A Very BIG Thank You for Praying Concerning Sri Lanka

“When the arrow of a saint’s prayer is put into the bow of Christ’s intercession it pierces the throne of grace.”[1]

Today my Pastor Neil Tomba tweeted this wonderful quote on prayer. I would like to thank every one who prayed for the Church of Sri Lanka past week. God has graciously intervene blessed this persecuted church.

As I reported last week, police have asked the Pastor not to hold services on Sunday, following the attack. However, the believers have turned up numbering thousand and they were not allowed into the church, therefore, they pray and worship God beside the road. Monday police went to court and lodged an injunction to close down the church saying that the church is a public nuisance. Tuesday court called the case and allowed the police to provide witness. The Attorneys representing the church counter argued, however, it seems that the church is facing eminent close down. If the court gives it verdict in favor of the police, most probably the extremist would use the same line of tactic to get rid of the other churches. The case is taken up again on Wednesday—the police produced evidences, however, court decided that the application of the close-down is not meet the proper legal grounds and dropped the injection altogether and asked the church to do proper sound proofing to reduced the noise levels. Then surprisingly, the magistrate asked police to produce the accused people who have involved in the attack. At this moment, local police was taken out of guard; they would have thought to put the blame on the church and settled the issue. The police said that they have not taken any one to custody, and the magistrate was displeased. Then court ordered the police to produce all who are involved in the mob attack at the next session and also ordered the television and other mass-medias to surrender their video tapes to identified the perpetrators.

We are glad that God has intervene and caused to drop the chargers lodged by the police, whereby, the extreme elements could not use such in future to close down churches. Moreover, court has also upheld the right of the Christians. Thanks again for your prayers and hope continuously remember Sri Lanka in your prayers.

Who are the attackers:

This is an short old report (past war time error) on the Jathika Helaurumaya Party (JUH), who are behind may of anti-conversion protests and threating churches, evangelists and believers in Sri Lanka. They are using the communal feelings to broaden their political base. They came to main stream political process, promising Sri Lankans that they would implement Anti-conversion bill in 2004. Please do pray for them out of love.

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[1]Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1997), 183.

Martin Quèrè

My first visit to the National Seminary of Ampitiya, I met Martin Quèrè, a renowned scholar of Church History. He was greatly respected for his work in Catholic Church of Sri Lanka. As I waited anxiously, with feeble gait and gloomy face, this French priest approached us. He pleasantly greeted us with a smile. At the introduction the Dean said, "Reverend father has two PhDs!" At that moment, swiftly and in a melancholic weak voice, Quèrè replied, "All that is useless, now I can't remember much!" I was astonished. This great man strived his whole life to gain knowledge. Now he is unable to retrieve it clearly. After our brief meeting, he retired to his old room, where he resides for about fifty years. He walked morosely; his face was tainted with a deep sadness.

 "Whence then comes wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?"  Job 28:20

If, Just If…

"One prominent Sri Lankan clergyman D.T. Niles said, 'evangelism is one hungry beggar telling another where he can find bread!'

Just imagine a village full of beggars, whom no one knows where to find bread; therefore hundreds are dying in hunger daily.

Several miles away, there is a place where people not only have their full but they just throw fresh bread as trash, because they have so plenty.

If a person knew the existence of these two places, What would his/her response be?

Now… Just think

If the remote hungry beggars' village is a real existing remote village in Venezuela, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Somalia, China, India, Vietnam or Sri Lanka;

If the plentiful place of food is your church, here in USA;

If the bread is the living word of God, the gospel message of Jesus Christ,

and the only person who knows the existence of this two place is YOU (now you know any way)—

what would you do?

Two Ladies were sharing lunch together when one said to the other: "I don't know many Christians,but somehow I can't help regarding them as hypocrites." Said the other, "But your sister-in-law, she lives in the same house with you; surely you must acknowledge that she is a devoted Christian." "That's just it," was the laughing reply. "She has a very lovely disposition, and she devotes her life to missions and Sunday schools, but she has never said a word to me about becoming a Christian. It's only make-believe with her about souls being in danger. You need not tell me! I know that she is fond of me, but if she believed all that, don't you think she would not have said something?"

[This is a part of the application in a sermon I prepared for World Missions Class].