Rev. Dr. Isak Ahmed, President Northeast India Baptist Bible College & Seminary (NIBBCS), Silchar
A warm welcome note of the congregation by Pastor Nenglian …… followed by scripture reading from the passage of Psalms.
Pslams 95
OH come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our Salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.
In His hands are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:
“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness,
When your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they saw My work.
For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’
So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”
After reading the passage he summarised by saying that whatever happens to us, either good or bad, let us not forget that God is the one who makes it happen. Remembering what God did for us, let us give thanks to the Good Lord.
“A va kikhum bang sal in ka tang”, “Pathian chitna lamdang penpen la in sa ni”, “Na thupi lua”led by Worship Team. Prayer song “Tui duh a dangtak sakhi bangin” was sung and a mass prayer was held. Offerings for the day were collected by the Ushers and offertory prayer was held by Upa T Kaithang. Summer Retreat Programme report by Pastor Nenglian.
Introducing to the congregation our speaker of the day Rev. Dr. Isak Ahmed, President Northeast India Baptist Bible College & Seminary (NIBBCS), Silchar and inviting him with the blessings of the Holy Spirit to share God’s words with the congregation.
He greeted the congregation in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He said he enjoys all the song which were sung. Introduced himself, how he, being a Manipuri Muslim locally called “Panghan”, converted into Christians, how he accepted the Lord and got baptised. He always wants to go for full-time ministry.
….. my life is precious, what will I do with my life…..
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whosoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25)
The above verse is one of the paradox of the Bible. If you keep it you will lose it, if you lose it you will keep it.
THEM: HOW TO FIND THE MEANING OF LIFE
In holding your life you become and loser, if you lose it you will become a winner. He cited an example of a man and his wife who cannot have a baby and wants to adopt one. The couple went to Romania to adopt a baby from an adoption centre. They enquired everything about the procedure and decided to adopt a baby boy. The nurse from the adoption centre advised them to first check out of their hotel, book a taxi and wait outside the adoption centre. They did as they were told and waited outside the adoption centre. Then the nurse brought the boy outside and handed to them. The moment the boy was in their arms he starts crying then the nurse told them to go and buy a Romanian bun from the shop and give it to the boy. They did as told again. The boy took the bun and stopped crying. They took the boy to New York and once in New York the boy did not want to have anything they gave him other than the Romanian bun. He holds the bun in his hand and did not want to hold any other things. They tried and tried to give him food but the boy refused and they thought by tomorrow if the boy did not eat anything they will need to give him liquid intake. But the next day to their amazement the boy starts to take the food they give.
The lesson we can learn from the above example is that if you are holding out something you cannot enjoy what God gave you, do not hold just release it and see the work of God.
In John 6, the scripture tells us about Jesus feeding 5,000 people. He said God spoke to me through this chapter of the Bible. Based on this he finds a formula for life, in giving he can serve people but by keeping he can serve him only. He said to God whenever you open the door for me I am ready to go. God opened the door for him and he went to Silchar and starts Northeast India Baptist Bible College & Seminary. In 1996 he and his brothers started Grace English School in his hometown. Now from their work Muslims told them that Christians are good, they are not selfish. He gave his life to Jesus and now he can serve lots of people because God knows how to multiply like he multiplied five crumbs of loaf and two small fish. He says that when you give your life to God you will not be hungry, have faith God will take care of everything. Your life will become something that you and others can benefit from it ….. God provided everything …..God is good. He gave an example of his daughter getting admission in St Stephen College in Delhi. Where the principal said do not worry if you do not have any relatives where she can stay we will provide hostel for her, do not worry if you do not have the money we will give scholarship ……… how great and good is the Lord to his disciples …… Amen! Praise the Lord.
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (II Timothy 4:6-8)
Apostle Paul, towards the end of his life, did not have anything but said he have fought the good fight. When people who worked for God assessed their past they said their cup is overflowing. There are many fights in this world like political fights, environmental fights, animal rights fights etc but Apostle Paul did not fight all those battles rather he fought the spiritual battle. The spiritual fight in which setan is a player. The battle is unseen but it is there. Once God opens your eyes you will see the war. Taking example of Job from the Bible, setan wanted Job to curse God by making his life miserable with lots of difficulties and illness yet Job did not want to curse God and God wins the battle.
If you retain you lose the meaning of your life but if you share your life you will see the meaning of your life.
Evaluation is the key to success. Weigh your life and see where you are. Do not be a “dog in a manger”. Paul evaluated his life, what was his life before, present and what his life can be.
What fight have you chosen in your life? Will you be able to say that you have fought the good fight? With these questions to the congregation he ended his preaching.
“Ka hondampa hon pi ding nai gige” led by Worship Team.
Benediction by Pastor Nenglian.
By- Mary C Hangzo
(Media Team)
