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DECEPTION AND COUNTERFEIT REVIVAL
(Zac Poonen )
Jesus and the apostles repeatedly warned that the last dayswould be characterized by widespread deception and amultitude of false prophets (Matt.24:3-5,11,24; 1 Tim.4:1) –and we have seen plenty of them in the last few decades. Why are millions of Christians deceived by these falseprophets and these counterfeit "revivals"? And why are somany preachers falling prey to immorality and greed? Here are what I see to be some of the main causes:
1. Most Christians today are not aware of what the NewTestament teaches, because they have not studied itcarefully; and so they follow the teachings of their leadersand not the teachings of the New Testament.
2. Miracles (supernatural gifts) have become more importantto them than their character (a supernatural life).
3. Material wealth has become more important to them thanspiritual wealth.
4. They are unable to distinguish between soulish frenzy orpsychological manipulation, and the genuine moving of theHoly Spirit; the cause again is ignorance of the NewTestament.
5. They are unable to distinguish between psychosomatichealing (healing that comes by right attitudes of the mind),and supernatural healing in Jesus' Name.
6. Emotional excitement and strange physical manifestationshave become more important to them than the inward joy ofthe Lord.
7. For the leaders, their ministry to people has become moreimportant than their inner walk with God.
8. The approval of men has become more important to theseleaders than the approval of God.
9. The number of people attending the meetings has becomemore important to these leaders than whether those peopleare totally committed to Christ.
10. Building their personal kingdoms and their financialempires has become more important to these leaders thanbuilding a local church and making themselves servants inthat local church (Jeremiah 6:13).
All this is the VERY OPPOSITE of what Jesus taught. Theopposite of Christ is called the "anti-Christ" in the New Testament.If Christians do not see this clearly, then whenthe Antichrist turns up on the world's stage, with his falsesigns and wonders (2 Thess.2:3-10), they too will blindly accept him. To be led by the Spirit of Christ is to have the very opposite spirit to that mentioned in the points above.
Here is a paraphrase of Jesus' words in Matthew 7:13-27(read in the context of Matthew Chapters 5 to 7: "Both the gate and the way to ETERNAL LIFE are very narrow -as I have just described (Matt. 5 to 7). But false prophetswill come along and tell you that the gate and way are notnarrow but easy and broad. Beware of them. You will be ableto identify them easily by observing the fruit of their character:
Do they live a life free from anger, free fromlusting after women, free from the love of money and freefrom anxiously seeking after material wealth (as worldlypeople seek)?
Do they preach against these things as I havedone here? (Matt.5:21-32 and 6:24-34).
These false prophetsmay exercise many supernatural gifts and do miracles andactually heal people in My Name, but I will still send themall to hell in the final day, because they did not know Me(as THE HOLY ONE) and they did not give up sin in theirprivate lives (Matt.7:21-23).
So if you want to build achurch on a rock that will never shake or fall in time oreternity, be careful to do all that I have just spoken toyou (Matt. 5 to 7) and teach your people to do all that I have commanded you too. Then I will be with you always and My authority will always back you (Matt.28:20, 18). But if you only hear what I say and don't do it, then what youbuild may look like a large and impressive church to men,but it will surely crumble and fall one day (Matt.7:25)." How then shall we build an unshakeable church in these last days?
1. We must live the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5 to 7) and preach it constantly.
2. We must live in the new-covenant and not in the old-covenant.For this, we must know the difference between the two covenants clearly (2 Cor.3:6). We must also preach thenew covenant.
When preachers fall into serious sin today, they justify themselves by (and find their comfort in) the examples of Old Testament saints who also fell into sin. And then they re-commence their ministry after a period of silence. They quote the examples of David who committed adultery, and Elijah who got depressed, and they say "But God still used them"!But they won't quote the example of Paul who lived invictory and purity until the end of his life.
What these preachers (and most Christians) have not seen is that the Old Testament saints are NOT our examples today. We have been given much more in this age of grace – and "towhom more is given, more is required" (Luke 12:48).
Jesus is the Mediator of a NEW covenant and HE is our Example and theAuthor of our faith today – not David or Elijah.
Thedistinction between the Old Testament saints (listed in Hebrews 11)and Jesus, is made very clear in Hebrews 12:1-4.But very few live in the reality of this. Very few have seen that "God has provided something BETTER for us" in the newcovenant (Heb.11:40). Any of us can fall in the way that many preachers havefallen, if we are not watchful and alert – for Satan is acunning enemy. Our safety lies in obeying New Testamentteaching exactly and in submitting to godly leadership.(And by "godly" leadership, I mean those who do not have even oneof the wrong values listed in the ten points I mentioned earlier).If we learn from the mistakes of others, we canavoid making the same mistakes ourselves. So let us keep our faces in the dust before the Lord at alltimes – for it is there that we will receive Divine revelation,as John did (Rev.1:17).
If we humble ourselves,we will receive grace to be overcomers (1 Pet.5:5). And whenthe Holy Spirit shows us the truth in God's Word and thetruth about ourselves, let us be totally honest and "lovethe truth, so as to be saved" from all sin. That way we willbe protected by God Himself from all deception (2 Thess.2:10,11). Amen.
Profile of the author
http://www.5kwf.com/profile/?0010
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Is It Biblical For A Christian To Support Israel’s War?
(By P.Paulraj)
During question- answer sessions in Christian gatherings or home groups, rarely there is a second opinion on topics like gay marriage, abortion, cloning, Sabbath, tithing and euthanasia as the Bible addresses these directly. On the other hand, preachers hesitate to address issues on faith healing, prophesies, speaking in tongues etc., for fear of hurting sentiments of a few who differ in interpreting God’s Word. Let us analyze here as to whether Israel’s war is justified on the Biblical perspective and whether Christians should endorse Israel on this issue.
When posed with a question, ask yourself “What does the Bible say about this?” Understand the literal meaning of the verses by referring to different Bible Versions. Now think about when and where this was told and know about the context, historical background and cultural habits at that point of time. The most important is to refer to all other passages on this subject throughout the Scriptures and you will know what the Bible as a whole says about this.
The problems in the Middle East are of ancient origin. We must look back into the Old Testament to the birth of Ishmael, son of Abraham through Hagar, his maid servant (Genesis 16:15) to understand the deep-seeded roots of this crisis. Later, Abraham's wife Sarah, in her old age, bore Abraham another son, Isaac, according to God's prophetic Word.
History has shown that Ishmael became the father of the Arabic people, while Isaac became the father of the Jewish people. Thus, the enmity that began between these two boys continues today.
As such, Jerusalem has been a frequent target throughout history. It was completely destroyed by the Roman general Titus in A.D. 70. Since that time, the fig tree of Israel stood alone, without fruit and almost without hope, until a miracle happened. The most important date of the past 20 centuries, since the resurrection of Christ, is May 14, 1948, when Israel officially became a nation again. Six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Today, one million Israel citizens have either been displaced or are living in bomb shelters round-the-clock. Hard as it may seem to believe, the Israelis are absolutely convinced that they are victims, not aggressors.
It is apparent, in light of the rebirth of the State of Israel, that the present day events in the Holy Land may very well serve as a prelude or forerunner to the future Battle of Armageddon and the glorious return of Jesus Christ. The Bible compels Christians to "pray for the peace of Israel," and millions of Christians do this every day. We must never abandon Israel, even though much of the world despises this nation.
That the God of the Bible is pro-people is established by these historical facts. The wonderful Old Testament story of Ruth is a great example. She was from ancient Moab, which is now modern Jordan. God planned that Ruth would become the wife of Boaz, and the great-grandmother of King David himself. Now, Jonah, history's first missionary was sent to Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire, which today includes a number of Arab nations. So, a Christian who is pro-Israel cannot be accused of being anti-Arab.
What does Bible say about war? There are over 200 references to "war" in the Old Testament. Here are a few references
"The Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation" (Exodus. 17:16)
“Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them. Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel” (Numbers 31:3)
"The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name"(Exodus 15:3)
"Prepare a war; let the soldiers draw near. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears..." (Joel 3:9, 10)
There are about 18 references to “war” in the New Testament as this one in Hebrews, “who through faith conquered kingdoms…. escaped the edge of the sword, became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies”. The author praises Old Testament warriors such as Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, as examples of great men of faith who risked their lives in armed conflict. (Hebrews 11:32-34). Other references to war in the New Testament are figurative.
Nation of Israel was established by warfare, defeating and expelling former residents of the land of Canaan. Israel’s war is justified on the basis of promise of God.
The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12: 1-4)
There is no admonition for Christian involvement in physical battle or war in the New Testament. There are no direct statements that war is categorically sinful, or that Christian involvement in war is prohibited.
Soldiers asked John the Baptist: “and what should we do?” John replied: “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely-be content with your pay” (Luke 3:14).If serving in the Roman army was seen as inappropriate for believers, this would have been a perfect opportunity for John to tell soldiers to resign from the military service and choose a more suitable profession. The military service was voluntary. But John counseled the soldiers not to take advantage of their armed status to do violence and to rob people. Instead, they should be content with their wages. The attitude of Jesus toward those serving in the army was similar to that of John the Baptist. When a Roman centurion came to Christ, begging Him to heal his paralyzed servant, Jesus did not rebuke him for being a soldier. Instead, He commended his faith saying: “Truly, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (Matt 8:10).
Acts 10 describes Cornelius, a Roman centurion as “upright, God-fearing and praying constantly”. No one objected to his baptism because he was serving in the Roman Army. After their baptism, Cornelius and his household apparently continued to serve in the army.
Now let us examine this. We are told to love our enemies and not to “repay anyone evil for evil” (Matt 5:44; Rom 12:17). Christians are divided in their answers to these questions. The fact is that all wars are intrinsically evil, because they stem from selfishness and pride. They reflect our fallen, rebellious human nature, which affects international as well as interpersonal relationships. James 4:1-2 makes this point clearly, saying: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something, but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you can not have what you want. You quarrel and fight” Whenever there is a battle between nations, or between two businesses, or labor and managements, or husband and wife, or parent and child, someone (maybe both) is exhibiting pride and selfishness. It is significant that the first war was fought in heaven itself to terminate the rebellion initiated by the pride and selfishness of Lucifer “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven” (Rev 12:7-8).War proved to be a necessity in heaven itself in order to suppress the rebellion of Lucifer
Paul referring to some immoral Corinthians said “Expel the wicked man from among you” (1 Cor 5:13).If a church member refuses to work, preferring instead to live on the assistance of the church or government, we may tolerate that situation for the sake of peace. But the Scripture admonishes otherwise. Paul says: “For even when we were with you we gave you this command: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thess3:10). For the sake of peace the church may be inclined to feed a lazy person, but there comes a point when the best way to help that person is to deny him food. In summary, peace is not always possible. Can we praise a police force that stands idly by and offers no slightest resistance to the armed robber, the rapist or any other criminal who preys on society?
In admonishing believers not to pay back evil for evil or to take vengeance, Paul says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom12:18). We must do whatever we can do to promote peace by avoiding conflicts and violence. But the phrase “if possible,” suggests that sometimes peace is not possible. There are situations when peace can only be maintained through armed conflicts designed to ward off aggressors.
The bottom line is love and hate exist together peacefully through emotions. A typical example is Jesus getting angry at the defiling of the House of God as narrated in John 2:13-16 “When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market?"
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up…time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance…….A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.”
God has used certain nations to bring an end to evil empires whose wickedness had reached the limit of His mercy. God used Cyrus to subdue the Babylonians and the Medes. Cyrus allowed exiled Jews to return to their homeland and to rebuild their Temple at Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:22, 23; Ezra 1:1-4; 6:3-5). Surprisingly, in Isaiah 45:1, Cyrus is called the Lord’s “anointed.”
A balanced reading of the New Testament texts suggests that there is a basic agreement between the Old and New Testaments on their teaching on warfare.
A Christian must support Israel not only on humanitarian ground but also for political reasons. The State of Israel has the only true democratic system of government in the entire Middle East.
Most importantly we must endorse Israel for reasons supported by the Scriptures. The founding of Israel as a nation in 1948 was ordained of God to provide a homeland for the Jewish people and to prepare for the future return of Jesus Christ. The Abrahamic Covenant demands it.
So what should Christians be doing during this time of global unrest? We should continue to pray for Israel as Psalms 122:6 instructs. ("Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure”). We should proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and prepare hearts for His imminent return. If we do not understand why or how God does certain things or permits them to happen, it is because our limited minds cannot understand His secrets nor see the universal plan of creation.
(Email: p.paulraj@gmail.com)
http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=49310
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THE BEGINNING OF DBF
(Murray Carter)
My name is Murray Carter. My wife Florence and I served in India with The Evangelical Alliance Mission, (TEAM), Florence for eighteen years and I for seventeen. We met and were married in Mussouri. Our two daughters Laura and Annette were born in India; Laura in Mussouri and Annette in New Delhi . When we were not able to get a visa to return to India the Mission asked us to open a new field in Italy where we served until 2004. In 1968 while I was helping out in a camp at the Deodars Spiritual Life Center, I walked to the top of a hill near by . As I looked at the ever lasting snows on the peaks of the Himalayas, I thought of the many valleys with many villages between me and the peaks and I prayed, "Lord who will tell the people there that Jesus is the Saviour of the world and that He died for them?" I knew that it would not be I as there was a line beyond which foreigners were not allowed to enter. I turned and looked towards the plains of India and prayed for the millions who had not yet heard the Gospel. I thought of Caleb's request to Joshua, "Now, therefore, give me this mountain." He asked to be given the mountain where the giants were. I then prayed, "Lord, give me this mountain." But I was not looking toward the Himalayas' but toward the plains. In a sense that is where DBF was born. It was a time when TEAM was pressing its missionaries to concentrate on church planting. When I shared my vision with the Field Council I met with great encouragement and we moved to New Delhi to begin a new work. With the help of our field chairman, Charles Warren and Dr. I. Ben Wati we found a place to live in Nizamuddin. We had come to New Delhi because we had a lot of correspondence course students there and it being the capital city it seemed to be the best place to start. But, where to start, what to do? I asked all of my friends that I met and everyone that I thought might be able to tell me. Each person had a different idea and the advice I received was often conflicting. Finally a good Presbyterian brother, John Dorsey, from Faith academy said to me, "Carter, why don't you stop asking questions and get to work. Start a meeting in you home." I believed that it was a word from the Lord and we started a Hindi meeting on Sunday mornings and an English one on Sunday afternoons. Brother Lawrence Smith took the Hindi meeting and I led the English service. We invited about 1000 correspondence course students to come and three showed up. The staff of Youth For Christ, Gaston and Margo Singh, Sheila and Sonny Massey came to the first English meeting along with Alex and Janet Singh and Lawrence Smith. The Hindi meeting grew very slowly, but the English service took off. Within a year we had out grown our living room and court yard and moved to the YWCA Constantia Hall. We were at a loss as to what to call ourselves, then one Sunday afternoon Dr. I. Ben Wait called me and asked, "Who is speaking this evening at the Delhi Bible Fellowship?" I said to Florence , "That's it. We have our name, THE DELHI BIBLE FELLOWSHIP." It was evident from the very beginning that God's blessing was on DBF, week by week people came to know the Lord and we conducted baptismal services every couple of months. When we first moved to New Delhi I had challenged Pastor Charles Warren to join us. His reply was, "Get me a church started and I will come." After six years of God's blessing we were ready for our home assignment in Canada. I reminded Pastor Warren of his promise, he and his wife Anita came to Delhi . When we returned to New Delhi after one year the Sunday evening service of the DBF had more than doubled in attendance and there was standing room only in the Constantia Hall. We moved to the banquet hall of the Imperial Hotel. Years of great growth and great blessing followed as Pastor Warren took the leadership of DBF. What I have written is just a little of the beginnings of DBF. Respectfully submitted, Murray Carter
Forty Years of Delhi Bible Fellowship
The Year 2008 is very special as our Church is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Our church had a humble beginning in 1968 and ever since, has been playing crucial role in mentoring, nurturing and providing both spiritual & emotional support to many people. All these years the total commitment of pastors, elders and deacons has been instrumental in shaping our church to this level. Today’s accomplishment is mainly due to sacrificial ministry of many men and women of our church over the past 40 years. Many of such senior members are still part of our church, providing support and direction.
How DBF was started
(By Shiela Massey)
My brother Sonny Massey and I were Bible club directors with the YFC and we were leading souls to Christ through TaMI (Teens are Most Important) clubs. One concern that we had was where to send them on Sundays. We did not know of any Bible believing church. I remember vividly the exact place in my living room where I knelt down to pray to ask the Lord for a church where we and our contacts could go and be fed on the Word of God. A stranger walked into our home just then and introduced himself as Rev. Murray Carter, and he shared his vision. God had answered my prayer. The beginning services of DBF were small, and we all participated heartily. My father’s booming singing voice still echoes in my heart. We were a happy group of people; Murray, Florence, and little Laura brought real cheer into our lives. Murray never spared a Sunday: even if there was one stranger, he always gave an invitation to receive Christ, and invariably, every Sunday he saw souls come to Christ. The first English Bible study began in our home. Murray taught the book of Ephesians. We were not aware that God would be calling our mother home soon. My mother loved the Bible studies and she loved the Carters. God had sent them for us. How they rallied around us and what a Christ exalting funeral my mother had. DBF had become a part of our lives. DBF moved from Nizamuddin to YWCA Constantia hall. I was often called to sing and share my testimony. YFC contributed much by way of personnel and programmes. Shyamli and Krishna attended frequently. Shyamli recalls how Rev. Carter invited different people to give their testimony. One evening, the second ranking diplomat in the American embassy was asked to share his testimony. He shared his experiences of God’s grace and protection, and while sharing, he broke down several times. God had in the past used the song “Amazing Grace” by John Newton, a former slave trader, to draw him to Christ. His testimony took up most of the preaching time, but the audience and Rev. Carter were absolutely riveted. Recognizing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, Rev. Carter allowed the gentleman to continue and closed the evening service, saying that we had already been ministered to and there was no need for a sermon. Shyamli remembers the impact of his testimony on her life and on several others. The Singhs, Promod Haque and his family were regular too. Our director Gaston and Margo Singh brought music and the Word often. DBF grew by leaps and bounds, becoming the Evangelical Fellowship of Delhi. Men and women who comprised the leadership of DBF were people of the Word, prayer, theological equipping, and integrity. I was excited about what God was doing in our body and invited several of my friends to the warmth of our fellowship. The services at the Imperial Hotel—our new location—brought about dignity and grandeur when one walked into the ornate room and saw the pastoral team well dressed and seated on the platform. The messages were well prepared and rendered from the heart. There was variety and Christ exalting music. The services started right on time, and if we were late, there were no seats available. Pastor and Mrs. Charles Warren, veteran missionaries with TEAM, joined DBF after a long and fruitful ministry at Union church Mussorie. A gifted Bible teacher, Rev. Warren fed us on the Word of God weekly, and his wife made people wanted and loved. I believe they were incomparable. He and Murray encouraged my brother the then vice president of YFC to lead a ministry team to US and Canada. I declined, because I had just returned from New Zealand, and suggested that Shirley Singh go in my place. Sonny, Myrtle and Philip Massey, Shirley Singh, Kaurabi Sweet and Daphne Bengers comprised the team and represented DBF and TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission) to the US and Canada. This brought about a spirit of expectancy. When the Warrens left, we felt a shepherd had left. Even pastor Mala, the pastor of the Hindi DBF, said, “Gale lagane wala chala gaya.” A stream of pastors followed. Pastor Robert Reid brought solid teaching of the Word, Pastor Ramesh Richard reached the intellectual, Rev. Alex Singh ministered to the university students, and so on. I left to be a missionary under International Needs in the Northeast in September 1989 and returned June 1996. May we be fishers of men and not only keepers of the aquarium.
Sheila Massey
1st Treasurer of DBF
Milestones of our church
1968 DBF started as a Home Church in Nizamuddin at Rev. Murray Carter’s home. Our founder pastor & his wife Florence were instrumental in establishing this home church. Mr. Lawrence Smith, who presently living in Dehradun was the first member of DBF. Sis. Shiela Massey, Mrs. Janet and Rev. Alex Singh were founder members of DBF.
1969 The Name “Delhi Bible Fellowship’ was given. Evening Service was started at Constantia Hall, YWCA. It was known as ‘Bible Fellowship Hour’, attended by people belonging to different denominations.
1971 Worship service started at Basement of Mr. Bishen Singh’s House at Safdarjung Enclave.
1972 South Delhi congregation was established and started meeting at Vikram Hotel. Pastor Charles Warren joined DBF.
1973 DBF was registered as a Society under Society’s Registration Act.
1975 Evening service started at Banquet hall of Imperial Hotel.
1979 Morning service was started in Triveni Kala Sangam near Bengali Market. After some time Evening service was also started at the same venue. There were three congregations at that time.
1980 During early Eighties North Delhi (Mukherjee Nagar) congregation was established.
1992 South West Congregation was established at Mount Carmel Jr. School. 1
993 DBF worship Centre building at 22 Bhai Virsingh Marg near Gole market was inaugurated
1994 Paschim Vihar Congregation was established
1996 Another building Aradhana Bhawan, at Dakshinpuri was inaugurated.
1999 First congregation at Gurgaon was established.
2003 Vikram congregation was shifted to Sat Pal Mittal Auditorium.
2003 Land for church building was allotted in Gurgaon.
2004 Hindi congregations at Aaya Nagar and Badarpur were started.
2006 Hindi congregations at Sangam vihar & Paschim vihar were started
2008 Hindi evening service was started at Sat Pal Mittal auditorium
Today we have 17 congregations (worship services) and each congregation is unique in its composition, catering to the needs of people-group belonging to diverse background. Yet our church functions as one unit, ‘holding forth the Word of life’. The concept of ‘unity in diversity’ is kept alive. The spiritual leadership provided by our pastors, both present & past and administrative leadership provided by the Board members, committee members and all other leaders have been truly reflecting fulfillment of God’s plans.
Some of the Prominent Pastors who served DBF:
Rev. Murray Carter (Founder Pastor)
Rev. Ralph Seefeldt
Rev. Charles Warren (First Senior Pastor)
Rev. (Dr.) Ramesh Richard
Rev. (Dr.) Junias Venugopal
Pastor R.K. Mala (Hindi Pastor)
Rev. Alex Singh
Rev. (Dr.) Robert Reid
Rev. (Dr.) Sukhwant Singh Bhatia
Rev. Joel Mathai
Rev. Ashok Singh
The present Pastoral team serving in different DBF Congregations:
Rev. DevenderVerma, Rev. Thayil John, Pastor Arvind Balaram, Pastor Barnabas,Rev. Ivan Moses,Rev. Robin Weekes, Rev. Jeremy Dawson, Rev. George Herman,Pastor David Bright,Pastor Chandran Kadambavanam,Rev. Anand Varghese Abraham, Pastor Anand Lal and Pastor Prasoon Goel
The DBF office is looked after by Surekha, the Administrator, assisted by Samson and the Central Delhi congregation office is managed by Shobana Vetrivel, Naro Ao and Akshay Rajkumar in different area of ministries. There are lot others who are involved in different area of ministries in other DBF congregations as well. (Inputs from Rev. Murray Carter( Founder Pastor), Sis. Sheila Massey( 1st Treasurer of DBF) and Bro. Joseph Manoharan( formerly Chairman, DBF Board)
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Last Sunday evening Vanaja, my wife kept ‘Pedigree’ meat granules in a bowl for our little dog Dennis (a daschund). I brought Zac, our Alsation dog in and the little one owning his territory rights fought with him. Zac got furious and bit Dennis’ ears and there was barking and weeping of my little one and the whole room, clothes and floor were soaked with blood. I took the little on and examined even as my T shirt was getting ‘blooded’. There was a whole 3 inches ‘scissors’ cut, the big dog made on Dennis’s ears. Vanaja and I got alarmed. I called the vet on his mobile phone. He guided me for immediate first aid and said he is leaving from Vasant Kunj clinic and will be home in an hour (His house is behind mine in Palam Vihar) I took Dennis to his house. The vet administered local anesthesia, gave stitches and bandaged his ears. We didn’t shout at Zac, our bigger dog(the Alsation). We did not get angry with him. We just accepted him as he is. We accepted his behaviour. Dennis and I were together that night. He looked into my eyes and I was moved. I didn’t get angry at Zac when I went to him. I was thinking. We don’t get angry with people we love. We accept them as they are. If I am mad at someone for his behaviour, I haven’t loved him already in the first place. When I drive on Delhi roads, I used to get angry at people who cut across my car. I used to hate aggressive drivers on road. One day I realized I myself am driving so. I am learning to accept people as they are. If a person drives aggressively, I start thinking, may be he is not educated on these ethics. He doesn’t know his way of driving is wrong. If I stare at him, he looks at me with a body language telling me ‘Is anything wrong?’ I have started accepting him as he is. This attitude gives me tension free driving on Delhi roads.Ugliness and beauty are not in the things themselves, but are in the way we look at them!
(Check wounded Dennis' picture in my profile)
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Net cam and scam that nets you
After my nephew Kingston got an appointment order from an existing Government Hospital in Dubai in response to his job application through internet advertisement, he approached me forwarding the mail he received. The appointment order looked very genuine. Ultimately, he found out the ploy after I warned him. So, here I am compiling some facts which we all must be aware.
Nigerian advance fee scam
Have you ever been a victim of Internet scam, especially Nigerian Internet scams? No matter what your answer is, you have a reason to be very afraid. The typical 'advanced fee' Nigerian scam, that started in Nigeria leading to innocent Nigerians losing their fortunes in a jiffy, have now transcended the Nigerian borders and are now targeting everyone with an email address, phone number and/or postal mail worldwide. And the 'Credit Card Version of the Nigerian Scam' is also targeting anyone worldwide with a credit card and/or a website. Ordinary credit card users and webmasters who are selling one thing or the other on their websites are also now losing millions of dollars to the 'Credit Card Version of the Nigerian Scam'. Your friends, parents, relatives, children, colleagues, etc, are all possibly victims in this no-holds-barred Nigerian scam scourge.
Below are some facts to get you thinking:
It is estimated that citizens in the U.S. alone are losing as much as $1,000,000 every single day to Nigerian scammers. More people are falling victims, from ordinary citizens, business people, and religious leaders to even government officials. In fact I got couple of mails from a Nigerian "Christian" with saluting "Praise the Lord" etc narrating his 'Christian work' and asking me to reply if I could be part of this 'ministry' and so on. I ticked the mail and clicked 'spam' to 'part' with his 'ministry'. The National Consumer League ranks the Nigerian advance fee scam as the third most-prevalent Internet scam in the whole world.
Email lottery scams
A typical lottery scam begins with an unexpected email notification that "You have won!" a large sum of money in a lottery. The recipient of the message — the target of the scam — is usually told to keep the notice secret, "due to a mix-up in some of the names and numbers," and to contact a "claims agent." After contacting the agent, the target of the scam will be asked to pay "processing fees" or "transfer charges" so that the winnings can be distributed, but will of course never receive any lottery payment. Many email lottery scams use the names of legitimate lottery organizations, but this does not mean the legitimate organizations are in any way involved with the scams. Unless you have bought a ticket, you cannot have won a prize. There are no such things as "email" draws or any other lottery where "no tickets were sold". This is simply another invention by the scammer to make you believe you've won. The scammer will ask you to pay a fee before you can receive your prize. It is illegal for a real lottery to charge any sort of fee. It doesn't matter what they say this fee is for (courier charges, bank charges, various imaginary certificates — these are all made up by the scammer to get money out of you). All real lotteries subtracts any fee and tax from the prize. They never ask you to pay it in advance. Scam lottery emails will nearly always come from free email accounts such as Yahoo, Hotmail, MSN, etc, and no real business will use a free email account.
Online Job Scams
Job seekers who use online job search web sites must be careful to avoid a type of job scam in which the applicant is asked to accept payment to his or her own bank account. These are known as payment-forwarding or payment-transfer scams. Payment-transfer scams involve a con artist who pretends to be an employer. The con artist uses a job ad to lure an unsuspecting job seeker, or they may use information from a resume they have found online. Such con artists can be quite convincing, and may even steal company names and corporate logos to convince victims that they are legitimate employers. After the con artist has won the job seeker's trust, the con artist tricks the job seeker into giving up bank account numbers. The reasons given for this can be clever. One ploy is to tell the job seeker they can only deliver paychecks by "direct deposit. The 'job' a job seeker will be asked to do involves forwarding or wiring money from a personal bank account, a PayPal account, or from Western Union to another account. The other account is often overseas. As part of their pay, the job seeker is instructed to keep a small percentage of the money as their payment. Sometimes the payment for making the money transfer is as low as $15. Sometimes it is as high as several hundred or several thousand dollars. Almost always, the money the victims are transferring is stolen, and therefore, the victims are committing theft and wire fraud. Usually, this kind of scam involves at least two or three victims. There are many variations of payment-forwarding scams. Following are very simple tips that will go far to protect you from falling victim with some clarifications noted below. Again, this scam can be quite clever and refined. 1. Do not give personal bank account, PayPal account, or credit card numbers to an employer. 2. Do not agree to have funds or paychecks direct deposited to any of your accounts by a new employer. 3. Do not forward, transfer, or "wire" money to an employer. 4. Do not transfer money and retain a portion for payment. Legitimate employers do not usually need your bank account numbers. While direct deposit of a paycheck is a convenience, if that is the only option an employer offers, then you should not accept the job. A legitimate employer will give you the option of direct deposit, but not demand that it is used. You should wait until you have met the employer in person before agreeing to a direct deposit option. (At times, these 'employers' also decoy)
Phishing
In computing, phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. eBay, PayPal and online banks are common targets. Phishing is typically carried out by email or instant messaging, and often directs users to enter details at a website, although phone contact has also been used. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical measures. The first recorded mention of the term phishing is on the America-online Usenet newsgroup on January 2, 1996.
Chat Room Scam
Beware of on line scam alluring you through cam! Scams in the internet dating world are rampant. There is no dating site free of scammers. Regardless if you are new to the internet dating world or a veteran, you should always read up on scams and the new techniques to part you and your money. The majority of these scams are from females ( or a male in the guise of a female) from Philippines, Nigeria , Ghana, Russia and Ukraine . Never send a man or a woman who you never have met any money!(Regardless what he/she needs it for, a visa and passport to come and see you, an operation for a loved one, for a new computer, internet fees or that he/she's in Moscow on their way to see you and there's a hidden fee that they need help paying or else they'll be stranded at the Moscow airport for the rest of their life and so on). Tips to avoid being scammed online: Deal locally with folks you can meet in person Never wire funds via western union, etc Fake cashier checks & money orders are common - banks will cash them and then hold you responsible Never give out financial information to anyone. Avoid deals involving shipping services
Credit card fraud:
Last week Vanaja and I stepped into few top jewelers’ shop in New Delhi with a view to picking up a cute gift for our daughter-in-law. The sales girl collected my credit card and sent it to the counter away. I insisted that I accompany with the guard and was observing. They feed your credit card details in their system. In another, the cashier was sitting in a cabin in a closed room with a computer and credit card swiping machine. They explained that this is the practice. I was exempted when I insisted not to follow the practice. A fraudulent card transaction takes place every eight seconds and cloning is the biggest type of credit card fraud. Cloning (also called skimming) a credit card takes a few seconds. While a card is being swiped for payment - dishonest staff can swipe the card details which are downloaded on a computer. A duplicate card is made and the trickster would have spent the money before your next credit card statement arrives to alert you.
Restaurant is a commonplace for credit cards to be taken away from the table to be swiped. At times, it's physically stolen from your bag or wallet, or home, and an impostor pretends to be you obtain goods or services. An employee of a shop, petrol station, or restaurant puts your card into an electronic reading device and steals your card details. Details may be obtained from card theft, skimming or going through someone's receipts, or copying down details during a transaction and goods or services are fraudulently obtained by buying over the phone, internet, from mail order or fax. This is a highly organized crime. It is such an easy way for criminals to make money which they use to fund other crimes like terrorism, immigration etc.
To prevent card fraud: - Keep your cards and cheque books safe, and do not let anyone know your PIN number even if they say they're from the police or the credit card company.
- When paying by card, don't let it out of your sight.
- Only use secure, well-known internet sites when shopping online.
- Always check bank and credit card statements carefully, and query anything you don't recognize immediately.
- Be careful when disposing of bank statements and credit card receipts. Criminals search dustbins for these.
- If you think your card is stolen or copied, call your bank immediately.
Your card will be cancelled by the issuer.
(The author wants to invite you to worship with the Central Delhi Congregation of the Delhi Bible Fellowship, if you are visiting Delhi. Church Address: Delhi Bible Fellowship, 22, Bhai Vir Singh Marg, New Delhi 110001; Phone: +91-11-23342732 Church Office Time: 9-30 AM---4-00 PM Monday closed; Mail to cdcoffice@gmail.com )
Visit
http://www.mychurch.org/delhibiblefellowship
Thank you
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