arrogant and they don’t believe in the so-called myth of sexual morality. They don’t want to limit sex in boundaries. I don’t favor them but I am presenting about the reality of the modern community. There are confusions and objections to explanations, which finally lead to chaos or confrontations. There are other groups in the Indian community which believe that sex is holy by nature but it is misused when it crosses the boundaries of religious scriptures and sanctity of the marital relationship. So they believe that a religious leader or a layman can enjoy sexual-relationship only in marriage and the extramarital affair is unholy. In many religious sects, it is almost compulsory to get mary and involve in spiritual activities. Of course, there are religious rules of dos and don’ts in the marital sexual relationship too. When we dig deep, we find that there are so many thoughts and ideologies, which influence our youths and our silence on these issues makes it more complicated. When we try to answer, there come many more questions that demand complete answers from us. A long way for religious teachers to go to deal with these questions. Even it is not easy to get questions from them.
IS POLYGAMY WRONG OR SINFUL? IS IT APPROVED BY GOD?
I was convinced by some Christian thinkers that polygamy is not wrong. I deeply and seriously thought about this matter because of my curiosity. Many Christians asked me, “why don’t you go for polygamy?” I also replied to them in a smart way- “that doesn’t matter whether I go for it or not but truth matters for me.” In the New Testament, there is no direct verse that condemns or opposes polygamy. 1 Timothy 3:2 and some other verses are not commands for a monogamous relationship but these verses require a monogamous relationship only for pastors and church leaders. These verses can’t be taken as a commandment for a monogamous relationship rather these can be taken as requirements for a specific position. Certainly, these verses make us understand that somehow polygamy is not right. We can say with confidence that there is not a single verse in the New Testament which directly opposes polygamy. Because of this reality, any supporter of the polygamous relationship will win the argument. Slowly I was also convinced by these Christians that polygamy is not wrong as far as the word of God is concerned. The study of the Old testament strengthened this idea because there are messages of God that permitted people of God to marry more than one woman.
Let me tell you the fact that I was not convinced about this fact because of Christians or the Bible. Actually, I was inspired by a Muslim lady, who supported polygamy and argued that the Bible approves polygamy. My interpretation or understanding of the Bible was different. I always thought that there is no difference between polygamy or adultery. This understanding was shaken by this lady as she argued that polygamy is biblically right. I didn’t believe in her other teachings but her teachings about polygamy were appearing right to me. My realization didn’t come immediately but it came gradually as I involved myself in further study.
Today again I realized that my earlier realization was wrong. Polygamy is not right even though it may appear as the right thing. Why I am saying that? Let me prove it. I was not thinking about this matter at all but I was reading about the matter of the divorce in the Old and the New Testament. In the Old Testament divorce was permitted by God (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Lord Jesus Christ proved that even though it was permitted by God but it was not God’s will (Matthew 19:7-9). Lord Jesus here clearly proved that the permission of God because of human weakness shouldn’t be understood as God’s will. The truth is clearly revealed in His words-
“Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning” (Matthew 19:8 New International Version).
I thought about “from the beginning” (Matthew 19:8 New International Version). These words show God’s intention or will. He didn’t design divorce (Matthew 19:7-9). It is very important to know that it was permitted because of the hardness of the heart (Matthew 19:8). Something was lacking in the human heart. Because of that human beings failed to maintain Godly standards for family life. This failure led them to hate their spouses and finally, God allowed divorce. My topic is “polygamy” but I have explained these things because they are very much related to my topic. “But it was not this way from the beginning”- these words of Lord Jesus are also applicable to the matter of polygamy too. The law of Moses permits polygamy in the following words-“If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing, and marital rights” (Exodus 21:10 New International Version).
If the divorce was permitted because of the hardness of the heart, polygamy was also permitted because of some weaknesses. You can imagine that. Certainly, like divorce, polygamy was also not “this way from the beginning” (Matthew 19:8). God created one woman for the first man in the beginning (Genesis 2:22). God’s intention for the first man is clearly stated in the following verse of the Bible-
“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 New International Version).It is very much important to know that in the beginning, God created one woman for the first man, and also He wished that man will enjoy oneness with one woman (Genesis 2:22, 2:24). God’s intension to discourage polygamy is revealed in the following verse of the Bible-
“He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray” (Deuteronomy 17:17 New International Version).Even though this verse is for a king but it is applicable for others also as far as the matter of the heart is concerned. If the hardness of heart was wrong, why this condition of the heart is not a serious concern in the matter of polygamy? Is polygamy is also an issue of the hardness of heart? Is polygamy the result of lust? Can a person who loves his wife, go for polygamy? These questions also should be dealt with seriously. I am not saying that because of polygamy you will lose your salvation or God will forsake you for eternity but I have realized that polygamy is not God’s will for humanity. If it is not sinful to marry more than one lady, it is not right either.
Experiences can be deceptive: Trust God not your experiences
Let me make it very clear that I am not saying that experiences are bad. I am saying that supernatural experiences are good. I don’t have any reason to deny the goodness of experiences. I was the person who always trusted his experiences of supernatural miracles more than trusting God. I don’t mean that I didn’t trust God at all but I mean I trusted my experiences more than God. In 14 years of my faith journey and in my ministry, I trusted my experiences and that impacted me negatively. The side effect of trusting experiences was very dangerous for me. My relationship with God and dependence on Him was not that much good as it is now. By this I mean most of the time I recollected my experiences and prayed or acted for my further journey with the Lord. I was praying for others and they got supernatural healings or provisions. Whenever it did not happen, I blamed myself or others for not being capable of receiving the Lord’s blessings. In July 2019, Lord visited me and healed me. This supernatural experience of Lord’s visitation was awesome but that time Pastor Sabu Kc’s words and my friend Asgar’s counseling played a big role in my life, as the Lord used them. This was a new beginning (a fresh faith journey). Pastor Sabu said to Asgar about me- “he is carried away by his experiences.” I understood very little about this statement but my friend Asgar told me that God never wanted that people should depend on their experiences, rather He wanted that they should fully and wholeheartedly depend on Him, for a new experience, each time in a particular context. I realized that Moses was killed by God because he hit his staff to the rock. He hit the rock with the staff because he was able to divide the sea by his staff. He had wonderful experiences with his staff as he was able to perform many great miracles beyond human imagination. One of the miracles of Moses (related to his staff) is mentioned in the following story-Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night, the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.”Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak, the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen–the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore (Exodus 14:21-30 New International Version).
Another example is Saint Peter, who was carried away by his experiences and didn’t listen to Jesus’ voice. Peter was not listening to Christ and he was denying the prophecy of Christ because he trusted himself based on his experiences with Christ. Lord Jesus was trying hard to make him understand his weakness and about his upcoming humiliating situation but Peter was puffed up by his experiences. He was trying to prove the prophecy of the Old Testament and Jesus wrong. You can see this in very interesting conversation in the following verses of the Holy word-
Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same (Saint Matthew 26:31-35 New International Version).
There are numerous negative examples in the Bible which explain how those biblical characters were not successful in achieving something because of their dependence on their experiences. This changed my life. Today I depend on God and try to fully depend on God rather than my experiences. I don’t want to be carried away by my experiences anymore.
COVID AND MY STORY: FROM TRAUMA TO TESTIMONY
On July 15, 2020, accidentally I came in contact with a COVID positive. On July 20 I and my family were quarantined by the government authorities. It is natural that it was a time of terror. Confusions, questions, and negative thoughts were haunting me. There was no hope except prayer and trust in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was also the time of great support from my relatives in Christ. All were earnestly praying for me and for my family. My children are below 10 years old and that was the reason for great concern. I received more prayers and blessings from those who met me before my isolation…ha…ha. They knew that their well being depended on my well being. Government authorities informed me that if I or any family member feel any symptom (fever or breathlessness), I must immediately inform them. I am thankful to them for their care and concern. On the second day of my quarantine (on July 21, 2020), I got a very important call from one of my relatives. He requested that I must pray for him because his wife was diagnosed as COVID positive and the next day his own report will come. He was saying that since he was in close contact with her, he can’t escape from this virus if God will not perform a miracle. I told him to close his eyes and pray with me. We both prayed together and hoped for God’s protection. I am saying honestly that I was terrified but had some faith in God’s ability to protect me and my relatives. I didn’t share with him that even I myself was struggling with a similar situation. I don’t know whether it was coincidence or God’s timing but now as I look back, I praise Jesus for His marvelous deeds in my life. The second day I got a call from that relative and he was rejoicing and praising God for the miracle. He said that it was next to impossible to be COVID negative but he is. He thanked me for the prayer.
This experience of my relative encouraged me to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. I was thinking that because of his faith and my prayer if he can escape from this virus, why not me? I and my wife kept on praying. Even children were praying and they were asking some innocent and interesting questions related to Corona. In this tough time, my wife also encouraged a lot to me as she usually does in the time of trouble. These days we were having more vegetable soups as Dr. Sanjeev Kumar’s video suggested to us. On July 28, 2020, our quarantine period was over and none of us was affected by this virus. I don’t have words to give thanks to the Lord. I am already an extra careful man and now I am super extra careful but above all, only the Lord Jesus Christ can protect me and my family. Lord turned my trauma into testimony. Praise God.
ये कांटों भरी डगर है- मसीही गीत
खरीदा तूने अपने लहू से- मसीही गीत
खरीदा तूने अपने लहू से, काम में आऊं तेरे लिये-2
चाहता हूँ कि मैं काम में आऊं-2,जीवित हूं मैं तेरे लिए-2
हालेलूय्याह-4 ओहो हालेलूय्याह-4
हाथ में लेने योग्य नहीं था, साथ में रखा चंगा करके
मालिक तेरी मरजी को ही, पूरा करूँ प्रतिदिन में
शक्ति तेरी मुझमें सदा, कार्य करे भरपूरी से
युक्तियों को शैतान की शक्तियों को,
नष्ट करूँ मैं नाम में तेरे,
हालेलूय्याह-4 ओ हो हालेलूय्याह-4,
परमपिता भेजा तुझे, पापियों को पवित्र करने
दुख उठाकर मुक्ति दी है, कि भक्तिहीन मैं शुद्ध हो जाऊं
हालेलूय्याह-4 ओ हो हालेलूय्याह-4
राजा होकर बादलों पर,आने समय पाऊं ईनाम मैं
पवित्रता में आगे बढूं,दौड़ को मैं पूरा करुं
हालेलूय्याह-4 ओ हो हालेलूय्याह-4
Lyricist- Unknown
सतावट क्यों? इस दिलचस्प सवाल का जवाब
विश्वासी लोग सतावट के कई कारण बताते है लेकिन प्रभु येशु मसीह ने जो कारण बताया है वह एकदम सही और हजम होने वाला है-
“वे तुम्हें आराधनालयों में से निकाल देंगे, वरन वह समय आता है, कि जो कोई तुम्हें मार डालेगा वह समझेगा कि मैं परमेश्वर की सेवा करता हूं। और यह वे इसलिये करेंगे कि उन्होंने न पिता को जाना है और न मुझे जानते हैं।”
-संत यूहन्ना 16:2-3
सतावट का कारण यह है कि वे पिता परमेश्वर को नहीं जानते और प्रभु यीशु मसीह को नहीं जानते (संत यूहन्ना 16:2-3).
बस।
मैं घटता जाऊं तू बढ़ जाये- मसीही शायरी
मसीहा- शायरी
मसीहा, याद कर मुझे- शायरी
कलाम ए हक मसीहा- गजल
मसीहा काफी है- गजल
Hasti- The Testimonyman 